Thanksgiving: the downfall of an empire

As usual, the Witte Gingerbread tradition continued to grow bigger and better this year. In effort to up my game, I actually made real gingerbread this year! Only pictures can truly describe the tradition and the night, but if you want a feel for the full history, check out my cousin Jessica's blog from the past week.

At 12:00 on the night before Thanksgiving, I finished baking all the pieces of my creation. I decided to model my "house" after the famous Arch in Antigua, Guatemala. You judge for yourself how I did.

My finished product: Thursday morning version. All the pieces were put together, and I was pretty pleased with my first endeavor into the world legit gingerbread.

I didn't want to completely cover the gingerbread with yellow frosting, so I added yellow accents. At this point, I'm still happy...you can see the chaos developing around me with candy and cameras and glue guns.

Then, the earthquake struck. I have two theories on the fall of my Guatemalan Gingerbread Empire. Theory 1: Similarly to the city which inspired my creation, my arch fell prey to natural disaster/earthquake. Traditionally, Uncle Teunis supplies the get together with fireworks picked up in Indiana. This year the fireworks took a turn toward both some relatives and our house, resulting in a lot of screams, nervous laughter, and a broken window on our porch. About that time my Arch fell apart. Theory 2: I didn't make my house early enough and the gingerbread was too soft. Adding frosting and candy led to DISASTER. Either way, it fell apart.
In order to reinforce the front portion, I hot glued cans of beans to the front and cardboard across the top. Let's just say I dabbled in synthetic material; not kosher, but necessary.

Can you see the comparison? My Arch is complete with the traditional Good Friday carpet and little Mayan Indian Snowmen in traditional dress....or something. Not bad, not good, I have something to work toward for next year.

Jessica's creation

Uncle Dan's creation

Fall Weekend

I spent the past 60 hours at a Young Life weekend...the slogan for Fall Camp is "like Summer Camp but Shorter and Colder." Good sell, right? Our area served as work crew for 250 students and leaders from another Chicagoland area. We served and bussed meals, prepared for and ran events, and filled in wherever help was needed. A few highlights:

1) Because we weren't at a Young Life property, the camp dining hall wasn't necessarily set up for work crew. But, our kids did an amazing job of turning a small job into an art. Work Crew welcomed every camper into each meal with loud cheers, led a pre-meal rendition of the hokey pokey, and had the whole dining hall singing "Build Me Up Buttercup." These kids created energy and allowed the campers to have a true Young Life meal experience minus the Young Life Camp. It was so great to be a part of!

2) We were blessed to serve Capernaum (Young Life's ministry to students with special needs) kids this weekend. From carrying their luggage to their rooms to serving drinks and singing songs, our Work Crew kids helped make the weekend for these amazing kids. A club highlight came when Brian, a boy with Downs, was called to the front to sing Karaoke in a competition. He lit up the stage and won over the crowd; the over accurate applause-o-meter declared Brian the winner. The uninhibited joy that he displayed, and the celebration from his friends was contagious.

Overall, it was a powerful weekend of growth and service for the 18 kids from our areas, and a weekend of clear gospel presentation and crazy fun for hundreds of high school kids!

Blog Identity Crisis

I am a journaler. I love to write. I process in writing. I develop ideas in writing. But, I have a weird psychological block (a family trait inherited from my dad--it manifested itself a lot in my basketball career). I can't write if I don't like WHAT I'm writing on. If my journal is ugly, it remains empty. If I have the same journal for too long, I stop writing in it.

Well, I'm having a blog identiy crisis. I can't get excited about any "look" on my blog; as a result, I don't write. I go to the blog, look at it, and go away.

Thanks for your patience (really, just Phyllis') as I work through this. You'll know when I find something I'm excited about.

This is home

Thought One: I never knew how unsettling it was to be without home until I experienced it. Don't get me wrong, I spent the better part of three months with an amazing family who opened THEIR home up to me, loved me, and took care of me...but it wasn't my home. It left me feeling restless, like I didn't really belong. When I finally was able to make the move into my house, it all changed. I have a place and space that truly is my home. It took an unnamed, often unidentified burden out of my life and has allowed me to feel like the Hinsdale area is not only the place I work, but also the place I can call "home." (I am a MI loyalist, so I say home with the understanding that I still will answer anyone's questions with "I'm from Grandville, MI but I live in Downers Grove IL.)

Thought Two: I was in a meeting yesterday in which people were talking about what it looks like to identify the true need. Example: feeling lonely? The true need isn't activity, food, or whatever we choose to fill the lonliness. The true need is relationship. As the leader was going through all these examples, my rooommate and I kept saying "wrong" "wrong" "wrong." Feeling lonely? True need IS relationship--with Christ. Feeling sad? True need IS happiness--from Christ. Feeling neglected? True need IS assurement--from Christ. It was sad to sit and realize how many people are looking for something and won't find it because they're looking in the wrong places.

