One, two, three...

No, I haven't gone back on my promise to continue the blog...it's just that our internet connection of late has been super slow. So, no pictures until I can get them uploaded.

This afternoon I had a Quiche language lesson. My guard's wife, Katarina, is my teacher, along with her 5 year old son Misael. As I would count, using the magnetic numbers on the fridge, he would count along with me. I can count from one to ten, but don't ask me to name them out of order yet! Misael had his own lesson...after we practiced in Quiche, I taught him one to ten in English. He did very well. Sad that I am on the level of a 5 year old...

"Lost" "pieces"

Look at what I discovered in Alabama in February! Almond Joy...our favorite! Next would be the Dark Chocolate, and last the York Peppermint Patties. Snuck a couple of bags in the carry-on before leaving. Yum! Got the first season of Lost for Christmas. Had to see what everyone was talking about! Needless to say, I liked it, got hooked and bought Seasons 2 - 5 on sale at Amazon. Guess what we do in the evenings?

I'm hooked...Johnny's just burned out!

So I bribe him with the Almond Joy!

Office and Salon

Remember the office and salon that was finished by the teams last summer? You'll be happy to see that we finally have some furniture to make them a real office and salon!

The table with the two chairs will soon hold a desktop computer and printer!

The "lockers" in the corner are for the different church committees in the area that may want to use the office as their meeting place, since we are fairly central. The committees can bring files, office needs, etc. and put in their "locker" and lock it with a padlock. Since file cabinets are very expensive, this was a simple way to give up to 10 committees room! The file cabinet in the other corner will be for the Camp.

You are looking at the start of the Pastor's Library. We have been growing since this picture was taken and now have over 50 books, various DVDs and programs for the pastors to use! All of the books, DVDs and programs are in Spanish and have been donated by various individuals and groups. We would love to fill this bookcase and have to buy a new one!

Finally, the Salon now has two whiteboards and a clock, besides the tables and chairs! We are still looking to buy a pull-down screen for use with the projector. We have the money but locating the screen has been the problem. Here's Johnny resting after he and Samuel hung the boards.

The request for much of this was placed in the CAM Christmas Catalogue this past holiday season. As you can see, gifts given to the Christmas Catalogue are put to good use! Thank you to all who gave, whether through the Catalogue or as a team. All of this has been used and will find many more years of usefulness!

He Is Risen!

He Is Risen!

He Is Risen, Indeed!

Semana Santa - 2010

The week of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is celebrated throughout the Christian world. Here in Guatemala, Holy Week is a holiday, with many businesses closing at least from Thursday thru Sunday, if not the whole week. We have stayed at the Camp this week, having various groups from the churches come to have "retreats" and such. Travel is more dangerous this week and the pickpockets are out in force in the tourist areas such as Antigua and Panajachel.

Pray for those, here and all over the world, that don't believe in the cross...those that have never heard...those that don't accept the sacrifice that was given. Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship. A relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ. A relationship that accepts the sacrifice that was made on our behalf. Many religions say, "Do, do, do". God says, "It has already been done". And the debt was shown "Paid in full" by the Resurrection!

We will celebrate on Sunday, the Day of Resurrection, with one of our area churches. You, dear friends, will be in our hearts.

Back again!

Those of you that haven't been here since last summer will be pleased to see the work of our January team from West Rome, Michigan. Those of you from West Rome will be pleased to see the work that has been done since you left! The gates give us more control over people coming onto the property (our side, at least) by car. There is a walk-thru gate on the left of the big gates that doesn't have a door yet, so walk-thru traffic continues. Other than one of our barbed wire fences getting cut, we are not having the problems with the locals that we had at first, as we began to fence and close off trails and secure the property. We are doing it slowly, so, like the frog in the pot of slowly heating water, they are getting accustomed to it little by little.

I have always been a procrastinator...just ask my mother! After 3 years of blogging, it has gotten slower and slower. For that I am sorry. I don't get much feedback, so it's hard to see if I am just doing this for me or if others enjoy it also. I guess there are others also because this week I received an email saying certain folks were having withdrawal symptoms! So, here I am again. I hope to continue in a timely manner, although pictures will be more sparse than usual. The time it takes for pictures to load has been one of my issues. So, more blogs with fewer pictures, OK?

Those of you that read this, thank you.

It's being used...

Besides the English classes I have been teaching, the first "formal" use of the new salon was yesterday by pastors and their wives in the Pamazebal area close to the Camp. There were 23 in attendance. Johnny took these pictures during their meeting.

We still need a large whiteboard and a pull-down screen for the front of the meeting room.

