tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59835805751820344772024-03-14T00:44:31.913-07:00la bloga de gregorio<p>husband, father, mission pastor, jesus-follower. attempting to live out my faith every day in my family, my community and the world. this is my personal blog and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the church i serve, the denomination i serve in, or the family who i might embarrass with my posts </p>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.comBlogger148125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-63730863295939794522011-06-18T08:39:00.000-07:002011-06-18T08:39:45.512-07:00Four hours of service and sweat in the Lower Ninth Ward<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://heartprintphotography.com/commercial/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lower-9th-ward-new-orleans-march-2009-katrina-hp-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" i$="true" src="http://heartprintphotography.com/commercial/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lower-9th-ward-new-orleans-march-2009-katrina-hp-photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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On Thursday afternoon, I spent four hours doing some basic clean-up, beautification and restoration work in the Lower Ninth Ward with the FTE group. (If you are confused about what FTE is or what I am doing in NOLA this week, <a href="http://blogadegregorio.blogspot.com/2011/06/hanging-out-in-new-orleans-with-bunch.html">read my previous post here</a>.)<br />
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You are probably asking yourself, what difference could I possibly make doing four measly hours of community service in the city of NOLA. Don't worry, I asked the question myself! I am still not sure if I have an answer to that question, but I am going to try anyway.<br />
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We worked with a group called the Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. These guys are doing some great work in NOLA, addressing problems of poverty, racism and oppression at a grassroots and systemic level. They work with residents on their houses and do neighborhood clean-ups, but they are also working at a systemic level trying to break the cycle of poverty by getting the city involved, creating sustainable housing projects, and doing lots of other great things. You can read more about this organization by <a href="http://www.helpholycross.org/">clicking here.</a><br />
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We met up with them in the sanctuary of a tiny Baptist church in the Lower Ninth Ward. They explained to our group of fifty volunteers that we would be helping to clean up the streets a bit, work that the city just doesn't have the resources or manpower to do. We were issued saws, hedge-trimmers, grass clippers, work gloves and lots of sturdy garbage bags. The team of 50 FTE volunteers was being led by some employees of the the organization as well as some residents of the Lower Ninth who just have a heart and passion for seeing their neighborhood transformed and rebuilt. Both groups had some pretty powerful stories to share.<br />
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We hit the streets and started cleaning, picking up trash, trimming trees and hedges, and cutting overgrown grass in the medians and around the sidewalks. We walked down a divided boulevard that had two lanes of traffic and a 30 foot wide median down the middle with trees and shrubs that needed some help. Keep in mind the temperature was 98 degrees and the humidity was over 80 percent, so the heat index was about 110 degrees!<br />
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As I was working, hacking some dead limbs off of a tree, a woman drove up next to me and started to talk to me. She told me that her name is Angela and she lives in the neighborhood and said that a block down there is a huge bush in the median that blocks the view of the oncoming traffic. Angela said she had called the city four times and asked them to trim it. She asked me if I could go down there and trim it for her so that she can see the traffic in the mornings as she is turning out on the street to drive to work. I wandered down there and took out a large portion of the bush to open up the view for traffic. Angela was so grateful for the help, she drove by an hour later and thanked me.<br />
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Here you encounter a form of systemic oppression. The City of New Orleans is continuing to suffer following Katrina and the flooding. Their tax base is way down and city services just aren't what they used to be. However if you drive through some of the nicer sections of the city, the streets are kept up very well, the trees are trimmed, and there are no bushes blocking the view of traffic. As the residents told us, “The city just doesn't come down here.” It is amazing to see very real examples of this happening.<br />
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Another group a few blocks down was asked to clear out a vacant lot. They worked hard for a few hours hacking away weeds that were over six feet tall. It was a lot where a house had been that was literally ripped off of its foundation during Katrina. After a few hours they discovered a sidewalk beneath them. There was something deeply theological about working hard and uncovering a “safe passage” for the residents that was hidden beneath the weeds and overgrowth.<br />
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The experience was not without its frustration. Many of our volunteers were walking down the street picking up trash in the medians, on the sidewalk and in the gutters, only to have a resident walk by and throw down more trash. It definitely caused the group to pause and ponder if the work that we were doing had any real impact. If the local residents don't seem to care enough about keeping their own neighborhood clean, what good are we doing by walking through and helping to clean up?<br />
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I look at some of the residents who are so despondent because of the conditions, so trapped in the cycle of poverty that they have lost nearly all of their hope. Does my presence there make a difference for those residents? Do they get any hope out of walking out of their houses and seeing a cleaner street with trimmed trees? Does this kind of work have any sort of a lasting impact? I don't know that I have answers to those questions. I do know that Angela will be able to get to work more safely in the morning because I trimmed back that bush. You have to start somewhere.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-26726608639354687032011-06-17T15:52:00.000-07:002011-06-17T15:52:22.277-07:00Hanging out in New Orleans with a bunch of aspiring pastors. . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.constructionownerslawblog.com/New_Orleans_Sign-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" i$="true" src="http://www.constructionownerslawblog.com/New_Orleans_Sign-thumb.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I arrived in New Orleans (NOLA) on Wednesday afternoon for the Fund for Theological Education (FTE) Ministry Fellowship conference. I haven't been to NOLA since I was 12 years old, very “pre-Katrina,” and that was a visit with my family. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As we left the airport and boarded the bus to go from the airport to Dillard University where the conference is being hosted, I was assaulted with the heat and humidity of the Southern summer. Riding through the traffic on the freeway, I looked out the window wondering if I would catch glimpses of the damage and recovery from Hurricane Katrina. We exited the freeway and were stopped at a red light and I saw a person on the side of the road “panhandling.” He had written some illegible words on a sign he was holding that I couldn't read. But I caught a glimpse of the back of the sign which used to hang at an apartment complex and read “The American Dream, for rent now!” I was struck by the completely contradictory message, this guy was definitely not experiencing the American Dream standing on that corner in the oppressive heat and humidity.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We are staying at Dillard University in the Gentilly District, which was flooded out following Katrina. The area is not totally recovered and you can still see vestiges of the damage and destruction that happened six years ago. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I wasn't too sure what to expect with the conference or with my time in New Orleans. The FTE is designed to call young leaders to renew the church. I am one of 100 fellowship recipients who is here for a week to pause, reflect, learn some new skills and put together an action plan regarding what my role is in renewing the church.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Our first full day here we started with a meeting with three faith-based community leaders in NOLA who are working, each in their own way, to empower the residents and rebuild the city. We got to hear about each of their own experiences, each of their call stories that brought them to NOLA post-Katrina, and the work that they are doing with their respective organizations. After their talk, we all loaded into buses to tour the city.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was initially concerned about the city tour, it felt a little bit like poverty and disaster tourism. Here we were, sitting comfortably in our padded seats on an air-conditioned bus, driving around a city that is still recovering from the hurricane and flooding that hit the city 70 months ago. In many of the neighborhood we visited houses are still abandoned and there are many slab foundations where the houses just floated away. There is still a great deal of poverty effecting the city, and the unemployment rate is still very high, so there are a lot of residents who are sitting outside on their porches or in the empty lots, watching the tour buses pass by. Some wave and smile, some ignore, and some are appropriately frustrated by these tour buses. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So I was a bit uncomfortable with what we were doing. But then we stopped at a Baptist church where four pastors from across the city were waiting for us. They shared with us each of their experiences, what state of recovery their churches were in, and what they continue to do to serve their city and the people of their city. Then we headed over to a Methodist church and heard their story, which was inspiring and amazing. You see, this church was two churches before Katrina, a historically black church a historically white church. Following the storm, both churches had been flooded and lost members and both were struggling and no longer viable. They were forced to come together and join forces, and from it has emerged one of the highest functioning, authentic, multi-cultural churches I have encountered, very powerful stuff. It is a living and vibrant church that is serving God is a profound way. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After that we drove to another neighborhood and saw a predominantly Korean Catholic church that has been instrumental in the rebuilding process. We heard about how quickly they were able to get organized following the storm, providing space and logistical support for FEMA and other non-profits that were assisting in disaster relief. Finally we ended our tour at a church in the Lower 9<sup>th</sup> Ward that is in a converted Walgreens drugstore. Apparently after the store flooded following the storm, Walgreens decided it was not viable to rebuild their store and serve the residents. So the store sat empty but the parking lot became a hub of activity for the Episcopalian church, serving residents with a medical van, food pantry, distribution of cleaning supplies, and other very basic services. Finally the church inquired about the property and was able to clean it up and convert it into a church.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Powerful story after powerful story was washing over me and the other fellows, immersing us, flooding us with stories of hope emerging from the disaster. THIS is the work of the church in the world. THIS is being the hands and feet of Jesus. THIS is ministry. And this must be why we are here, developing our leadership skills and contemplating what our roles are in renewing the church. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We spent the afternoon working in the Lower 9<sup>th</sup> Ward, but I will save that for the next blog post. Thanks for reading!</div>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-3237941492897655332011-06-14T14:37:00.000-07:002011-06-14T14:37:25.650-07:00Prayer for strength in providing comfort and healing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://ignatianlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/caring-hands1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="http://ignatianlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/caring-hands1.jpg" t8="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Just found a great prayer in a book of prayers at the hospital library. This is perfect for anyone working to provide comfort and healing and especially poignant for my job this summer as a hospital chaplain:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>May I reach that purest heaven,</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>Be to other souls the cup of strength in some great agony,</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>Enkindle generous ardour, feed pure love,</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>Be the sweet presence of a good diffused,</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>And in diffusion ever more intense!</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>So shall I join the choir invisible</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><em>Whose music is the gladness of the world.</em></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>-George Eliot, English Novelist, 1880Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-82728398321660272892011-06-12T21:17:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:17:16.682-07:00What is CPE? Where are Greg, Jessica and Esther this summer?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thealmons.com/ccblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/chaplaincy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.thealmons.com/ccblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/chaplaincy1.jpg" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div>I just completed my first week of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education). What that means is that I am spending the summer serving as a hospital chaplain. <br />
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Jessica, Esther and I packed up our bags and moved to Olympia, WA for the summer where I am doing my CPE at St. Peter Hospital, which is the hospital where Jessica was born 30-something years ago. Life has a strange way of coming full circle. <br />
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We could have stayed in Austin, TX for the summer where I could have done my CPE at a local hospital, or taken Greek at the seminary, but when the opportunity presented itself to get out of the Texas heat and humidity for the summer, we couldn't get here fast enough. We are staying with Jessica's mom and Jessica and Esther are spending lots of quality time with her mom and dad.<br />
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CPE is a bizarre experience. After one year of seminary education, and 33 years of life experience, I am being thrust into some of the most painful, grief-filled, life-altering moments of the lives of patients and their families. <br />
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I am one of four students who are doing this chaplaincy internship this summer. One of the students is a first-year seminary student like me from an Episcopalian seminary, one student is a lay pastor in the Lutheran church, and the fourth student is an Air Force chaplain. There are two women and two men in our group and we range in age from mid 20s to mid 50s with each decade represented.<br />
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Our first week has consisted mostly of orientation. It is kind of like drinking from a fire hose, I am absorbing some of the information (getting my thirst quenched), but there is also a lot flying past me and I am getting drenched. The orientation to the hospital environment has been interesting. I have not spent a lot of time in hospitals in the past, so I am getting used to the sterile, clinical environment with the tile floors and bright lighting. St. Peters, like most hospitals, has been added on to over the years which makes it like a giant labyrinth. By Friday I pretty much had my bearings and could navigate around. <br />
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As Chaplain interns we have a strange, dual role. We are unpaid volunteers, but at the same time we are treated like staff. This hospital has been running the internship program for over 10 years, so the hospital staff is accustomed to the CPE students and generally treats them like the staff chaplains. <br />
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The hospital has a core of four full-time chaplains on staff, which is unusual and shows a strong commitment from the hospital administration for spiritual care of its patients, their families and the employees. Between the four staff chaplains, they have more than 100 years of combined experience as hospital chaplains, and they embrace the CPE students and take them under their wings. I feel so blessed to be working a hospital with such a seasoned chaplain core that is excited to share their wisdom and experience with us. <br />
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We have toured each of the units of the hospital with the staff chaplains and have tried to get a sense of what kinds of calls the chaplains get and what we might be able to expect. Starting next week, they turn us loose in the hospital and we start to field calls from the units. Monday night, I will be on call so if there are any requests for a chaplain from a patient, a family, or the nurses or staff of the hospital, I will be the one taking the call and responding. Am I ready for that? Can you ever be ready to meet a family who has lost or is losing a child, a mother, father, brother, sister or sit with a patient who is dying or be present when a trauma comes in to the emergency room? I think the answer to that question is no.<br />
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I am anxious, nervous, but also feeling a strong desire to do this. It is such a unique privilege to be with families and patients at these times, and I feel honored to share those moments, work to provide comfort, and acknowledge the presence of God in those situations.<br />
