Guatemala Update

Our family continues to prepare for our trip to Guatemala this summer.  It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update, but it’s still at the forefront of our minds.

From a fundraising standpoint, Hannah is hosting a Jewelry Open House this Saturday afternoon at our house where she hopes to raise $800 or more towards our trip.  We’re also working on a Rally Night at the Royersford Chick-Fil-A for Monday, May 20, 2013, which will help towards the trip (mark your calendar if you’re in the area).  So far, we’ve raised a total of $1,675 towards our trip.  We’re estimating that we need to raise $5,200-$5,500 for our trip, so we’re making progress (so we’re over 30% there!).  Over the course of the next week or two, I’ll be adding a donation widget to the side bar of my main page to help with the donation process.  Until then, click here to find more information about how you can help us reach this goal.

Why do we want to reach such a goal?  Our family has been captured by a small village in Guatemala.  The people in Santa Domingo Xenacoj need people like you and me to show them God’s love.  Our trip will give us the opportunity to be the hands and feet of God in a town that could easily be forgotten.  And I suspect the trip will give us a huge opportunity to experience change in our own lives as well.  The video below provides a little bit of the glimpse of the people we’ll be serving.  I watched the video this morning for the first time, and my heart was right back in Xenacoj where I spent nine days this past summer.

Yesterday, I shared about the importance of knowing where we get our Hope (You’re My Only Hope).  We’re excited to share that Hope with others in Xenacoj, in our jobs, in our neighborhood, and even here in The Stretched Community.

How can you share that Hope today?  Seriously, what is one way that you can share God’s hope and love in a practical way TODAY?

Return of Religion

When I was in 3rd grade, our family moved to New Jersey when my dad became a full-time pastor.  I’m not sure if it was the spelling of my last name or that my dad was a pastor, but kids soon started to call me Pope.  Growing up in a fairly sheltered Protestant area (Wheaton, Illinois) and family, I didn’t know much about the Pope.  The nickname stuck for a year or two before kids moved onto other nicknames.

Last week, the real Pope resigned.  His resignation was a pretty surprising and rare event in Catholic history.  The last time a Pope resigned was over 600 years ago.  His resignation got me thinking a little bit about religion.

What do you think about when you hear the word religion?

• Structure.  Organization.
• Denominations.  Hierarchy.
• Church.  Buildings.
• Priest.  Deacons.  Elders.  Pastors.  Order.
• Corruption.  Manipulation.  Hypocrites.  Power.

Unfortunately, the term religion has come to carry a negative connotation.  People are leaving the church and are being turned away from “religion” because of the inconsistencies and abuse of organized religion and of those who claim to follow Christ.  I’ve been part of churches that stay away from the word religion and replace it with relationship.

When I was in Guatemala this past summer, Joshua Crabbs (our Casas por Cristo project leader) shared a couple of verses from James that talk about religion from a whole different and more positive perspective:

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:26-27

James’ definition of religion says nothing about church or organization.  His definition is about action – about putting sneakers to our faith.  If we as Christ followers pursue this type of action – if we would return to religion under this definition, “religion” would stop being a dirty word.  It would be something that attracts others.

Part of our upcoming trip to Guatemala is about helping orphans and widows (H.O.W.).  This is a real practical way for our family to practice the kind of religion  that James writes about.  (To find out how you can help our family on this trip, click here.)

How can you return to religion as prescribed by James?  What can you do today to put sneakers to your faith?

Truth: We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence

Today is Day Four of Truth Week here on The Stretched Blog.  This week has STRETCHED me in new ways as I’ve forced myself to focus on this topic.  As I’ve gone through this week, it’s been interesting to reflect.  I want all my posts to be full of truths, and I hope that a week that focuses on truth doesn’t negate the truth of other Stretched posts.

I’m not a constitutional expert, and it’s been a long time since I studied The Declaration of Independence back in junior high school.  But when I thought about the word TRUTH, this sentence from a founding document of our country popped into my mind.  While this document has come to represent the United States of America.  I get the feeling that our founding fathers meant it for the whole world.

