One Way United

Our journey through Latin America has been nothing short of epic.  We have seen and experienced so many things on this trip (as regular followers of this site know) that if we went home today, we would not regret anything about this long journey.  We have grown so much from this trip and there is no doubt it has fundamentally changed us.  It has also been a spirtual roller coaster as we have tried to come to grips with God and His purpose for us.  There have been several times during this trip when I have questioned His very existence but I have always run back into His arms.   I write this on the heels of finishing a two week volunteering experience in a little village in Ecuador called Agua Blanca.  There is something about giving up myself that is so fulfilling and rewarding.  I would venture a guess that these experiences help me more than the people I am serving.  Traveling is great and a fun lifestyle but there is no doubt that it feels like something is missing as we constantly travel from place to place seeing new things.  Serving others brings everything back together again.  God´s love is an active love, it´s a sacrificial love.  So only by acting and sacrificing does God´s love show through us.  That is why I am excited to tell you that Adam and I plan to take part in our church´s next short-term mission trip to the tiny village of Cajixay in the Guatemalan highlands.
 
This will be my third mission trip to Cajixay and Adam´s first.   The mission trip will take place from August 18^th to August 28^th.  Of course, Adam and I will already be down there before the team arrives.  From experience I can tell you that these trips are some of the most powerful and moving experiences for all the people involved.  People aquire a new world perspective and during the week one feels as close and connected to God as ever before.  The individuals that venture into this journey together gain a special bond with fellow team members that is not easitly broken.  The villagers of Cajixay, of course, also benefit a lot from us strange gringo visitors.
 
This village was one of the many native villages in Guatemala that got caught in the middle of a devastating civil war in the 1980s.  The people had to flea into the mountains and have vivid memories of the terrible atrocities that were committed.  This village has actually been completely rebuilt as at one time every last house was burned to the ground.  The villagers´ trust in people has been extremely shaken by the war and that is why the most important thing we do is build relationships with the people.   People from our church, Westminster Chapel, have gone several times to this remote village and each time we return, the villagers are more open and more trusting.  While the actual physical work we do changes each time we go, this trip at its core is about the relationships we build with the villagers.

Westminster Chapel sponsors this village in partnership with the Agros Foundation, a Seattle-based, non-profit organization that works with poor, landless farmers in Central America, empowering them to take control of their own destiny.  Agros extends loans to purchase farmland and partners with farmers in applying sustainable agricultural practices.  In addition, through community organization, housing and infrastructure, and education and training, they take a holistic approach to help restore hope and opportunity.  Agros is an organization that desires to follow the teachings of Jesus by serving the rural poor regardless of their faith.  You can learn more about Agros by visiting their website at www.agros.org 

We would like to invite you in supporting us in this ministry to the people of Cajixay.  First and most importantly, we ask for your prayers.  Please pray for the health, strength, and safety for the team while we are in the Guatemalan highlands, and for God to further reveal Himself to the villagers and to us on this trip.  If you would like to support us financially, your tax-deductible contribution would help us to raise the money needed to make this trip.  If you feel called to support us in this way, you can make a check payable to Westminster Chapel and send it by mail to my mother (who is charge of finances) at this address: