We were excited to return to Guatemala to visit our two missionary families and students we support through scholarships. The First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville commissioned twelve people (the CROSS the Boundary team) to Guatemala in July 2006. Of the twelve team members, eleven were church members and one a sister of a member, three were students and five were returning for a second time (our first mission trip to Guatemala was in 2004).
Before leaving we practiced our Bible based puppet shows that had been translated and taped in Spanish. We collected and assembled supplies for over 500 health kits to be distributed to the children in some of the schools. We also collected school supplies and over the counter medications to donate to the schools.
We landed in Guatemala City on Saturday, July 1st, and traveled about 3 hours up to the highlands of Santa Cruz del Quiche. Pam and Jose Munoz, our missionaries who work at the Utatlan Christian School, arranged for us to perform our puppet shows for the Utatlan Sunday School, the Official Rural Community Mixed School, Chajbal Government School (where the children had to carry their benches to the puppet show), and the Belen-Chulumal S chool.
We were filled with joy to meet the 20 students that we support with scholarships at Belen-Chulumal School. Most of the schools were in need of supplies, so our donations were greatly appreciated. The children touched our hearts with their smiles. We thank God for the opportunity to see his children in another culture. The teachers were equally excited about our visit. We distributed the health kits to two schools in the highlands.
Our work projects in Santa Cruz were painting two large Sunday School classrooms, the wall in front of the church, and the front of the pastor’s house. First we had to scrape the walls then apply two coats of paint. The weather was great even though this was suppose to be the rainy season - God definitely provided for us.
On Tuesday, July 4th we headed back to Guatemala City. At CEDEPCA, we learned of their ministry, including the Women’s Pastoral Program, and we learned of the recent history of Guatemala. We also visited the Guatemala relief map, museums, the National Palace, and central market. Dennis and Maribel Smith are our missionarie s here.
In Guatemala City, we performed our puppet show at the Francisco Coll School near the city dump and sanded, painted, and varnished 67 desks for two classrooms.
On Saturday July 8, we traveled to Antigua, where we toured the convent of Las Capuchinas and had free time for shopping.
We returned to the USA on Sunday, July 9th with vivid pictures of the countryside, steep hairpin turns, volcanoes, mountains, and terraced fields on the hillsides. We will long remember the slapping sound of tortillas being prepared for breakfast and supper, the items we purchased at the markets, pine needles covering the stage floor at a rural school where  we performed the puppet shows (a sign of honor), a beautiful garden in the middle of the squatter housing in Guatemala City near the city dump, and a show put on by the children at the Francisco Coll School for us!
But, in our hearts and souls are the lasting connections we made with the people of Guatemala. The team is already asking when can we return. Thank you for helping to make this trip a possibility for us!
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