From there my mind goes to the book of James:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.  James 1:27

And then I go to Philippians:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

 

We are challenged by Paul to think about whatever is true.  And then James commands us to look after orphans and widows.  They share the same rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that we do.  Unfortunately, sometimes their position in this world prevents them from ever experiencing the life, liberty, and happiness that our founding fathers talked about.

As our family plans for our trip to Guatemala this summer, we think more and more about widows and orphans, because much of our attention during our missions trip will be focused on the widows and orphans of the small village of Xenacoj.  It’s true that it may have been poor decisions that has left them to fight an up hill battle.  It’s true that it may be a pattern that has been passed down over the past few generations.  With these truths in mind, many might say “It’s their fault; let them take care of themselves.”  But I believe this would deny the truth proclaimed in James.  As believers, we need to look after the widows and orphans.

Look around you in your towns and nearby cities.  There are people around you who simply need a helping hand.  As individuals, we have the privilege, the honor, and the responsibility, to extend a hand to help those in our communities and around the world who cannot help themselves.  This doesn’t need to be the responsibility of government or other organizations.  It starts with you and me.  And this is truth we all need to hear and remember.

How can you help others in your community and around the world to know and experience truth?  What does this sentence from The Declaration of Independence mean to you?

(If you’re interested in finding more out about how you can help the widows and orphans in Xenacoj – Guatemala, click here.)

Ice Breaker – International Cuisine

Each week on The Stretched Blog, we ask an ice breaker question.  The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community.  I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments.  While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

Last night, Leanne and I went to a Guatemalan restaurant to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Antigua Guatemala in Phoenixville, PA was a great place to experience a little flavor for the country we’ll be visiting this summer.  (Stay tuned for more information on a possible fund-raising dinner opportunity at this unique place for an international taste.)  Our dinner inspired this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker.

Question:  What’s your favorite international cuisine?  Where do you go to get your favorite international cuisine?  Do you make it at home?  Do you have a favorite restaurant?

My Answer:  Mexican food is one of the favorites at our house.  If I’m going out, I enjoy Japanese food – especially sushi.  I’m a big fan of the rolls with spicy tuna, avocado, and eel.  But I also like trying new things when I go out.  I’ve never tried making sushi, but I can see how that might be a fun thing to try sometime.

There you have it – my answer.  Now, it’s your turn.  Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment.  I look forward to reading your response!  (Feel free to share links.)

A Tidal Wave Of Generosity

Part of my adventure to Guatemala last year included the construction of a house in Xenacoj (Santo Domingo Xenacoj, Sacatepequez).  We built this house with 25 teenagers and 6 adults in two and a half days.  It was an experience I will never forget.  Part of the reason for our success was the leadership of Joshua Crabbs (pictured with me above).  Through his ministry with Casas por Cristo, he has helped to build hundreds of houses for needy families in Guatemala and Mexico.

Another reason for our success was the generosity of The Stretched Community.  Through your generous giving, The Stretched Community donated $8,000 which paid for the materials necessary to build this house.  (Click here to read more.)

This year, our family is heading back to the same village in hopes of making a difference for children, widows, and families.  We’re raising money and saving money to cover the costs of going on this trip.  So far, we’re about 27% of the way towards covering the estimated costs of the trip (estimated at $5,000).

We also set out a goal of raising $8,750 to feed hot lunch to 200 children for six months.  (We also set a STRETCH goal of raising $17,500 to feed these children for a whole year.)  Yesterday was a milestone day in reaching this target.  We received our first gift towards this goal.  A gift of $40 was generously given by someone in The Stretched Community.

To put it in understandable terms, $40 will provide hot lunch to one child for 114 days (over 22 weeks).  $40 will provide hot lunch to 114 children on one day.  $40 will provide hot lunch for 22 children for one week.  $40 may seem like a drop in a bucket compared to the goals listed above, but it’s huge.  $40 literally has the ability to change lives for children in Xenacoj.

