Thanksgiving 2014 – Voice
Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs.
Stephen Covey
For those reading this in America, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving Day yesterday. Our family enjoyed time with some friends. It was fun to hang out together laughing and sharing.
As I have shared throughout the week, our family Thanksgiving tradition includes tracing our hand prints onto a white tablecloth. In each of our fingers, we write down something for which we are thankful. This week, I’m taking time to share something I’ll be writing on the tablecloth this year. I’m hoping you’ll contribute to the conversation by leaving something for which you are thankful for each day.
Here is the fifth thing I wrote down this year:
Voice
I’m not talking about the NBC television show, The Voice, although I do watch it from time to time.
I’m talking about the opportunity to utilize my voice.
This idea was initially sparked by my involvement in Toastmasters this year. I’m thankful for the opportunity to practice using my voice in a way that enhances my communication and leadership skills. I’m also thankful for the people I’ve met along the way as a result of my involvement with Toastmasters.
Then I started thinking about other ways I get to use my voice. My voice is heard every time someone reads one of my blog posts, reads one of my comments, or reads my book. I get to use my voice at my job through my daily interactions with team members, co-workers, and customers. I also get to use my voice at home. I hope I am a voice for wisdom, for love, and for hope.
The more I thought about being thankful for my voice, the more I kept coming back to the fact that many people in this world do not have a voice. It’s not that they cannot speak. It’s more that they are not heard. This is sad. People with do not have a voice often go unnoticed and forgotten. They fall by the wayside and are steamrolled by those who are more powerful, more influential, and just plain louder.
Each one of us has the opportunity to be the voice for others who do not have a voice. It first involves us waking up and noticing those around us who don’t have a voice. Then it involves utilizing our own voices and platforms to speak up for those who don’t have a voice. By doing this, we be can be the catalyst to amplify the voice of those who have gone unheard. You and I can do this!
My experiences in Guatemala have certainly provided an opportunity to see those who don’t have a voice. Part of the reason I share about my Guatemalan experiences is to help me remember. I don’t want to forget what I’ve seen, what I’ve experienced, and who I’ve met. Another reason for sharing my Guatemalan journey is to open others eyes to those in the little village of Xenacoj who might otherwise go unheard. I want people to know about my friends in Xenacoj. I want people here at home to understand what they are facing every day. And I want readers to get involved to help change things in Xenacoj for my dear Guatemalan friends.
With this in mind, I am very thankful for my voice. I know I have an opportunity to help the unheard be heard.
What is one thing you would put on your thankful list this year? Why?
How are you using your voice to be the voice for others?
Thanksgiving 2014 – Guatemala
Our family Thanksgiving tradition includes tracing our hand prints onto a white tablecloth. In each of our fingers, we write down something for which we are thankful. This week, I’ll take time to share something I’ll be writing on the tablecloth this year. I’m hoping you’ll contribute to the conversation by leaving something for which you are thankful for each day.
Here is the first thing I’ll be writing down this year:
Guatemala
This one word captures a lot of my focus this year (again). I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve in the village of Xenacoj for the third summer in a row. It’s not just about building houses or traveling to someplace far away. It’s about building relationships. It’s about transforming lives in Guatemala, in the United States, and in our own home. And it’s definitely about having a mission mindset.
This year, I’m thankful for Betty, Marcos, Wendy, Fernando, Jose, Rosita, and El Abuelo. We may have helped their family by building a house for them, but they deeply impacted our family. This is the same for Angela and her family. These two families touched us in ways that words cannot fully describe.
This year, I’m thankful for German, Suzie, and their family. They hosted us in Xenacoj, and they made sure we felt welcome. Because of German’s family, we know we will always have a home in Xenacoj.
This year, I’m thankful for Dave Sgro of Go! Ministries. Dave demonstrated a man after God’s heart. He is a man whose heart breaks for the things that break the heart of God. Our family came home inspired thanks to Dave’s honest sharing throughout our time in Xenacoj.
