You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2009.
The past week has absolutely flown by. The team from shelby crossings left today…which was sad. Wednesday night we almost killed some Guatemalan children. Not literally, but I think we all wanted to. Tom stuck all of us with about 30 kids who didn’t speak English. It made for an interesting night. We did an awesome skit though.. I was the Mom. Again, I do believe I played my part rather well. We had a medical clinic thursday and basically just cleaned out ALL the medicine. I also got my hair braided which is AWESOME. Now I don’t have to wash it for a while… which is good news. Please don’t judge me on this particular matter, showers are just a hassle here and if I can not take them while maintaining a soapy odor and somewhat clean hair, I will surely do so. Last night was so much FUN. We all dressed up and had dinner… and Tom and Elisabeth surprised us with fireworks and… a MARIACHI BAND! We danced and it was so cool. One of the coolest experiences ever.
Right now Andi, Katy, and I are at an internet cafe in San lucas. The earthquakes haven’t killed us… don’t worry. Actually, there have been 2 and I havent felt either. I better feel one before I leave though. Do pray for your safety… as we are under tsunami warnings and there is a ton of political craziness here. I miss everyone extremely much and am praying for you all. Please give my family lots of hugs for me. Gracias.
And now I leave you with some pictures… enjoy!
Hola! Things here are going extremely well. God is very much at work in my life as well as the people around me. Here’s what I’ve been up to since Friday:
We hiked a volcano Saturday. It was pretty much one of the most awesome experiences OF MY LIFE. It was hard as heck too. There were people who worked there walked beside us the whole time offering us a horse to ride, or a “taxi,” but I had to do it on my own. And I made it… which was one of the best feelings. When we did get to the top, though, the volcano kind of exploded so we had to head back down. Kind of scary, but pretty cool too.
Sunday, we woke up and went to Antigua, a historical little town about 10 minutes away from the ministry house. Antigua is now one of the favorite places in the world. It is so pretty there, and there are lots of places to eat and shop. I didn’t buy souveneirs…because I’ve got a while, you know? Definitely a cool experience though. That afternoon, Keith, Elaine, and Stephen from the Bedouins group arrived and will be here until Monday. We had church later that afternoon and entertained some more kids. Very fun.
Monday, we went to the Pacific Ocean. Black sand…big waves.. actual coconuts on trees…hammocks….it was AWESOME. We had a really great day! And add to that some awesome Guatemalan ice cream on the way home… very awesome.
Tuesday was a really long day. We went to a village called october 20 and set up a medical clinic. Andi and I played doctor for a little while, which was very cool. We then had some kids over and did a VBS type thing for them. Last night, we went downtown to guatemala city to hand out food and minister to local street kids. Most of them were pretty high, but I think they appreciated what we were doing.
Today, we went downtown to Guatemala City and saw the President’s Palace and stuff. Pretty cool. Liz also left today, which was sad. The rest of the group leaves Friday, and then the other 3 on monday. It will be weird as they slowly leave, but also good. Plus, we’ve got another group coming in from GA next Saturday. We are going to have to cart them around everywhere, which should be interesting! But anyways, battery is about to die. Hope all is well in America. Te amo.
Hola from Guatemala!
I haven’t had the chance to update until now, so sorry! We arrived safely here Monday afternoon, it was a lot easier than I imagined. I don’t know if I have been as tired as I was on Monday night, I’m pretty sure all of us crashed around 7pm and slept about 12 hours.
Tuesday, we woke up and visited some Mayan ruins, which was awesome. There is a lot of superstition here, which we witnessed at the ruins when we saw a Mayan priest performing some kind of ritual with a family. We met some kids that we are going to be working with later that night and hung out with them a bit. They are all so full of joy and happiness, even though their circumstances are not. It is going to be extremely awesome to get to work with them.
Wednesday,we went to a local village to set up a medical clinic and play with some kids. We spent most of the day there, and I spent most of it outside with the kids. Although there is definitely a language barrier, the kids still want to hang out. We played a lot of futbol and introduced them to “Pato, Pato, Ganso”… which is “Duck, Duck, Goose” in spanish. We did another VBS for the street kids that night, performing “Noah’s Ark” in spanish for them. I was a cow/dog and i think I performed my part well, to be honest….