It’s my prayer that this will be the start of a tidal wave of generosity.  Just like a small spark from a match can start a massive fire, a simple gift can be the spark that changes Xenacoj forever.

To find out more about how you can join the tidal wave, click here.  Thank you!

Be generous: Invest in acts of charity.
Charity yields high returns.

Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around.
Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 (The Message)

 

In The Streets of Xenacoj – Guatemala

When I close my eyes, I can see the streets of Xenacoj.  The streets in this small Guatemalan village are made of concrete.  They are sometimes empty, but there often filled with the hustle and bustle of activity.

Stray dogs walk against the walls of the homes that outline the streets.

Horses are guided from one place to the next carrying large bundles of wood.

Women carrying baskets on their heads move around the streets.  The baskets are filled with fabric and food.  Meanwhile many of the women are also carrying a little child in a sling.

Every once in a while, a drunk man is sitting on the corner – delirious to other pedestrians.

Children walk the streets in groups of 3 or 4.  They laugh and make up games as they hang out together.

Motorcycles occasionally roll past.  Buses motor by with passengers being transported to and from other nearby villages.

Paid armed men stand guard at the front of various stores than are scattered on each street.

Most of the walls are bare concrete.  Some are whitewashed with lime and water.  Political signs are painted on the walls.  Any windows that are right on the street are protected with metal bars.  Convenience stores are located on every block.

The streets are a collage of color and community.

I’ll always remember trying to get from one end of the village to another spot in the village as we were installing stoves in the homes of widows throughout the community.  As I walked with a group of four students, we were stopped by local emergency personnel.  They informed us that there was a swarm of stinging bugs between us and our destination.  We waited for nearly twenty minutes in hopes that the swarm would dissipate.  Finally, we determined to make it to the next home.  The police officer cleared us to go, and we took off quickly down the street.  About half-way to the home, we encountered hundreds of giant black wasp-like insects flying all around us.  I knew we needed to keep moving.  Despite the fact the a couple of these insects landed on us, we miraculously made it past the swarm without a single sting.

This summer, our family will be returning to the streets of Xenacoj where we will have the opportunity to serve the community alongside GO! Ministries and others.  I’m looking forward to walking along these familiar streets.  I’m looking forward to seeing the sights and hearing the sounds.  And most of all, I’m looking forward to seeing the people and interacting with them in the streets of Xenacoj.

To find out how you can help the people who walk these streets every day, click here.

What is it like on your street?  What is your favorite thing about your street?  What would we see if we walked on your street today?

Guatemala – Clothing

Over the next several weeks and months, I will intersperse facts and figures about Guatemala through the blog.  As I share this information, it’s my hope to further understand this country that has captured my heart.  Today, I’ll share about the clothing in Guatemala.  Last week, I shared some information about education (click here).

From my experience last summer in Guatemala, the men dress fairly plainly.  I observed that most men wore button down shirts or T-shirts.  I don’t recall seeing a single man wearing shorts.  They were wearing blue jeans or khaki pants.  Many of the men wore some type of hat.  These hats were often fitted with a wide brim which I assume was used to protect them from the sun.

The boys in the community where I served (Xenacoj) wore blue jeans, sneakers, T-shirts, and sweatshirts.  Many of the T-shirts and sweatshirts were decorated with American images and logos.  And I’m assuming the community thrived on clothing passed down from the United States.

The woman in the Guatemala dress more formally.  They wear a skirt and a colorful, hand-made blouse called a huipil.  Each town or region is known for its own color scheme.  The women in Xenacoj wore a reddish, purplish top with colored patterns.  These blouses are quite expensive compared to the average pay in Guatemala and often become the most prized and fanciest attire for the women in the villages of Guatemala.

The girls wear a mix of formal clothing like the older women, but they also wear T-shirts and skirts.  Again, I would assume that many of the shirts and skirts come through the United States and more advanced countries (although I would guess that many of these items are made in China).

