By Team Member Erika McDevitt
Wednesday we had a great day at Manos De Compasion! In the morning, our team split up and helped with construction, caring for the littles at Loving Hope House, and ventured into the market to get supplies for tonight’s dinner. We all met and had lunch with the girls at Esther’s House then put on our second day of VBS.
For VBS, we told the story of Jesus calming the storm and had a craft for them to complete. Once they were done, we played with Parachutes and they loved it! While VBS was going, some team members stayed back at Esther’s house to help them tie dye their new bed sheets. The girls were able to get creative and felt truly blessed by the activity! Yesterday was the highly anticipated Pickleball day.
Today most of the team is currently hiking with the kids up a volcano! A few team members are starting preparations for tonights dinner. We are hosting a Ministry Night for all of the house parents while the kids have a pizza party and game night. We get one last day with the kids tomorrow so we are going to make the most out of the time we have! Please continue to pray for our team.
By Team Member Anna Hansen
Wednesday morning some of the team walked up a mountain with a handful of the kids. It wasn’t a super far hike, but it was hard for those of us who aren’t used to the altitude. It was a beautiful view of the volcano and Lake Atitlan at the top, if you made it up before the fog rolled in. Those who stayed behind began preparing the meal for the ministry night we were having with the staff. We ate lunch with the kids and staff at the Love and Hope house, which was a treat.
After lunch some of us did VBS with the kids from the Reichard house and the Love and Hope house. Others went to hang out with the girls at Esther’s house, and some continued with food prep. In the evening we split our group up and had a few people at each of the children’s homes eating pizza, watching a movie, and playing games with the kids, while the rest of us were with the staff honoring and encouraging them. Our team wanted to pour into the staff that work with these children day in and day out. We started the evening off with a little bit of encouragement from Anna who worked at a different children’s home in Guatemala for 4 years, so she understands better than most, the difficult yet rewarding work the staff do each day. Next we wanted to honor the staff by praying for each couple that is on staff at Manos de Compasion. After that we enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Marchella, Tracy, Hannah, Erika, and Mary. When we finished the meal, Bill gave a message and then we took communion together. We ended the evening with Kimberly praying over the staff and then we enjoyed dessert and time to visit. It was a wonderful evening to be able to minister and bless the staff in this way. We came back to our hotel exhausted, but grateful for the day of minsitry we had with the children and staff.