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Last night (Thursday), I attended a support group of parents who had lost children at birth. I sat around a table with couples who had experienced a loss that I could not even fathom. One couple had lost a child just a week and a half earlier, one had lost a child six months ago, and two couples were grieving the loss of children ten years ago. The grief in the room was palpable, tears were flowing, and people were actively mourning. This group is led by one of the grieving parents who serves as a facilitator. I probably learned more about grieving in this 2 hour session than I could have reading thousands of pages in a book or spending months in a classroom setting. The parents were so generous and kind by letting my observe and learn. They offered me advice as a chaplain, what had been said to them that was helpful, what had been said to them that was not helpful, and what had been said to them that was downright hurtful. They told me how much they appreciated my presence there and my desire to work as a pastor and chaplain, but I was the one who felt truly honored to be there and for them to let me participate and learn. <br />
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I have been riding my bike to and from the hospital, it is about 7 miles away from where I am staying. My bike ride home was a great opportunity for me to reflect and start to process my own reactions and feelings after spending time with these parents. I am told that much of the CPE experience involves a lot of introspection, digging deep and figuring out why I am responding the way that I am, what experiences in my own life I am drawing from to offer comfort, and doing a lot of self and soul searching. After last night, I am starting to understand why that is important.<br />
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Providing comfort to people at critical moments in their lives is something I am really looking forward to learning about. The strength of the parents who I met last night comes from sources that I cannot begin to comprehend. I pray that I will be able to do things to help people in their grieving process, whether that is providing comfort, an outlet for anger, or an acknowledgment of hope.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-69728055128526578922011-05-12T08:50:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:27:06.681-07:00Praying for peace and unity in the Presbyterian church. . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VCMCZup624A/TcwH-ho73UI/AAAAAAAAC7I/1Wie06LXq3E/s1600/blog+post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" j8="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VCMCZup624A/TcwH-ho73UI/AAAAAAAAC7I/1Wie06LXq3E/s400/blog+post.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>For those who haven't heard by now, the Presbyterian Church PC(USA), has passed an ammendment to our constitution called 10-A. It opens the doors for Presbyteries (at their discretion) to ordain homosexual pastors as well as pastors who are single and in a relationship but not married. At the highest level, the change in language is: ‘Submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ’ which replaced ‘fidelity and chastity’. If you want to learn more about this, there are some links below:<br />
Article from the PC(USA) Website: <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/5/10/presbyterian-church-us-approves-change-ordination/">http://www.pcusa.org/news/2011/5/10/presbyterian-church-us-approves-change-ordination/</a><br />
Article from the New York Times: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11presbyterian.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11presbyterian.html</a><br />
Article from NPR: <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=136188521">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=136188521</a><br />
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This has created some difficult and sometimes divisive conversations within the PC(USA). As most of you know, I am attending a Presbyterian seminary, so these conversations are happening here too, in our classrooms, in our chapel, in our cafeterian and common areas, and on-line.<br />
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A few weeks before this passed, I co-wrote an article in our student newspaper with one of my classmates calling for unity, civility, and recognition of our shared humanity. Below is the article. I welcome your feedback:<br />
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<strong>Civility, dialogue and listening: Reflections on the first year experience</strong><br />
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by: Greg Allen-Pickett and Barrett Abernethy<br />
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We were reflecting on our first year at APTS and one word came to mind: blessed. We are blessed to be at an institution that upholds civility and dialogue and teaches us how to be active listeners. We have experienced this both inside and outside the classroom.<br />
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We are also blessed to be part of a unique and diverse junior class that contributes to a unique and diverse dialogue both in and out of the classroom. Just last week in Systematic Theology 2, Dave Jensen implored us to break bread with someone we don't like. He said in principle and in practice it is important to break bread with those who irritate us. Through breaking bread, sharing a meal, we are able to see the underlying humanity of even our strongest ideological foe. We are able to recognize that we are connected through that humanity and through our faith and despite our differences, we can learn and grow together. We may never come to agreement on a particular issue, but we can hear each other out, engage in civil dialogue, and learn from one another.<br />
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We feel blessed to be learning at a seminary that started the Queer Alliance just a few short months ago and are excited to see the traction that the group has gained through argyle day, the shower of stoles, the Kairos last week, and the service we celebrated on Wednesday. As Amendment 10a is working its way through the Presbyteries, and our denomination along with many other denominations and churches are debating and struggling with these issues, we feel blessed to be at a place where we can share a civil dialogue about it and actively listen to all voices.<br />
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We feel blessed to be at an institution with students that don't agree with Amendment 10a or gay marriage, that our collective shoulders are broad enough to support people on both sides of this issue. It is through difference of opinion and belief and through open and honest dialogue that we can learn, grow and flourish. Even if our differences don't always end in agreement, the dialogue itself, and the people engaged in the dialogue have intrinsic value. <br />
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We feel blessed because we are learning how God works through the multi-faceted expressions of faith by people who have opinions or viewpoints that are different from our own. We are learning that someone reading the same Bible as us can come to a different conclusion, and while we may not agree with that conclusion, we are still brothers and sisters in Christ and ultimately we are doing our best to live out what that means individually and collectively. Though we may fundamentally disagree at times, a monologue of thought only leads to fideism, and we at APTS proudly stand and shout Fides Quaerens Intelectum!<br />
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Austin Seminary prides itself in preparing its students for parish ministry. What better reflection of parish ministry is there than an environment that has diverse viewpoints, and what better skills to learn while we are here than learning how to navigate those viewpoints with the civility, dialogue and active listening that we are learning right here and right now.<br />
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We issue a plea to the APTS community to acknowledge these blessings and to ground their agreements and disagreements in love and recognition of our shared humanity and faith.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-17613997821786290672011-04-18T12:06:00.000-07:002011-04-18T12:06:54.068-07:00Dispatch from Seminary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TIyFMAcnYM4/TayLMz0KeRI/AAAAAAAAC7A/rm7E-hbDB9o/s1600/Seminary+Families.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TIyFMAcnYM4/TayLMz0KeRI/AAAAAAAAC7A/rm7E-hbDB9o/s320/Seminary+Families.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo of the families of the seminary visiting the Austin Zoo</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Below is an update about our lives in Seminary. . . Enjoy!<br />
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Things continue to go great for the Allen-Pickett family here in Austin!<br />
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My classes and professors this semester are phenomenal on the whole. Systematic Theology 2 has been great as we have wrestled with theologians Schleiermacher, and Barth as well as Liberation Theology and Process Theology. My Intro to Worship professor, Jen Lord, has so much energy and excitement for worship that it is contagious. In New Testament, after spending a few weeks on the gospels and studying the Historical Jesus, we are making our way through the Pauline Letters. Our New Testament professor asks provocative questions and then sits back and smiles as we wrestle with them. Hebrew has been a little bit of a struggle, but I think I am starting to turn the corner. I have exam next week that I am hard at work studying for.<br />
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Outside of my classes, we are very active in the life of the seminary. I am participating in an immigration/prison ministry group where I go and visit detained immigrants who are awaitng their hearings for asylum or deportation. Jessica and I are playing on the Austin Seminary kickball team and we made the playoffs! Jessica has revived the Spouses group on campus and they are meeting regularly and planning to build a community garden. She is also a member of the Campus Care Committee. Esther is growing up so fast too! She is 16 months old and loves being on campus. She comes to lunch in the cafeteria and wanders around socializing with everyone. (I can't imagine where she got that from.) There are six other toddlers on campus under the age of 3, so she has some great playmates. <br />
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Outside of the seminary I am helping out at a small bi-lingual Presbyterian church called El Buen Pastor. I help lead worship there 1-2 times per month as the liturgist and prayer leader and I am preaching there quarterly when the Pastor takes his days off. I get to keep up with my Spanish skills as all of my prayers, scripture readings and sermons are done in English and Spanish. It is a small church with Sunday attendance around 50-60, but there are always at least 10-15 kids in each service and Esther fits right in as she wanders up and down the aisles greeting people with a hearty "hola."<br />
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We are really enjoying the city of Austin as well! We went to the Rodeo last month and had a great time. It is fun to wander down on 6th street and hear all of the live music. And if any of you come to visit us during the warmer months, we can't wait to take you to Barton Springs, a natural "cool springs" that is a great place to take a swim. Jessica and Esther also have a playgroup that they participate in twice a week outside of campus. It has been great for Esther to socialize with other babies and it is great for Jessica to build community with other like-minded moms. Once a quarter they have a family play-date where they invite all the dads too, so we are building some great community there.<br />
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We are really loving our lives here in Austin, but we continue to miss our family and friends in Denver. We will be back in Denver May 23-31 and hope to visit a lot of you then. Thank you again for your support of our family and all of your thoughts and prayers. We are loving our journey and the opportunity to prepare ourselves to serve God's church!<br />
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Much Love,<br />
<br />
Greg, Jessica and EstherGreg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-86317653545549295172011-03-10T06:56:00.000-08:002011-03-10T13:54:44.557-08:00Great quote about letting your light shine as a Christian, and the Newsboys song too!"We do not convince others by telling them loudly how wrong they are and how right we are. We convince them by showing them a light so lovely they will want with all their hearts to know the source of it." <br />
– Madeleine L'Engle <br />
<br />
One of my favorite Newsboys songs of all time is "Shine"<br />
<br />
Below you can watch the video and read the lyrics, but it speaks to this great quote. Shine on my friends, show them a light so lovely that they will want with all of their hearts to know the source of it!!!!!<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qt6Vw9_X1AI" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
dull as dirt<br />
you can´t assert the kind of light<br />
that might persuade<br />
a strict dictator to retire<br />
fire the army<br />
teach the poor origami<br />
the truth is in<br />
the proof is when<br />
you hear your heart start asking,<br />
"What´s my motivation?"<br />
<br />
and try as you may, there isn´t a way<br />
to explain the kind of change<br />
that would make an Eskimo renounce fur<br />
that would make a vegetarian barbecue hamster<br />
unless you can trace this about-face<br />
to a certain sign...<br />
<br />
Chorus<br />
<strong>shine</strong><br />
make ´em wonder what you´ve got<br />
make ´em wish that they were not<br />
on the outside looking bored<br />
<strong>shine</strong><br />
let it <strong>shine</strong> before all men<br />
let´em see good works, and then<br />
let ´em glorify the Lord<br />
<br />
out of the shaker and onto the plate<br />
it isn´t Karma<br />
it sure ain´t fate<br />
that would make a Deadhead sell his van<br />
that would make a schizophrenic turn in his crayons<br />
Oprah freaks<br />
and science seeks a rationale<br />
that shall excuse<br />
this strange behavior<br />
<br />
when you let it <strong>shine</strong><br />
you will inspire<br />
the kind of entire turnaround<br />
that would make a bouncer take ballet<br />
(even bouncers who aren´t happy)<br />
but out of the glare<br />
with nowhere to turn<br />
you ain´t gonna learn it on "What´s My Line?"<br />
<br />
Chorus<br />
<strong>shine</strong><br />
make ´em wonder what you´ve got<br />
make ´em wish that they were not<br />
on the outside looking bored<br />
<strong>shine</strong><br />
let it <strong>shine</strong> before all men<br />
let´em see good works, and then<br />
let ´em glorify the LordGreg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-43996339774498567632011-03-02T07:37:00.000-08:002011-03-03T07:45:54.802-08:00Great Prayer to bless your home and say with your family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C4cekvuBpUc/TW-3aVYbyyI/AAAAAAAAC60/Ir-4pBDVaTI/s1600/Door+Photo+of+Antigua+from+Angela+Duggan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-C4cekvuBpUc/TW-3aVYbyyI/AAAAAAAAC60/Ir-4pBDVaTI/s400/Door+Photo+of+Antigua+from+Angela+Duggan.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo of a door in Antigua, Guatemala taen by Angela Duggan on the Wellshire Youth Mission Trip Summer 2010</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">O God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy pride and strife, Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children nor straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter's power. God make the door of this house the gateway to thine eternal kingdom.</div><br />
<br />
AMEN.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-36336041007052947182011-02-25T17:19:00.000-08:002011-02-25T17:49:12.994-08:00Sermon I preached about being God's own fool!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UNIdpaW3wlY/TWQ6gWwJXwI/AAAAAAAAC6s/gbN12QAQqVw/s1600/Foolsa.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" j6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UNIdpaW3wlY/TWQ6gWwJXwI/AAAAAAAAC6s/gbN12QAQqVw/s320/Foolsa.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">From: <a href="http://www.savagechickens.com/tag/fools">http://www.savagechickens.com/tag/fools</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The New Testament Scriptures from the Lectionary for the sermon this week:<br />
Matthew 5:38-48<br />
<br />
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.<br />
<br />
Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.<br />
<br />
1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23<br />
According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.<br />
<br />
Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."<br />
<br />
So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.<br />
<br />
SERMON:<br />
What is Paul telling us when he writes his letter to the Corinthians? He writes, Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. <br />
<br />
Why does Paul say this? Why is our worldly wisdom foolishness to God and why does God's wisdom look foolish to the world? I think those questions are answered in the passage we read from Matthew and that Alex talked about.<br />
<br />
Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself back during the time of Jesus. Imagine walking around the Sea of Galilee. Perhaps you were a fisherman, perhaps you were a tax collector, maybe you stayed at home and took care of the house and the children. <br />
<br />
One day you start to hear a buzz. At first it is just your neighbor saying, “Did you hear about that guy who is healing people, performing miracles? I think he is a magician.” As the weeks go on you hear more and more people talking about that guy. He spends his time wandering around, healing the sick, raising people from the dead, and saying some of the strangest things. People have referred to him as “Emmanuel” or the “Messiah.” Average people, just like yourselves, think that he might be the savior, the one who fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament. Other people think he is just a crazy man. Some think he is an outlaw or a con man. But there are a lot of people talking about him.<br />
<br />
He is saying some of the craziest and most foolish things! He is turning the whole social order on its head. Everything that we have come to accept as normal when it comes to religion, purity, cleanliness and following the law, how we treat people, especially those who are different from us, it is all being called into question by this foolish man. <br />
<br />
I call him foolish because he is really upsetting things around here. Our religious leaders, the priests, scribes and pharisees, are following him around, and writing down what he is saying just to be able to use it against him when they take him to religious court or throw him to the Roman authorities. And he is saying some pretty crazy things!<br />
<br />
