Servants/St. Paul's Chapel UMC

This week, we have enjoyed having Don Snow and a group from Servants/St. Paul's Chapel UMC of Red Lion, PA. Their project has been to construct the bunk beds that will go in the new boys' house. They've put in a lot of work and have finished 15 beds.

Servants has a separate blog page where they are posting pictures and stories from the week. Check it out by clicking here: http://chapelguatemala-august2007.blogspot.com/

Thursday - Antigua or Bust!

Sorry there was no post yesterday, the internet was in and out and we never could get logged in long enough to load something.

We spent today in Antigua. We visited a large Catholic church and monastery ruins, a coffee plantation, had the biggest steak this side of the Rio Grande and shopped until we dropped. For some in the group that was much shorter than for others!

The kids put on a special show for us tonight at dinner with a photo slide show, singing, and dancing. They gave us gifts and then to finish it all off, all the kids circled around our group and prayed for us. Talk about a humbling experience. After that there we many hugs, a few tears, and we said our goodbyes to the kids since they will be in school tomorrow when we leave. It was sad, but exciting all at the same time. This place really has become special for all of us.

We head out for the airport tomorrow morning and should land in Atlanta sometime tomorrow evening. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and say our goodbyes. It has been an unbelievable experience and we will all tell you more about when we get back!

See you tomorrow!

P.S. Here are some m ore pictures for you guys! And yes, there are pictures of Pam Landers included!

Tuesday and the fun is still coming!

We have been very busy the last couple of days. Richard and his team are painting the boys dorms to make them feel a little more comfortable until their new building is finished sometime later this year. The have painted superheros, fish, cartoons, characters, guitars, pumas, soccer logos, and much more. The boys were blown away and more excited than I have seen them since we got here - and that is saying a lot! The photos are some random shots of the work our painters have been doing. They are pretty good! Keep posting your comments! We love reading them and sharing them with the group!

Elusive Creature Spotted in Guatemala

We are coming to you from Villa Nueva, Guatemala where we have spotted the ever elusive Ricardo Jacobus. We see him here in his natural setting, alone away from the herd. In this rare photo you can see he is performing one of his most notorious and primal acts - writing a letter! The recipient is unknown, but sure to be busy for hours trying to decipher the ramblings of one of nature's most infamous venters! Stay tuned for more updates from South of the Border!

Yes, we are still here!

Sorry it has been a while since we updated the blog. We had no internet connection for most of yesterday, so therefore no blog. Anyway, things are going great. We are having a wonderful time with the kids and are getting a lot of stuff accomplished. We are working on painting, plumbing, electrical, organizing, cleaning teeth, doctoring sick kids, taking photos and more! We just had lunch and are getting ready to head back to work. Here are some more pictures! We'll post again soon!

Photos as Promised!

Here are some shots that Diane took on our first day here. We''ll be sending more along later!

Morning - Day 1

Well...we're all still here! We all had a good night's sleep and woke up this morning - too early for some of us, too late for others - but we are here and ready to work!

Breakfast this morning was baked oatmeal - a Guatemalan delicacy! We had a great time talking, laughing, and just getting to know each other better! We heard some classic Bright Star stories - most of which I will not be repeating here! We are off to work now. More updates will be coming!

And I promise, pictures are on their way!

Bright Star UMC has arrived!!

We have landed and are at the Children's Home! All 19 of us made it safe and sound with absolutley no problems! Yes, I counted them....more than once....they're all here! I will update with pictures a little later, but wanted to go ahead and let everyone know that we made it!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Keep praying for us, the work down here is just getting started!

SuperHeroes to the rescue!

Saturday night the team of interns put on a superhero party for the kids. They really got in to the dressing up thing, with Superman, Spiderman, Minnie Mouse, Super Emily, a princess and more!


The interns thoroughly spoiled the kids with popcorn, lemonade, brownies and ice cream.

Ready or Not, Here We(Bright Star UMC) Come!

I thought I would give this blog thing a dry run before we leave the US and make sure I knew how to work it. So far, so good.

We had our Commissioning Service this morning, so I guess we are official and all. We are STILL packing bags to try and get everything we need to Guatemala. I have no doubt we can do it, it just takes some creativity and the will to try , try again! We are all extremely excited to get down to Guatemala and see what God has in store for us! We know it's going to be great! We are ready to work, eager to serve, and anxious to leave! An all around good combination!

Can't wait to see everyone!

Donnie & Crew

Donnie Webb and a crew of workers are here this week to put the roof on the apartment building on the new property. We really appreciate their hard work, and also Donnie's amazing cooking!

A night of laughter and relationships

The intern team put on a special dinner for the older kids on Saturday based around the theme of relationships and that God is the One who completes and person, not a boyfriend or girlfriend.


The interns set up the comedor to look like a restaurant, with candlelit tables, falling stars and tablecloths. They also served the meal of salad, garlic bread, lasagna and cheesecake. The night was interspersed with entertainment, including a crazy dating skit, the Newlywed game and a testimony.


Check out the NLCH website (www.nlch.net) for more pics.

July 4th Extravaganza

We had a wonderful July 4th Extravaganza, complete with three-legged races, facepainting, hamburgers, carnival games and fireworks to finish the night. See the pictures below.

A Celebration of Independence

The team of interns is planning a 4th of July party for the kids, home mothers and staff, and it's sure to be a great time.


We've made popcorn balls and cupcakes colored in American red, white and blue...or, in reality, baby shower pink and light blue...but we tried! We've got three-legged races and watermelon seed-spitting contests planned, as well as a dinner of hamburgers...quite the change from black beans, plantains and tortillas.

Stay tuned for more news, and check out the NLCH website (www.nlch.net) for more photos.

STOMP Praise Night

Last night the comedor was filled with sounds of laughter, basketballs bouncing, kids smacking the tables and hearts being met by the Lord. It all happened during our STOMP Praise Night. It was a time where we tried to show the kids (through all kinds of means) that God has a rhythm for their lives and desires that they be a part of HIS rhythm.


The kids really responded well, from participating in the activities to really opening up their hearts to the Holy Spirit. At the end of the night, they wrote down/drew things that they were thankful for, and we were blown away by their sincerity.

ArtReach concludes

Today was the last day for the ArtReach activities. The kids have really enjoyed the different projects that the team has presented. They've also especially enjoyed the dancing. The team has been great to do the songs over and over...and over with the kids!