Which brings me back to my "homelessness." Did I really need a home to feel at home in IL? No, what I needed was to rest in the assurrance that I was living and working in the place that God had for me and that he would meet my every need. Will I ever be at home and feel fully complete...not until the day I'm back home with my heavenly father.

So, for now, THIS is home...

Grace and Growth

One major aspect of my ministry with WyldLife is walking with the juniors and seniors in high school who serve as WL leaders. We meet every Monday night--club one week, leadership the next, etc. Last night I was intrigued by the conversation following this question: "If God knows everything, then why did he ask Adam 'where are you?' after Adam and Eve sinned?"

In my mind, I jump right to relationship. God, the creator of Adam and Eve, the God who breathed life into Adam's lungs, who walked with him in the garden, comes to Adam with this question because he STILL desire relationship even if its perfection is forever shattered.

Common response from the high school students: To make Adam feel guilty. God, the judge, wants Adam to wallow in shame over his mistake...not far from how I viewed God when I was in high school--if I do this or go to that or say this then I'm good. As long as I'm not doing _______.

Thank God for grace and growth and I pray that throughout this year I will see shifting images of God in the minds of my high school leaders--the true balance of both grace and truth that God reveals throughout scripture.

I dropped the ball...literally.

Last night I was at the Tigers/White Sox game in Chicago. Some wonderful YoungLife people gave me their tickets for that game...row 12 right behind the Tigers dugout. The game pretty exciting with 2 grand slams in one inning (too bad the Tigers came out on the bottom of that!), but more importantly, I experienced the greatest disappointment of my athletic career: I dropped the ball.

Curtis Granderson caught a fly to end one of the innings, and as he was running in I stood up in my full Tigers' apparel and yelled, "Granderson, throw me the ball!" He looked. He saw the Detroit D. He threw. All my hopes and dreams of having a baseball straight from the mit of Curtis Granderson came hurtling toward me, got lost in the light a little bit, bounced off my hands, and landed three rows down. I dropped the ball and some White Sox fan--who probably never even played little league or knows a thing about baseball--kept it as a souvenir.

The rest of the game went by with many taunts from my friends and the random people around us about how I missed probably my only opportunity for a Major league baseball from a player.

Feeding Ducks

I was at home for a wedding on Friday and got to spend Saturday with my family--which involved a trip to the park for Noah and me. He spent some time feeding (and petting ahhh!!!) the ducks. Every time I spend time with this kid I'm reminded of the joy with which we should all approach life. Just thought I'd share some "feeding ducks" video from earlier this summer.

I'm Back...I think.

My father so kindly reminded me that I've been slacking off on this blog thing. Well, I guess the nine million transitions in my life overtook my blogging. But I'm back. Not in Guatemala, but back.

The transition back to Los Estados Unidos was a bit hard, to say the least. I've been analyzing it lately and really think that I transposed a lot of my culture shock onto Hinsdale. A little hard to minister in a place you don't really like (see JONAH). Well, God convicted me of my pretty crappy attitude and my heart is coming around and I'm excited to be here and working with middle school and high school students. Still not easy, but my heart and attitude are here.

It's interesting to think that one year ago I was student teaching in Guatemala. I've come so far, seen so much, and grown immensely in the past year. I'm thankful for all of it, but ready to live in the same place for more than a couple months.

I think the realization that is sticking out to me right now is what it looks like to pursue justice and mercy for all of God's children. God's children who are literally starving in Guate and God's children who are spiritually starving in the States are all crying out for someone to care and to love. So, unlike Jonah, I'm swallowing my pride and praying that God showers mercy down on this place and am anxious to see how he, in his infinite grace, uses me in that process.

Working?

I officially am employed by Young Life in Eastern DuPage...meaning what? you might ask. Great question. I am one of three new interns in the area and we daily ask ourselves the same question--are we doing what we're supposed to be doing? What are we supposed to be doing? A big priority for the past few days has been getting and meeting with leaders for my upcoming camp trip. Next Friday I am heading up a camp trip to Timber Wolf Lake in MI...88 middle school kids, 15 high school leaders, and 4 other adult type leaders. Talk about jumping in head first, right?

I was really challenged by the sermon Pastor Bill gave last week at 1st CRC in GR. He preached on the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18, and I've been using that passage and a few points from his sermon as the basis for leader training. A few things that stand out to me...whose fault is it that the sheep is lost? The sheep wanders off. How many sheep stay on the path? 99...yet the shepherd pursues the one relentlessly and brings him home. No questions. No judgment. And, he takes great joy in bringing that sheep home.

As I head into YL staff my prayer is that God will give me the strength and persistence to pursue kids in the way he pursues each one of us...and that he will use me to enable other leaders to do the same.

Update 1

It has been too long...I've neglected my blog in the craziness of leaving Guatemala, assimilating back into the US, YL trips, Chicago tours, and finally relaxing with my family. I have many updates to give, but I'll start by finishing the update on my YL service trip. The trip was a HUGE success. Kids really saw a different side of the world, saw how we're all connected, and saw that they can make a difference. I'm proud of how hard our YL kids worked and how well they served people. I was blessed to share that experience with that group of students and leaders.

During our time there YL had its first club in one of the neighborhoods. Our students did a skit which was pretty funny; Brady and Fito led singing. A lot of the work was shoveling rocks and sand and mixing concrete. We really developed our mixing muscles during the week :)

This group, along with two others, put new roofs on houses. This involved taking down frames and rebuilding supports before even attacking the roof itself. Kevin, the boy on the left, is a Young Life kid that Brady and the other leaders have been working with.

There were always plenty of children to play with if the work was slow or if we were waiting for supplies. The children had joyful eyes when they were playing with us, but when I looked into eyes that weren't directed at me I saw pain and hurt and hunger that reflected the lives they lead on a daily basis. We may bring joy into their lives for a day or two, but it's not permanent. The only joy that can truly change these eyes is the joy of the Lord. Thank God for people like the YL staff who are in this neighborhood every day!This is the picture of the Guatemalan City dump that backs up to the neighborhoods that YL works in. The trash stretches on and piles up more than I could describe or imagine. Many people make their living and lose their lives working in this dump.

This picture gives a pretty good view of the houses in which we worked. The big bags are bags of trash that were filtered from the dump and now will be sold for a VERY meager living.

The story of these two young girls broke my heart. Both are teenage moms with a second on the way. When we talked to them, neither had eaten in over two days. Malnourished and pregnant, not the ideal combo. We took them to a grocery store and one of the girls almost passed out in the store. We got her some yogurt and crackers to eat there which stabilized her. I was able to buy them groceries, and with rice and beans as a staple in the diet I bought about a months worth of groceries for less than many people here spend for a week. But what happens after the month is up?

As you can see, we got a lot accomplished during the week and learned a lot. But the more we learned and the more projects we finished, the more I realized that our work is futile against the overwhelming poverty of these dump communities. I guess I have to have confidence that small scale redemption will make a large impact in someone's life--even if it's just the four year old girl who was fed for the first time in two days. This area truly represents the yearning and groaning of a creation awaiting the redemption of Jesus Christ.

Work!

My YL team safely arrived around 9:00 on Saturday night and the trip officially started with a hike up a volcano on Sunday. It was fun sharing the Pacaya experience with my friends from home. The pyromaniac in a few boys came out and that was a little scary, but we all survived.

Monday morning our work started. We are divided up into five teams that are in two neighboring communities in zone 3. Zone three is built around the city dump and many people make their living sorting through the stuff in the dump. Groups are mixing and laying concrete floors for families living on dirt, rebuilding houses, putting roofs on, and more. It's hard work, which is good for our group!!!!

I don't have time for a full update, so I want to share one highlight: one of my students who I worked with all semester was adopted out of a terrible life in the neighborhoods that we are working in. She has never shared her story with more than 2 or 3 people, and only close friends. When I told her about our group, she said, "Miss Witte, I want to share my story with them. I think I can help or impact at least one person." So on Monday, Felicita shared her story...and she impacted us all. I'm so proud of how God's working in her life...for a 17 year old girl to say that she's angry at God about the crap she went through, BUT knows he was in control is a powerful experience.

More to come, but Brady, the YL staff person here has more consistent internet and started a blog specifically for our group: www.vjguatemala.blogspot.com

and so it begins...

When you work with Young Life, the phrase "why not?" becomes a large part of your vocabulary. It reflects the flexibility that is inherent to the ministry...and so it begins. All but three of the group of 30 coming down actually missed their flight to Guatemala and are hanging out in Houston for the day. Why not? Hopefully they're having some good bonding stateside while I wait patiently for them to come here!!!!

A Dutch Bingo update for all who appreciate the game: Last weekend I went ziplining in Panajachel. In our group was a group of about 9 Canadians who were all studying Spanish in Pana. One girl did not have a crazy accent, so I got suspicious and curious. Here's the conversation we had:

Me: Wow, those earings are great. Did you get them here?
Girl: No, I got them at a free trade store in Canada.
Me: Oh, you're from Canada! Where?
Girl: Toronto. Where are you from?
Me: Michigan
Girl: I was born there!
Me: Really? Where?
Girl: Grand Rapids
Me: No way, that's where I'm from.
Girl: I thought you looked Dutch and CRC...I can spot em from miles away! My parents met at Calvin!
Me: Wow, small world.
Girl: What are you doing here?
Me: Teaching at a missionary school in the city (actually gave a longer explanation)
Girl: My sister knows some people doing that...the Wirrels?
Me: Huh, they teach at my school!

You get the gist...I'm sure I made my family proud on that connection!