Just this past week he gave a sermon, they called it the “Sermon on the mount.” Thousands gathered from all around. He stood on a hill on the north end of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum. Everyone listened intently to what he was saying, some were believers and followers, some were curious, and like I said earlier, some of them were really angry about what he was saying and what it meant, they were there too. <br />
<br />
I don't have time today to go over the whole sermon with you, but the last part was pretty profound. This man called Jesus would take a law or a saying from the Old Testament, which is the law that all of the religious people follow and the law that helps us keep order in our towns and cities. And he would repeat that law, and then completely flip it around! For example, he said, “You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' That is right from the book of Leviticus, our book of laws in our holy scriptures. That law was written and is followed to provide a sense of order and justice. And then this Jesus fellow said, “But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Whoa! This is some pretty revolutionary stuff. Rather than equal justice for wrongdoing, if someone in power over me does something wrong to me, I am supposed to look them in the eye, force them to acknowledge my humanity, and offer them my other cheek. If someone wants to take my coat, I am supposed to offer them my shirt as well? And if a Roman soldier forces me to carry his pack for 1 mile, I am supposed to carry it for 2?!?!? This throws all the power out of balance and doesn't seem to make any sense! <br />
<br />
Then he went on to say, Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you. Well, if I do that I will go broke. Why should I do that? I have worked hard for my money, and now this guy is just telling me to give it away? This seems like utter foolishness. Apparently to follow this guy, we have to just throw caution to the wind. We have to give up ourselves, give up everything that we know and understand, give up all of our laws and social order to follow him. That is scary, only a fool would do that.<br />
<br />
Then it starts to get really foolish! Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, once again quoting from the Old Testament. Then he revises it by saying, But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.<br />
<br />
This is just crazy talk! I don't know why he would be asking me to love my enemies and pray for people who are mean to me. Really, what does he expect here. This is just asking too much. He points out that God provides to all no matter how good or bad they are, but I am not God. Is he really calling me to try and act more like God? Ahhh.<br />
<br />
You see, being a Christian means really rejecting the order of this world and embracing an order that advances the kingdom of God. It is utter foolishness to those who stand outside and watch our behavior, it looks crazy. But the more we begin to embrace this life, the more we realize that the ways of THIS world, the ways that break people down and don't build up the kingdom, are actually foolish.<br />
<br />
The very way that Jesus came and the message that he was preaching was perceived as total foolishness at the time, and it can even seem foolish today. Let's think about this. If a king was coming today, would that king come as a poor wandering carpenter's son or as a mighty military ruler? It is utter foolishness to say that a king would be humble, kings have to be proud by their very nature. But Jesus showed us a new way, a new kind of leadership. We call that servant leadership. <br />
<br />
Servant leadership sounds foolish. Don't those words contradict each other? How can you lead and serve at the same time, doesn't a leader need people to follow him, servants? But Jesus showed us it was not only possible, but it is the most effective form of leadership our world has ever known. Jesus took an authentic and keen interest in the lives of the people who were following him. He worked to make sure their needs were met, even before his own. In a cut-throat world of competition, this seems counter-intuitive, even foolish! But it worked and it even works today.<br />
<br />
I went to a small college for my undergraduate education, Pacific Lutheran University. We had a football team that won the national championship during my senior year. The whole team was built around the idea of servant leadership. The coaches and the captains were the leaders and they were very well respected, but as part of their leadership, they cared about the people who were following them. And it wasn't a surface level care, they cared very deeply. They even cared about their opponents and after every play they would stop and help up the people they had just knocked down. Many of the people watching this thought it was just crazy, it was foolish to waste that extra effort to help out the opposing team, it was foolish to pray for them when they were hurt, it was foolish for the coaches, captains and seniors on the team to carry the bags of the first year guys on the team. Reporters from newspapers, TV stations, even Sports Illustrated, came to watch this team and how it functioned under this model of “servant leadership.” They call came away scratching their heads. This didn't make sense to them, it was foolish. But that foolishness of servant leadership led to a national championship. The coach of the team, Frosty Westering, is the 9th winningest football coach in the United States, and he won four national titles and has been inducted into the college football hall of fame with his model of “servant leadership.” Coach Westering understood the message of Paul and understood the teachings of Jesus. The world's wisdom tells us to be aggressive, cut-throat, and vicious. And they would say a model of servant-leadership is foolishness. But Coach Westering knew that the real foolishness is in aggressive leadership. God's wisdom, taught to us through the example of Jesus Christ, is to be a servant leader. It may seem foolish to the rest of the world, but it is truly wise. <br />
<br />
So we learn what true leadership is, a carpenter's son humbly going around and taking care of people. And Jesus didn't stop there. Many leaders are ruthless tyrants, killing people to advance and to hold on to their power. Jesus flipped the whole thing on its head and humbled himself to the point of death, a humiliating death on a cross. This was true servant leadership, but it was the exact opposite of what the world thinks of as good leadership. Jesus pointed out that worldly leadership is foolish and his form of leadership was really wise, but the world would try to tell us differently.<br />
<br />
There is a song written about this called “God's own fool.” I am not going to sing it for you today, that would be foolish and none of you want to hear that. But I would like to read you the lyrics as a poem, a prayer, something for us all to meditate on:<br />
<br />
Seems I've imagined Him all of my life, As the wisest of all of mankind<br />
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man, He must have seemed out of His mind<br />
Even His family said He was mad, And the priest said a demon's to blame<br />
But, God in the form of this angry young man, Could not have seemed perfectly sane<br />
<br />
Chorus<br />
We in our foolishness thought we were wise<br />
He played the fool and He opened our eyes<br />
We in our weakness believed we were strong<br />
He became helpless to show we were wrong<br />
So we follow God's own Fool<br />
For only the foolish can tell<br />
Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well<br />
<br />
So come lose your life for a carpenter's son, For a madman who died for a dream<br />
And You'll have the faith His first followers had, And you'll feel the weight of the beam<br />
So surrender the hunger to say you must know, Find the courage to say I believe<br />
For the power of paradox opens your eyes, And blinds those who say they can see<br />
<br />
So I put this challenge to each of you. The next time you have to make a decision, whether it is a big one or a small one, and you are trying to figure out how to make the best decision possible, think about using God's wisdom to make that decision, not the wisdom of the world. Become God's own fool just like Jesus and make your decision based upon the example that was set before us. Amen.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-31993908783657564562011-02-25T16:43:00.000-08:002011-02-25T17:47:07.486-08:00Servant Leadership - The PLU Football team and Frosty WesteringI mentioned the PLU football team and Frosty Westering in a sermon I preached last week. I wanted to share these video clips about Frosty and the team that demonstrate what true Servant Leadership looks like. The first video is a 3 minute teaser for an upcoming movie. The second video is is about 5 minutes long and gets more in-depth with Frosty's legacy and his philosophy of servant leadership with some interviews of other coaches. Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16432363" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/16432363">More Than Champions - Teaser</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3462944">One_Space Films</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/19755348" width="400"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/19755348">Frosty - Legacy</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3462944">One_Space Films</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-39478693355387527482011-02-24T06:38:00.000-08:002011-02-24T06:38:35.396-08:0010 Years of Wedded Bliss!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yjHvmFkbsSM/TWZqghp8VQI/AAAAAAAAC6w/gLBnC6W7XtU/s1600/180840_1618733029025_1257376295_31534849_6715954_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yjHvmFkbsSM/TWZqghp8VQI/AAAAAAAAC6w/gLBnC6W7XtU/s400/180840_1618733029025_1257376295_31534849_6715954_n.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br />
Jessica and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary on February 24! A few years ago I came up with this acrostic, the ABCs of a happy marriage. I was inspired to update it for our 10 year anniversary. Below you can read my advice as a married man of 10 years. . . enjoy!<br />
<br />
Some wisdom/advice after 10 amazing years of marriage:<br />
<br />
-APPRECIATE your partner; appreciate everything that s/he does for you and for the relationship from the daily mundane of unloading the dishwasher or picking up the dirty clothes to the big stuff like supporting you when you get laid off or your family is falling apart. ALWAYS express that appreciation.<br />
<br />
-BE there to support your partner. Sometimes that means just listening at the end of the day. Jessica doesn't always want me to solve her problems, sometimes she just wants to get them off her chest.<br />
<br />
-CUDDLE. Physical contact has amazing powers of healing and connection.<br />
<br />
-DELIGHT in each other. Really take joy in your partner and look forward to the time you get to spend together.<br />
<br />
-EAT meals together. You really have to be intentional about this. Sit at the table and turn off the TV, the cell phones, the facebook. Look into each other's eyes, hold each other's hands and connect over the breaking of bread together. There is something sacramental about sharing a meal together.<br />
<br />
-FIGHT FAIR. Sounds strange, but be comfortable with having disagreements and arguing about it. That is healthy. But don't bring up past events and don't keep something bottled up inside until you blow up. Bring it up when it makes you mad, fight about it, but fight fair.<br />
<br />
-GO on dates. Again, be intentional about this, but make the time and space to reconnect. It doesn't have to cost a lot, but it has to be an intentional time for the two of you to do nothing but focus on the two of you.<br />
<br />
-HOLD HANDS. Back to that amazing power of physical contact.<br />
<br />
-INVEST in the relationship. A good relationship is truly an investment of time and energy, but it is so worth it. Small, intentional investments in the relationship can pay long-term dividends.<br />
<br />
-JOVIALITY Staying cheerful to each other in spite of what life may throw at you<br />
<br />
-KINETIC. We are always in motion, but working at moving together. Synchronize your actions.<br />
<br />
-LINE-ITEM VETO. Ok, this may take a little explanation, blame the political scientist in me. When your spouse is critiquing or criticizing part of an idea you have, don't immediately get defensive and take it as a criticism of you or of your whole idea. Give your partner the benefit of the doubt and allow them a "line-item veto" while not undermining or feeling criticized about your idea as a whole or you as a person.<br />
<br />
-MIND YOUR Ps AND Qs. Just because you are comfortable with your spouse, that doesn't give you the right to stop being polite, saying please and thank you, and being respectful<br />
<br />
-NOSTALGIC. Don't forget the good times. When the going gets tough, it becomes easy to focus on the negative, but be nostalgic for all the positive parts of your relationship and work to recreate those<br />
<br />
-OPEN-MINDED to the possibilities God may have for you and your partner.<br />
<br />
-PRAY together, and pray specifically for your relationship, even when it is going well, don't forget to thank God for that.<br />
<br />
-QUEEN, treat her like one, not the band, the royalty<br />
<br />
-ROAM together. Traveling together strengthens a relationship<br />
<br />
-SIMPLICITY. The most important relationship in the world is the two of you. It is that simple.<br />
<br />
-TAKE TIME for each other and your relationship. This is a recurring theme, but be intentional about building, supporting and protecting your relationship by making and taking time for it.<br />
<br />
-UNDERSTANDING is so key. Really work to understand your partner and what s/he needs from you to be the best s/he can be. Then provide that.<br />
<br />
-VENTURE to new places and try new things together. Keep it fresh by sharing new experiences together and build your life around what you learn about yourself and each other from those experiences<br />
<br />
-WAIT for each other. Sometimes you and your partner will not arrive at the same place together, so be patient and wait for each other. (both metaphorically and physically) Also, WAIT ON each other, serve your partner with no expectation of anything except for the joy you should get from serving your partner.<br />
<br />
-XOXOXOXO Lots of hugs and kisses, need I say more?<br />
<br />
-YEARN for each other. Yearn for the success of your partner, the happiness of your partner and the love of your partner. Yearn together.<br />
<br />
-ZANINESS. Described as foolishness or passion, be comfortable being a passionate fool for your partner.<br />
<br />
In the "better half" equation, there is no doubt that Jessica is my "better half." She moderates me in a good way and loves me more than I could ever hope for. Thanks for 10 great years, and here is to 100 more!Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-15803088245540004812011-02-18T08:09:00.000-08:002011-02-18T08:09:13.420-08:00Being a fool for GodI have the privilege of preaching this week at El Buen Pastor Presbyterian Church here in Austin along with my seminary classmate Alex Cornell. El Buen Pastor is a bilingual church and so there is typically a 15 minute sermon in Spanish and a 15 minute sermon in English. During Advent, Alex and I preached together, I did the Spanish and Alex did the English. This time we are switching roles.<br />
<br />
The lectionary texts for this week are rich and full of potential sermon topics. I am going to be preaching on 1 Corinthians 3:18-23:<br />
3:18 Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.<br />
3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"<br />
3:20 and again, "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile."<br />
3:21 So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours,<br />
3:22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all belong to you,<br />
3:23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. <br />
<br />
I will post my sermon text next week, but as I prepared for this sermon, I remembered one of my favorite Michael Card songs, "God's Own Fool." Below are the lyrics and I would encourage you to meditate on them like a prayer. You can listen to the song with the embedded video below too. Enjoy! <br />
<br />
<br />
Gods Own Fool lyrics<br />
<br />
Seems I've imagined Him all of my life, As the wisest of all of mankind<br />
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man, He must have seemed out of His mind<br />
Even His family said He was mad, And the priest said a demon's to blame<br />
But, God in the form of this angry young man, Could not have seemed perfectly sane<br />
<br />
Chorus<br />
We in our foolishness thought we were wise<br />
He played the fool and He opened our eyes<br />
We in our weakness believed we were strong<br />
He became helpless to show we were wrong<br />
So we follow God's own Fool<br />
For only the foolish can tell<br />
Believe the unbelievable, come be a fool as well<br />
<br />
So come lose your life for a carpenter's son, For a madman who died for a dream<br />
And You'll have the faith His first followers had, And you'll feel the weight of the beam<br />
So surrender the hunger to say you must know, Find the courage to say I believe<br />
For the power of paradox opens your eyes, And blinds those who say they can see<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZvejyvnEidY" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-4461256689778183132011-02-17T07:49:00.000-08:002011-02-17T07:49:41.528-08:00Coincidence, Luck or God's Divine Providence<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPxCD4lsmPk/TV1CGfiJEMI/AAAAAAAAC6k/K631XzF9scw/s1600/ADU+Team.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPxCD4lsmPk/TV1CGfiJEMI/AAAAAAAAC6k/K631XzF9scw/s320/ADU+Team.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> The work team on the short-term HWI/ADU Mission Trip to Guatemala</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>In August of 2010, I led a short-term mission trip for Healing Waters International to Guatemala. Leading these trips was one of the most favorite parts of my job when I worked for Healing Waters.<br />
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During one of the days on the trip I was having a great conversation with one of the participants. She talked about something that happened on the trip, or something that brought her to Guatemala that was a great coincidence. Immediately the words, "God doesn't do coincidence" slipped out of my mouth. I don't know why I said it and it wasn't a concious thought, I just kind of blurted it out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-deeSVwGcf6E/TV1Ch2so-uI/AAAAAAAAC6o/ifraX1zYpO8/s1600/ADU+Chatting.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-deeSVwGcf6E/TV1Ch2so-uI/AAAAAAAAC6o/ifraX1zYpO8/s320/ADU+Chatting.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center">Chatting with the work team about "coincidence vs. providence"</div><br />
During the rest of the trip and in the months since then, I have reflected on this phrase a lot. "God doesn't do coincidence." This really speaks to the idea of God's providence, which is a fancy word for guardianship, power, control and care that is exercised by God. The Princeton Dictionary online defines it as, "a manifestation (demonstration) of God's foresightful care for his creatures"<br />
