by Jessica Lee

Day #15: Expect the Unexpected - One Last Test Of Faith
What a day! Today was an action-packed adventure, filled with all types of emotions and plenty of God’s blessings. Our last day in Guatemala arrived so quickly that the entire team found it hard to believe that it had already been two weeks. We were all sad that we’d be leaving the country that we’d grown to love so much, and that our team wouldn’t be living so close to each other anymore once we returned back home to the States.

After getting minimal sleep the night before, most of the teens groggily rolled out of bed, not too excited about leaving just yet. We were greeted by Pastor Rafael, Mama Rosa, and their many of their family members, who had come to send us off. They invited us to sit in a circle, where Pastor Rafael gave us a quick sendoff message, then prayed for all of us. Hugs were given with much emotion, and we knew that we already missed Mama Rosa’s cooking and warm hugs.




We ate a quick breakfast of one of our favorite meals, french toast, then hurried off to finish some last-minute packing and to load up the back of the pickup truck.



Once the pickup truck was loaded up, the team headed across the street to say our goodbyes to the kids at Casa Esperanza before they went to church. At first, we were exchanging our goodbyes through the fence, but Steve came over and gave the children permission to come out into the parking lot. Instantly, we were smothered with hugs from the younger children, who were so eager to jump on us, but we were both reluctant to let go. Some of the older Casa girls had made the team members small gifts to show their gratitude for spending time with them. The girls gave us handmade bracelets, rings, and personal cards with heartfelt messages. We all took plenty of pictures to remember the children we’d bonded with over the past two weeks.








Before we went our separate ways, Steve invited the older girls to give sendoff speeches, claiming that they did it better. Even though they spoke in Spanish, which was translated for us, we all felt the emotion and many of us shed a few tears. Rosi led us in a final prayer, and we returned to the other side of the street to do a final check of the compound.




We said our goodbyes to the Fe Viva staff that wouldn’t be joining us on the ride to Guatemala City, as well as the other team. We also said our final goodbye to Pastor Rafael and Mama Rosa, who were piling into their pickup truck to go home. We then climbed into the van with Pastor Luis and his son, Jonathan, waving goodbye to all the children and our home away from home for the past two weeks.

On the van, we read the notes that the Casa kids had given us, and asked Pastor Luis to translate for us. After calling home to tell our family that we were on our way home, most of the team took a much-needed nap. Refreshed, we all woke up in time to say goodbye to Pastor Luis and Jonathan as we dropped them off in Guatemala City en route to the airport.




At the airport, it hit us just how close we were to leaving. We filled out our customs forms quickly and stood in line for check in, only to find out that our flight to Miami had been delayed by half an hour. We began to mentally prepare to rush through passport control, seeing as we only had an hour and a half layover remaining to clear customs and catch our connecting flight. The delay brought back memories of several years ago, when Air Force One had delayed flights in Miami, causing half of the G-Team to remain behind and return home a day later. The airline promised us that if we were to miss our connecting flight because of the delay, we would be rebooked and compensated, a promise that became a great blessing later in the day.




Final hugs with our host, Lars Jensen, and his daughter Megan, and we were off to eat our last lunch in Guatemala. Matt and Jimmy went to McDonald’s, while the rest of the team went to good old Pollo Campero. Many of the new team members hadn’t tasted it before, and were eager to try out the chicken that Lucas had been talking about for the entire trip. Satisfied, we headed down to security and reached our gate with no complications.





At the gate, the team put everything down and sat in a circle on the ground for Lucas’ devotion. Before he could start, Pastor Dan surprised us by pulling out a bag of Mama Rosa’s special cornbread tamales that we loved. Just smelling the charcoal grilled scent was enough to make us homesick for Guatemala. As we savored the tamales, Lucas shared his devotion on not forgetting everything we’d learned, but rather to share it with everyone at home. We all took his message to heart, and spent some time in prayer together.