For more great information on Guatemala clothing, I would encourage you to check out this website.  There are some great pictures and proper names for the clothing that we saw in Guatemala.

On a side note, one of the sad things I saw when we were in Guatemala this summer related to the clothing we wear here in the United States.  In the town of Xenacoj, workers were working ten to twelve hours a day for a few bucks a day making Hollister jeans.  I don’t own any of these jeans, but I’ve been told that they sell for approximately $80 per pair in malls and shopping centers in the United States.  As I think about this, a passage from Matthew comes to mind:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”Matthew 25:31-46

 

Obviously, you and I don’t need to go to Guatemala to clothe the needy, feed the poor, and looking after the homeless, the sick, and the prisoners.  There are people all around us who could use a helping hand.  While our family is looking forward to helping the poor in Guatemala, we are also challenged to look to those around us right where we live.  Hopefully, learning a little bit about Guatemala will give us all a deeper appreciation for what we have an a better understanding of those around us and around the world who are needy.

What’s your favorite piece of clothing?  What’s your most expensive piece of clothing?  Are you willing to give up your favorite or most expensive piece of clothing to help someone in need?

Guatemala – Education

Over the next several weeks and months, I will intersperse facts and figures about Guatemala through the blog.  As I share this information, it’s my hope to further understand this country that has captured my heart.  Today, I’ll share about the education in Guatemala.

According to Wikipedia:

The government runs a number of public elementary and secondary-level schools.  These schools are free, though the cost of uniforms, books, supplies, and transportation makes them less accessible to the poorer segments of society and significant numbers of poor children do not attend school. Many middle and upper-class children go to private schools. The country also has one public university (USAC or Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala), and nine private ones.   USAC was one of the first universities in Guatemala. It was officially declared a university on January 31, 1676 by royal command of King Charles II of Spain.  Only 74.5% of the population aged 15 and over are literate, the lowest literacy rate in Central America.  Although it has the lowest literacy rate, Guatemala is expected to change this within the next 20 years.  Organizations such as Child Aid, which trains teachers in villages throughout the Central Highlands region, are working to improve educational outcomes for children.  Lack of training for rural teachers is one of the key contributors to the country’s low literacy rates.

While we were in Guatemala this past summer, we had the opportunity to volunteer for a few days at one of the local schools in Xenacoj.  Children go to school throughout the year with different breaks than we experience here in the United States.  The classrooms we saw had desks and whiteboards.  They were constructed with concrete floors, cinder block walls, and corrugated metal roofs.  The playgrounds consisted of a dirt surface and soccer posts.  We also saw basketball hoops in one of the playgrounds at the school.  Soccer is obviously the sport of choice for many of the kids.  And they could run circles around us as we tried to catch our breath at the higher elevations.

It’s my understanding that kids often come to school without breakfast, and they often don’t bring anything to eat for lunch.  While we’re in Guatemala this coming summer, we’ll have the opportunity to participate in a feeding program for 200 school aged children.  This program was recently launched by GO! Ministries and the response was unbelievable.  Here’s a video that shows some pictures of the first day of the feeding program.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4ozooX1aRk]

As stated in previous posts, The Stretched Community is joining together to help with this feeding program.  We’ll continue to go after this challenge until we reach the goal or until July of this summer before we leave for this trip back to Guatemala.  To read more, click here.

Where did you go to school?  How do you think your life would be different if you went to school in Guatemala?  What was your favorite subject in school?

Guatemala Update: What’s The Big Deal About Lunch?

Last week, I shared about our upcoming trip to Xenacoj (see last week’s post titled, Another Leap of Faith).  I also shared about an opportunity to build something bigger again in this small town (click here for more details).  I shared that for just $0.35, one child can receive a hot lunch in this town.  To you and me, this doesn’t sound like a big deal.  But it’s huge.  Watch this video from the organization we’ll be serving with this summer to get an idea of why one hot lunch can make a huge difference.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtwSTVyjApU]

Now, here’s the question.  Would you be willing to make a small sacrifice to change the life of one child in the town of Xenacoj?  Imagine with me for a minute.  Do you go out for lunch at work?  Say you go out for lunch once a week and the lunch costs $8.75 (that sounds about right).  If you gave up one of your lunches, you could feed one child 5 weeks of hot lunches (or 25 hot lunches)!  That is truly amazing!