An Update and a Disclaimer

Update: I've been busier than I thought with school wrap up over the past few weeks, but I've also had some time to relax and reflect on my time in Guatemala. My friend Emily Baker came down for a whirlwind visit to Guatemala last week. We did as much as we could--and she got the true Guatemalan experience as she suffered from the common traveler's illness: fever, chills, and other unpleasantries. Mom, Emily wants to commiserate with you. She feels your pain!!! We still had a great time...which she remembers now that she's healthy again! I have some curriculum work to do before 30 Hinsdale Young Life people come down here for a work trip. I am so excited to share my life here with people from home! Which leads to the disclaimer :)

Disclaimer: I offered my blog as a place where people on the trip can reflect on the experiences, post pictures, etc. I don't know how many opportunities there will be to post, but there will be 30 people who have reign to reflect and process their time in Guatemala, so you'll be getting more perspective (and different perspective) than just me. Take that into account with posts from the next week!

Blessings and enjoy the beginning of summer weather...we haven't seen the sun in about a week as the tropical storms in other areas are pulling LOADS of rain here!

School's Out for Summer...School's Out Forever?????

Our last day of school was last Friday. My finals are checked, my grades are in, I'm working on all the end of the year details. And by details, I of course mean re-writing the 9th English and 6th Social Studies curriculums with ACSI Biblical Integrations. No small task, I assure you. Throughout it all, I have had a little time to process the end of the year.

I taught my last class in a classroom for two years. I know that God has an amazing place prepared for my on Wyld Life Staff, but I am really going to miss the classroom. Take this, for example. On my last day of creative writing I had my students share what they learned about writing, what they learned about themselves, and one of their favorite pieces of writing. Three 7th grade girls shared that they joined the class because they wanted to have me again (I student taught them), but in the process fell in love with writing, the importance of words, and gained confidence in their written voices. Another broke into tears as she read a good-bye poem thanking me for all i've taught her about Social Studies, Creative Writing, and basketball. Talk about affirmation from God that I was in the right place this semester.

Or take this English essay: One freshmen girl, when asked what the literature taught her about human nature and herself, responded that a lot of the stories we read (Night, Lord of the Flies, Poison, etc.) dealt with the negative aspects of human nature (aka sin). She said that it was easy to look at the stories and criticize the characters, but she then began to realize that she's just like them. That literature is powerful because it accurately reflects human nature and her nature. She continued to share that our discussions of literature caused her to examine her life and renew her passion for her faith. Again...God is good and was doing greater things with me than I was ever aware of.

My future is in God's hands and if his plans are for me to stay with Young Life or another ministry, then I will pursue that wholeheartedly...and I know that I will still be teaching in very significant ways, but my heart's prayer is that school is NOT out forever!

25 Quetzales

My last unit in Social Studies this semester covered Africa South of the Sahara desert. I started the unit with a powerpoint on a lot of the current struggles the African continent faces: poverty, hunger, disease, war, etc. I decided to do this because these are struggles that I wish I had learned about earlier in my life. My sixth graders, some more than others, were really impacted by the problems and wanted to help.

Enter our final project.

I gave each student 25 quetzales, which totals to $60 for the class. The students were instructed to take the money and find creative ways to turn it into more, and the final collection would go to by animals for families in African villages (Heifer International). Some students washed cars, others cleaned houses, my Koreans sold origami, and more. Two boys, Delrick and Jason, opened a bakery--they made DELICIOUS cinnamon rolls and sold them at school. Needless to say, my sixth graders turned $60 dollars into $250 in the matter of 10 days!

I'm so proud of them and their desire to help others, and their realization that we not only need to help the people around us, but also people all over the world. After all, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ!

El Salvador!

Suzy and I hopped in the car at 5:40am to drive the four hours to El Salvador. We were going to leave the night before, but due to road safety issues we were advised to leave in the morning. No need for a machete to the tires, right?















We saw a lot of beautiful scenery driving through Guatemala and into E.S.




















This was one of our first views of the ocean--gorgeous, right?















We stayed at a little beach (town is an overstatement) called El Zonte. It was basically huts, a few restaurants, a few hostel type hotels, and BEACH. It's interesting to see who you stumble on when traveling--surfers who settled and are bumming their way through life, etc.














I could hardly contain the excitement of actually understanding the worth of the money I was using!!! El Salvador uses the US dollar. Overall, it was a quick trip, but I am thankful for the rest and relaxation it gave me before the last week of classes, and for the opportunity to see more of God's beautiful creation!

Creative Writing

Over the past semester I have had the amazing opportunity of teaching Middle School Creative Writing. Much of teaching writing has turned out to be instilling confidence in children who are at an age of uncertainty. It's hard for an 11 year old girl to believe that she has a voice and that it matters. I spent a lot of time yesterday compiling the poems that the students have written during our poetry unit. What I've been doing is teaching a poem and then using that poem as a platform into their own writing (see Rose, Where Did You Get That Red by Kenneth Koch). I wanted to post some of the work that my students have been doing...I'll start with a link to the starter poem if anyone is interested in reading, and then put some student examples.


