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.