Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Figuring It Out

We depended on German to instruct us on putting up the house.

Here, German is giving us instruction on putting up the siding.  The back wall (our first wall) was an exercise in patience, persistence, and practice.  As you can see by the pieces of wood, they are not uniform.  As we soon learned, siding the houses was like putting together a puzzle.  Eventually, we would figure it out, but our initial efforts were challenging to say the least.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Proud To Call Him My Son

When I was a kid, I dreamed of building houses.  I built small houses out of Lego blocks.  I built small “dog houses” out of scrap wood.  I built houses out of Lincoln Logs.  And I built houses out of cushions and blankets in our family’s living room.  When I was Isaac’s age, I would have jumped at the opportunity to build houses in Guatemala.

I’m so thankful Isaac has had this experience.

I think he learned a lot as we put up the walls on Betty’s home.  His hammering skills improved, and his confidence in overall construction grew as well.

Hannah used to say, “Isaac is a quiet boy.”  He may be quiet, but his actions speak loudly.

I’m so proud to call him my son.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Let The Walls Begin!

Leanne gets into the construction action as she nails the first piece of wood to the back wall of the house.

I have to give Leanne a lot of credit.  Construction is not her first love.  I think she would much prefer interacting with the children throughout the village.  Nonetheless, she dove in with an open mind and a willingness to get dirty to help build two houses during our week in Xenacoj.  Her hammering technique may need some polishing, but her passion for making a difference in the community and the world is unbelievably inspiring.

I’m so thankful for such a wonderful partner.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Fast Friends

It didn’t take long.  Soon Betty’s youngest were fighting for the attention of Hannah, Isaac, and the other younger members of our team.  (I’m not sure they are too crazy about the guy behind the camera though.)

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Looking Up

It didn’t take long, but we began to see signs that Rosita was warming up to us.  She was the shortest one in the family, and she was considerable shorter than our family.  I wonder if Rosita had an ache in her neck after our visit.

Without a father, without a bed of her own, and without suitable housing, it’s easy to see how things would get you down.

With our visit, things started looking up for Rosita and her family.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Thirsty?

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”  Isaiah 55:1-2

Rosita is offering me a drink.

She must have known I was thirsty.

This picture represents so many thoughts about who we came to serve, and where we find fulfillment when we are thirsty.  Jesus said in Matthew 25-31-46:

“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.’

We are all thirsting for lasting refreshment and fulfillment.

This photo reminds me that this thirst is fulfilled when I serve others, because when I serve others I am serving Jesus, and He is the one who provides lasting refreshment and fulfillment from my thirst that needs to be quenched.

Why do you thirst?

Come find lasting water which will cause you to thirst no more.  Come find Jesus by serving others.

G

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Do, Or Do Not. There Is No Try.

After discussing the situation, Ken and I sprung into action.  We could sit on the edge of the foundation wall and analyze, but it wouldn’t build a house.  As Yoda told Luke Skywalker, “Do, or do not.  There is no try.”

If you want to make things happen.  You have to spring into action.

We are called to be people of action, and this picture reminds me of the importance of moving from a place of planning to a place of actually doing.

The challenge of this picture is to get up and do something.  What are you waiting for?

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – A Time For Engineers To Analyze

We’re an analytical bunch.  Ken and I are both engineers, so you can imagine our conversations as we looked at the front wall support structure finished product.

Will it hold up?  How will we attached the wood for the walls?  Is there a better, more efficient way to build this house?

It was so nice to have a fellow engineer on the trip.

Things on this house are about to get exciting.  Stay tuned!

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – You Can Run But You Can’t Hide

At first glance, you can see Fernando and Rosita in this picture.  If you look more closely, you can see Jose hiding behind Rosita and the blue frisbee.

There was an interesting relationship between these young Guatemalan friends and our team of Americans.  At first, I think we were all a little shy like Jose, but before long we were laughing and enjoying each others company.  You can see Fernando is already warming up to us.

Guatemala Photo Of The Day – Representing

I work for a rather large corporation – one of the largest in the world.  Whenever I travel locally or internationally, I always look for the name of my company.  I’m very thankful for the local support I get from my company when it comes to making trips to places like Guatemala.  In this picture, I’m the one with the company logo on my shirt.

Later on in the trip, the mayor of the small village of San Antonio approached me after seeing my Siemens shirt to ask if I could help troubleshoot a Siemens device that had made its way to this small mountaintop village.

We wear many labels and logos.  When we do this, we become walking billboards for the companies represented on our clothing.

Who are you representing and how are you representing them?