Biblical Point of View Poem: No example here, but I asked the students to put themselves in the shoes of a Bible character and write a poem.


The Innkeeper—Melany Sanchez (from The Good Samaritan story)

You did what?
Are you out of your mind?
“Look after him,” you say.
When you first came
I would have refused.
But seeing the gentleness and love
In your eyes,
In your acts,
In everything you’ve done,
Has made the word “no” difficult to find
Everyday as I saw you take care of him,
As I heard his groans of pain,
You impressed me
How could you help your enemy?
How can you love a complete stranger?
Now…as you leave,
Asking me to care for him,
All I have to say is,
“Don’t you worry, he’s in good hands.”


If Only—Eleanor Cabrera

If only I could touch the border of your mantle
If only I could see your face
If only I could touch your hands
I would be free, I know it.

If only I could touch the border of your mantle
If only I could hear your voice
If only I could get near you
I would be free, I know it.

All I want is to be free from this sickness
All I want is to be accepted
All I want is to be loved

Please Lord, heal me.



Concrete/Abstract: See Emily Dickinson's Hope is a Thing with Feathers http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171619

Frustration, the Evil Cat—Hannah Slingerland

Frustration prowls and growls waiting for
A chance to leap and catch you, the mouse.
Frustration hides in the shadows
Cautiously waiting for your smile to fade
Frustration’s long agile legs attack
And snatch you with a wisp of a tail
Frustration is crafty and meows
For the day to come to get you, the mouse.
Frustration is mysterious, it comes
And goes and disappears
Frustration will hold on after
Hard times have left and are gone
Frustration won’t let you go if you
Let it snatch you with a wisp of a tail
Beware, Frustration is on its way
And if you don’t watch out, it will
Catch you, the mouse, forever and ever.

Perseverance—Kum Ji Yoon

Perseverance is the one that shines
So good and bright
That it eliminates the dark
To brighten up your lives.

Perseverance is the one that comforts
Touches your face
With such a warm, gentle light
To reach the goal of your dreams.

Everywhere I go
I see it right there
Shining upon me
Always there for me.

Descriptive Poems: See Wallace Stevens 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird and Someone Puts a Pineapple Together http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=174503

Ways of Looking at a Baseball—John Leckrone

I
As shrunken head
Bearing a long, curved scar

II
A swift white dove
Trying to escape the bird catchers’ nets

III
An autograph book
Filled with many heroes

IV
A Barbie
Dressed with a large assortment of clothes

V
A rocket taking off
Landing on a good smelling planet

VI
A boxer who’s lost his match
Only to be replaced by a fresh fighter

VII
A museum’s keepsake
Reminding us of history

VIII
A pitcher’s paycheck
Hogged selfishly

IX
A Native American’s instrument
Under much superstition

X
Jesus being driven to a roaring crowd
His friends are downcast.

An Overhead Projector—Amanda Agrellas

1. A snake, coiled and about to spring
2. A little robot, scuffling around with one big eye
3. A dancing platform with a light-up floor
4. A crane, lifting piles of dust from the ground
5. A dragon, breathing fire from its mouth
6. A spotlight, shining upon a theatre stage
7. A puppy, jumping across the road

***I'm leaving it there for now because I've lost this same post about 4 times. More to come on school updates and a recent trip to El Salvador!

International Fair and National Cemetery

This past Tuesday the sixth and seventh grade students hosted the international fair. It was a culmination of about 1.5 months of independent work. Each student in my sixth grade class was responsible for choosing an Eastern Hemisphere country and putting together a ton of information--from government to people to geography. Each student then put together a presentation. All the elementary students received "passports" and were able to visit the countries, learn about them, eat a little bit of food from the country, and get their passports stamped! It was a successful day and I am extremely proud of the work my students did!

Yesterday we had the day off (Labor Day) and my roommates and I went to visit the national cemetery in Guatemala City. The cemetery is a mass

ive plot of land, almost a small city itself, literally surrounded by trash. You can see the big dump on the right that countless people filter through for their livlihood and daily eating. Needless to say, the air is rank and there are vultures everywhere...a great setting for Poe's "The Raven"

In the cemetery there are numerous different grave plots. The rich people have plots the size of a small house--the Egyptian Pyramid/Cross picture is the family plot of the founders of Guatemala's beer, Gallo. Poor people are crammed in small boxes and their families are forced to pay rent. If a family member misses rent, the remains are pulled and thrown in the dump, to be replaced by someone else.

The cemetery had a very different feel than one in the states--because of different traditions down here, a cemetery is not nearly as somber. There were families having picnics and lighting off firecrackers on graves, tons of flowers, and vendors everywhere. Very interesting to observe.

It sounds strange that I took a trip to the cemetery on my afternoon off, but it really was a unique opportunity to experience culture here in a different way.

