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Salem Lutheran Church
Juliette (Siebels) & Ryan Alvey's
Ministry in Guatamala
February 21, 2006
Link to: Salem Guatamala home page
Juliette (Siebels) & Ryan Alvey's
Ministry in Guatamala
February 21, 2006
Link to: Salem Guatamala home page
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings from Guatemala City!
First, we pray that we did not create any anxiety without correspondence yesterday! When we returned to the house from Amatitlan (a city south of the capital), we learned that we were without electricity—and that it probably wouldn’t be restored until the next day. Then, during a nice candlelight dinner, the lights returned! (Though, to keep the mood, the lights were immediately dimmed and dinner resumed . . .)
Monday morning, after a good breakfast, the group traveled to Amatitlan for house visits, a walk-in clinic and Vacation Bible School.
The group split in two for house visits, with one group traveling to a nearby village, Rincon, for Lindsey’s (the nurse) weekly visit to treat Carlos, a native of Nicaragua who became paralyzed when he fell into a well nearly two years ago. . .
Vacation Bible School was an experience . . . during planning we were told to expect up to 100 kids and perhaps 40 to 50 adults. After singing some songs (in Spanish) and performing a skit based on Peter and John’s incarceration and miraculous release (Acts 4 and 5), we were stunned to see a sea of people packed into a small courtyard, numbering in excess of 200! There were approximately 180 adults alone; the adults were mostly women. (The ministry states that this may be a combination of several factors, primarily the fact that during the day, most men are at work; additionally, many homes do not have a male head of the household. The average lifespan for men in Guatemala City is only 35 years . . .) In a crush of people, with Adrian (our interpreter), we shared a short Bible Study. We prepared to give each adult a small chain link as a reminder that, like Peter and John, we are not slaves to men, but to Christ alone. We brought over 100 links to pass out, but within minutes ran out . . . with dozens more adults reaching out, but all we could say was, “no mas, lo siento (no more, I’m sorry).”
Today (Tuesday), we began by splitting up the group into two groups of eight, plus interpreters from the ministry, to walk the streets in the nearby shanty village for home visits (door-to-door evangelism). Each group visited three homes—we were never turned away. They seemed eager to open their doors to the curious Americanos to hear what we had to say. In each home, the ministry personnel shared a brochure with some of the educational and social services they offer, and the team took prayer requests and shared Bible passages, as we were moved.
After lunch, the group split again, as one team went with a ministry program called, La Provision, to feed people who sort through the trash in the Guatemala City dump. The second group spent some time in a cemetery on the hillside overlooking the dump. It was quite a sensory experience with the smell of the rotting trash, exhaust, dust and flies filling the air as hundreds of vultures circled overhead.
The group reunited back at the ministry in the afternoon to perform our skit for the ministry’s schoolteachers and assist with a walk-in clinic. After the skit, we shared the same Bible Study from Amatitlan with the teachers.
Tomorrow, the groups will split again for house visits and the team members who visited the cemetery will switch with the team from La Provision.
We ask for you to keep us in your prayers tonight, asking God to provide the people in need so that we may have an opportunity to serve to the best of our ability. Also, we ask for guidance in preparation for the house visits and for His blessings on our sharing of His peace and Word tomorrow.
En Jesus Cristo,
Guatemala Mission Team