In May 2010, a PC3 mission to Guatemala was canceled at the last minute due to a volcano’s eruption, followed by a tropical storm that both hit Central America. The team decided that, although a rescheduled mission to Guatemala was in the works, they would not see the week they were canceled as a missed opportunity. Instead, they stuck together as a team and looked for ways to serve in their own community here in Wilmington: making a meal for hospice, helping feed the homeless downtown, taking prayer requests from strangers, visiting the children’s ward of a hospital, doing home repairs with a local organization, and strengthening their own bonds as a team through intentional team fellowship and worship. Below, one team member tells about the experience from her perspective…

I thought I had been through some emotional roller coasters in my life before.  However, Volcano Pekeya, Hurricane Agatha and finally the sinkhole in Guatemala City stirred up much emotion among my teammates and traumatized Guatemala in only a matter of five days.

At first it was hard to even think about what was happening to the people of Guatemala, because hey! We were supposed to be there helping.  We were crushed, too!  And for me, that’s when the real roller coaster started inside of me… This isn’t about you, young lady.  God quickly brought me to my new journal designated for this mission.  These were the verses that I had started with that Friday morning before I had even heard about the volcano:  Psalm 143:8.  “Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.  Show me where to walk, for I give myself to You.”  Philippians 2:3.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

These verses were turning out to have an entirely different meaning, as God typically likes to do!  Though I found peace in knowing that God had saved us from Mother Nature, a whole new hurricane was brewing inside of me as to what this new plan would be…  Yes, that’s right, right here in my hometown!  Someone may find out how much I absolutely do love Jesus.  My one word this year is “words”—imagine that!  I quickly realized that hiding behind the Spanish language in Guatemala just wasn’t going to work here.  God had other plans for our team.  As we got to know one another by sharing and listening to stories about God and life, I became so much more comfortable.  I was able to listen to how they each prayed, and I knew God loved us and saved us so that we may go to Guatemala in His time.

Now, for the matter of seeking God’s will for us in our community.  That Sunday we all went to church together, and one of the verses Mike spoke about was Proverbs 3:5-6.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”  This was perfect for our situation.  The key word being “paths”… At first we wanted to stay together; however, it became apparent that this, too, was not God’s will for us.  Some needed to go back to work to be able to go on the rescheduled mission, and some were needed with their friends and family.  So those of us who were able to teamed up with Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry (WARM) to help a local elderly man repair/install windows and other minor repairs needed around his home.  This was an awesome opportunity for work, fellowship and fun!

And on one final, very noteworthy evening as a team we attended a gathering for Spanish worship.  This is held on Wednesday evenings at a fellow PC3 goers’ home in an effort to reach the Spanish community here in Wilmington.  Everyone was so hospitable and kind; they let us sit up front even though we don’t speak Spanish.  I was sitting in front of this one young lady, and her singing was so powerful, it was like her voice carried all of us!  We all desperately wished we knew what they were saying because the room was so full with God’s loving presence.  Luckily one teammate does speak Spanish and was able to translate.  The speaker was preaching on Luke 19, Zacchaeus the Tax Collecter.  I loved this because I knew all of us would have climbed the sycamore tree to go to Guatemala, but God met us right here at home.  Luke 19:5-6.  “When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately.  I must stay at your house today.’”  So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

I know that I learned a very valuable lesson in being happy and making the most of where God has you right now!  Everything is in His timing.  And most importantly, seek God in ALL that you do, no matter where you are and what you do… He will meet you there.

—Submitted by Whitney Lewis

PC3 sends short-term mission teams to Chichicastenango (”Chichi”), Guatemala, for one-weeks missions through an organization based there called Pray America. Teams help Pray America build homes for widows, serve orphans in feeding centers, and work alongside this organization to aid their ministry and discipleship efforts among the nationals in the Chichi area. One team member from our June mission to Guatemala recounts her experience below…

A good friend of mine recently took a trip to Alaska.  After merely 24 hours (and having never been there before), she declared that she found “home.” Shortly after, she and I took a two-and-a-half-week road trip, driving from North Carolina to California.  At every place we stopped, I consciously waited to see if it felt like “home.”  Sadly I boarded a plane in LA to fly back to Wilmington having never felt that pull to one particular place. I was home for five days before boarding another plane, this time on a much-anticipated mission trip to Guatemala, and had no idea that I would find my “home” in Chichicastenango.

