Month 9: Mazatenango, Guatemala (very small town)
Dates: April 29, 2016 – May 29, 2016
Team: Team USA (James and Kris Fraser, Shannon Connelly, Alex Gwidt, Alexa Kapsalis)
Local Currency: Quetzel 8Q = $1
Local Language: Spanish
Ministry Partner: Hope Renewed International
Ministry Partner Contacts: Lauren Fischer
Our host Lauren and I
What ministry looked like: We spent this month ministering to girls ages 3 and up who had been removed from their families by the court system due to abuse and extreme neglect. We started our day at 6am breakfast with the girls, and then spent time praying with our host, Lauren. In the mornings we had various work projects, including purging and organizing a storage closet, and we also had plenty of down time to spend with the Lord. The girls starting to return from school around 2. We spent the rest of the day helping with homework, playing sports, coloring, playing Uno, and just hanging out with the girls. They became like our little sisters. We also did some special events, like a retreat for the teens, a soccer tournament, and a pinata.
Living situation: We lived at the Girl’s Home, which was outside of the town in the jungle. Lauren, Shannon, and I had a room, Alex had a room, Kris and James had a room, and Alexa decided to tent outside since she didn’t have a bug net (the mosquitos were bad at night.) We all had beds. Each room had its own bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower. The compound itself was very nice. We ate our meals with the girls in the large dining area. Meals were prepared for us and consisted of things like rice, tortillas or tamales, beans, eggs, and soup. We had a large common area (la sala) where the girls did homework, watched movies, and hung out.
Adventures: Hiking the Pacaya volcano, wandering the streets of Antigua.
One word to sum up this month: Love
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PVT/ATL Week: El Tunco, El Salvador (small beach town)
During the last week of May, those of us who didn’t have parents coming for Parent Vision Trip were sent to El Tunco, a small beach town in El Salvador. We spent the week walking on the beach, eating papusas, and spending time with squadmates and the Lord. Some of my squadmates took surf lessons and formed relationships with the instructors, which led to good conversations about God. I found a church around the corner called La Red, and my friend Katie and I attended their women’s group and church service. A fun adventure this week was going on a hike to some of the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen.
Month 10: Zolano, Honduras (town outside city of San Pedro Sula)
Dates: May 30, 2016 – June 25, 2016
Team: Girl Team (Manistry Month #2) (Taylor Brantley, Kris Fraser, Shannon Connelly, Julia Still, Gabrielle LaGross, Carson Shock, Emily Richardson)
Local Currency: Limpira 22 limpira = $1
Local Language: Spanish
Ministry Partner: His Hands for Honduras
Ministry Partner Contacts: Pastor Gregorio and family
Julia, Taylor, Shannon, Kris, Carson, Emily, me, and Gabe with our “host aunt,” Nancy!
My little brother Jonatan, me, little sister Keidry, Pastor Gregorio, and Fernando, one of the kids we ministered to
What ministry looked like: We helped with the children’s program at Pastor Gregorio’s church. They had a morning class and an afternoon class. We usually acted out a Bible story, sang songs with the kids, and played games. We also went to church in the evenings around 4-5 days a week, where we would sometimes sing for the congregation or present a short skit.
Living situation: We lived with Pastor Gregorio, his wife Francisca, their grown children Josue, Ana, and Ester, Josue’s wife Yadia, and their two children, Jonatan and Keidry. We had two bedrooms for our team. One held two people, who each had a bed, and the other held 6 people on one bed and four mattresses on the floor. I slept in the room with six. It was very hot on nights when it didn’t rain because the room was made of cinderblock with a tin roof. We had two fans. It was too hot for us to stay inside during the day, so we spent most of our time sitting at a table outside. The kitchen was a table with the stovetop and a refrigerator. We had a bathroom with a toilet and a shower. Our food was prepared for us by Francisca, and it was amazing!
Our bedroom
Adventures: We went to the beach at Puerto Cortes with the whole family, and to Fortaleza de San Fernando de Omoa, an 18th-century Spanish fort.
Jonatan at the beach
the Fort
One word to sum up this month: Family
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What Your Sponsored Child Might be Doing Today
Month 11: El Crucero, Nicaragua (very rural)
Dates: June 25, 2016 – July 18, 2016
Team: Team USA (James and Kris Fraser, Shannon Connelly, Alex Gwidt, Mardie Shanahan)
Local Currency: Cordova 28 cordovos = $1
Local Language: Spanish
Ministry Partner: La Casa de Gozo
Ministry Partner Contacts: Kaye McCurdy
Our host, Kaye
The painting we did on the wall to represent our team
What ministry looked like: Our main responsibility for ministry was to help with the Children’s Program on Saturdays. We led songs, organized skits, and played games with the kids. The home we lived in was a youth center and was open to the kids in the neighborhood daily. When kids showed up, we hung out and played board games and Ping-Pong, pushed them on the swings, and watched soccer games on TV. We also offered English classes on Tuesdays, Music classes on Mondays and Thursdays (drums, guitar, and keyboard), and Dance Class on Fridays.
Kris teaching guitar
(photo from Kris)
Saturday program
(photo from Kris)
Living situation: We stayed in a beautiful home, which doubled as a community center where local kids would come and play. Shannon, Mardie, and I shared a room, Alex has his own room, and Kris and James had their own room. Everyone but Alex had a bed (he slept on his sleeping pad). We had a nice American-style kitchen and a living room area with a TV and places to sit. We cooked for ourselves this month. The girls’ room had a bathroom attached and there was a second bathroom in the hall. We did bucket showers this month, but often heated water on the stove for bathing because the outside temperature was cool. Our host, Kaye, lived in the apartment above us and often invited us up to watch movies, play games, have Bible studies, and eat! The center also included a classroom which we used for English and Music classes. Outside, there was a swingset, fort, and space to play soccer. The front porch was mostly where the kids played, and there was a very nice hammock out there as well.
Our beautiful kitchen where we ate some delicious team dinners!
Casa de Gozo
Adventures: Visited a waterfall, went boating on Lake Nicaragua, explored Granada
(photo by Kris Fraser)
One word to sum up this month: Perspective
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