This year, I’m thankful for the generosity of those here in the United States who helped to make this trip possible. It’s takes a team to pull of this kind of trip, and many of you were part of this trip through your donations and prayers.
This year, I’m thankful for the folks from Liberty University Medical School. They were part of our experience at the end of our trip this year. They came scouting possible locations for medical students to serve and learn. They showed our family the power of vision. In the coming year, they will have the opportunity to provide medical support to communities in Guatemala who will benefit in a major way. On top of this, we met some great lifetime friends through a couple of days together.
I could go on and on. Guatemala once again left a huge impression on me this year!
What is one thing you would put on your thankful list this year? Why?
Ice Breaker – Bumper Sticker
Each week on The Stretched Blog, I 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.
(I’m always looking for Ice Breaker question ideas. If you have an idea, send me an email at jon@jonstolpe.com. If I use your question, I’ll give you credit and share your links.)
As I was driving earlier this week, I observed the cars around me. Bumper stickers used to be glued to many cars. Now, people use magnets. In my Toastmasters meeting this week, someone asked a question about bumper stickers, and it seemed like the perfect question to use for this week’s Stretched Ice Breaker. (Thanks, Becky!)
Question: If you were going to put a bumper sticker on your car, what would it say?
My Answer: Here you go…
If you’ve been reading here for any length of time, you know the village of Xenacoj in Guatemala holds a special place in my heart. My bumper sticker design would make people think twice about my favorite Guatemalan village, and it would remind me of the special people who touched my heart. I don’t know when I’m going back yet, but it has to be sometime, because that is where my heart is.
Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment. I look forward to reading your response! (As always, feel free to share links.) And keep Stretching!
Book Review: Buy This Land by Chi-Dooh Li (@Skip_Li)
Have you ever dared to chase after one of your crazy ideas?
Buy This Land
My shared connection to Guatemala made this book especially interesting to me as I could envision the places and people the author shares throughout the pages of this real-life story. Chi-Dooh (Skip) Li provides a vivid and detail description of his own childhood and early career which lead him to establish Agros International, an organization recognized for combating the root causes of poverty.
In America, we take for granted our ability to purchase our own land. This is a privilege often unreachable for the poor in countries like Guatemala. Li’s passion to provide hope and a stepping stone for those in need propels him to create Agros as a way to help the poor purchase their own land.
Buy This Land
Buy This Land
Do you own or rent your place of living? Why do you think land ownership is such a big deal?
(Please note: I received a copy of Buy This Land for free from the author. I was not required to provide a favorable review. I truly believe this book will open your eyes and challenge you to chase after your own crazy ideas.
Also to note: There are affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase Buy This Land by clicking one of these links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase. These funds are used to support The Stretched Blog and to extend ministry and missions to Guatemala. Thank you!)
Christmas for 7000!
Have you started making plans for Christmas?
Have you started putting your Christmas list together?
My wife is getting our Christmas list together. In fact, she has already started listening to Christmas music. It seems a bit early to me, but I was reminded by a recent correspondence that it is time to get ready for the Christmas season.
This brings me to today’s post. I suppose it is more of a challenge.
My friend, Dave Sgro, has been working and serving in the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj in Guatemala for the past several years. Each year, he has been conducting a Christmas giveaway for the children in the village. It started out small, and it has grown to a few thousand. This year, GO Ministries (Dave’s mission organization) has expanded into a nearby village. They plan to giveaway Christmas gifts to 7,000 children. This is a major endeavor with tremendous opportunities to touch the lives of children and their families.
Your help is important to make this happen. And you’ll need to act fast in order to pull this off for a late December giveaway. Check out Dave’s video and instructions below for more details.
These gifts will go to kids I have played with and served the past three years in Guatemala. You will make a difference if you decide to help out.
Post by David Sgro.