It wasn’t an immediate reaction.  The trip was full of surprises and instances that proved God’s divine sovereignty:

• We were supposed to leave in May, but our original trip was delayed, rescheduled, and ultimately canceled due to a volcanic eruption AND a tropical storm that hit Guatemala.
• The trip was thankfully rescheduled a month later, but only seven of the original 13 could go (luckily five others will be going in September with another team!).
• When we got to the airport (at 5 a.m., mind you), five of the team members thought they did not have a seat assignment because it wasn’t listed on their tickets. (Unbeknownst to us at the time, they actually did have seats all along.)
• Coming home the following Saturday, our plane delays in Guatemala caused us to miss our connecting flight in Miami, forcing us to stay the night at a hotel (thankfully paid for by the airlines…), which inevitably made me miss a flight I was scheduled to take the very next morning from Wilmington to Chicago.

But through all of those traveling tribulations, God remained in control, and He impressed that upon our hearts.  We were fortunate to be in Wilmington and out of harm’s way (i.e. mudslides, sinkholes, etc…) during the natural disasters that devastated much of Guatemala in late May/early June. God taught us how to WAIT on Him during that time of uncertainty, and He taught us how to serve Him no matter where we are.  This lesson came in handy because while in Guatemala there were many times when we had to be flexible—whether it be due to the weather (it rains a lot!) or just cultural differences.

And boy! There were many, many cultural differences.  It didn’t help that I learned how to say five Spanish phrases before taking off. Very few people in Chichi even speak Spanish. The civilization is predominantly Mayan, and there was a lot of idol worship and language barriers that I did not anticipate.  The market (google: “Chichicastenango Market”) is the biggest open-air market in Central America, and it is pretty heartbreaking. The children will run around—dirty, shoeless, sad—impressing on the soft hearts of tourists their need for shoes (for school) or lunch money. It’s very sad. And annoying. They put the “pest” in persistence.  But they’re also extremely cute which makes it hard. I tried running—literally—from one child who playfully ran after me!

We ended up having the opportunity to build four houses that week for widows in rural areas surrounding Chichi.  I will never forget what it felt like that first day when we finished and I looked at Ryan and said, “Dude! We just built a house for this family. A HOUSE!” (I proceeded to do this three more times!) What is considered a house is nothing more than 120 square feet of concrete and wood. But hey! It’s more than they had before, and you wouldn’t believe how incredibly grateful the widows are.  After the build is complete (about 4-5 hours depending on how much we play with the kids—which is a LOT), we bless the home in a dedication ceremony for the widow and her children. It was so spiritually moving on the last build day when the widow was praying in her native language along with the team who was praying in English.

We toured the campus of Monte Flor (Pray America’s future community-focused center that will provide care, spiritual guidance, education and resources that facilitate the health and independence of local families and communities) and were able to see some of what’s in the works for Pray America in Guatemala.  Sixty acres has been purchased, and the original dwellings have been refurbished. A shoe factory, which provides shoes for local children, is on site. (Side note: School is free in Guatemala, but you have to have a uniform and shoes…. Basic things most children do not have and cannot afford. Pray America is making great strides to eradicate this problem.) Plans are being set into motion, and the vision for the land will include girls’ dormitories and a school—I told them to let me know when they need a teacher!

The needs in Guatemala are immense, and Pray America is doing very hard work, but they are trusting and following God with hearts and a passion I have only just discovered. The rates of molestation of young girls here and alcoholism among the men are enough to make you sick to your stomach. But in a culture that does not have a word for Heaven, Hell, or Love, it’s hard to be surprised.  However, seeing the joy in a child’s eyes, a little girl I met named Belbita, as we played soccer in the rain, made me believe that ALL things are possible and that hope can be brought to this nation.

Please pray for Guatemala and for Pray America. Pray that God would open the hearts of the nationals and that He would strengthen the hearts of the missionaries there.

—Submitted by Kristen Barriner