Guatemala: March 10th post

What an incredible experience this trip has been so far! Yesterday, we had the privilege of touring the ministry of Hope of Life Mission, which is the organization that we are partnering with for our trip. It is run by Carlos and Cheryl Vargas, who have a vision for taking care of the elderly, the widows, and the abandoned children of Guatemala. We were all amazed to hear how everything was started so long ago with a humble man who was willing and available to be used by God. When it first began, it was a ministry to the elderly community, but it soon grew into huge organization that rescues children and their families from certain disaster. We got to tour the entire facility yesterday and got to see all of these things firsthand. We met Jose, who was rescued by Carlos at age 2, and is now 22 years of age. He is now helping Carlos to rescue other children in the mountains of Guatemala, just like he was rescued! When we toured the children hospital, we were struck with how well taken care of these children are. They showed us the "before" pictures when they arrived....starving, emaciated, and at the point of death. Now they are being loved and cared for.

We spent a great deal of time today packaging food and supplies for the village that we will minister to today. It is the same village where we will be building a house for the pastor and his family. The students all did a great job packaging close to 750 bags of food! Great job!

We also got to tour the Children's orphanage which was one of the highlights for us! We had a great time playing with the children and building some relationships with them. I was so proud of the students in how they ALL jumped in and started ministering to the students. We also go to tour the school, the hospital that is being built, and the greenhouse where they grow their own food.

I want reassure everyone that all of the students are healthy and having a wonderful time together serving the Lord. This is a great group and I am privileged to be in a partner in the Gospel with them!

For His Name,

Pastor Stephen