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By acknowledging an event as God's Providence instead of as a coincidence or luck, we are able to shift the focus from us to Him. We are acknowledging a God who cares for us deeply and personally enough to show us that care in our every day lives. <br />
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At a high level I am reminded of this through my "career path." To an outsider, it looks a lot less like a path and a lot more like a zig-zagging, switchback trail that is all over the place. But putting it into the God's providence perspective, it becomes a straight road, almost a super-highway. I spent 3 years working in private industry and developed some valuable business skill-sets. I spent 4 years working as an academic advisor and professor at at University which taught me project management, counseling and life-coaching as well as teaching and public speaking. I spent 3 years with Healing Waters, doing development projects in Latin America where I used my business skill sets and my project management skill sets. In my job at Healing Waters I also grew in my faith to prepare to come to seminary where I am using all of my skills and experiences in preparing to become a pastor. I was reminded of this throughout my application process and decision to come to seminary as well. Over and over again there were signs and affirmations pointing me and my family to come here.God's divine providence has been at work in my life.<br />
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When I was home in Denver last month, I was reminded again. This is going to sound like a silly example of God's providence, but hear me out. We were visiting with our tenants in our house that we are renting out. While we were there visiting our house, I heard the heater in the house mis-firing. I knew the sound well from the time we had lived in the house, and I knew how to fix it. The timing of the problem, and the fact that we were physically there in Denver, IN THE HOUSE, when the problem occured goes way beyond coincidence. I was able to fix the problem, the tenants in our house were able to stay warm during a very cold week, and we saved having to call a heater repair company and the $150 service call. My neighbors remarked about how fortuitous it was that we were there at that moment. But I really believe it was not luck or coincidence, it was God's providence. It is evidence of a God who demonstrates foresightful care for his creatures. <br />
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To close out this blog post, I tried to do a search for "Providence Prayers" on google. Most everything that came up was Catholic prayers. I will save a discussion of denominational differences for another day, but I do think we can learn something from our Catholic brothers and sisters when it comes to recognizing and acknowledging God's Providence in our lives. Below is a prayer I adapted from an older text written by Saint Jane Frances De Chantal. You can see the original text <a href="http://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=519">HERE</a> or read my adaptation below. Pray this prayer and learn to <strong>SEE</strong> and <strong>SEEK</strong> God's power and presence in your life:<br />
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<em>I pray to the powerful and unending goodness of you, oh God. I abandon myself forever to your arms. Whether your direction is easy or hard, lead me where you will. I will rely on your guidance, oh God. My soul is at peace only when I acknowledge that I am wrapped in your warm and protecting embrace.</em><br />
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<em>I commit myself, with your help, oh God, to follow your desire and will for me and my life, seeking to follow you more truly and authentically, working to tune into your will and letting that drive my decisions and my life. More of you and less of me oh God.</em><br />
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<em>I commit to giving you my all, oh God, my everything. I ask that you help direct my desires and my heart to long for you. . . your will, your wishes for my life. I offer you my desires and my heart, oh God, and ask that you bless them.</em><br />
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<em>I choose to live my life with you, relying on your goodness and your mercy and I place my entire trust and confidence in you, oh God, acknowledging my own weakness and shortcomings.</em><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Amen!</em></div>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-7432001725231997132011-02-10T06:50:00.000-08:002011-02-10T06:50:14.169-08:00The end of the hiatus. . .<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1270/4687452225_252b622017_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="212" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1270/4687452225_252b622017_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>My last blog post was on July 26, 2010. By my calculation, that was exactly 199 days ago. I'm back! <br />
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So much has happened in the last 199 days and I look forward to sharing it with you. I am recommiting to my blog as a form of journaling, sharing, discernment and witness. I was convicted to do this because of one of my classes last semester, but I am getting ahead of myself.<br />
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My last blog post was about visiting Central Presbyterian Church when they had their service celebrating their Mission Trip with Healing Waters to Guatemala. 20 days after that blog post, Jessica, Esther and I packed up our house in Denver and moved to Austin, Texas. I am no longer working for <a href="http://www.healingwaters.org/">Healing Waters International</a> and am now a full-time student at <a href="http://www.austinseminary.edu/">Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary</a> studying to become a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the <a href="http://www.pcusa.org/">Presbyterian Church PC(USA).</a> What an incredible ride it has been!<br />
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I need to start by acknowledging and thanking Jessica and Esther for being such amazing partners in this journey and allowing me to follow my calling of becoming a pastor. This has involved a lot of sacrifice for both of them and will continue to involve a lot of sacrifice from both of them, and Jessica has been incredibly supportive. I am so blessed to have such an amazing wife, coming up on 10 years! I love you Jessica, thank you for being you and thank you for loving me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jKdBOhQXgjU/TVP5K-JztUI/AAAAAAAAC6c/KKcSAP4JGy8/s1600/180427_1598807210892_1257376295_31497639_6023802_n%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jKdBOhQXgjU/TVP5K-JztUI/AAAAAAAAC6c/KKcSAP4JGy8/s320/180427_1598807210892_1257376295_31497639_6023802_n%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Photo taken in June 2001 during our first year of marriage when we were living in South America</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9c9yfssZQA/TVP5PDOoUnI/AAAAAAAAC6g/MKSjavbQ9pE/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o9c9yfssZQA/TVP5PDOoUnI/AAAAAAAAC6g/MKSjavbQ9pE/s320/untitled.bmp" width="282" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Photo taken in December of 2010 around Christmas </div><br />
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I started my studies in September. My first four classes were:<br />
-Intro. to Old Testament<br />
-Systematic Theology 1<br />
-History of Christianity from the early church to the Reformation<br />
-Colloquy on Ministry and Vocation<br />
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<span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=blogadegregorio&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0664228704&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span><br />
I have a lot to share about each of these classes and will do so over the next few months. But it was my Colloquy on Ministry and Vocation class that has actually prompted me to get back into blogging. During that class we read the book <strong>The Way of Discernment: Spiritual Practices for Decision Making</strong>. I highly recommend this book to anyone and will probably be handing out copies for the rest of my life. This book helps you to guide your decision making processes through a variety of very practical exercises. <br />
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One of those exercises that occured over and over again was the process of journaling. I realize that by writing down my own journey, I can help see it more clearly and learn to see God working in it. By writing it as a blog in a public forum, I know that my community can help me with my discernment process to. So I have recommitted to the blog. <br />
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I plan on writing a lot more later, but for the time being, I encourage you to check out this book. Whether is is big life-changing decsions you are making, or you are just sort a few things out, this book will provide you a great guide and some very practical tools to help with your discernment process.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-1840594780924652222010-07-26T13:36:00.000-07:002010-07-26T13:36:27.333-07:00Great church vision and great prayer of confession<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ingramphotography.com/images/CentralPresbyterianDenver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" hw="true" src="http://www.ingramphotography.com/images/CentralPresbyterianDenver.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo of Central Presbyterian Church in Denver from:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.ingramphotography.com/images/CentralPresbyterianDenver.jpg">http://www.ingramphotography.com/images/CentralPresbyterianDenver.jpg</a></span></div><br />
I had the privilege of worshiping at <a href="http://www.centraldenver.com/">Central Presbyterian Church</a> on Sunday morning.<br />
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This was the church that took a <a href="http://www.healingwatersintl.org/abouts/view/transformation-trips">Transformation Trip</a> with <a href="http://www.healingwaters.org/">Healing Waters</a> in June. They were celebrating their trip at the service on Sunday morning. I wish I could have videotaped the whole service. Hearing people reflect on their experiences on transformation trips always reminds me of why I do the work that I do. In addition to the people who are served by our safe water projects, the people who are exposed to the work we are doing through these trips is a great opportunity for me to recharge my batteries and see the world through the eyes of others.<br />
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There were a few things in the service that were moving. Two people who went on the trip gave mini-sermons that both brought me to tears. I will try to get a copy of those sermons and post them to the blog.<br />
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A couple other parts of the service that were moving. . . the first was the <strong>Vision</strong> of Central Presbyterian Church right on the front of the bulletin. It reads:<br />
<strong><em>Central is a pillar of a spiritually, physically and intellectually healthy community that manifests God's love and justice.</em></strong><br />
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Wow! What a great way to describe a great church.<br />
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The other really moving aspect of the service for me was the Prayer of Confession written by one of the people who went on the Transformation Trip. She asked to remain anonymous when I asked her if I could repost it. So here it is:<br />
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<strong>God of our journeying, you send us out to travel in your name.</strong><br />
<strong><em>The spirit of our God is upon me; therefore, anointing me to bring Good News to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of our God's favor</em></strong>. (Luke 4:18-19)<br />
<strong>Forgive us when we read what the Gospels say but fail to acot on the principles they describe. Help us to interpret our own faith out of the suffering, struggle and hope of the poor. Forgive us when the activity of the Church doesn't come from empathy with the poor. Forgive us for the exploitation of some peoples by others, and the exploitation of people by mechanisms of economic systems we have created. Forgive us when we do not see the growing gap between rich and poor as a scandal and a contradiction to Christian existence. Help us to discover that this poverty is not a passing phase. Inbreaking God, stir us to reflect your enternal relationship of love, in the way we treat our neighbors, those we know and love, those we find difficult, and those on the other side of the world. Help us to attend to the needs of all these people, and never walk by on the other side of the road. Amen.</strong><br />
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This prayer of confession was so powerful. Thank you!Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-18804294381364437772010-07-22T14:32:00.000-07:002010-07-22T14:32:27.532-07:00New York Times Editorial by Gorbachev: Why access to water is a basic human right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.knowwiththeflow.org/waterart/contaminated_drinking_water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" hw="true" src="http://www.knowwiththeflow.org/waterart/contaminated_drinking_water.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from <a href="http://www.knowwiththeflow.org/waterart/contaminated_drinking_water.jpg">http://www.knowwiththeflow.org/waterart/contaminated_drinking_water.jpg</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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The editorial below was published in the NY Times on July 16. I have edited it down to the most relevant sections. To read the whole thing, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/17/opinion/17iht-edgorbachev.html?_r=1&ref=water">CLICK HERE</a><br />
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July 16, 2010<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Right to Water</span></strong><br />
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By MIKHAIL GORBACHEV<br />
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The right of every human being to safe drinking water and basic sanitation should be recognized and realized. <br />
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The United Nations estimates that nearly 900 million people live without clean water and 2.6 billion without proper sanitation. Water, the basic ingredient of life, is among the world’s most prolific killers. At least 4,000 children die every day from water-related diseases. In fact, more lives have been lost after World War II due to contaminated water than from all forms of violence and war. <br />
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This humanitarian catastrophe has been allowed to fester for generations. We must stop it. <br />
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Acknowledging that access to safe water and sanitation is a human right is crucial to the ongoing struggle to save these lives; it is an idea that has come of age. <br />
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This month, for the first time, the U.N. General Assembly is preparing to vote on a historic resolution declaring the human right to “safe and clean drinking water and sanitation.” It is a pivotal opportunity. <br />
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So far, 190 states have acknowledged — directly or indirectly — the human right to safe water and sanitation. In 2007, leaders from the Asia-Pacific region recognized safe drinking water and basic sanitation as human rights and fundamental aspects of security. In March, the European Union affirmed that all states must adhere to their human rights commitments in regard to safe drinking water. <br />
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Not all nations are on board, however. The United States and Canada are among the very few that have not formally embraced the right to safe water. Their continued reluctance to officially recognize the right to water should be questioned, not least by their own citizens. President Barack Obama’s national security strategy calls for furthering human rights and sustainable development around the world; that goal should be translated into support for access to water as a human right. <br />
Failures to provide water and sanitation are failures of governance. Recognizing that water is a human right is not merely a conceptual point; it is about getting the job done and actually making clean water widely available. We must clarify the obligation of governments to finance and carry out projects that bring these services to those who need them most. <br />
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A “water apartheid” has descended across the world — dividing rich from poor, included from excluded. Efforts to redress this disparity are failing. <br />
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Expanding access to water and sanitation will open many other development bottlenecks. Water and sanitation are vital to everything from education to health to population control. As population growth and climate change increase the pressure for adequate water and food, water will increasingly become a security issue. As global temperatures rise, “water refugees” will increase. Water touches everything, and strong collaboration among all sectors of society — governments, activists, farmers and the business and science communities — is needed to increase its availability. <br />
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Making access to water and sanitation a daily reality is good business, and good for the world economy. According to the U.N. Environment Program, a $20 million investment in low-cost water technologies could help 100 million farming families escape extreme poverty. Dedicating $15 billion a year to the water and sanitation millennium goals could bring $38 billion a year in global economic benefits. That’s a pretty good rate of return in today’s financial climate. It is within our grasp for the first time. <br />
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<em>Mikhail Gorbachev was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until its dissolution in 1991. He is a founding member of Green Cross International and is on its board.</em>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-66011281237411510492010-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:002010-07-19T15:05:07.724-07:00Some reflections on "When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without hurting the poor"<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=blogadegregorio&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B00377150M&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>Here at Healing Waters we do a book study, bible study or prayer time on Friday mornings. It is a chance for the staff to touch base and focus and reflect on our work from a spiritual perspective.<br />