Here’s a list of the items Dave is looking for in each shoe box:
CHRISTMAS ITEMS (Remove packaging as possible)
1. Tooth Brushes
2. Tooth Paste
3. Combs
4. Brushes
5. Marbles
6. Stickers
7. Jump Ropes
8. Plastic Animals
9. Playing Cards
10. Nail Polish
11. Pens
12. Pencils
13. Erasers
14. Rulers
15. Matchbox Cars
16. Crayons
17. Travel Shampoo
18. Travel Soap
19. Hair Things
20. Lip Gloss
To help you see the impact of past Christmas giveaways, check out this video:
What’s on your Christmas list?
Get In The Game
On the night we arrived in Santo Domingo Xenacoj in Guatemala this summer, our family took a walk to the Central Park in the middle of the village. There was a basketball game going on when we arrived. We watched for a few minutes before our daughter was swept up by some young girls into a game of duck, duck, goose (in Spanish – of course).
Isaac started talking to a few of the boys who were hanging out in the park. Within minutes, he was invited to jump into a game of soccer with boys who were about his age and two-thirds his size. As I looked on, I was amazed at our kids ability to adapt and to join right in with whatever was happening. Isaac’s Spanish isn’t all that advanced, but that didn’t stop him from communicating with the other boys. He didn’t seem to be afraid. In fact, he seemed to relish the opportunity to get into the game.
He could have sat on the side of the park (with me) and spectated as the boys kicked the ball back and forth.
Spectating is nothing like being right on the field in the game. It’s so much better to be a part of the game.
Unfortunately, many of us are content to spectate. We are invited onto the field, but we sit in the stands clapping our hands, cheering loudly, and waving our terrible towels.
Life isn’t meant to be a spectator sport.
Life is meant to be played on the field.
Maybe you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for too long.
It’s time for you to get in the game!
What’s holding you back? In what area of your life do you need to move from spectator to active participant?
(Note: My church kicked off a 4-week series this past Sunday called Not A Fan based on the book by Kyle Idleman. I don’t know where the series is going, but I’m guessing the series will be used to get people to move from spectators to being part of the “game.” If you live in the northwest suburbs of Philadelphia, come check out my church the next three weeks. Click here for more information. And if you live too far away, consider watching the weekly videos which will be featured on the website to see where this series goes. The first week was pretty challenging (in a good way).)
A Face With A Future
What do you see when you look at this face?
This is Rosita. She is two years old, and she’s the youngest of five children. Her mother’s name is Betty. Rosita and her family were the recipient of one of the homes we built in Guatemala this summer.
She captured our hearts. She’s smart and a little sassy. And she was thrilled to have us in her life for a few days as we built her new home.
When I look at this picture, I see a girl with a future. I see a girl with wide eyes and a curious spirit. She’s not afraid to face the world before her. And she has so much to share with the world now and in the days ahead.
I can’t wait to return to Santo Domingo Xenacoj, so we can see Rosita and her family.
What do you see when you look at this face?
3 Changes That Happen When You Go On A Short-Term Missions Trip
You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Ghandi
I have a confession to make.
I hate change.
I’m serious. I like the comforts of the same old, same old. I get up at the same time every day. I go to the gym and run every day. I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day. I drive to the office the same way every day. And it goes on from here. I like routine. I thrive in a life a discipline. For me, change means disruption. It implies an end to what I’m used to. And this scares me.
But what if change is actually a good thing?
For the past three summers, I have traveled with my family on short-term missions trips to Santo Domingo Xenacoj in Guatemala. These trips have helped me to look at change a little differently – more positively.
Today, I want to help you identify three positive changes that happen when you go on a short-term missions trip. I’m hoping you will be challenged to think differently about change and about short-term missions. And I’m also hoping you will consider going on a short-term missions trip to change somebody’s life, to change your life, and to change the lives of those around you at home.
3 Changes That Happen When You Go On A Short-Term Missions Trip
- You change somebody’s life. This year, my family built two homes for two Mayan widows and their families. In Guatemala culture, widows rank pretty low in society. Mayans also rank very low in society. And Mayan widows are at the very bottom of the social hierarchy in Guatemala.
