Veritas in Guatemala: Mission Team Updates

Education

June 8, 2018

A group of Veritas Academy students is currently at Village of Hope in San Lucas, Guatemala, ministering to the children there and in the surrounding village. We're posting the team blog updates here so that our whole Veritas community can join in praying for them and see what God is doing in and through them during this trip.

Wednesday, June 6

Posted by junior Layne Fischer and 2018 graduate Rachel Mellinger

Today we woke up to the sound of rain on the tin roofs. After breakfast and a brief devotion, we divided into work groups. Some of us continued to paint (completing that task today!), others moved more rocks to create paths and walkways, others cut into the hillside with shovels and pick-axes to make room for a prayer garden, some swept more dirt and ash, and a small group of us traveled to a rural medical clinic.

While at the clinic, we entertained the children with a painting craft while some of us used our Spanish abilities to translate for Dr. Mellinger as she treated patients. We then made home visits to two families. The first gentleman we visited with was Don Miguel who I remember visiting two years ago. He had cancer around his optical nerve and was bed-ridden, unsure of how much longer he had to live. We were delighted to see him today and find out that after multiple surgeries, his tumor has been removed and although he is now blind, he can continue to be there for his family and live a somewhat normal life.

For lunch, half of us went to a local village for a meal prepared by some of the ladies there, while the rest of us ate nachos at Village of Hope.

After lunch, the Village of Hope children joined us to tie-dye bandanas, play soccer (in a tournament), and make bead/pipe-cleaner crowns for the younger girls. This evening we are going to watch Ferdinand the Bull (in Spanish) with the children at Village of Hope.

Today, we were challenged with rain which kept us from doing some of the work we had hoped to accomplish, and some of the children did not want to come down from their houses because of the rain. We were also challenged by our disappointment of not being able to climb Volcano Pacaya (although we know it is for our own safety).

We would greatly appreciate prayer for our trip to Antigua tomorrow. We are very excited that we are still able to go, and we pray that we will have a fun, safe time. We also continue to pray for everyone who was (and still is) affected by Volcano Fuego’s eruption. Our hearts are with friends and families of the victims. Lastly, we would appreciate prayer for Don Miguel. There is no medical reason why he should regain his sight, but as a firm believer in Christ, he believes in miraculous healing and we know that God is great and able to do incredible things. We look forward to the rest of our week here at Village of Hope, and pray that God would continue to do great things through us for his glory. Bendiciones!

Layne Fischer and Rachel Mellinger

Thursday, June 7

Posted by 2018 graduate Maddy Fischer

Today was our last day of work and we finished many big projects. A crew of guys voluntarily woke up before breakfast to finish the digging project. After breakfast half the team delivered food to the local villages.

Corey stayed behind to help Mr. Dzurik pour the concrete on a ramp we assembled, and many people put finishing touches on the paint for the house we were preparing for the teenage moms. Before we headed into Antigua for lunch we cleaned up from all the weeks projects. For lunch we went to Sky Cafe in Antigua. Sky Cafe has a gorgeous view from the roof. From there we were able to see the base of the volcano Fuego, which recently erupted. After enjoying a delicious meal, we went into the market to purchase souvenirs, with varying levels of bargaining success. We returned to Village of Hope and ate dinner together and took a tour of all the work projects we completed this week.

Maddy Fischer