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We have just started the book <em>When Helping Hurts: How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor. . . and yourself</em>.<br />
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This is a great book and should be required reading for anyone that is doing any sort of missions work, local or global. Most of the examples in the book focus more on global missions, but the content is relevant in either case.<br />
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I wanted to share a few quotes and reflections with you as we study this book.<br />
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<blockquote>"We write this book with a great deal of excitement about the renewed interest in helping low-income people that is so apparent among North American Christians. While materialism, self-centeredness, and complacency continue to plague all of us, nobody can deny the upswing in social concern among North American evangelicals in the past two decades. There is perhaps no better illustration of this trend than the exploding shor-term mission movement, much of which has focused on ministering to the poor at home and abroad.<br />
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But our excitement about these developments is seriously tempered by two convictions. First, North American Christians are simply not doing enough. We are the richest people ever to walk the face of the earth. Period. Yet, most of us live as though there is nothing terribly wrong in the world. We attend our kids' soccer games, pursue our careers, and take beach vacations while 40 percent of the world's inhabitants struggle just to eat every day. And in our own backyards, the homeless, those residing in ghettos, and a wave of immigrants live in a world outside the economic and social mainstream of North America. We do not necessarily need to feel guilty about our wealth. <em>But we do need to get up every morning with a deep sense that something is terribly wrong with the world and yearn and strive to do something about it. There is simply not enough yearning and striving going on.</em> </blockquote>WOW! This is difficult to read and even more difficult to digest. I think my first reaction is to get defensive. I do a lot of social justice and poverty alleviation work, where do they get off talking to me like that? I pursue my career and take beach vacations, should I feel guilty? While the authors state that "we do not necessarily need to feel guilty about our wealth," it is really hard not to after reading this. But I think the key lines in this passage are right after that (which is why I italicized them in the original passage.) <br />
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We DO NEED to get up EVERY MORNING with a DEEP SENSE that something is TERRIBLY WRONG with the WORLD and YEARN AND STRIVE to do SOMETHING about it. There is simply NOT ENOUGH YEARNING AND STRIVING going on!<br />
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Ok, let's take some time to reflect and pray on that. And let's ramp up our striving and yearning. . .Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-81830017817986669652010-07-12T10:45:00.000-07:002010-07-12T10:46:49.393-07:00Why I work for Healing Waters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDSplvqbsSI/AAAAAAAAC6E/9nWwVDrygGU/s1600/Greg+with+jug.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDSplvqbsSI/AAAAAAAAC6E/9nWwVDrygGU/s400/Greg+with+jug.bmp" width="300" /></a></div>A friend of mine is getting her Masters degree in Non-Profit Management. As part of one of her courses, she had to interview someone that works for an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization, like Healing Waters.) She asked to interview me! I felt privileged to be asked.<br />
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As I was filling out the questions, I had a chance to reflect a little bit on the work I do with Healing Waters. Below are the questions and answers I gave, a little peek into my mind and soul. Enjoy!<br />
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<em><strong>1. Can you please first tell me a little about yourself and the organization you’re with?</strong></em><br />
<em><strong>a. What is your current position?</strong></em> <br />
Field Operations Manager for Healing Waters International<br />
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<em><strong>b. Have you held other positions?</strong></em><br />
Not with this organization. <br />
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<em><strong>c. How long have you been involved with this organization?</strong></em><br />
Since November 2007, 2 years and 8 months. <br />
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<em><strong>2. How did you first get into the service field/work/position that you are in?</strong></em><br />
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<em><strong>a. Earlier in your life, did you have a stand-out experience or event that particularly inspired you to serve? (Inspiration from a family member, friend, teacher, other individual, book?)</strong></em><br />
My family would take a road trip to Northern Mexico every other year from the time I was 5 years old. This early exposure to poverty and the stark contrast between life in the US and life in Mexico had a profound impact on me<br />
Both of my parents have always been very community-service focused. My mom was a public school teacher my whole life and my dad worked for a law firm that focused on public sector clients (municipalities, school districts, universities.)<br />
The motto of the university I attended (Pacific Lutheran University) is “Educating for lives of service.” This meant there was a strong social justice focus or service focus in nearly every course I took and the professors really supported the idea of public service.<br />
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<em><strong>b. Did you have other influences, i.e. spirituality, political convictions, etc.?</strong></em><br />
My faith is one of the primary factors that motivates me to do the work that I do. I draw a lot of inspiration from Matthew 25:31-40 where Christ calls us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, comfort to the sick, clothe the naked, and give rest to the stranger. I also believe that faith without action behind it is meaningless. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times, use words when necessary.”<br />
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<em><strong>3. What motivates you to continue to serve now? </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>a. What do you gain from what you are doing</strong></em><br />
The individuals, families and children I see when I visit our water systems who are getting access to safe drinking water motivates me to serve. Knowing that their lives will improve because of the work that Healing Waters is doing motivates me. I gain a sense of peace knowing that I am helping make the world a better place, even if it is just one water project, one family, one individual at a time. I feel called to do the work that I do, to invest my time, energy and talents to make life better for people who have not had the privileges that I have had in my life.<br />
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<em><strong>4. Can you describe the challenges you face in working for a NGO?</strong></em><br />
On a personal level, our society defines success as the accumulation of wealth: more cars, bigger houses, etc. Despite making a conscious effort to not live that way or be sucked into that definition of success, sometimes it can be hard. I have been offered jobs that pay double what I am making, but have turned them down. At the end of the day knowing that I am making a difference is better than getting a huge paycheck, but it can be a struggle, especially with a family to help support.<br />
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Also on a personal level, but more related to the work I do, I get energized by being in the field and seeing the people benefitted by our projects, so when I sit at my desk in Denver for months at a time without a field visit, I can lose sight of the greater goal.<br />
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On an organizational level, there is the chaos of working in a foreign country. The cultural differences, the major inefficiencies, the corruption and the distance and inability to be in the day-to-day operations are all challenges. I have spent a great deal of time in Latin America in the past ten years and am still amazed by how difficult it can be to get things done. <br />
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<em><strong>5. Can you describe the challenges of resource development?</strong></em><br />
In my position, I am insulated from the direct fundraising challenges. I do occasionally lead trips to the field with donors or prospective donors. The challenge on those trips is balancing a “good experience” for the donor with the realities we face on the ground. <br />
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There is also a challenge of how open and honest you want to be with a donor. Donors want to support an organization that is successful, so you want to present your success stories to donors. At the same time you want to be honest and transparent with donors and if you are struggling with something as an organization, you want to bring the donors into that struggle to help support you. It is a tough balance to strike.<br />
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<em><strong>6. How do you define “success” today - when do you feel like you are successful?</strong></em><br />
On a personal level, success is knowing that 130,000 people are being served with safe drinking water every day and that I had a very small role in that.<br />
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On an organizational level, success is staying true to our mission which means empowering local partners to transform their poor communities with a sustainable long-term safe water solution. When our systems are self-sustaining and people are being served, that feels like a success. When we add more projects and expand into new communities, that feels like a success.<br />
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<em><strong>7. What would you say to others to encourage them to serve?</strong></em><br />
Exposing people to the vast contrast in wealth and poverty will hopefully encourage them to serve. If I could get every CEO of a multi-national corporation to go live in the country where they manufacture on a local salary for a week, I think businesses and the decisions that are made by those businesses would be a lot more ethical and humanitarian.<br />
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<em><strong>a. What types of people do you think are attracted to serve in this type of organization and/or in civil society?</strong></em><br />
People who have seen a greater need and felt a call to respond to it. Usually it is people who have had some experience traveling internationally. They have been shocked by the poverty, the lack of access to basic resources, etc. And that has inspired them to want to do something about it. I think you need to have something in you that sees the humanity of all people and wants to work to make the world a better place in some way.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>b. When recruiting and hiring new staff or volunteers, what types of people—with what types of skills and knowledge—does this organization look for?</strong></em><br />
I have not done a lot of recruiting or hiring. Our CEO talks about “head and heart.” He hires people that have the heart and the drive to do the work and knows that he can train their heads. <br />
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<em><strong>8. What other advice do you have for others who may be interested in exploring working in a NGO?</strong></em><br />
<br />
<em><strong>a. Where can one learn the knowledge/skills and gain the experience that is necessary for working in your type of organization?</strong></em> <br />
Go spend some time in a developing country. Not just a week or two traveling, and not just to touristy areas, but really immerse yourself in the culture, the society, the politics, and the place. Be a Peace Corps volunteer, or find another program that suits your needs and interests. There are tons of long-term volunteer opportunities in countries like the Dominican Republic. Language skills are also useful in this kind of work. A month or two of intensive full-immersion language classes in a country where you are interested in serving would be invaluable to not only pick up the language, but also immerse yourself in the culture.<br />
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<em><strong>b. What are the best “points of entry” into the field of service</strong></em> <br />
Finding a long-term volunteer opportunity abroad is a great way to start. Then when you return to the US you will have real field experience that you can apply to an organization like Healing Waters International. <br />
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<em><strong>9. Do you have any advice for young people in particular?</strong></em> <br />
Travel! And not just to Europe or Australia. Travel to developing countries and spend enough time there to not just know the name of the local beer, but know the hangouts and activities of the local people. <br />
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When I was 23 and living in South America, I traveled with a retired stock broker. His sage advice to me was “There is always going to be time to earn money, but you will not always have the privilege and luxury of your health and time to travel. So do it now. Know that you can return back to the US at age 25 and still get started in a career. But you will never be able to replace the experiences you learn while traveling from 22-25.”<br />
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<em><strong>10. Could you speak to your particular interest in the cultural diversity and/or the international arena?</strong> </em><br />
I have a strong passion for Latin America and development work in Latin America. Inevitably I end up looking at the root causes of poverty and what different people are doing to address them. This leads to an exploration of immigration and the large populations of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. So I have developed a “sub-passion” for issues related to immigrant populations in the US and the cultural diversity that comes from that immigration.<br />
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My love for Latin America has also helped me develop a profound respect and appreciation for other cultures. In my own life, career and family, I try to take the best parts of each culture I have been exposed to and incorporate that into my sphere of influence.Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-90754221429932101802010-07-09T22:02:00.000-07:002010-07-09T22:02:37.860-07:00E coli poisoning case, sad story here in the U.S., devastating daily reality for people in developing countries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://homepage.usask.ca/~vim458/virology/studpages2007/Chad_Jan_Amy/ecoli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rw="true" src="http://homepage.usask.ca/~vim458/virology/studpages2007/Chad_Jan_Amy/ecoli.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the E Coli bacteria, up close and personal</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(image from </span><a href="http://homepage.usask.ca/~vim458/virology/studpages2007/Chad_Jan_Amy/etiology.html"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://homepage.usask.ca/~vim458/virology/studpages2007/Chad_Jan_Amy/etiology.html</span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I just read this article on CNN.com:<br />
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/06/e.coli.survivor.rivera/index.html?hpt=C2">http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/06/e.coli.survivor.rivera/index.html?hpt=C2</a><br />
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It tells the story of a woman here in the United States that got E Coli from eating contaminated cookie dough. It is a sad story and her tragedy is very real. A quote from the article:<br />
<blockquote>Each year about 76,000 people get Linda Rivera's strain of bacteria -- E. coli O157-- according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <strong>(IN THE UNITED STATES).</strong> About 2,500 are hospitalized and 50 to 100 people die from it each year. E. coli O157 lives in the colon and feces of animals and humans. In certain situations, it can taint food, particularly raw meat and vegetables. Although salmonella kills more people than E. coli, because more people get it, the effects of E. coli, according to health experts, are much more severe. Ingest a strong strain of it, doctors say, and it can shut down your entire body.</blockquote>This story gets at the heart of why we do the work that we do at Healing Waters. E Coli come from contaminated human and animal feces and can be found in water and food supplies. It kills up to 5% of all children who get it. While there are no statistics for the worldwide death rate due to E Coli (the stat above is for the United States), it is a common form of contamination in the water sources we treat in Guatemala, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.<br />
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While it is sad to see this happen in the US, it is fairly uncommon. In the countries where Healing Waters works, E Coli, Salmonella, Fecal Coliforms, Cholera and other waterborne diseases are a daily reality for the people living there.<br />
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It is a relatively simple fix to treat drinking water supplies and save families the illness and death from these diseases. For more information you can visit our website at: <a href="http://www.healingwaters.org/">http://www.healingwaters.org/</a>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-12580073618840812212010-07-07T15:08:00.000-07:002010-07-07T09:29:21.598-07:00World Cup Quarterfinalists. . . a lot of SOUTH AMERICANS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOoE5e9ukI/AAAAAAAAC5s/3lMFWAOrIwo/s1600/World+Cup+Quarterfinals.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOoE5e9ukI/AAAAAAAAC5s/3lMFWAOrIwo/s400/World+Cup+Quarterfinals.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">While the quarter finals didn't go too well for my brothers and sisters of South America, I was impressed by the representation there. 4 teams from South America in the quarter finals! For such an impoverished continent, they do know how to play some futbol (soccer).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I was especially impressed with Paraguay, one of the three poorest nations in South America (along with Ecuador and Bolivia.) They had an amazing showing at the World Cup and even held Spain off in the Quarterfinals until the 82nd minute! Adelante Paraguay!!!!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Esther's two favorite teams were eliminated in the round of 16. She was disappointed and pretty much lost interest in the world cup after that. :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOoIC0KmDI/AAAAAAAAC50/ZXGlcqQlfO4/s1600/Esther+Lista.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOoIC0KmDI/AAAAAAAAC50/ZXGlcqQlfO4/s320/Esther+Lista.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOpIDz8JfI/AAAAAAAAC58/_2lrlj18bMI/s1600/Esther+USA!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TDOpIDz8JfI/AAAAAAAAC58/_2lrlj18bMI/s400/Esther+USA!.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-22630400876518153812010-07-06T07:01:00.000-07:002010-07-06T07:01:05.581-07:00A "Shout Out" to my brothers and sisters at Central Presbyterian Church, DenverAs I mentioned in my previous posts, I hosted a <a href="http://www.healingwaters.org/">Healing Waters</a> International <a href="http://www.healingwatersintl.org/abouts/view/transformation-trips">"Transformation Trip"</a> in Guatemala the week after I finished the Wellshire youth mission trip.<br />
