Dia 4

Hola amigos!

We are into day four here at Casa Bernabe and in some ways it feels like it has been double that time. Our group continues to grow closer every day and the group continues to grow closer to the children.

Currently I can hear the praise band practicing for tonight's New Year's party, and I see our team and SBU all putting together large dishes of dinner for every house. The kitchen ladies made us breakfast and lunch, but after lunch they had the rest of the day off and we have been preparing dinner. Our team members have signed up for which houses they would like to stay the night at during the staff retreat (January 6th and 7th), so tonight, we will take dinner to and eat with the houses we will be staying at those two days.

Two of our teammates now have experienced dehydration: Bryan Raycraft (Tuesday over the period when he dealt with the barbed wire instance) and Kevin Forster (Wednesday after working all day and playing sports for almost 4 hours.) We are all reminded and taking very seriously how important drinking enough water is. Aside from some minor scrapes among some of the men, the other injury our team has experienced is Mr. McDaniel's sprained ankle last night. Today he is walking around, working fervently as a dentist, and helping in the kitchen. God has been good to us, blessing us with Marcia Forster as our nurse, as well as keeping His healing hand upon those injured. Please pray for no more injuries.

Edgar, the leading work man, arrived Tuesday. The men have had their hands full since. Yesterday SBU and the Cornerstone men were working hard in the trenches, preparing to put the wall up. Some have been back at that day, and some of us have been painting the school. A washer and dryer amongst other items were picked up from a woman yesterday. In the same day, the baby house mom had said how their house would be needing a new washer very soon. Praise God for a need met!

Daily, SBU is playing the Guatemalan's in soccer. The Guatemalan's always beat SBU, but yesterday's game came down to a tie--Guatemala did score the last point, though. Our experienced soccer players, Mike Rettler, Kevin Forster, and Bryan Raycraft, have been a huge asset to their team.

Emotions ran high yesterday. It was a very difficult day in the baby house for all the women, but we praise God for the trials He is putting us through. There were many powerful praying sessions among the women yesterday. God is revealing His truth, and we pray that it is revealed to the women in the baby house as well.

On a higher note, we had a wonderful time at Casa Nuevo Pacto (boys 12-18) last night. We had a bonfire, made banana boats, and watched "Fireproof." A few of us played Monopoly during the movie with one of the young boys as well.

Mr. McDaniels has been busy doing dentistry for three days in a row now. Kristen Forster has been helping him translate. They were having fun with the girls from Casa Lamar and Casa Ester today, listening to music while they worked and dancing around. Mr. McDaniels has seen more than 5 of the houses, pulling teeth and doing dental examinations. What a blessing his gift has been to the orphanage!

I hope this blog finds you all doing well! Tomorrow we will have crossed into the New Year! We will be thinking of you all back home as many of us celebrate the New Year in a new way this year. God bless you all! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Prayer requests:

• Prepare our hearts and the children's for the staff retreat as we will be in the homes with a book of rules, but no house parents.
• The barrier between the staff workers in the baby house to be gone.
• No more injuries.
• God is bigger than any communication barrier; please pray that God inspires new ways for those of us who don't speak any or much Spanish to connect with the children and workers.
• Specifically, that we would be able to reach out to and minister to the staff.
  
• Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and His joy.
• Energy for the team as we are all growing tired; pray that we will not grow weary (Thank you for posting Isaiah 40!)
  

Un Dia

Saludos de Guatemala!

After a long day of travel, we safely arrived at Casa Bernabe Orphanage around 3:30pm (4:30pm Michigan time) yesterday. Our team met at Cornerstone at 2:30am; our first flight left at 6:30am; and by 9:30am when we arrived in Miami, it felt like more than half the day had gone by already. Many of us had no sleep or were on only a few hours worth during our travels. God has been gracious to us in restoring our energy and keeping our moods uplifted. Getting through the airport security, customs, etc. was completely uneventful, quick, and flowed smoothly. Praise God!