Oh, and in unrelated news....some of you may know that I worked on a research project with graphic novels/comic books all last year. The article I wrote was printed in Christian Educator's Journal, and recently reprinted in an online magazine. My professor's name is on it too...but I did most the work on this one :) Check this link out if you're interested in reading! http://www.catapultmagazine.com/draw-me-a-story

Amazing Race!!!

My roommate Suzy is a Youth Group leader at Union Church--the English speaking church in Guatemala City. This past weekend they had their Uth Retreat in Antigua, and I had the privelage of participating in "The Amazing Race" and running around with these five kids for five hours. One of our first tasks was to get permission and a picture on a chicken bus...no problem!

We then had to run up to the cross that overlooks the city. It was about a fifteen minute run there, and then 333 steps up the mountain and back. We were a little winded by the end of this task!



















Breakin' in the gates of a church :) A few of the clues took us to different churches around the city, including the "tomb" of Peter. If anyone knows how he ended up in Guate, I would appreciate that info.














We had to spend exactly 18 Quetzales (about 2.50 US) at Pollo Campero--the most popular fast food with Guatemalan people. So, naturally, we went for the ice cream. Lilia is one of my freshmen at CAG.






Another task was to make an arch in front of the arch. Good work team! The cobblestone streets of Antigua weren't too nice for the knees of the people on the bottom!

















A pilgrimmage to the cross...

After about five hours of running around, we all finished the race. The time difference between the first place group and the last place group was SIX MINUTES!!! What a race! And if you're wondering, my group did take last. It was hard on my competitive spirit, but it's not all about winning, right? ;)

Even though I'm not regularly involved at Union Uth, it was a blessing to be able to run around, meet some new kids, and see kids from different schools forming friendships and making connections that otherwise would not have happened.

Grace and Peace Part II

I wrote a post earlier about a sermon I listened to based on Philippians 1 entitled "Grace and Peace." I wanted to update with a beautiful story about Grace and Peace that I've been blessed to be a part of down here. I teach a one on one English class with a student, and over the past weeks her story has been coming out with more details. She lived on the streets in Guatemala until she was 12 years old. Her only childhood memories are of starvation and abuse. She did not know God, but looking back can recognize his provision and protection over her. For the most part, she was with her sister; until, her sister was adopted. The family who adopted her sister found out about Felicita a couple years later and searched for her so they could adopt her as well.

For the past three years she has had love, family, and opportunities that never would have occurred if that family would not have pursued grace and peace. In three years she has gone from illiterate to about a high school level in both Spanish and English. This girl never quits and she is not afraid of failure which allows her to learn and grow every day.

One aspect of our class is working on her reading fluency. We were talking about how she hasn't really read the Bible because the language was pretty difficult for her to understand. So, we've been working through The Message which helps her with pronunciation, English idioms...and learning the word of God. Since this has been a big part of our class, I wanted to be able to give her a copy of The Message at the end of the year.

Enter Verne Kenney and Zondervan's. Verne is coming down for work and a through a question out if he had a copy he could bring and I could buy from him. Better than just a copy, he's bringing a Spanish/English parallel that I will be able to give to Felicita!

Grace and Peace.

Would you rather?

Would you rather experience an earthquake or a tornado?

After last night, my answer is TORNADO!

I am sending ALL my respect to friends/family who live in California. We had an earthquake last night with a magnitude of 6.1. No severe damage or injury was caused, but I was SCARED! Our entire house was shaking for over a minute, and it was just eery! I was clinging to the door frame and screaming (which made my roommates laugh).

All my childhood was spent in tornado drills...cover the head, go to a low area, ride the storm. It's a whole different ball game when the earth is trembling and and your house might fall on your head.

This morning in teacher devotions we sang "only you" One of the lines says, "only you can shake the mountains." After experiencing an earthquake, I understand God's magnitude and power in a whole new way. To create an earth that works how it does is truly awe inspiring.

I meant to post this right after Easter, but life got a little busy for a while. I wrote this as a devotional for my church, and wanted to share it. As I walked away from Easter this year, it struck me how quickly we forget. Our entire faith depends on a magnificent event that we only specifically celebrate one day a year. Why leave Easter on Easter Sunday? So, I wrote these reflections on the men walking away from Jerusalem after Christ's death. Hopefully they can provide a little challenge or encouragement or something!