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The group on this trip was from <a href="http://www.centraldenver.com/">Central Presbyterian</a> Church in Denver. They were an amazing group and we spent a week working with one of the churches that hosts a Healing Waters project. For most of the week we were split into three teams. One team was doing some painting work at a "Missions House" that is run by the local church. One team was doing cinder block construction on a second story of a building that will serve as a storage area for the school. And one team was helping to put a roof on a house owned by a member of the church. The church member has been commissioned to start a church plant in his house, and the home church is helping him fix up his house to do that.<br />
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I didn't do any blog posts for the week because the Central Pres. team was taking care of that themselves. If you want to read about their trip, you can visit the church blog at:<br />
<a href="http://www.centraldenver.com/blog/category/mission/guatemala2010/">http://www.centraldenver.com/blog/category/mission/guatemala2010/</a><br />
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One of the participants on the trip also did some personal blogging and you can follow that here:<br />
<a href="http://cpcguatemala.blogspot.com/">http://cpcguatemala.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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While it was tough to be in Guatemala for two weeks without Jessica and Esther, the youth on our mission trip and the Central Pres. crew on the Transformation Trip kept me energized and on my toes. I really enjoyed leading the trip with them and getting to know each of them. They are an incredible group of people with incredible hearts for service! Thanks to my brothers and sisters from Central Pres!Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-76255931700554221282010-07-02T07:56:00.000-07:002010-07-02T07:56:34.366-07:00Wellshire Youth Group singing "Eres Todo Poderoso" on the roof of our hotel in AntiguaOn our last full day in Guatemala, the youth group had the opportunity to praise God on the roof of our hotel at 6:30am. It was a clear day in Antigua and God's presence was felt. This is the youth group singing "Eres Todo Poderoso," one of the praise songs we learned in Spanish for our mission trip. Enjoy!<br />
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<object width="450" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AbvEXix2phM&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AbvEXix2phM&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="450" height="385"></embed></object>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-81545234998503405352010-06-30T12:25:00.000-07:002010-07-01T12:53:03.186-07:00Wellshire SHY Guatemala Mission Trip Post 6: Cloud Forest, Antigua, Safe Drinking Water and Hasta Luego!I apologize for the two week delay in getting this final post up. The same day we ended the Wellshire SHY Mission Trip in Guatemala, I began hosting a trip for Healing Waters. I was very busy hosting that trip and am just now getting settled back into my life in the USA.<br /><br />Our last two full days in Guatemala were full of wonder, beauty, service and FUN! Because a picture speaks a thousand words, and because I finally have high speed internet access and it is much easier to post photos, this final post will be very photo heavy and text light. I hope you enjoyed sharing our journey with us and thank you for your thoughts, prayers and feedback!<br /><br />I also need to give credit where credit is due. All of the photos you see on the blog were taken by Angela Duggan. She did an amazing job as our team photographer/historian. If you want full resolution versions of any of these images, or of more than 1500 other pictures she took, you can go to her Flickr site and download the photos. Here are instructions:<br /><br />Here’s the link to Angela’s photos of the mission trip to Guatemala :<br /><a title="blocked::http://portal.mxlogic.com/redir/?5eVEVjjuKOYMrjKYYCehhjodw0DjVmaNVv5ytpRFzdXIeee9wE6npODPFwVd5YsUCMOODtCWoVz3t-hKeosud7bX8UTsTI2fDXO3p4zI0kwTTEdCPhOqehPVJ5cseoud7bOapJ5MS5pgaCy2tjh0JaQSU_gTfM-u0USyrhdFTuuj78TuKr-DsS" href="http://portal.mxlogic.com/redir/?5eVEVjjuKOYMrjKYYCehhjodw0DjVmaNVv5ytpRFzdXIeee9wE6npODPFwVd5YsUCMOODtCWoVz3t-hKeosud7bX8UTsTI2fDXO3p4zI0kwTTEdCPhOqehPVJ5cseoud7bOapJ5MS5pgaCy2tjh0JaQSU_gTfM-u0USyrhdFTuuj78TuKr-DsS">http://portal.mxlogic.com/redir/?5eVEVjjuKOYMrjKYYCehhjodw0DjVmaNVv5ytpRFzdXIeee9wE6npODPFwVd5YsUCMOODtCWoVz3t-hKeosud7bX8UTsTI2fDXO3p4zI0kwTTEdCPhOqehPVJ5cseoud7bOapJ5MS5pgaCy2tjh0JaQSU_gTfM-u0USyrhdFTuuj78TuKr-DsS</a><br /><br />To download any of the photos: click on the thumbnail of the picture you want to download then click on “All Sizes” located right above the picture.<br />To order prints of any of the photos: click on the thumbnail of the picture you want to order and click on “Order Prints” located right above the picture.<br /><br />Now, on to the final blog post. . .<br /><br />We packed up on Friday morning from our new home in Salama and headed out to the "Biotopo del Quetzal," a nature preserve that was about 45 minutes from Salama which is in a cloud forest (a rain forest that is so damp there are actually plants whose roots aren't in the ground, they just hang out in the air and get enough moisture from the air.)<br /><br /><p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5l3A-u2I/AAAAAAAAC5k/AU-j2chMROc/s1600/44.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488966105932151650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5l3A-u2I/AAAAAAAAC5k/AU-j2chMROc/s400/44.JPG" border="0" /></a> Packing up the buses on our final morning in Salama</p><p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5fn__bVI/AAAAAAAAC5c/URaAMyMXOAU/s1600/43.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965998822255954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5fn__bVI/AAAAAAAAC5c/URaAMyMXOAU/s400/43.JPG" border="0" /></a> The Quetzal is the national bird in Guatemala. It is a bright green bird with a long and colorful tail. Unfortunately the bird is also very shy and usually comes out only at dawn and dusk. So we didn't see any live Quetzales in the cloud forest, but we did meet some other friends.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5fYCmOsI/AAAAAAAAC5U/eGOj12JXdeQ/s1600/42.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965994538220226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5fYCmOsI/AAAAAAAAC5U/eGOj12JXdeQ/s400/42.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here is our group getting prepared to do a one mile hike through the cloud forest</p><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5e-1z_KI/AAAAAAAAC5M/OMVFde-q2g0/s1600/41.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965987773709474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5e-1z_KI/AAAAAAAAC5M/OMVFde-q2g0/s400/41.JPG" border="0" /></a> You can see the lush and dense vegitation in the cloud forest. It was stunningly beautiful and we were blessed to spend time in such a beautiful part of God's creation.</div><div></div><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5enbdvvI/AAAAAAAAC5E/GuFoncmMTHc/s1600/40.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965981489184498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5enbdvvI/AAAAAAAAC5E/GuFoncmMTHc/s400/40.JPG" border="0" /></a> This was one of the friends we met on the trail. He was a pretty big lizard and very excited to meet some gringos!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5eBwmwYI/AAAAAAAAC48/IEuv0GKbSjE/s1600/39.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965971377308034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5eBwmwYI/AAAAAAAAC48/IEuv0GKbSjE/s400/39.JPG" border="0" /></a> Part of our group standing in front of a waterfall in the Nature Reserve. Amazingly beautiful!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5UWvGFmI/AAAAAAAAC40/1VUkG6mbXe8/s1600/38.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965805209425506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5UWvGFmI/AAAAAAAAC40/1VUkG6mbXe8/s400/38.JPG" border="0" /></a> Another friend we met on the hike. We knew we weren't in Colorado when this guy scurried across the trail in front of us. With the telephoto lens, this guy looks huge!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5UD_KTPI/AAAAAAAAC4s/XUaJjNIBl4o/s1600/37.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965800176536818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5UD_KTPI/AAAAAAAAC4s/XUaJjNIBl4o/s400/37.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here you get some perspective, still a pretty big bug!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5TgmQtpI/AAAAAAAAC4k/mCztApZWU7s/s1600/36.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965790676858514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5TgmQtpI/AAAAAAAAC4k/mCztApZWU7s/s400/36.JPG" border="0" /></a> The kids had the opportunity to swim in a stream under a waterfall in the Guatemalan rainforest. What a fun experience. While this stream was not as cold as our snow-melt streams here in Colorado, it was pretty chilly!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5Tb1vDhI/AAAAAAAAC4c/TgXpYKkWxpM/s1600/35.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965789399584274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5Tb1vDhI/AAAAAAAAC4c/TgXpYKkWxpM/s400/35.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is a photos of one of the amazing plants and flowers we saw at the nature reserve.</div><div></div><div>Once we finished our time there we packed up the buses and started the marathon drive to Antigua. We were prepared for a five hour drive and that is about how long it took. Along the way, Angela was snapping photos and we were all keeping the youth entertained. Below are a few "road photos."</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5SrGmuBI/AAAAAAAAC4U/mTyEN7xVzCQ/s1600/34.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965776317003794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5SrGmuBI/AAAAAAAAC4U/mTyEN7xVzCQ/s400/34.JPG" border="0" /></a> Beatiful and quaint churches are all over the place in Guatemala. Some day I will do a photo set of nothing but churches and chapels. Angela did a great job capturing the beauty of these churches.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5EomRbJI/AAAAAAAAC4M/X5o9SDd8eJw/s1600/33.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965535126350994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5EomRbJI/AAAAAAAAC4M/X5o9SDd8eJw/s400/33.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is the road that splits from Salama to Guatemala. The van with the blue tarp is one of our vans full of 20 excited H.S. youth and a few adults!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5Eje4yQI/AAAAAAAAC4E/moemeuCa1L0/s1600/32.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965533753198850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5Eje4yQI/AAAAAAAAC4E/moemeuCa1L0/s400/32.JPG" border="0" /></a> Finally we made it to where there were signs pointing us to Antigua. It was a welcome site and we were only about an hour away at this point.</div><div></div><div>We arrived in Antigua at about 6:30pm with just enough time to drop our bags at the hotel, get checked in and then head out to dinner for our 7:30 dinner reservation at Mono Loco (The Crazy Monkey.)</div><div></div><div>Mono Loco is a very popular restaurant in Antigua. It is a fun atmosphere and they are well known for their nachos. Their tagline is "Nachos as big as your head!" One plate of nachos can feed three regular adults, two high school boys (or hungry girls), or one Chris Sellers.<br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5EGTj_LI/AAAAAAAAC38/R7NeppXGywc/s1600/31.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965525921070258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5EGTj_LI/AAAAAAAAC38/R7NeppXGywc/s400/31.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here is the group enjoying our meal at Mono Loco</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5DmD_WgI/AAAAAAAAC30/8Eekt1KZrY0/s1600/30.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965517265820162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5DmD_WgI/AAAAAAAAC30/8Eekt1KZrY0/s400/30.JPG" border="0" /></a> Jeffrey Olson and Stephen Hahn about to dig into their plate of nachos!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5DJv0TmI/AAAAAAAAC3s/-gYtQ1LZjTc/s1600/29.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488965509665017442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy5DJv0TmI/AAAAAAAAC3s/-gYtQ1LZjTc/s400/29.JPG" border="0" /></a> There were 8 guys sitting at this table and they polished off 5 plates of nachos, a new Wellshire and Mono Loco record!</div><div></div><div>Saturday morning came early for the group as we got up and prepared to spend half of the day with Healing Waters. Angela and a few other sponsors got out very early to get some coffee and take photos of Antigua. The city of Antigua is VERY picturesque and I wanted to share a few of Angela's photos with you taken on Saturday morning before our group left.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4Gdb0pQI/AAAAAAAAC3k/IqmJyu1i_TM/s1600/28.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964466977842434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4Gdb0pQI/AAAAAAAAC3k/IqmJyu1i_TM/s400/28.JPG" border="0" /></a> Antigua is full of lots of old ruins, buildings and churches. Various earthquakes through the years have brought down buildings, only to be rebuilt. Here are the ruins of an old church</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4F_MmmXI/AAAAAAAAC3c/MC317IQqan4/s1600/27.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964458860943730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4F_MmmXI/AAAAAAAAC3c/MC317IQqan4/s400/27.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is a beautiful archway that stretches over the street in Antigua. The buildings on either side are all painted in beautiful colors and the archway stands out with its yellow clock tower.</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4FSnq9AI/AAAAAAAAC3U/zNbG0asKU5U/s1600/26.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964446894879746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy4FSnq9AI/AAAAAAAAC3U/zNbG0asKU5U/s400/26.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is the cathedral on the main plaza (called the Parque Central) in Antigua. It is a beautiful old building. Angela was up very early to take this picture, usually there are taxis, buses and swarms of tourists walking around. </div><div></div><div>Below is a photo of our hotel in Antigua. The hotel is built around a central courtyard and was three stories tall. We filled every room in the hotel, which was probably a good thing!<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy34QXQ3sI/AAAAAAAAC3M/fHpUQ5tZN48/s1600/25.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964222950891202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy34QXQ3sI/AAAAAAAAC3M/fHpUQ5tZN48/s400/25.JPG" border="0" /></a>We had planned on getting an early start and had the kids up and ready to go at 6:15 when we discovered that the restaurant where we were going to eat breakfast didn't open until 7am. So we all went up on the roof of the hotel and worshipped together. The day was crystal clear and you could see the volcanoes that dominate the landscape in Guatemala. The feeling of raising our voices and hearts to God at 6:30 on the rooftop of our hotel is unforgettable.</div><div></div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33xE5VwI/AAAAAAAAC3E/f_zOTfrmMWM/s1600/24.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964214552352514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33xE5VwI/AAAAAAAAC3E/f_zOTfrmMWM/s400/24.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> Graham Johnson leading us in song on teh guitar. If he ever decided to cut an album, I think we have the cover for the album!</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33oGakxI/AAAAAAAAC28/yDk5_yLkR0Q/s1600/23.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964212142805778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33oGakxI/AAAAAAAAC28/yDk5_yLkR0Q/s400/23.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> The youth praising and worshipping God with the volcano in the background.</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33N-qmpI/AAAAAAAAC20/acduVg7yfM0/s1600/22.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964205130979986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy33N-qmpI/AAAAAAAAC20/acduVg7yfM0/s400/22.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> Graham and Kevin Ruby leading us in song. We were so blessed to have many great musicians on the trip that helped to lead our worship experience.</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy32gDReFI/AAAAAAAAC2s/jSuKV_AlR9c/s1600/21.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964192802273362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy32gDReFI/AAAAAAAAC2s/jSuKV_AlR9c/s400/21.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> Here you can see the youth singing and praising God! What a great way to start our last full day in Guatemala.</div><div></div><div>Once 7am rolled around we made our way to Pollo Campero, which is a local Guatemalan fastfood chain. We all got our breakfast and ate up to have energy for our day of working with Healing Waters!<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3tPg_B8I/AAAAAAAAC2k/lIrg9jC_66Y/s1600/20.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964033744668610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3tPg_B8I/AAAAAAAAC2k/lIrg9jC_66Y/s400/20.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> Enjoying the food at Pollo Campero!</div><div></div><div>After breakfast we loaded into our buses and headed off to Comalapa, a city that is about 1 hour from Antigua. <a href="http://www.healingwaters.org/">Healing Waters</a> has a water system in Comalapa. It turns out that the day we were scheduled to visit the water system, the city was hosting a 10k race. Healing Waters (Or Aguas de Unidad as we are known in Guatemala) was one of the co-sponsors of the race, providing water to the community. This was a great opportunity to promote the water system and let the population of Comalapa know that they had a water system available to get their safe drinking water. The youth spent the morning handing out bottles and flyers to promote the water system.