Upon our arrival, the Rumbarger family was warmly greeted by smiling faces and hugs from the children that know their faces and their hearts so very well. Our team received a tour of the orphanage. It is beautiful here! Rolling hills, warmth, sunshine, singing birds, and laughing children. There is joy everywhere! That joy can't help but be contagious. Each and every one of these children have a heartbreaking story; they have experienced things that no person should ever have to endure, but they are in a place where they are experiencing love and healing. God has blessed this orphanage mightily!

After the tour, the whole team spent some time in the baby house playing with children from 4 months old to 3 years old. During that time, Tony came and took a group of 6 (Kayla, Kristen Forster, Mike McDonald, and Matt, Laura, and Dayna Muhleck) to Jesus De Mi Casa, an orphanage about 30 minutes away. There are 12 children from the ages of 5 to 12 there. They do not receive many visitors, so Tony makes a point to visit them every couple of weeks and we were blessed to be a part of his trip there. The home is beautiful! The house parents are so kind, tender-hearted and loving! We played different renditions of dominoes with the children while Laura took individual sponsor pictures of the children. The house parents kindly shared a deliciously sweet Guatemalan beverage with us during that play time, then Tony had brought Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the children to watch and the house parents served us all popcorn and pop. Tony and Matt took turns giving the children 3 possible flying rides, which he developed hand motions for them to tell him which ride they wanted. At the end of the evening, Mike ended up being an amusement park as well. Kristen and Kayla were warmly welcomed by one of the older girls in the orphanage; she was showing them all of her things and desired to gift them to Kristen and Kayla. Of course they declined, but what a beautiful change of pace from the greediness that we so often see at home.

While the 6 of us were at Jesus De Mi Casa, the rest of the team spent time playing outside with the children at Casa Bernabe and enjoying a delicious welcome meal.

Today, we were all up and going at 7am. For the most part, the whole team slept very well. Marcia and Dayna (me) took on the morning baby house shift. Laura Muhleck and Jane McDaniels are currently in their now. By later this afternoon Bob Muhleck and Justin Rumbarger had gone through 3 pick axes already, and another gentleman encountered the first team injury; his arm battled a spoke of barbed wire while moving rocks. Nurse Marcia Forster bandaged him up and aside from his arm aching a bit, the gentleman is well. The men were working extremely hard, wheelbarrowing heavy loads of rocks and dirt from one hill top to another to repair eroded landscape. Also, we are all learning the importance of staying hydrated.

While the men on our team waited for more work tools, Josh Rumbarger found himself battling the tickling of his mom and some of the little boys from Casa Esperanza. That eventually turned into a tickle war amongst many of the boys on our team (Mike Rettler, Mike McDonald, Josh Rumbarger, Justin Rumbarger, Kevin Forster, Jon Forster, Matt Muhleck, Bryan Raycraft, and Mr. Forster.) Mr. Forster brought about the idea of being a horse and the boys began claiming the men on our team as their horses saying, "Eres un caballo! Vamos a la guerra!" Translation: "You are a horse! Lets go to war!" Their playing and loving on the boys of Casa Esperanza was so beautiful to watch! The men on our team will be tired tonight, to say the least, but those memories made will be lasting.

The shoes that were donated were distributed today. Thank you for blessing the orphanage! Almost every child was able to get a pair of church shoes and play shoes. The house parents and their children were blessed by the shoe donations as well. There are approximately 10 that did not receive shoes that we will go out and buy shoes for.

Blessings to you all at home! You are loved and appreciated!

Prayer:

• For continual energy and refreshment.
• For the language not to be a communication barrier. (We are very thankful for those on our team that can speak Spanish and help translate; every little bit helps.)
• That the children from Jesus De Mi Casa can join Casa Bernabe on New Year's Eve for our party.
• For whatever needs need to be met at Casa Bernabe, to be met.
• For continual flexibility.
• For continual team bonding.
• Reprieve and refreshment for the house parents, especially the baby house mom.