We are excited to share a praise report regarding our relief efforts to help those affected by the volcano and seismic activity that rocked Guatemala in June. To those who have helped support these relief efforts, we would like to once again say, “Thank You!”
The volcano shelter administrators from the city of Alotenango and representatives from the Guatemalan department of child services welcomed us with open arms and were excited to extend the invitation for us to teach weekly English classes in the shelters! We started in September with pre-school aged children. We held three classes with about 20 students total. They were between three and six years old so it was quite interesting! Since then, they have asked us to commit to entire mornings, so we set up time slots for different age groups from pre-school to adults every Tuesday from 9am-12pm.
A long-term issue, apart from permanent housing, is the people becoming dependent upon the help they are receiving and therefore growing less and less motivated to act for themselves to make a difference in their lives. This is partially why the administration is so excited about English classes, because no one living there now would ever be able to afford them, but they have the power to make a difference in their lives for the future. The administration was also very encouraged to see two teenagers (Izzy and Audrey McClain, two of our missionaries’ daughters) volunteering. One staff member commented that she hopes this will be something that they can speak to the youth about to encourage them to see that they too can make a difference and their age doesn’t hinder them to help. At that point, we were able to share a bit more of our heart as a ministry and the vision that has been given for Guatemala. It was really exciting to see them excited for the youth of their own country.
We met with one of the shelter officials, Jorge, who shared how there is still a long way to go before each family is functioning fully on their own again. There are now a few organizations that the shelter officials are looking at to be part of the process to help the people move forward in their lives. They are looking at Potter’s Field to be part of the process! They’d like to have our input and would like to include us in future steps for the improvement of the lives of the people.
Jorge thanked us several times for being part of the relief efforts and, more so, the lives of the people since the beginning. They’ve seen the impact the ministry has had on the lives of the people. They are thankful for our willingness to come and teach the children English. They are willing to help in whatever way they can to motivate the people to be a part of the classes. They see the value and are excited at the possibilities.
At first, we only had a handful of kids, and Jorge and Sandra, the public relations coordinator, took note of that. They want our time there to be fruitful and they asked us to use the registration forms that we use with normal Kids Clubs for those that will participate, seeing that it is a great benefit that parents see our level of commitment to their kids and their learning English. Next month, we will hold a Transforming English camp in a city building with the backing of the city leaders free of charge due to the relationship formed with the Alotenango city officials!
Sandra has one son who attended a school funded by the La Reunion Golf Club. Since the golf resort and the school were destroyed, her son, as well as many others, fell behind in their studies during the time immediately following the eruption of Fuego. Eventually, they began classes in another location, but now her son is failing English. We’ve offered to tutor her son in English while we are at the shelter on Tuesday mornings. She was overjoyed and thanked us profusely for what, for her, is an incredible blessing. She shared with me Tuesday how excited her son is to start working with us.
La Reunion Golf Club
Sandra shared her story of the day of the eruption with us a couple of months ago and the part that was so impactful to me was her sharing how she is still haunted by the people that they could not fit in the first rescue truck – the ones who ultimately lost their lives because there simply was not enough room in the truck. She said there were so many that they could not save. I reminded her that day that she was a part of the lives of the 1,000+ people that were living in Alotenango that were saved that day.
“After our meeting in the shelter, Matt and I drove up closer than we had before to Ground Zero. I cannot describe how haunting the scene was. I felt the air in my lungs escape me, and it was not due to poor air quality, but because what I was seeing took my breath away. We have driven that road so many times, but I could not recognize where we were.
I truly have nothing to offer in the aftermath of a tragic natural disaster like the eruption of a volcano. I have nothing to offer a person who has lost their entire livelihood and most of their family members in a matter of minutes. Nothing could have ever prepared me or anyone else for what we have experienced the past four months. But God.” -Brooke McClain, PFM Missionary
Ground Zero of the eruption
We were blown away and so thankful for this open door to be a light in the middle of such darkness and hopelessness. It truly is a privilege.
An outreach our team had at one of the shelters.
If you are encouraged by this update or feel led to get further involved, we would like to extend an invitation for you to join us on our upcoming Medical Mission Trip to Guatemala, January 5-12, 2019. Even if you are not medical personnel, there are still open spots available! Come and see for yourself the work the Lord is doing in Guatemala! We will be offering medical care in the volcano shelters. Click here for more information and to download an application.
Lastly, in addition to asking you all to join us in prayer for the people of Guatemala and for how we can best help them at this time, should the Lord lead you to help financially in this relief effort, you can donate toward this by clicking here to process an online donation (be sure to select “Guatemala 2019 Medical Mission Trip” as the Directed Giving Fund) or by calling us directly at 1.877.337.2624. Funds will be directed toward sharing the love of Jesus, including providing medications, for our multiple upcoming medical clinics. Any funds raised over and above the medical trip need will support the ongoing work of Potter’s Field Ministries in Guatemala.
THANK YOU all for doing what you do that allows us to be able to serve here for such a time as this!
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