Our plane was delayed even further, and we began to worry that we would miss our connecting flight to Philly and wouldn’t be able to make it home tonight. To pass the time, team members window-shopped, played guitar, napped, wrote in journals, or in Lijia’s case, performed a magic trick to another missions team.  When our flight finally arrived, it had been delayed nearly an hour and a half, and the landing time had been pushed to the boarding time of our connecting flight! We boarded the plane and prayed that God would provide for us and keep us safe, even if we did end up missing our flight. We quickly fell asleep on the plane, exhausted.




Upon landing, we found out that due to a major airport shutdown earlier in the day, flights were being delayed, and that it might take up to half an hour to even park at the gate. Everyone borrowed phones and called home, informing family that we had safely landed in Miami, but might not be able to get home tonight. The moment we stepped off the plane, the entire team took off sprinting down the halls of Miami International Airport, backpacks, luggage, and guitar in tow.



We desperately ran towards passport control, especially when we found out that our connecting flight had been delayed about half an hour, barely giving us any more time. We reached the baggage claim area in record time, and waited at the carousel. After a few minutes, we didn’t see any of our luggage, and realized that they had changed the carousel. We loaded up three carts, but by that time, we were hopelessly close to missing our flight. Nonetheless, we still sped through passport control and cleared customs to enter the connection area. Lydia and I (Jessica) dropped our baggage at the re-check-in, and saw that the screen didn’t say that our flight had taken off yet. However, the rest of the team was still behind, struggling to put the three carts of luggage down. Christine waved us over, telling us that we had just been told that we’d missed our flight. We picked up our suitcases and headed towards the long line for re-ticketing.

Thankfully, a woman came by calling for all people arriving from Guatemala City to come with her. God provided for us in small ways that saved us much time and stress. She led us into another re-ticketing area, where all arrivals from Guatemala City were given top priority, due to the promise made back at La Aurora. The team quickly unpacked necessities for one night, and the overwhelming “Guatemalan smell” flooded our senses. Immediately, we began to reminisce, knowing that God put this one last unexpected twist into our trip, giving us an extra night to bond. After a bit of negotiation with the airline, our tickets were rebooked.



We couldn’t change who was on which flight, even though some people had places to go, or work to attend, but at least we were all scheduled for flights. Lydia, Kiyo, Joy, Lijia, and I (Jessica) would be leaving Miami at 6:10 AM, and the rest of the team would be leaving just two hours later at 8:15. Thanks to Dr. Li, all the parents were notified of the flight schedule, and were prepared to pick us up the next day. We were also compensated with meal vouchers for dinner and breakfast the next day, as well as seven rooms at the Miami DoubleTree airport hotel. We placed our luggage aside and scrambled to get in line for Subway, the only restaurant still open at 10:30 PM. After grabbing our meals, we sat down and enjoyed the time with each other. By the time we’d all eaten our dinner, it was already 11:30.




We waited for a shuttle to take us to the DoubleTree, but it was already full. The driver promised to return in half an hour with a larger bus, so we waited. We boarded the next shuttle, filling the few remaining seats Guatemala-style, squishing together and standing down the aisle.



When we finally reached the DoubleTree, PD waited in line to check us in, while the teens took advantage of the free WiFi and used their iPods to surf the internet. Kiyo and Lydia realized that their tickets had been scheduled wrong, that they had in fact been scheduled for Tuesday, rather than Monday morning. Luckily, they caught it, and managed to have it sorted out. We finally reached our rooms at about 1:30 AM, relaxing for a few hours before the next flight, and getting the chance to take warm showers, although still missing the icy cold Guatemalan showers. Praise the Lord for His abundant grace and blessings that helped us to easily overcome the long day! We’ll be home very soon! Continue to pray for us, that we will not forget His power and strength, and that we will be able to share all our experiences with everyone back home! God bless!




