I'm still in the States.
Our flight was cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday. The airport in Guatemala remained closed yesterday and is still closed today. Delta was gracious enough to work with us and put us on the next flight they had and that is Wednesday. So now we are praying that the airport re-opens.
Right now, it has been raining for about 6 hours in Guatemala. Mix that with all the ash and it makes for a MESS. These are the types of rains that cause mudslides in the mountains. I think back to La Pinada and remember the stories of the houses that sit on the side of the mountains and how they could easily be washed away in torrential rains.
Please be in prayer for those that are being affected by the volcano and the rains.
While we were not planning on being delayed...my God had plans. We are praying for divine appointments next week and I have no doubts that they will happen. While our plans have changed, His have not. He is still the same.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Our flights are a GO!!!!
....For now...
You can read in my last post that the volcano, Pacaya, erupted yesterday. Scary! The airport is still closed today. Flights into Guatemala are cancelled for today but right now are at a go for tomorrow. Our team is driving to Atlanta tonight and will find out in the morning or later tonight if our flight is still on. Please be praying that we can get into the country and also for safety next week.
While we have already planned what we are going to do with the tremendous amount of things we are taking down (24 HUGE suitcases packed FULL of clothes and shoes for the people) God may have other plans. Several of the villages around the volcano were evacuated and lost everything. Pray for divine appointments next week. God knows that in our house alone there will be 3 groups there going out and sharing about Him. He knows the people there will be looking for answers...and the only answer is Him.
I'll be able to update here and there, so check back for updates!
You can read in my last post that the volcano, Pacaya, erupted yesterday. Scary! The airport is still closed today. Flights into Guatemala are cancelled for today but right now are at a go for tomorrow. Our team is driving to Atlanta tonight and will find out in the morning or later tonight if our flight is still on. Please be praying that we can get into the country and also for safety next week.
While we have already planned what we are going to do with the tremendous amount of things we are taking down (24 HUGE suitcases packed FULL of clothes and shoes for the people) God may have other plans. Several of the villages around the volcano were evacuated and lost everything. Pray for divine appointments next week. God knows that in our house alone there will be 3 groups there going out and sharing about Him. He knows the people there will be looking for answers...and the only answer is Him.
I'll be able to update here and there, so check back for updates!
Praying
As I type this, it is pouring rock and rain and ash from the skies in Guatemala. The volcano Pacaya had a major eruption today. Roads and schools are shut down. Traffic is at a stand still. Villages surrounding the volcano have been evacuated. The airport is closed.
As many of you know, I, along with a team of about 13 people are packed and ready to head out on Saturday morning. We have 24 HUGE suitcases packed full of items to take with us. When we were collecting these items we had no idea that so many people were about to lose everything that they had.
Please pray for the people that have lost their loved ones, their homes, and their belongings. Pray that God will stop the rain of fire so that we are able to fly in on Saturday. While a closed airport and volcano eruption were not in OUR plans 2 days before we leave, GOD has a bigger plan.
As many of you know, I, along with a team of about 13 people are packed and ready to head out on Saturday morning. We have 24 HUGE suitcases packed full of items to take with us. When we were collecting these items we had no idea that so many people were about to lose everything that they had.
Please pray for the people that have lost their loved ones, their homes, and their belongings. Pray that God will stop the rain of fire so that we are able to fly in on Saturday. While a closed airport and volcano eruption were not in OUR plans 2 days before we leave, GOD has a bigger plan.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
2 weeks
I am two weeks away from leaving again to go back to Guatemala. I am so excited. I can't wait. I want to pack my bag right now. I want to sleep through the next two weeks and wake up and be in Guatemala. Words can't describe it. I have such great feelings about this trip. I know that God is going to do so many great things while we are there. I know that He will change lives, bring His children to Him, and will change my heart, mind and life as well.
My prayers this week are simple. To fill my heart and mind with the people there. Being in constant prayer for their hearts. That they will be open and receptive to the things we share with them. I want God to start working now in their hearts, so that when we get there they are excited to hear of a Saviour's love and grace. I can't wait.
Will you join me in praying for those things? Leave a comment to let me know you are praying, so that I in turn, can pray for you.
My prayers this week are simple. To fill my heart and mind with the people there. Being in constant prayer for their hearts. That they will be open and receptive to the things we share with them. I want God to start working now in their hearts, so that when we get there they are excited to hear of a Saviour's love and grace. I can't wait.