</div><div></div><div>On the way there we came across a truck that needed a little help. A couple people in our group jumped out and got the truck safely off the road.<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3s4G6OMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/FDFL71ZVIUU/s1600/19.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964027461286082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3s4G6OMI/AAAAAAAAC2c/FDFL71ZVIUU/s400/19.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>As we neared Comalapa, we got to the site of the 10k race course. Our vans drove past the lead pack in the race. I had no idea that Guatemala had such a running culture, but there were sure a lot of hardcore runners in this race.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3sW1yy-I/AAAAAAAAC2U/15XT1mWo7dU/s1600/18.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964018531126242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3sW1yy-I/AAAAAAAAC2U/15XT1mWo7dU/s400/18.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Our group descended on Comalapa, ready to help out Healing Waters/Aguas de Unidad. If you can imagine 60 people all wearing matching shirts coming to town that almost never sees foreign visitors, you can get a picture of what it was like walking through the streets with our group.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3sA7AnGI/AAAAAAAAC2M/mileKy9DSqQ/s1600/17.1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964012647423074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3sA7AnGI/AAAAAAAAC2M/mileKy9DSqQ/s400/17.1.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>We handed out water bottles to the runners at the finish line of the race and also walked all over the community handing out 20 oz bottles and flyers to make the community members aware of the water system.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3ruvPr9I/AAAAAAAAC2E/-EmXzFvrGIQ/s1600/16.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488964007766241234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3ruvPr9I/AAAAAAAAC2E/-EmXzFvrGIQ/s400/16.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3DJGtyrI/AAAAAAAAC18/syFMwX9Hvtw/s1600/15.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963310469368498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3DJGtyrI/AAAAAAAAC18/syFMwX9Hvtw/s400/15.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Here is a beautiful indigenous woman holding on to a flyer that was just handed to her by one of our youth. She is wearing the traditional dress of the indigenous Mayan women in the region. Comalapa has a strong indigenous culture with over 80% of the population having Mayan roots and still dressing like their ancestors. The Mayan women weave beautiful textiles that they wear. You can tell what region of the country they are from by what pattern you see on their textiles.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3C7bt-tI/AAAAAAAAC10/5hxIhJYKVno/s1600/14.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963306799364818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3C7bt-tI/AAAAAAAAC10/5hxIhJYKVno/s400/14.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Of course there is always time for a soccer match. The school where the Healing Waters project is located had a soccer game going on and our youth got involved. The water system is only about 250 square feet, so we brought the youth in to tour the water system in groups of 10 while the other youth waited outside and played soccer.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3CQZ_82I/AAAAAAAAC1s/ZfEwZudEZJE/s1600/13.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963295249429346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3CQZ_82I/AAAAAAAAC1s/ZfEwZudEZJE/s400/13.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Here is a photo of the youth getting a tour of the water system. Daniela, one of the Healing Waters/Aguas de Unidad employees based in Guatemala is explaining how the water system works.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3BcVkxbI/AAAAAAAAC1k/74mymKzujqA/s1600/12.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963281272227250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3BcVkxbI/AAAAAAAAC1k/74mymKzujqA/s400/12.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>What a great looking group standing outside the Healing Waters/Aguas de Unidad system in Comalapa!<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3AOxDFVI/AAAAAAAAC1c/vLw8xxKYI80/s1600/11.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963260449494354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy3AOxDFVI/AAAAAAAAC1c/vLw8xxKYI80/s400/11.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2zz0hNJI/AAAAAAAAC1U/D7DxJQVjtaI/s1600/10.JPG"></a>As we walked from the water system back to the place where we were going to eat lunch, Angela snapped this great photo. You can see four women in traditional inidigenous dress walking down the street. I love the blend of the modern and traditional and this photo really captures the heart of Comalapa and our experience there.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2zcoeK6I/AAAAAAAAC1M/K55Mon7pW1c/s1600/9.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963040833317794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2zcoeK6I/AAAAAAAAC1M/K55Mon7pW1c/s400/9.JPG" border="0" /></a> We arrived back at a different public school in Comalapa where they served our group a traditional lunch. They were so proud to have this big group of Americans visiting their town and they put together quite a feast for us!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2zGm4ZiI/AAAAAAAAC1E/GmuGSq2All8/s1600/8.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963034921068066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2zGm4ZiI/AAAAAAAAC1E/GmuGSq2All8/s400/8.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Chris really enjoyed his soup and tamale that was prepared for him by the people of Comalapa!<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2y-P_QmI/AAAAAAAAC08/y1DSIfCy5GI/s1600/7.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963032677565026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2y-P_QmI/AAAAAAAAC08/y1DSIfCy5GI/s400/7.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>We loaded up into our buses and headed back to Antigua at about 1:30pm. We have a tradition on Mission Trip called Baquet ("Banquet" without the "Q".) The seniors put together an activity or competition for all of the youth to participate in. This year they put together a photo scavenger hunt. They took photos that the Wellshire group had taken when they were down in Guatemala last year. The kids split up into teams and they had to go find the spots where the photos were taken and then snap an identical photo. Each team was also given 100 Quetzales (the local currency) and had to go into the market to buy some specific items.</div><div></div><div>Angela took the photo below outside the cemetary. The quote reads, "La Vida de los muertos consiste en la memoria de los vivos" which translates to "The life of the dead lives on in the memory of the living."<br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2yUChEGI/AAAAAAAAC00/5LWo5Tv2Ohw/s1600/6.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488963021346771042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2yUChEGI/AAAAAAAAC00/5LWo5Tv2Ohw/s400/6.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>This is a photo of a "tuk-tuk" which is one of the 3-wheeled motorcycle taxis that run all over the city of Antigua<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2n-LZ6jI/AAAAAAAAC0s/9DWRXf2xetM/s1600/5.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488962843679779378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2n-LZ6jI/AAAAAAAAC0s/9DWRXf2xetM/s400/5.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>Here is one of the groups that was competing in Baquet. They found this old car on the streets of Antigua and decided to pose by it. <div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2nUrNrpI/AAAAAAAAC0k/27RF7WLUyOQ/s1600/4.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488962832538906258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2nUrNrpI/AAAAAAAAC0k/27RF7WLUyOQ/s400/4.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>Once the Baquet activity was over, the team all went to a restaurant for their "Cena de Despedidia" or the "Good-bye Dinner." They enjoyed a delicious meal together and had some fun too!</div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2nDyKjrI/AAAAAAAAC0c/6ssMBpEN_js/s1600/3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488962828004658866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2nDyKjrI/AAAAAAAAC0c/6ssMBpEN_js/s400/3.JPG" border="0" /></a> The seniors handed out awards to all of the mission trip participants based upon their experiences for the week. Some of the awards are funny, some are touching and heartfelt, and some are a little weird. They also had prizes for the Baquet teams that found the most photos and got the best deal on their items in the market.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2mihwTZI/AAAAAAAAC0U/2X2QFrXOaXs/s1600/2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488962819077459346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2mihwTZI/AAAAAAAAC0U/2X2QFrXOaXs/s400/2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <div>After dinner was over the group returned to the hotel. Everyone headed up to the roof of the hotel for another mission trip tradition, CIRCLE! This is an opportunity for each mission trip participant to go around the circle and thank everyone on the trip, reflect on their experiences, and share stories and anecdotes about their fellow travelers. They got started at 10pm and finally wrapped up around 2am on Sunday morning.</div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2mNmMKxI/AAAAAAAAC0M/u4HyogqGT2M/s1600/1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488962813458918162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TCy2mNmMKxI/AAAAAAAAC0M/u4HyogqGT2M/s400/1.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p>Wake up call was 3:30am Sunday morning and the buses left for the airport at 4am. I will save the trip home for another blog post. . . </p><p>All in all, the trip was incredibly blessed. Prayer is an incredibly powerful force and there was no question that we could feel the power of your prayers during our trip. Everyone made it home safe, and all of our lives have been forever changed by this experience. Thank you to each person who came on the trip, to each family member who supported us, to the Wellshire congregation for their incredible support, and to anyone else who came along side us for this journey through your thoughts and prayers.</p><p>Helping to lead this trip was an absolute joy for me. I thank God for the opportunity I was given to expose our youth to a bigger world. I will close with the Mission Statement for our Mission trip, which really represented our experience.</p><p></p><strong><em>We are going on this mission trip to build relationships with our brothers and sisters and serve the poor. This is an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus to some people whose needs are far greater than our own, perhaps greater than anything we've ever seen. This week is not about "us" or "our experience", but rather it is about the people we are serving. Our goal is not to simply have a “great week” in Guatemala. We will have the opportunity to meet the needs of each other and the poor, to hear the voice of Jesus, and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit. We will follow the words of Christ who told us to “Love one another as I have loved you” and remember the sacrifice He made to show that love.</em></strong>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-46028699161859576402010-06-18T05:35:00.000-07:002010-06-18T06:57:19.145-07:00Wellshire SHY Guatemala Mission Trip Post 5: Bonds and memories formed over cement and cinder blocks last a lifetimeWe have had two incredible days in Salama, Guatemala. I apologize for not updating the blog sooner, but we have been so busy and having so much fun! Despite a lack of OSHA standards on our worksites, our kids have been really good about watching out for themselves, and the Habitat folks have been taking great care of us. No major injuries, and apart from a little dehydration and a few travel bugs, our team continues to be happy, healthy and safe.<br /><br />We spent the last two days working on our Habitat worksites. Below I will feature our four work teams that have not been in the blog yet. As I write this blog post on Friday morning, we are getting ready to eat breakfast, pack up, and leave our newly adopted home of Salama. It is a bittersweet departure for all of us. We will load up our buses and go to a nature reserve where we will see some flora and fauna that is indigenous to Guatemala. We will also have the opportunity to swim in some mountain streams under waterfalls. Then we have a marathon bus trip to Antigua, it will take us about 5 hours. When we get into Antigua this evening we will be having a fun dinner at a restaurant called Mono Loco (the crazy monkey.)<br /><br />But enough about what we are GOING to do, let me share with you what we have been doing for the past two days. This blog post will be light on text and heavy on photos.<br /><br />At the end of our work day on Wednesday, our van driver offered to take us up to an overlook to get a view of the whole valley. The road was one of the more interesting mountain road I have been on, enjoy the photos!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrtmCNs-I/AAAAAAAAC0E/9r4AzXwImzA/s1600/DSC_1816.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484095402301830114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrtmCNs-I/AAAAAAAAC0E/9r4AzXwImzA/s400/DSC_1816.JPG" border="0" /></a>The driver and I joking and cheering as we make it down the road.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrsziTTRI/AAAAAAAACz8/j30qpH18lzM/s1600/DSC_1795.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484095388746206482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrsziTTRI/AAAAAAAACz8/j30qpH18lzM/s400/DSC_1795.JPG" border="0" /></a>How could this view not bring to mind Isiah 40:31? But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrgi3X0xI/AAAAAAAACzc/CqW6__gRs1s/s1600/DSC_1740.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484095178112750354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrgi3X0xI/AAAAAAAACzc/CqW6__gRs1s/s400/DSC_1740.JPG" border="0" /></a> When we finally made it to the top of the hill there was a cross and a small overlook area. We stopped and enjoyed the view.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrgfkG01I/AAAAAAAACzU/7NDz9uvGT1w/s1600/DSC_1739.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484095177226638162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrgfkG01I/AAAAAAAACzU/7NDz9uvGT1w/s400/DSC_1739.JPG" border="0" /></a> And what a view it was!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrCeaOFrI/AAAAAAAACzM/Uka5TbdpDGI/s1600/DSC_1726.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484094661520660146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrCeaOFrI/AAAAAAAACzM/Uka5TbdpDGI/s400/DSC_1726.JPG" border="0" /></a>What a great view and a great looking group of kids!<br /></div><div>This is the workgroup that was led by Terri and Brian. They had an incredible time building at their site and getting to know the family they were building with.<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrCH3Gb7I/AAAAAAAACzE/K47IXbewtnA/s1600/DSC_1719.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484094655467777970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 276px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrCH3Gb7I/AAAAAAAACzE/K47IXbewtnA/s400/DSC_1719.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Michael became the stone mason's helper, laying block and filling in the grout. Ususally the stone masons do not let us help with this skilled, detailed labor. But this mason was really impressed with our team's work ethic and attention to detail!<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrB0DWhmI/AAAAAAAACy8/9EUPvANr9C4/s1600/DSC_1712.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484094650150454882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrB0DWhmI/AAAAAAAACy8/9EUPvANr9C4/s400/DSC_1712.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>There was also time to build relationships with the locals as you can see here.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrBh_qhFI/AAAAAAAACy0/_AUYO7sO59w/s1600/DSC_1703.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484094645303149650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrBh_qhFI/AAAAAAAACy0/_AUYO7sO59w/s400/DSC_1703.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrBAMawaI/AAAAAAAACys/N26Vh0eKprI/s1600/DSC_1690.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484094636229837218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtrBAMawaI/AAAAAAAACys/N26Vh0eKprI/s400/DSC_1690.JPG" border="0" /></a> Jennifer hauling a bucketful of cement. What a hard worker!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbzJCx6I/AAAAAAAACyk/bwLhkhNu2Z0/s1600/DSC_1685.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093997070862242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbzJCx6I/AAAAAAAACyk/bwLhkhNu2Z0/s400/DSC_1685.JPG" border="0" /></a> Big smiles, big hearts, and lifelong memories.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbR6A3bI/AAAAAAAACyc/TgoDr9F3NQY/s1600/DSC_1682.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093988149452210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbR6A3bI/AAAAAAAACyc/TgoDr9F3NQY/s400/DSC_1682.JPG" border="0" /></a>Andrew Mixing concrete. We all did a lot of this throughout the week. A LOT!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbIgZZ5I/AAAAAAAACyU/-PXFGGBg1ks/s1600/DSC_1678.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093985626089362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqbIgZZ5I/AAAAAAAACyU/-PXFGGBg1ks/s400/DSC_1678.JPG" border="0" /></a> One of the many beautiful churches around Salama. This one has 120 steps you have to go up to reach it.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqa4wZ0TI/AAAAAAAACyM/CY8sP3KDlYk/s1600/DSC_1671.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093981398257970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqa4wZ0TI/AAAAAAAACyM/CY8sP3KDlYk/s400/DSC_1671.JPG" border="0" /></a>Another one of our great work teams, this one led by Brian and Rachel. Here you see the manly men, showing off their muscles.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqadTgJvI/AAAAAAAACyE/afYwrQxjNBY/s1600/DSC_1668.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093974029281010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtqadTgJvI/AAAAAAAACyE/afYwrQxjNBY/s400/DSC_1668.JPG" border="0" /></a>The lovely ladies of the group<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp4Uqfv_I/AAAAAAAACx8/BEhpkfrOhZo/s1600/DSC_1659.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093387594252274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp4Uqfv_I/AAAAAAAACx8/BEhpkfrOhZo/s400/DSC_1659.JPG" border="0" /></a> A group photo with the the group, the stone masons and the Habitat affiliate staff.