The tables and chairs were donated with a generous gift from Wisconsin!

Again, thanks to all who had a part in building and helping supply the new salon. I don't have pictures of the new bathrooms in use...but we are ever so thankful for them also!

Vacation Bible School 2009

We would like to say "thank you" to all the folks who helped us help the local churches with Vacation Bible School. As many of you know, school is out here November, December and part of January. So, as the U.S. churches do in the summer vacation, we have Vacation Bible School during the vacation break...usually in November or early December. We had many gifts from teams that came down during the year of craft supplies, Bibles and a special gift from a good friend in Decatur, Alabama, which supplied materials for teaching. In all, we were able to help 8 churches with craft supplies, teaching materials (in Spanish, of course), Spanish Bibles and money to help support the VBS. The church of the pastor in the photo is doing three VBS programs - in their church and in 2 other villages that do not have an evangelical church present. In one, they use the local school without any electricity. Just this one church alone reaches about 250 children! So you see why we are so thankful for your gifts! It is amazing to see the ingenuity of the teachers to make some kind of craft project out of whatever they are given! God has blessed these programs in reaching children for Christ and God will bless you for helping. All of the pastors we have helped have wanted us to tell you all...

Gracias, Maltiox, Thank you!

He came to work...and work he did! Wayne Campbell, the youth pastor at our home church, First Bible Church of Decatur, Alabama, visited us for a week in October. He wanted to see what we did and boy did he ever!

Wayne spent a couple of days learning to tie wire and make concrete on the ground. He was helping us prepare for the dedication of the Camp by putting up a wall and fence at the end of the soccer field.



He also spent almost every evening helping out with some computer problems!

But everything he did wasn't work! We did visit Panajachel and Antigua. Here, you can see him climbing the waterfall between the Camp and Panajachel!

Thank you, Wayne, for all of your work! But most of all, thank you for coming to visit and lift us up!

Centennial Camp Dedication

Finally, after three years of work! Monday, November 2nd, all of our churches were invited to join us in a dedication of Centennial Camp. We had just returned to the Camp the evening before after a week in Dallas, but were up early Monday morning to welcome around 1,000 of our church members to see what Centennial Camp was all about! Below are some pictures of the day:

We had children and ancianos and everyone in between!

The basketball court, the papifut court, the playground equipment and, especially, the new bathrooms were all utilized!

As you can see, we packed them in!

We were joined by several of our CAM staff - Niel and Diana Thomas, Glenn Stewart, Brandon Scott (who didn't show up in pictures because he took many of these!), Joel, Vivian and Josh Lara and finally Mike Stephenson, who represented CAM International in the dedication!

We welcomed everyone...I managed to do it in English, Spanish and Quiche! After a time of worship, a devotional by the president of the national Centoramerican church consejo, a congratulatory speech by Mike Stephenson of CAM and a prayer of dedication by Joel Lara...

We enjoyed praise music by a ensemble from the Esmirna church in Solola! There were about 6 marimba players playing on 2 marimbas, a bass, drums and various percussion instruments. You can see the drummer above...he really enjoyed what he was doing!

Finally, the ribbon was cut on the new building! Then...what everyone had been waiting for...

fun and games! Noe refereed the guys' papifut games while the ladies played a basketball tournament! I didn't get a picture of the winners with their trophies because during this time they also started feeding the crowd.

We only had about 1,000 people...I can't imagine the crowd of 5,000 that Jesus fed! Puts it all in perspective, doesn't it?

I want to thank all of the teams we have had in the last 3 years and who worked so hard on the Camp. This was only the beginning of what we will have, but it was a good start! Thanks to you all and God bless you!

Almost finished!

For anyone who has done construction in Guatemala, these are familiar sights...

gravel...

sand...

and a bucket brigade!

Such was our Monday, a week ago! The guys had finished the "prep" work for the cistern on the mountain and were ready to pour the walls.

It took all of us, including Junior and Johnny, to make the concrete and get it in the forms before the rain started.

Just had to put this one in...he's so cute!

Believe it or not, they had a shovel that even fit my hand! I spent three hours shoveling sand and filling buckets. Thought I wouldn't be able to move the next day but God was gracious.

After a lunch on the ground of caldo with chicken and vegetables, we headed to the house just ahead of the rain. Good timing!

Two days later, the forms were removed and now they just have to make a top for it and fill it up! We are having a celebration to officially open the new building on the 2nd of November. By that time, all of the bathroom amenities will be completed and the lights in! (Wayne, guess what you will be doing!)