Thursday, we woke up EARLY (before 6) and drove downtown to Guatemala City to the Mary Magdalena House/Medical clinic. We worshiped and served some people local to the house breakfast. This ministry house is in a bad part of town and ministers to the druggies and prostitutes. It was a good experience, and I haven’t felt God’s presence so clearly in a long time. I realized during that time that, although I missed home like crazy, and things haven’t been exactly as I planned, I am here for a purpose. God has called me, Hannah Letson, to comfort and love these people this summer and to work to my best ability. We also got a chance to work @ the medical clinic. Funny story…. Tom asked for a volunteer and I was like “me!”, so then he explained that I needed some gloves because I was going to check and see if this old man had colon cancer…. yep, that meant a rectal exam. I got really red and was dreading it pretty bad….then, I find out he was kidding. So, I cleaned the man’s feet, which had terrible athlete’s foot. But it was A TON better than giving him a rectal exam. We kind of chilled out the rest of the day yesterday, but had a really great time getting to know each other in our group. Besides the eight of us from shelby crossings, there is a girl named Katie here from Quebec who is staying for 3 months. It’s going to be a fantastic summer!
Today, we went downtown to Guatemala City and had ice cream at Mcdonalds. I’ve never been so happy to be in Mcdonalds before. We then took pizza to some street kids and played futbol with them. It was really strange how much drugs play a part in their lives, though. I mean, like during our soccer game, they were passing around drugs. Literally, as they ran, they were inhaling this cheap paint thinner they had soaked into a cloth. There was also a couple were the girl was FIFTEEN who were all over each other. But, I can do nothing….that is why it is so important to build relationships here. We are now at Tom and Elisabeth’s house, which is AWESOME!! Not that its so extravagant, but it is so extremely beautiful. There are flowers everywhere and fruit trees and it just feels so… Guatemalan. I love it. Tom and Elisabeth are two of the most awesome and God-fearing people I have ever met. They have amazing stories about how God has been faithful time and time again, and I am blessed to be a part of the ministry this summer.
Showers are a pain, but we have gotten creative and boiled a pot of water so we could have a sort-of hot bath-thing. The food is good… but all they eat is BEANS!! Beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m not even kidding. Atleast I am able to have three meals a day though, and bathe when I need to. Being here has already made me appreciate what I have. It’s going to be a great experience, and has already grown me closer to my Savior and has increased my desire to serve Him.
I will try to update this as often as I can, but I’m not sure how my schedule will look in the next few weeks. I miss home extremely much, but am growing to love this place that I will call home for the next seven and a half weeks. Hope everyone is doing great, you are all in my prayers.
Dios le Bendiga! Te amo.
It’s finally here… I will be in Guatemala in less than 24 hours! My flight leaves from Atlanta airport at 9:50 A.M. EST, which means I have to leave with my group from Shelby Crossings at THREE THIRTY A.M CST. We’ll be in Guatemala around 2:30 or so in the afternoon, ready to “start the day.” I’m pretty sure tomorrow is going to be a REALLY long day. But, oh well…. I’m going to Guatemala! And it is going to be awesome!
I wanted to say thanks again to Ms. Stephanie Bess, if she had not made it possible for me to obtain a laptop, I wouldn’t be able to update this thing. So, thanks! God has amazing timing, even with silly laptops. I’m so grateful for the wonderful people He has placed in my life that have made it possible by their awesome contributions for me to go on this trip. Thanks a million awesome friends! So, again… I leave in the morning. Please be praying…I’ve never flown before…and there’s that ever-dangerous swine flu going around…you never know, right? I’m not really concerned about that… actually, I’m not concerned about anything except getting there. Please don’t be praying for my safety. Here’s why: if God wants to use me, why put restrictions on that by asking that He use me, but only in the “safe” times and places? He is God… and if it takes Him putting me in an uncomfortable or even dangerous situation to be able to minister to other people, then that’s okay with me. So… yeah! That’s pretty much in…. hope all of you have a really great summer! I will miss everyone a lot and love all of you.
I want to leave you with this verse that has been huge for me the past few months. If I had to give you a reason why I am going to Guatemala… this pretty much sums it up.
“Again, I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed-and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors-and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.”
-Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
* I also wanted to challenge each of you to get out of your comfort zones this summer and go love people. I am lucky enough to have the chance to do so in Guatemala, but there are plenty of people in Shelby County and beyond that need Jesus too.