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp4I2eNTI/AAAAAAAACx0/6W2UzWXzETc/s1600/DSC_1657.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093384423257394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp4I2eNTI/AAAAAAAACx0/6W2UzWXzETc/s400/DSC_1657.JPG" border="0" /></a> This was the stone mason for the group. He did and incredible job of keeping the group busy!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3zRj8UI/AAAAAAAACxs/Aw7d6w1zRiw/s1600/DSC_1651.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093378631299394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3zRj8UI/AAAAAAAACxs/Aw7d6w1zRiw/s400/DSC_1651.JPG" border="0" /></a>Rachel and Keri taking a water break. Because of the heat and humidity we took a lot of water breaks!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3iFaFJI/AAAAAAAACxk/mD7u87JEtxA/s1600/DSC_1640.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093374016918674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3iFaFJI/AAAAAAAACxk/mD7u87JEtxA/s400/DSC_1640.JPG" border="0" /></a> Cinder blocks in Guatemala have to be chiseled to fit over the rebar. Notice the safety goggles, SAFETY FIRST!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3Ny6N_I/AAAAAAAACxc/ypVK0UHQuTs/s1600/DSC_1636.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484093368570623986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtp3Ny6N_I/AAAAAAAACxc/ypVK0UHQuTs/s400/DSC_1636.JPG" border="0" /></a>We had some helpers on our work site too. One look at this kiddo's smile, and we knew why we were here and what we were doing.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpU8bG1gI/AAAAAAAACxU/zAvWTmHLoAg/s1600/DSC_1519.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092779791832578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpU8bG1gI/AAAAAAAACxU/zAvWTmHLoAg/s400/DSC_1519.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is the team from the worksite led by Sue and me. Our sand pile (for mixing cement) was a little distance from where we actually mixed the cement, so we spent a lot of time shoveling sand into wheelbarrows and moving it across the worksite.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpUukfv0I/AAAAAAAACxM/95RwhqT_AjM/s1600/DSC_1508.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092776073117506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpUukfv0I/AAAAAAAACxM/95RwhqT_AjM/s400/DSC_1508.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is the work team, our stone mason and the Habitat staff. You can probably tell that our worksite was a little bit wet and swampy. I think the lot where we were building used to be wetlands. On Monday morning when the team arrived it had rained the night before. The trenches that had been dug for the foundation were filled with a foot of water. Our team built a drainage channel and dug a 4 foot deep hole. We drained off over 50 gallons of water with our little engineering project so that we could start pouring the foundation.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpUSDCuBI/AAAAAAAACxE/_WcThPs1iWw/s1600/DSC_1495.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092768416610322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpUSDCuBI/AAAAAAAACxE/_WcThPs1iWw/s400/DSC_1495.JPG" border="0" /></a> Despite our best attempts to drain some of the water off the worksite, it was a muddy, sloppy mess. All of our work pants looked like this at the end of the day and our work shoes were caked in mud.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpTzq8N0I/AAAAAAAACw8/xG3ryBCCjrc/s1600/DSC_1492.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092760262457154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtpTzq8N0I/AAAAAAAACw8/xG3ryBCCjrc/s400/DSC_1492.JPG" border="0" /></a>We had a great shade tree on our worksite that made for a good place to take our breaks.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto9RoM2cI/AAAAAAAACws/efV_oH6GNzY/s1600/DSC_1490.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092373167036866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto9RoM2cI/AAAAAAAACws/efV_oH6GNzY/s400/DSC_1490.JPG" border="0" /></a>We also had a mascot on our site. The family we were building for had a 6 pound dog named "Osito" (Little bear.) He was very friendly. Any time any of us took a break, Osito was there to get some attention. <br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8_n_qwI/AAAAAAAACwk/THqefE1MfUU/s1600/DSC_1452.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092368334334722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8_n_qwI/AAAAAAAACwk/THqefE1MfUU/s400/DSC_1452.JPG" border="0" /></a>We usually had an audience wherever we went as a group. Here is an indigenous girl who really got a kick out of watching all the crazy gringos build a house in her country. She is standing outside her house made of mud and thatch.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8levb8I/AAAAAAAACwc/QMJqI5yj4hc/s1600/DSC_1450.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092361316200386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8levb8I/AAAAAAAACwc/QMJqI5yj4hc/s400/DSC_1450.JPG" border="0" /></a>I had to leave my wife and 6 month old daughter in the United States to lead this trip, so any time I saw a young child, I had to get my "baby fix." Most kids ended up crying when I talked with them or held them, but this little girl let me hold her for 10 minutes and it melted my heart. She is actually going to be living in one of the houses that our work teams were building. Her mother is a recipient of a Habitat house.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8t8joCI/AAAAAAAACwU/CEUSuKaRpH0/s1600/DSC_1446.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092363588739106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8t8joCI/AAAAAAAACwU/CEUSuKaRpH0/s400/DSC_1446.JPG" border="0" /></a>This is the group led by Graham and Laurie. Here you have the "manly men."<br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8MdWxmI/AAAAAAAACwM/QtHIGl_jCD0/s1600/DSC_1445.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484092354599503458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBto8MdWxmI/AAAAAAAACwM/QtHIGl_jCD0/s400/DSC_1445.JPG" border="0" /></a> And here are the lovely ladies of the group. They were all hard workers and the locals commented on how tough and hard working our girls were!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtomYjR6oI/AAAAAAAACwE/KnPQStZlq68/s1600/DSC_1440.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484091979888454274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtomYjR6oI/AAAAAAAACwE/KnPQStZlq68/s400/DSC_1440.JPG" border="0" /></a> This is the whole group with their stone mason and the Habitat staff. You can see the mountain behind them with lush vegitation. There was a road cut into the mountainside that looked like the fabled road to "El Dorado" so this group gave themselves the nickname of "El Dorado."<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtomC-QqLI/AAAAAAAACv8/BOrKslmeQes/s1600/DSC_1437.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484091974096038066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtomC-QqLI/AAAAAAAACv8/BOrKslmeQes/s400/DSC_1437.JPG" border="0" /></a>Their worksite had some visitors and playmates as well. This little guy loved climbing up and down the dirt piles.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolzeZ5JI/AAAAAAAACv0/GxK7PY3UMQs/s1600/DSC_1429.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484091969935893650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolzeZ5JI/AAAAAAAACv0/GxK7PY3UMQs/s400/DSC_1429.JPG" border="0" /></a>Each one of our worksites was in a different location with a different feel. This team's worksite was almost a half mile from any paved road in a very rural, agricultural area. So each morning the team would have to hike into their worksite across a bridge and up a pretty steep trail.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolnLeMeI/AAAAAAAACvs/F375wVOwMb8/s1600/DSC_1425.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484091966635258338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolnLeMeI/AAAAAAAACvs/F375wVOwMb8/s400/DSC_1425.JPG" border="0" /></a>Sam making rebar columns to help reinforce the structure of the house we were building. He is working side-by-side with one of the Guatemalan Habitat employees.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolAkU93I/AAAAAAAACvk/qHn-K62ZNDs/s1600/DSC_1420.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484091956270528370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBtolAkU93I/AAAAAAAACvk/qHn-K62ZNDs/s400/DSC_1420.JPG" border="0" /></a>One of our fearless leaders, Graham. Graham also led our worship team each night. He provided a great example of Christian love and leadership on this trip.<br /><div> </div><div>All in all we had an incredible four days on our Habitat build sites. We built houses, but we also built relationships, which is just as important. Our youth are truly shining the love and light of Christ through their time here in Guatemala. They are all taking in the experiences, learning, laughing and loving.</div><div> </div><div>We did a closing ceremony with each Habitat family on Thursday afternoon. The families thanked our group for being there and helping, and our kids all thanked the families for the opportunity to be there. A lot of us cried, tears of both happiness and saddness. I am amazed at the bonds that can be formed over cement and cinder blocks in four short days. </div><div> </div><div>Thank you all for continuing to read the blog and for your continued prayers. As we prepare to load the buses to head out to Antigua, we can feel the power of those prayers surrounding us.</div><div> </div><div><strong>PRAYER REQUESTS:</strong></div><div>-Prayers of thanksgiving for an incredible 4 days in Salama, for us staying safe on our worksites</div><div>-Please pray for health from stomach bugs</div><div>-Pray for safe travels as we cross the country today</div><div>-Pray for a continued spirit of service and Christ's love in each particpants heart</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5983580575182034477.post-55411318555042668012010-06-15T20:41:00.001-07:002010-06-15T21:09:57.134-07:00Wellshire SHY Guatemala Mission Trip Post 4: Work Hard, Play Hard!We awoke to another beautiful morning. We continue to be having a great experience. A few youth and adults have gotten a little dehydrated or caught a little travelers' bug, but nothing major. Most of them just took it easy today, drank lots of water, and were feeling better by dinnertime.<br /><br />We continue to approach each day with a servant's heart, ready to work side by side with our Guatemalan brothers and sisters. Our team was up and at breakfast by 5:45am, ready to start another work day. They served us "el desayuno tipico" (A typical Guatemalan breakfast) of eggs, black beans, bread and orange juice. The food is really good and helps sustain us through our long work days on the Habitat build sites.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJX8L2DnI/AAAAAAAACvc/29n4iFHGljs/s1600/15.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483213221965205106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJX8L2DnI/AAAAAAAACvc/29n4iFHGljs/s400/15.JPG" border="0" /></a> Above you can see a photo of our breakfast. Below is the group eating breakfast with the morning sun breaking through.<br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXiLMTRI/AAAAAAAACvU/m68Gh4SSppQ/s1600/14.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483213214983146770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXiLMTRI/AAAAAAAACvU/m68Gh4SSppQ/s400/14.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>We loaded into our vans and were all at the worksites by 7am, helping to move cinder blocks, mix cement, wire together rebar and clamps, and build relationships within our group and with the Guatemalan people we have the privilege of working with.</div><div> </div><div>One team arrived at their site and were greeted by a new companion, you can see the photo below. Most of our teams have had some "close encounters" with livestock including the horse that grazes in our hotel parking lot, chickens and roosters, cows, and our newest friend who we named "tocino." (Which is Spanish for bacon.)<br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXSoPjzI/AAAAAAAACvM/g8YX5Fd0uh4/s1600/13.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483213210810027826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXSoPjzI/AAAAAAAACvM/g8YX5Fd0uh4/s400/13.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Below are photos from the worksite for the team that is being led by Jenni and Ashley. They are having an amazing building experience. Their homesite is in a more rural area and a river runs right by it. They are working hard and the house is going up quickly!</div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXF0m6PI/AAAAAAAACvE/GAOv4zCKgX0/s1600/12.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483213207372228850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJXF0m6PI/AAAAAAAACvE/GAOv4zCKgX0/s400/12.JPG" border="0" /></a> They paused from their work day for a moment to take a group picture. What a great work team!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJWwEif4I/AAAAAAAACu8/_5L6a6Q6PlM/s1600/11.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483213201533468546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJWwEif4I/AAAAAAAACu8/_5L6a6Q6PlM/s400/11.JPG" border="0" /></a>Holly and Allie bending rebar for the next layer of cinder block<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJD1u91GI/AAAAAAAACu0/gvddKWdLbeQ/s1600/10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483212876636083298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJD1u91GI/AAAAAAAACu0/gvddKWdLbeQ/s400/10.JPG" border="0" /></a>During their lunch break the team got to sit down by the river. God has blessed us with some beautiful places in this world, and even as we are serving Him, He is taking care of us too!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDpkb4BI/AAAAAAAACus/sfmi-ROVohw/s1600/9.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483212873370689554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDpkb4BI/AAAAAAAACus/sfmi-ROVohw/s400/9.JPG" border="0" /></a>The team hard at work on their work site. They were able to get 3 new layers of block laid in one day!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDfIPCGI/AAAAAAAACuk/z0u4XfXhMmk/s1600/8.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483212870568052834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDfIPCGI/AAAAAAAACuk/z0u4XfXhMmk/s400/8.JPG" border="0" /></a>Lauren hard at work. Sorry that the photo is not rotated, but you can turn your head to see her!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDGsXbwI/AAAAAAAACuc/r7LXSJZ7cKE/s1600/7.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483212864008711938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJDGsXbwI/AAAAAAAACuc/r7LXSJZ7cKE/s400/7.JPG" border="0" /></a>There are sweeping views of the pastoral valley and the mountains surrounding us. The views never get old and our youth are amazed by how lush and green everything is, especially compared to our mission trip three years ago, building houses in Juarez that was very dry and dusty.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJC2gEnFI/AAAAAAAACuU/0gs1FdzHtHY/s1600/6.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483212859662179410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhJC2gEnFI/AAAAAAAACuU/0gs1FdzHtHY/s400/6.JPG" border="0" /></a>There are some beautiful plants all around us. We are trying to make time to stop and smell the flowers in between our busy work days!<br /><br /></div><div>Once our work days were over, the youth all changed into their soccer clothes for a "Guatemalan cultural experience." We played soccer for two hours with the local Habitat staff, some of the stone masons' families, our van drivers, and our youth. It was a blast!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhIOOi0hAI/AAAAAAAACtk/vi7jJN2l4lo/s1600/5.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483211955583091714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhIOOi0hAI/AAAAAAAACtk/vi7jJN2l4lo/s400/5.JPG" border="0" /></a> Notice the day-glow t-shirts! Since all the youth were wearing the same t-shirts, it was hard to figure out who was on each team. The people you see not in bright yellow shirts are local Guatemalans who came and played soccer with us.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINxDlUaI/AAAAAAAACtc/9R4p5aia-AA/s1600/4.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483211947667444130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINxDlUaI/AAAAAAAACtc/9R4p5aia-AA/s400/4.JPG" border="0" /></a>Miles is a great soccer player and taught most of the youth a few tricks. Although he had some stiff competition with our Guatemalan friends who joined us.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINuS-45I/AAAAAAAACtU/g3JCaCLlRWk/s1600/3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483211946926728082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINuS-45I/AAAAAAAACtU/g3JCaCLlRWk/s400/3.JPG" border="0" /></a>Megan blew away the Guatemalans. It is not typical for women to play soccer down here, so the Guatemalans were not expecting to get schooled by a female soccer player. She sure showed them! It was great fun and we ended the day laughing. Despite the language barrier, the international language of sport and competition facilitated communication. </div><div> </div><div>It was especially fun for us to be playing soccer this week because the World Cup soccer tournament is going on while we are here. At many of our worksites the neighbors have their televisions or radios tuned into the World Cup games and you hear cheers go up each time one of their favorite teams scores a goal. Today it was Brazil.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINQTA38I/AAAAAAAACtM/NVixMjm2_H8/s1600/2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483211938873794498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINQTA38I/AAAAAAAACtM/NVixMjm2_H8/s400/2.JPG" border="0" /></a>One of our Guatemalan friends that joined us for the soccer game. He is the son of one of the stone masons who is building the house with us.<br /></div><div>Below is our group photo. We had a phenomenal time and the youth are really making the most of their experience here in Guatemala.<br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINAIIjDI/AAAAAAAACtE/1yYQn4jnUMk/s1600/1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483211934533192754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_VYVAsW2FaPc/TBhINAIIjDI/AAAAAAAACtE/1yYQn4jnUMk/s400/1.JPG" border="0" /></a> Thank you for reading the blog and keeping up with our trip. Thank you also for your continued prayers and support.</div><div> </div><div><strong>PRAYER REQUESTS:</strong></div><div>-Continued prayers of thanksgiving for our safety </div><div>-Prayers for the health of our group</div><div>-Prayers that we can continue to communicate God's love while we are here<br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Greg Allen-Picketthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12881819351622815964noreply@blogger.com2