Guatemala 2009

*Tentative travel dates: Departure from O’Hare airport, June 12 at 3 a.m., Return June 20 at midnight.

*Those interested in going on the trip must send in their $100 deposit no later than March 29 so that airline tickets may be purchased.

*We will have a fundraiser in April. Tentative date is April 19. Sarah Ray is heading up the fundraiser.

*As soon as we have determined the date of the fundraiser, we will set a date to have a meeting regarding the fundraiser. Probably either March 29 or April 5.

*Support letters need to be sent out right away. Those attending the meeting received a copy of a sample letter. That letter may be found on this website here. As soon as possible, send a list of your potential support donors to Pastor Dave so that donations can be directed to the right person. For tax purposes, instruct your donors to make out checks to Christ Church, and not to put your name on the check.

*No vaccinations are required for this trip. However, some are suggested. Talk to your doctor about tetanus, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B shots.

*Some reported that passports are taking 4 weeks to arrive. Still, do not delay getting passports, as unexpected delays have been known to occur.

The US Department of State is the organization that issues passports. According to their travel website, it is still taking up to 10 weeks to issue a passport - which is currently the end of April.

Passports & Citizenship Documents FAQ

There will be an informational meeting after the second service on February 22, 2009 for those who would like to know more about a summer week long trip in June to serve the Eagle’s Nest orphanage. We will have testimonies, pictures and initial information to help you discern whether God would have you go on this trip. If you have questions please contact Pastor Jeff.

Continue reading 2009 Guatemala Mission Trip Informational Meeting

There will be an informational meeting after the second service on February 8, 2009 for those who would like to know more about a summer week long trip in June to serve the Eagle’s Nest orphanage. We will have testimonies, pictures and initial information to help you discern whether God would have you go on this trip.

Check out this site’s archives and photo gallery for a glimpse into what God did during our 2007 trip.

As I muse over the week we spent in a whole different world, I am impressed by a few different thoughts.  First, I’m amazed that we didn’t have any real problems during the whole time.  We didn’t lose any luggage, we didn’t have anything stolen, we didn’t misplace any team members, there were no auto accidents, our flights were on time, no one lost their passports, and no one got seriously sick.  I know that God uses trials to help us trust Him more, but quite frankly, I’m grateful He didn’t use this trip to teach us any lessons like that.

Now that we’re home and getting back into our normal routines, we do so with a new filter.  I can’t help but see my life here in light of life in Guatemala.  I’m eager to continue learning Spanish.  I’m aware of the rich life people lead not too far south of us.  And most of all, I’m eager to go back again.

I think that one other change in my perspective is how I view the Latino folks here in our town.  I feel like I have a new respect for them and their way of life.  Our church is getting ready to start a ministry to non-English speakers, and I’m so eager to get involved.  I want to know these people better.

If other team members happen to visit the site here, I’d love to have you post your insights and thoughts.  Please share!

Signing off for now….  Christie

P.S.  I’ll continue my regular blog at www.iAmTheTeacher.com

We just pulled up to the church (at 5:15 a.m.), and I asked Michael for the computer so I could let you all know that we arrived safe and sound.

Everyone is exhausted. Our van-ful of people was almost totally silent on the way home.

THANK YOU to Mark Swiger and Jeff Frick for coming to get us at the airport in Chicago. What a delight to see two friendly, English-speaking folks waiting to carry us home.

I’ll give our final update later after we’ve had some sleep.

Praise the Lord for a very safe, uneventful trip.

Guess what? We were able to get 30 minutes of internet access at the McDonalds in Antigua, so we are quickly giving you a little news. You can read Pastor Dave’s update in the previous post, so this update will just be about the rest of the team.

We left in good time this morning. Unfortunately, we are not all on one big “autobus” like we were on the way in, but the two smaller buses are very comfortable, so we aren’t complaining.