The first house we built was for Betty and her family. I’m not sure how Betty lost her husband. He may have died, or he may have simply abandoned his family. Either way, Betty has been left to parent and provide for her family with five children. This is not an easy task.
The average working Guatemalan makes eight to ten dollars a day. With this money, they have to pay for food, clothing, and housing. For the most part, food costs the same in Guatemala as it does here in the United States. If I buy a gallon of milk here in the United States, it costs about the same in Guatemala. How much do you spend on groceries a week for your family? Now imagine how challenging it must be for Betty to provide for her family. Meanwhile, her family lives in deplorable conditions. Their house is made with pieces of corn stalks tied together to make up the walls. There are pieces of metal laid on top of the house. This is the roof. And the floor is made of dirt. The family of six either shares a single bed or they sleep on the dirt floor at night. It is difficult for a family like this to ever thrive. They do not benefit from public assistance. They survive if they are lucky.
As short-term missionaries, we had an opportunity to intervene. We had an opportunity to give Betty and her family a chance to succeed in the future. We built a simple house made with a concrete floor, wooden walls, a permanent metal roof, and electricity. We also provided beds for everyone in the family. This is the kind of boost family’s like Betty’s need to move from just surviving to thriving. Betty and her family will experience better health as a result of their new beds and new house. The kids will be more productive in school which will lead to a better future for each of them. And they had the opportunity to experience the compassion and generosity through the people who donated the money for the house and through those who helped build the house.
A short-term missions trip gives you the opportunity to change somebody’s life.
- You change your life. We all live inside a box. We often see the world through our own set of lenses – through the window of our own setting. Here’s the deal: there is life outside your box. There is more to this world than what you can see through your window. A short-term missions trip gives you the opportunity to see this world.
The first time I visited Guatemala two years ago, I saw real poverty for the first time. I saw how 95% (or more) of the world lives. I met people who get one meal of rice and beans – if they are lucky. I met people who work in sweatshops for twelve hours a day while earning eight dollars. I saw people who don’t have clean water and healthy cooking facilities. I learned to appreciate the things I had at home. I learned to have a more open heart and mind to helping those who have less than me. I stopped chasing so diligently after things at home in our American culture that eventually fade away. And I started dreaming differently about how my family and I could make a bigger difference in the world. This trip changed my life.
A short-term missions trip will change your life.
- You change the lives of those around you at home. A short-term missions trip is short. You may go for a week or two to someplace “strange” like Guatemala, but then you come home.
How you respond to your trip will impact those around you. I have had the opportunity to share so many stories and to answer so many questions because of my experience in Guatemala. I also see those around me differently. A short-term missions trip will help you to have a mission mindset for those you interact with on a daily basis at home. My trips to Guatemala have motivated me to slow down and to be more present in my interactions in my office, in my neighborhood, and in my own home. I have seen how my trips have made a difference in the lives of my friends, family, and co-workers.
A short-term missions trip experience will change those around you.
Now it’s my chance to change your life. I challenge you to start planning your next short-term missions trip – maybe it’s your first missions trip. You will never go if you don’t start planning it. It’s not too early to start planning for a trip for next summer (or earlier). A trip like this can be the catalyst for major change for others and for you. If you want to see change in this world, be the change – go on a short-term missions trip!
What are you waiting for?
When Are We Going Back?
When are we going back?
When will we return to Guatemala?
This is a question that is already running through my head, and it’s a question we are getting from our friends and family.
The truth is this – we don’t know yet.
I dream of going back to Guatemala twice a year. I’d love to go back this year between Christmas and New Year’s. But there are things that stand in the way: money, a need to travel to see extended family, family commitments at home, and a desire for a family vacation for the four of us.
And so the question of when we are going back remains an unanswered mystery.
We’d appreciate your prayers for discernment as we consider this decision.
What question(s) in your life is a mystery?
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
Guatemala 2014 Highlight Video
Dave Sgro from GO! Ministries put together this highlight video of our trip to Guatemala. I shared it on Facebook when we first arrived home, but I don’t think I shared it here on the blog. Enjoy!