As promised, I wanted to give you an update on our support to date.  So far, we have collected $1,121 towards our $5,000 goal required to go on this trip (this is for our travel, lodging, food, etc. expenses).  But we also have a goal to help feed 200 children in Xenacoj.  For $8,750, we can feed 200 kids hot lunches for half a year.  And for $17,500, we can feed 200 kids hot lunches for a whole year (this is the STRETCH goal).  I don’t know how this will happen, but I’m reminded that with faith the size of a mustard seed mountains can be moved.

Help us close the gap on these targets!

If you are interested in giving, it’s pretty simple.  To give to the “Stolpe Feeding Program Challenge”, go to goministries.info.  At the bottom of the page, choose option 3.  After you enter your payment information, enter a special note to the seller.  The note should read “Stolpe Feeding Program Challenge”.  This will ensure that your donation is counted towards the goal.  It will also ensure that your donation is registered as a tax-deductible donation.  (You can also give money to us, which we would turn over to GO Ministries towards this target.)

Once we start seeing money donated towards this challenge, I will post a target “thermometer” on the side of my main page to give you an idea of where we stand in meeting the goal (and the STRETCH goal).

To give towards our trip expenses, go to goministries.info.  At the bottom of the page, choose option 1.  After you enter your payment information, enter a special note to the seller.  The note should read “Stolpe Family Mission Trip”.  This will ensure that your donation goals towards our GO Ministries expenses.  It will also ensure that your donation is registered as a tax-deductible donation.  (You can also give money to us, which we would utilize for our airfare or we’ll turn over to GO Ministries to pay for our expenses in Guatemala.)

When was the last time you went out for lunch?  What did you get to eat?  How much was your bill?

(My answer:  I went out for lunch on December 31, 2012 with my wife.  We went to Subway and picked up two six-inch subs a bag of chips and two drinks.  Our bill was right around $8.35 (after someone gave us a coupon).)

Another Leap of Faith

I’m excited to share about another leap of faith I’ll be taking with my family this summer.  You may remember last year I wrestled with a leap of faith that involved me deciding to go to Guatemala.  The decision to go on this trip was not an easy decision to make.  But I learned that it was a leap of faith decision worth taking.

While I was in Guatemala, I fell in love with the people and the town of Xenacoj.  Since I returned in early August, I have been in communication with Dave Sgro of GO! Ministries.  Dave and his family moved to Xenacoj a few years ago to establish a full-time ministry to the people of Guatemala.

As I’ve spoken with Dave and shared with Leanne about this town, it became more and more obvious that we should consider taking our whole family to Xenacoj for a family missions trip of our own.  And so today, I’m excited to share that our family is planning a trip to Guatemala in early August 2013.

Details of what we will be doing are still being ironed out (and I’ll share more specifics in the coming days and weeks).  It’s likely that our trip will have a feeding program focus, a construction focus, and a medical focus.  We will get to serve among the same streets with the same people we served this summer.

As we consider this new leap of faith, we would love your support.  First and foremost, we value your prayer support.  Please pray that the details will work out as our plans proceed.  Pray that we will have an effective ministry during our time in Xenacoj.  And pray that our family will experience growth and transformation as we serve together.  Secondly, we are getting our hands around the cost of such a trip.  We’re estimating that the trip will cost approximately $5,000 which would include our airfare.  We’re working towards saving for this goal, but we could honestly use any support possible to make this financial hurdle more obtainable.

In the coming days, I will share about others ways to get involved with this trip.  Until then, I’d like to leave you with this video that my daughter helped to produce.  It will give you a snap shot of our trip last year and a glimpse into the town and people of Xenacoj.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ_mQioXHqY]

What leap of faith do you need to consider this year?