 
Day #16: Home, Sweet Home
[Part I]  Kiyo, Lydia, Joy, Lijia, and Jessica left the Miami DoubleTree hotel at 4:30 AM to catch the 6:10 flight back home to Philly. Kiyo did a final check of the ticket reservation at the kiosk in the lobby. The shuttle finally arrived and all our luggage was loaded on. PD had woken up early as well to see off the group, and he waved his wife and the rest of this portion of the team goodbye.




We were a bit skeptical about how smooth things would go, because we were switching to U.S. Airways instead of American Airlines, which we were originally scheduled for. At check-in, we met a wonderful woman by the name of Georgina who managed to rearrange seats on the plane and allow the five of us to sit together in one row. We passed security with no problems, and decided to use our breakfast vouchers to grab something to eat. Everyone went to Starbucks for coffee and scones, while Jessica preferred to grab croissants from a small bakery by the gate. We ate on the plane, then instantly fell asleep, tired from yesterday’s adventure.




When we arrived in Philly, our luggage was already placed out by a carousel, which we grabbed and quickly exited the terminal. Looking around, we couldn’t find our family at first, because we’d arrived at the international terminal rather than the domestic. Once we saw them, smiles broke out, and hugs were given. Of course, we took some happy group pictures, and were on our way back home. The trip was over for us, but it would still live on by God’s grace, reminding us of all the wonderful things we’d seen and were eager to share with everyone at home.



[Part II]  After seeing the first group off and resting a little bit more, PD made the 5:55 AM wake up call to the rest of the team members in the second group. We had to make it to the shuttle by 6:30 AM in order to make it in time for our 8:15 flight. It took another round of door knocking to make sure the rest of the team were truly awake: Christine, Josh, Jimmy, Andrew, Joani, Matthew, Michael and Lucas, but when they did get up, everyone got ready pretty quickly. We sat in the comfy sofas in the DoubleTree lobby while the shuttle finally arrived.




Everything went smoothly for our group: check-in, security and arrival to our gate. We grabbed breakfast of donuts and chocolate milk from Dunkin' Donuts and boarded the plane. With all that had happened to us, everything was remarkably calm for this last portion of our trip. It was as if God was reassuring us that all would be alright.

Most of us slept on the flight back to Philadelphia. In fact, most of us don't remember what went on at all; only dreams of Guatemala and all the things that we did for the last two weeks. These were thoughts we didn't want to finally let go of, but it was time for us to return home. We wiped the sleep from our eyes as the plane landed and the warm, familiar feelings of home and family came upon us. A quick stop to the bathroom first, we then went down the hallway and down an escalator to the baggage claim. First to be seen were Michael's Aunt Deborah and Uncle Simon. They greeted us with wave and a big smile. Later would be Andrew's mother, Hailing. PD's father had dropped off the car for him in the parking lot of Sunday, and Lucas' aunt would be coming to pick him up outside. With hugs all around, we collected all of our baggage and took a quick picture before giving each other one final hug.




There was one final task to be completed. Matthew's family had gone vacationing at Myrtle Beach and he was going to fly down there to meet up with them Monday afternoon. Fortunately even with the delay, everything was on time for his afternoon flight. PD and Joani walked Matthew over to the Delta terminal to make sure everything was fine with check-in and with his tickets. There were no problems whatsoever.



Matthew had his boarding pass, ID and carry-on luggage as he headed into the security line. With one last turn, he looked back at Pastor Dan and Joani, and called out one last time before entering into the gates:


 
 CASA DE
 REFUGIO!!!

Also known as, “Paths, Patients, and Piñatas”
by Lijia Xie

Saturday! Our final full day in Guatemala, we had a busy ahead of us with our medical clinic in San Antonio. The morning began with a devotion led by Kiyo, who shared a familiar passage from Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding… He will make your paths straight.” It was a suiting reflection for our trip as we had learned and tried our best to let God’s will guide us through the unexpected twists of our journey thus far.