Will you join me in praying for those things? Leave a comment to let me know you are praying, so that I in turn, can pray for you.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
2010 Trip
Dear Friends and Family,
Hello! I hope this letter finds you and your family well. It seems as this year is flying by already. As you may know, I am preparing for another mission trip to Guatemala and it is quickly approaching! I am so excited that God is leading me back to a country that I fell so in love with a year ago. This trip is a complete step of faith for me and I'm praying God will provide greatly for it.
I have been actively involved in my church here in Knoxville (Northstar: www.northstarknox.com) for a little over 2 years. Last summer I was given the chance by members of Northstar to go to Guatemala and serve with Clubhouse Guatemala (www.clubhouseguatemala.com). While we were there we put on a VBS for close to 500 children. This was the first time many of these children heard about the love of Jesus and for the first time they were given a glimpse of grace and hope. Many of the teachers let us do our thing the first and second day. By the end of the week, many of the teachers were asking for copies of the songs we were teaching the children, copies of the materials we were using and they were reading the Bibles we provided for them. The principal of the school we were in was non-existent the first day we were there, and by the end of the week had asked God to come into his life and was begging us to come back again soon. The last day we were there we held a block party for the village to minister to the families of the children we had been pouring into during the week. Many men and women came and heard the story of Jesus and many came to receive Christ. It was an amazing experience and to be sharing it with you now is taking me back and I can hardly wait to be back in May. We did a few other ministry projects while we were in the village. Our group started 'Carl's Coops'-you can read all about the name and the meaning behind it on the Clubhouse website. We built a huge chicken coop out of wire and PVC pipe and the night before finishing it we sat at share time and prayed that God would provide us with the money to buy enough chicks and have enough money left over to buy some feed that would last a long time. The next day, our pastor went out to buy the chicks. We were able to buy 20 baby chicks and 100lbs of feed...10 more chicks and about 50lbs more than what we thought we were going to be able to purchase. How great is our God?! There were so many other things that we did and I would love to share them all with you, there just isn't enough paper to write it all out. I started a blog before I left on my last trip and have been recollecting memories. You are more than welcome to check it (www.emilyrguatemala.blogspot.com).
Our team will be doing many of the same things this trip and I can't even begin to tell you how excited we are. We will be leaving May 29th and return on June 6th. We were able to get some great deals for flights there and back and will be able to actually have more time to minister since we have direct flights that are going to allow us to arrive earlier and leave later. The expense of the trip is right at $1,000. A large number, but very small when you take into consideration the lives that will be changed. Right now, I have close to $500 that I have saved to put towards my trip. I know that things are tight for many people, but will you take a leap of faith with me and ask God if this is something He would have you give to? Your gifts will be used to bring people to Christ and to give them a glimpse of love that they may have never seen before. After I have raised and saved the amount of the trip, any left over gifts will then be added to the ministry area. This will allow us to build more chicken coops, buy more chickens, buy supplies for families, and to help purchase food for the feeding centers we will be working with.
Thank you so much for your prayers, for your encouragement, and for your support. I can't even begin to imagine how God will bless this trip. Our team has been diligently praying since January for God to provide and we are overflowing with His blessings daily. Ever since my last trip my prayer has been for God to give me a heart that breaks over the things that break the heart of God, and I truly believe that He has done just that.
-My sweet boy, Edgar. I am so excited about seeing his sweet face again!- Thank you again for taking the time to read about all the things that God is preparing me for and for being willing to pray for our team. If you feel that you are being called to financially support this trip, please email me at emilyroach2@gmail.com No matter the gift, monetary, words, or prayers, please know that it will be used to further His kingdom!
Love in Christ,
Emily
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day 6: Feeding Center
On Thursday we also went to La Pinada to work in the feeding center. It was amazing. There were so many children there to get a meal. The little feeding center was packed out! They each got a meal of some sort of rice/black bean mixture and all got one vitamin. Several of the children remembered us being there on Sunday for church.
We passed out little goodies to most of the children and they loved it! After we finished feeding all the children we told them the Bible story of David and Goliath and they loved it too! They thought the acting was hilarious.
After the story we walked through this little mountain village. What I saw was heartbreaking. The first little house we stopped at is right next to the church/feeding center. The woman has a newborn and it is so cute. The lady's husband is very, very abusive to her. Just that morning, he was seen kicking and yelling at her. We stopped to pray over her and her children and she just wept.