An Emmaus Walk: Luke 24:13-35
I’m sitting in the bus terminal in Santa Elena, Guatemala, writing by candlelight due to the consistent on again, off again power in this country. Traveling home after a weekend in Belize, I can’t help but reflect on the travelers I’ve encountered: Len and Carrie B, retirees from GR; Drew, a recently dumped Canadian nomad; Mike, a dreadlocked backpacker from Seattle.
Why do these people, our conversations, their stories, float through my brain when I should be grading English tests? I think it is because their story is my story, is our story.
There once were two men walking the road to Emmaus, mourning the loss of his supposed Savior. They were blind--they could not see that their companion was the Savior for whom they yearned. They were so entrenched in the walk and talk that they missed the story unfolding around them.
There once was a man named Moses who was so hung up on his speech impediment that he almost missed his chance to lead the Israelite’s from Egypt.
There once was a man named Saul who was so convinced of his righteousness that he murdered those bearing the truth.
There once was a woman named Annette who was so scared that she almost missed her call to give up some time teaching to minister with Young Life in Hinsdale, Illinois.
The storyline permeates history, it permeates our history. Which leaves some questions: Where are you walking? Who are you walking with? What’s keeping you from seeing the story that is daily unfolding around you and the Savior that is walking with you?
Pray that God will rip away the calluses from your heart, the blind spots from your eyes, so that your hearts may burn with the presence of Christ’s words in your life.

Diving back in...

LOOK: Mom, Dad, Len, and Carrie at breakfast at the Quetzal reserve. This picture is especially for my favorite big brother Mark and all the crap he's been giving me!!!! ;)

School has proven to be somewhat of a "break" after the busyness of Semana Santa, but if you know me at all you know that I never have an abundance of the elusive free time. Here's an update on what's been happening both in and out of the classroom.

1) Freshmen English: I assigned "The Prince and the Pauper" over Semana Santa, and as an assessment I'm having the students write a comparison/contrast paper between the novel and the movie "Freaky Friday" which we watched in class. Mostly, I want the students to examine why the concept of switching roles/places is so rampant in media. One morning in class I started them thinking in this direction by telling my "life story." I told them I was born with a terrible blood disease that would lead straight to my death (insert lots of dramatic details here), but someone offered to give his blood in place of mine, to take my place and give me life. At this point, the students were upset that I lied to them...I never lied though, I was born with sin and without Christ's blood in place of mine, I'd be dead.

2) Middle School Basketball: This is my current greatest disappointment of my time here. I was/am so excited about coaching middle school girls' basketball, and the girls just aren't interested. We have a great group of 6th grade girls who are enthusiastic and hardworking, but we only have six people--four of whom are new to basketball. We're going ahead with it and teaching the girls as much as we can, but it's hard without the possiblity of scrimmaging. I'm learning to rework my expectations to match the reality of what's happened, but I have a really difficult time understanding people who don't LOVE basketball :)

3) Freshmen girls Bible Study: After many roadblocks and issues to work around, I finally have a Bible Study/discipleship group going for this quarter. Six of the ten girls are coming out, which is more than I was expecting! We're using the time to explore a little bit about how Jesus' teachings really play out in the day-to-day life of a freshmen girl. Let me tell you, after leading YL Bible Studies for the past four years, it's a whole different world jumping back into the Christian School Bible study scene. My prayer is that the girls will drop their inhibitions and be real with each other in their struggles, questions, and thoughts.

More to come soon--pictures of Middle School and High School banquet...but I didn't want to overwhelm anyone with too big of a post!

Proession Video

Len and Carrie asked me to post a proessio video...check it out--it's worth the time it takes to upload!

Also...BACK OFF about picture choice. I said that I have many more pictures--I picked the ones that best show what we ALL saw!

Semana Santa (spring break): a photo tour

Semana Santa is over, and I spent a MOST WONDERFUL week with Dad, Mom, Len, and Carrie. (sorry Mark) The first leg of our journey included a trip to the famous Mayan ruins in Tikal, Peten, Guatemala. This was my first trip to the northern part of the country, and the living history was impressive. This is the temple of the Jaguar, the most famous of the Tikal ruins.





As the Mayan empire began to decline (due to climate change), the kings took matters into their own hands and started offering more and more animal and human sacrifices. Since it didn't work, the people lost faith in the kings, and began to move. This is an altar on which humans were sacrificed. It was pretty oppressive to be standing in the very place that someone stood before being offered to an unanswering, unavailable, oh--and not real--god.










We left Tikal and traveled through the Peten to Coban. Our journey included a water taxi over this river. Check the description, according to Moon Traveler's Guide: "Sayache is a rough and tumble kind of town and reports of shoot outs in the street are not uncommon, though security forces were reported to gave gotten at least partial control on the situation in late 2006. Still you may want to limit your time here to that required to cross the Rio La Passion on your way south. The river and surrounding town nowadays serve as a transshipment point for the local cocaine cartels said to operate in this region for some time now. Although they don't tend to get involved with tourist, it certainly adds to the remote lawless frontier atmosphere that seems to permeate this town." Herm and Len actually took a person fairy across without knowing this info...OOPS!



We ended the second leg of our journey in Coban and spent the day at Semuc Champey. Trisha, her friends ANna and Deborah, and I jumped about 30' off the rock on the right and into the river below!


Just one of the beautiful churches we saw along the way. This one is in Coban overlooking the entire city.

Good Friday in Antigua offers an opportunity to gain insight into traditions and faith of Guatemalan Catholics. Processions (which actually started months ago) begin for the day at 5:00 am and continue throughout the whole day. The men wear purple until 3, the time of Jesus' death, then they change to black. One float can weigh up to 3 tons! This is obviously Jesus carrying his cross to his death, with the volcano Agua in the background.