After a breakfast of hard boiled eggs, refried beans and toast, we began packing the truck and van with medical supplies and clothing to be given out during the clinic. We were already running slightly late, and as packing began to finally finish, another unexpected event was thrown in our way: Megan, who was to accompany us and help work and translate in the pharmacy, fell and injured her knee. The cut was pretty deep, Pastor Dan washed and bandaged the wound and the decision was finally made for her and LeVan to stay behind to get some stitches put in while the rest of the team left (they would join us later if possible).





We all got into the van and our vehicles drove the long rocky roads back to San Antonio. Some of our team members had a developing cough so we hooked them up Asian style with some face masks to protect the rest of the team as we traveled.



By the time we arrived in San Antonio, it was around 10:30 – an hour later than we had anticipated. With the ground still really wet, our van got stuck in the mud, but once we unloaded the heavy items from the truck, we were able to push it free. We rushed to unpack things and get situated so that the clinic could begin as soon as possible.





After the initial chaos of setting up, the operation of the clinic carried on smoothly for the rest of the day. The school building in which we were located contained three rooms, and we divided these into three areas: the medical clinic/pharmacy, clothing, and prayer.





On the clinic side was PD seeing patients, assisted by Lydia with Jessica taking blood pressures. On the other side was Kiyo heading up the pharmacy with Christine and Josh helping with handing out medicines. Joy and Matt were in charge of handing out clothing items, and the rest of the team were either praying or helping out in a different area. The waiting area was outside, in the shade of a large tree, and as numbers were called (30 numbers were distributed to all the families), three or four people representing each family would enter first the medical area, and then proceed to each of the other rooms.

Medical Clinic/Pharmacy (Room #1)





Blessing Boutique: Clothing, Bibles & Family Packs (Room #2)




Prayer and Healing (Room #3)




Throughout the day I (Lijia) provided some entertainment for those waiting, playing guitar and singing or performing some small magic effects. Lucas, Jimmy, and Matt also performed their King Garcia skit, as well as another skit about personal hygiene. Some also played soccer with the kids while they waited to be seen.







We took a lunch break at around 12:30, enjoying a delicious meal of chicken sandwiches the cooks had graciously prepared for us along with apples and packets of cookies. It was good for us to catch our breath. It had been close to two hours, and we had seen up to number 13 so far. With an average of 3-4 people each visit, we had easily seen over 40 people up to this point.




After lunch, the day continued in much the same fashion, and due to the fact that people were moving in blocks and PD needed to see all members of a family before sending them off, the pace was much slower than our clinic in the prison. Nonetheless, at the end of the day we managed to see all thirty families that had been signed up, so we packed up what little we were taking back to Fe Viva and headed off on the long ride back.





We arrived back at the compound around 5:30, which was already late for dinner, so everyone dropped off their belongings and quickly rushed to get in line for dinner. Tonight would be one of our final dinner at Fe Viva, a tribute to our chineseness with some chow mein type noodles, Guatemalan style.




Tonight would also be our final night at Fe Viva, and most of the team decided we would try to spend it just relaxing and enjoying the time together. To my surprise, Christine, Jessica, and Joy had prepared a piñata to celebrate my birthday, which they had been preparing while we were at the compound. It was an awesome gift and we all had a great time taking turns taking down the piñata, enjoying the candy, and enjoying a final night at the compound. It had been a great but tiring day, and an amazing journey these two weeks in Guatemala, but tomorrow we would finally be returning home. Thank God for all his blessings so far, and thank you all for your prayers! See you soon.

By Pastor Dan

Hi everyone! Due to rain and busy schedules, we haven't been able to update very much these past few days, but we have more blog posts to put up very soon. In the meantime, here is the flight information for our team's return on Sunday afternoon. See you when we get back!

August 8, 2010
Depart: La Aurora Arpt (GUA)
Guatemala City 2:25pm, American Airlines (AA) 2132

Arrive: Miami Intl (MIA) 7:15pm, American Airlines (AA) 1290

Depart: Miami Intl (MIA) 9:00pm
Arrive: Philadelphia Intl Arpt (PHL), Terminal A 11:45pm

Thank you for all your prayers and continued support!