The next house we stopped at was a mother and 8 children. Here in this village they are only allowed to run water for an hour, and only every 2 days. They keep their water in huge barrels. There were flies swarming all around the water and this is what they drink, wash, and cook with everyday. The week before we came, a team from Knoxville came and started building them a new house. It will be all concrete and will have 3 rooms. How awesome!
The next house was a man and his 4 children. We never knew where his wife was or if she was alive. He was so proud of his home and showed us in and was just very happy. We prayed over him and his family and you could tell he was so proud to be able to show off his blessings. Even though his home was made of cardboard and tin, you never would have known it by his words.
The last house we stopped at was probably the one that broke me the most. It was a woman and her 4 children that lived there. The woman wasn't at home, she was out working to provide for her babies. They had no electricity and only one room, one matress. The kitchen area was outside of the room and was swarming with flies. The woman goes out during the day to work and leaves her children there to wait for her to return. Her youngest was probably 4. Most of the children in the village stay at the feeding center during the day.
Pastor Scott and I got off by oursleves again and started talking about grace and how awesome God's grace is. He hit the nail on the head when he said that it was only by God's grace that I was born in Tennessee and not on a mountain in Guatemala. It really got me to thinking a lot of "why's". Why do I have the things I have? Why do I have a nice home, a nice car, a nice closet filled with clothes? Because of God's grace. But it doesn't mean that the people I grew to love and care about didn't have anything. Because they had love, hope, happiness, and God's grace as well. They were protected and loved and held in their Maker's hand...and they knew that.
We passed out little goodies to most of the children and they loved it! After we finished feeding all the children we told them the Bible story of David and Goliath and they loved it too! They thought the acting was hilarious.
After the story we walked through this little mountain village. What I saw was heartbreaking. The first little house we stopped at is right next to the church/feeding center. The woman has a newborn and it is so cute. The lady's husband is very, very abusive to her. Just that morning, he was seen kicking and yelling at her. We stopped to pray over her and her children and she just wept.
The next house we stopped at was a mother and 8 children. Here in this village they are only allowed to run water for an hour, and only every 2 days. They keep their water in huge barrels. There were flies swarming all around the water and this is what they drink, wash, and cook with everyday. The week before we came, a team from Knoxville came and started building them a new house. It will be all concrete and will have 3 rooms. How awesome!
The next house was a man and his 4 children. We never knew where his wife was or if she was alive. He was so proud of his home and showed us in and was just very happy. We prayed over him and his family and you could tell he was so proud to be able to show off his blessings. Even though his home was made of cardboard and tin, you never would have known it by his words.
The last house we stopped at was probably the one that broke me the most. It was a woman and her 4 children that lived there. The woman wasn't at home, she was out working to provide for her babies. They had no electricity and only one room, one matress. The kitchen area was outside of the room and was swarming with flies. The woman goes out during the day to work and leaves her children there to wait for her to return. Her youngest was probably 4. Most of the children in the village stay at the feeding center during the day.
Pastor Scott and I got off by oursleves again and started talking about grace and how awesome God's grace is. He hit the nail on the head when he said that it was only by God's grace that I was born in Tennessee and not on a mountain in Guatemala. It really got me to thinking a lot of "why's". Why do I have the things I have? Why do I have a nice home, a nice car, a nice closet filled with clothes? Because of God's grace. But it doesn't mean that the people I grew to love and care about didn't have anything. Because they had love, hope, happiness, and God's grace as well. They were protected and loved and held in their Maker's hand...and they knew that.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Day 6: VBS
Thursday
We went back to the school in San Mateo for the last dya of VBS. On Tuesday we had taken pictures of all the kids and also made frames for them. On this day we brought all the pictures to pass out. These kids were so excited to get their pictures.
While I was at the photo place the night before I printed off a couple of pictures of Edgar and me. His smile was so big when I gave them to him. He was so happy and held them so close to his little body. I told him to put them in his backpack and he took off running through the play yard and stuffed them far into his backpack. I love that little boy so much. He was so much fun and I just loved being able to love on him and hold him and to remind him that he is never alone.
We went back to the school in San Mateo for the last dya of VBS. On Tuesday we had taken pictures of all the kids and also made frames for them. On this day we brought all the pictures to pass out. These kids were so excited to get their pictures.
While I was at the photo place the night before I printed off a couple of pictures of Edgar and me. His smile was so big when I gave them to him. He was so happy and held them so close to his little body. I told him to put them in his backpack and he took off running through the play yard and stuffed them far into his backpack. I love that little boy so much. He was so much fun and I just loved being able to love on him and hold him and to remind him that he is never alone.
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