The people spend HOURS preparing carpets--symbolizing the laying of palm branches under Jesus' feet. Some are made of colored saw dust, others (this one) flower petals, and others fruit. It's amazing to see the time and effor they put into preparing for Jesus. Something we Protestants could learn a little from...

At night I went down into the city for more processions...this MASSIVE float portrayed the Grim Reeper pulling a dead Jesus in...it was followed by an empty throne awaiting Jesus' resurrection. Seeing the "face of death" makes me so thankful that for Christians, DEATH IS NOT THE END!!!! He is risen indeed.

I have TONS more pictures and stories, but this offers a glimpse into our experiences and reflections over the past week!

Updates

First, and to some most importantly, here is an update on the race for sweet Guatemalan food in the end of June:

Phyllis: 12 posts

Hannah: 8 posts

Aunt Marlene: 7 posts

Mom, Mark, Aunt Jo, Len and Carrie, Herman: 5 posts

Late starters: Kendra, 2; Bela, 1

Winning by default due to his cute smile and apparent genious is Noah: 1 post :)

Dia de Gozo: This past weekend we had the opportunity to throw a party for children that are currently being helped through the legal process by the International Justice Mission (ijm.org). IJM in Guate focuses on children who suffer sexual abuse and, for various reasons, cannot be heard in court (not enough money or status, no families, etc.). The day went really well--it was fun to see the children playing games, and just as fun to see their parents/guardians playing with them. I was in charge of indoor games, so I made TONS of cupcakes for a cupcake walk, and also set up bobbing for apples, pin the tail on the pig, and Bozo's Buckets. I would love to show pictures, but in order to protect the delicate situations these children are in, IJM asked that we not post pictures. So, if you want to see them you'll have to ask me later. Overall, it truly was a day of joy for these children.

While the day was definitely filled with joy, it was also difficult knowing that each CHILD present knows so much more pain, lonliness, abuse, and despair than many of us will ever know. A reminder that we have a great responsibility to "the least of these."

Avon Run: Here's a good laugh...I ran in the Avon Run against Breast Cancer this past Sunday. Out of 4000 contestants, I took 53rd place in the 5K. I laughed pretty hard at that. The athletic culture for women down here is a little different than in the states, that's for sure!

Sherry, one of my coworkers, and me after the Avon Run. We "went to our church" because it was the closest reliable parking to where the race started.

We're part of another running group that happened to meet on the same Sunday afternoon. This is the view of the city from the apartment we met at.

This is the closest I'll get to a snow peaked mountain this spring break!

Hombres Verdes y el Raton!!!!

The weeks are flying by, and I am constantly amazed at God's faithfulness in day to day life. From energy and wisdom in teaching to little blessings like good coffee and sunshine (well, I guess that's big blessing for Michiganders!), we serve a GOOD God!

A few funny stories from life in Guate: first, the green guys. The cops down here wear BRIGHT NEON green vests--think sixth grade safeties...but green. They set up random road blocks at which they randomly select cars to check. If the car is missing any, again, random item: orange cones, reflectors, insurance, lights, fuzzy dice, whatever, you get a ticket. Let's just say I get nervous whenever the green guys enter my line of vision. I've avoided encounters so far, and hopefully will not ever get randomly selected!

My other current dilemma is the health conscious mouse that is currently living in my house. Ever heard the story, "if you give a mouse a cookie?" Well, our mouse began with avocado, moved to oatmeal, nibbled on some beans, destroyed a few tomatoes, and then moved to our COOKIES--all while avoiding the three bags of poison and trap with the oh so traditional cheese in it. We've only had two sitings...one which consisted of a lot of screaming, running around with brooms, and culminated in our neighbors stopping by with machetes--and the mouse lives on!

FYI: "raton" is used for rat and mouse, and apparently chipmunks, making "Alvin and the Chipmunks" "Alvin y los ratones." Green guys, health conscious mice, Alvin and the Rats, just a normal day in Guate!

Belize

Last weekend, my friend Karina and I went to visit Len and Carrie Blauwkamp in Caye Caulker, Belize. Here's a look at our adventure!













The border of Belize and Guatemala: we were instructed to get out of the bus and walk all our stuff across the border!






















Once we crossed the border into Belize, we followed a bicycle race the entire way into Belize City...ask me how I felt about that slow trip!

















I got my hair braided by Anita, the hairbraider who has been on the island for 7 years now.
















A beautiful Belizian sunset















Len, Carrie, and me at a smoothie joint on the ocean.

A beautiful Belizian sunrise

Randomly, on the island, I found a sign pointing the kilometers to Kalamazoo MI!!!!

Of course, we get back into Guate and...NO POWER at the bus station

And...not on the island...Kiersten Ann Witte!!!!