We made good time to Antigua, and everyone seems to have enjoyed shopping and picking up a few final treasures. (Janie, I was able to get the thing you requested.

Even though we’ve enjoyed all the interesting local food, it was quite fun to sit in a McDonalds and eat a familiar flavor. How does McDonalds do that? Maybe I don’t want to know…

While we were in line ordering, we realized that “the Dave’s” (Keithley and Loomis) were here in McDonalds with us! As soon as we could, we got the story of their morning. How nice to be reunited.

We will head to Guatemala City in a few hours to make sure we’re in the airport in plenty of time. Then we will wait and wait, and finally be on our way again, heading north.

Thank you for your prayers for our team. The way people drive here certainly gives some of us cause for concern. But since there are still so many Guatemalans walking around, it can’t be too dangerous.

We are all eager to get home.

Speaking for the team, I send you our love!
Christie

(This story was transcribed by Christie as Dave told his story about his day today)

As we left for Pana to get to the taxi at 5:50 a.m. and when we arrived there we thought we were the last ones and wondered if there would be room for us because we didn’t have reservations. Some miscommunication had happened and we were in a full van with just enough room for us.

We found out some people were going to Antigua. We worried we wouldn’t be there by 10. I was supposed to be there 30 min early to get in line. We take off and called Larry and he said Miguel didn’t say this but there’s a spot where you’ll stop and then the Antigua people will get out to go to Antigua.

Start seeing signs, arrows for Antigua, he keeps following them, get into Antigua, starts asking the Antigua couple where their hotel is. She asked and said yes, Antigua. Thinking it would be 2 more hours to Guatemala City. Driver said no, 45 min. It was about 8:45, when we hit Ant. He gets us there to Guatemala City in about an hour thanks to another drop off at the airport. Got to the US Embassy at 9:45. Got in line, but thanks to being a US citizen, they zipped me through the line.

Right before pulling into the embassy parking area, Larry called, and says, better cancel your travel plans, because we got her birth certificate. I blubbered for a minute, and then I went inside. I was originally going to ask for a hardship visa, but instead I went into see if they could expedite the adoption process. According to the guy there, lots of people want that. “So no way”.

Jen is contacting Jerry Weller’s office to see if he can help. Now that we have the birth certificate, we’re asking Jerry Weller again for help by speeding up the process. Will know for sure by this afternoon whether or not I’m coming home with the group or staying here. Should have birth cert in hand today, and should have everything ready in 48-72 hours to get a travel date, and then typically an additional 10 days to 2 weeks to get the actual appointment with the embassy.

If Jerry Weller’s office cannot expedite this, I will go home and come back later.

Also, our fingerprinting has expired, so we need to get new fingerprinting, hopefully I can get them at the embassy here in Guatemala.

Our last full day here was full of lots of fun. It started with the team dividing up. The ones who came here for outreach prepared to go to the local school to show the Jesus film. The ones who came for adventure got ready for the zip line. And one team member simply stayed home to take a nap.

I’ll need to let the zip line people and the school people give their own reports, since I wasn’t at either place. But I can tell you briefly that the zip line folks had a wonderful time, and the girls who went along just to watch seemed to have a good time too. Apparently there were monkeys in the jungle who were willing to pose for a few photos.
Continue reading Day Seven - Thursday

From Bill to Lisa, Emma, & Anna:
I Love you all and miss you very much!! Construction has gone well. We finished the roof! and even played the fist soccer match there today. I went to the School today and played with the children there, It was fun and interesting. We were warmly welcomed. My 10 words of Spanish have exploded into around 30. Still communication happens. Other than being tired and missing you all I am doing quite well. Tomorrow (Fri.) we will drive to Antigua do some shopping and sight seeing, then head to Guatemala City for our return flight. I’ll see you early Sat morning. I will miss Solola, Attilan and Panajachel. I will miss the children, and Chamo, Jose, and company. But, I will be sooo glad to see you and you and play with you. I love you all very ,very much!