Friday evening photos

Marilee taught on Jesus' death and resurrection.

Look at his face!

The 'mature' half of the team.

Friday evening

What a great day of celebrating what God has done this week!

Dave

An amazing well drilled it has been pumping for over 24 hours continuously. Prayers answered. Glory be to God! Marty

From 80's to old hymns, this week has been a musical celebration and we are thankful for all God has done.-Justin

PTL! :) - Matty B Raps

I'm really not sure who liked the fireworks more, the kids or Mike and Adam. ~Abi

 The kids were very nice- Ben

Meh ~ Adam

After endless 80's songs, and many annoying pick-up lines, I realize how lucky and blessed I am to have the church I have.  P.S. To give you a glimpse of the pick-up lines, here is one for you. "I was reading the book of Joshua and wondered how many times do I have to walk around you before you fall for me- Morgan Goregon Boregon

Thank God, only two more days with Careless Whisper!!!! ~ Anna Banana

A great week!  Gracias for your prayers!!!  Marilee 

All I can say is DIOS BUENO ES and *insert saxophone solo here* -Julia Gulia 

I'm never gonna dance again. -Timoddo dragon 

An amazingly blessed trip.  Everyone found their spot and knit together to the glory of the Lord.  We have for the most part been healthy, we are praying for fruit.

Thank you for covering us in prayers, Pray for our travels home now.

Mike

Pictures to follow.

Thursday evening photos

Kids listening to the lesson.

Morgan in traditional Guatemalan costume.

Matthew and Dave with the finished handrail.

Here's an old goat!

Thursday evening

As Thursday draws to a close, so too do the projects we came to accomplish.  The Kids and Ladies programs have been a huge success with attendance numbers well exceeding initial expectations.  A definite highlight of the trip has been the beaming faces of the kids and ladies as they interact with the team.  Despite having little in the way of material comfort, there is a depth of enthusiasm and joy that the Quiche (pronounced Key-chay) people bring to their lives.  It's infectious and we can't help but feel a sense of worship toward the Lord as we see His sweet image in them.  A common theme in our team worship time is gratitude toward God for all that He has done not only for us at LBC, but for these people as well.  Life filled with such abundant goodness must flow only from a kind and ample creator.  Here, we seem to feel that truth a little more acutely.

At the well site, the team was successful in reaching an approximate depth of 193 ft by Tuesday afternoon.  Wednesday was spent cleaning the well and installing the casing and today we were able to complete most of the final steps required to insure that the pump system is functioning properly and that the well is tied into the village's current infrastructure.  We're now projecting that the pump will provide something on the order of 7,900 gallons of pure water per day to the village.  With conservation and wise usage, we're hoping that this will meet all of their potable water needs for years to come.

There is something special about a newly drilled well.  Fresh, safe, life giving water spills effortlessly from deep in the ground where only hours or days before lay barren sand.  If there is a better picture of the gospel in nature, I can't think of one.  How sad a thought it is to consider that most people live there lives separated from the Water of Life by only a few metaphorical meters.  They slog through the dust planting seed after seed in desperate hope of a harvest of meaning and satisfaction and peace that never comes.  It isn't until the good news of the gospel is shared, a conduit opened, that the redeeming flood can have it's effect.  In a small way we've changed the landscape of Guatemala this week, in a larger way the landscape of our own hearts and priorities.  Oh that the Lord's most profound work be done in the hearts of those who heard the gospel this week.

Pictures to follow.

Wednesday evening

Praise the Lord! Another good day for the men and the well. The casings are all set and there's water.

Upon hearing several months ago that women in some of the Guatemalan villages were being told they had no soul and could not be saved, Chris prepared a special message and crafts to encourage the women regarding their worth to God. Sharing the story of the bleeding woman who touched Jesus' garment from Luke and the story of the merchant from Matthew, Chris shared how precious these women are in God's sight. God more than blessed her efforts as 43 women came to listen and hear how God cares for them. They each made pearl bracelets and were given a pearl necklace. The local church provided lunch for these ladies before the afternoon of making frames with pearl decorations, after Abi took a picture of each woman. (Thank you, Sam Scott, for the great instant photo camera.) 

All in all, it was a great day. Pray these women would understand God loves them and put their faith in him. Thanks for your part in our opportunity to serve here in Guatemala. We appreciate your support. Tomorrow, back to the kids!

Pictures to follow.

Wednesday evening photos

The team at the well.

The women listening to Chris.

Miriam Gómez and the women with their crafts.

The drilling rig.

Tuesday Evening Photos

Matthew and Dave working on the handrail.

The team working on the rig.

Justin beating the whole village at tug-of-war.

The kids with their craft.

Tuesday Evening

We finished drilling the well already. An important thing to note is that we finished drilling, so we're down as far as we are going, but there is still a good bit of work left. After an hour of drilling through rock, we finally got through and drilled down to 190 feet. Tomorrow we still have to clean out the hole, and eventually drop the casing.

Meanwhile, back at the church, Matthew and Dave were putting up a handrail on the stairs to the roof. They finished about three quarters of the railing, after some rather sketchy use of power tools, and have about two hours of work left on it. They had several admiring children watching them for a good part of the day. 

Inside the church, we had about sixty kids running around. After a lesson on Noah, Moses and Abraham, which was continuing the story of God's plan of salvation, we had a fun craft and lots of games. When the guys finished up a little early and came down to the church, the kids had a blast playing with them. We played a few games of tug-of-war, mostly Justin versus all the kids, which he won. 

We are all pretty well tired out, but it's a good kind of tired that comes from a hard days work. 

Pictures to follow.

Monday photos

All is good, problems with typing on blog, kids work is wonderful, well drillers at 170 feet.  The Lord is Good.  Having fun . Well send photos of drilling 

Sunday

Sunday has proven to be a heavy day of travel and fun as the team makes the long trek.  More updates to come, in the meantime, please remember our efforts in diligent prayer.  Thank you for your support!

Final Preparations 

We are thankful that you all are here praying for our trip.

As we get ready to fly tomorrow pray we are able to make all our connections.

Pray we are able to get all of our luggage through customs.

Pray for the DCC team as they continue in their efforts.