The Final Blog

¡Hola familia y amigos!

Our team has returned home safely after an exciting time of growth and service in Friajanes, Guatemala.  While many of us could not wait to be reunited with our friends, families, and a good ole-fashioned American hamburger, we all left a part of our hearts with the children of Casa Bernabé.

After serving for two full days as substitute house parents, most of us were exhausted and welcomed our Saturday night despedida, or goodbye ceremony.  Each house of kids, presented us with cards thanking our team for our service, and some of the houses such as Promesa and Ester performed dances to Christian music.  The baby house even gave each of us little painted footprints from Susan’s favorite baby.  While this was an emotional experience, it was not without plenty of laughs.  Casa Nueva Esperanza (House of the New Hope) had Tomas and Josh come up onto the stage for a competition of strength.  Each of the guys had two younger Guatemalan boys hanging from each arm and had to lift the boys into the air as many times as possible.  While Tomas put forth a valiant effort, there was no doubt who won the match.  After each house had an opportunity to say thank you, Edgar had our entire team come onto the stage for a time of prayer.  He asked some of the kids to come up and stand by us as he prayed for God to bless our team and watch over us as we traveled back to the U.S.  It was incredibly special.

As we hugged our newfound friends goodbye, some of us couldn’t hold back the tears.  Who would have thought that in twelve short days, we would have come to love the children so much!  The Lord was definitely at work in all of our hearts, filling us with His Holy Spirit and allowing us to see a small glimpse of what unconditional love really looks like.  Some exchanged facebook information, others promised to write, and four of us decided to sponsor several of the kids.

Sunday around 5 AM, we packed our suitcases (quite the feat!) into two vehicles, said goodbye to Jill, and headed to the airport.  It was mesmerizing admiring the Guatemalan City lights as we wound our way down the mountain into the city.  We got through security without a hitch (although security didn’t know what to make of my Rembrandt whitening tooth paste and had to uncap and smell it before they would give it back to me!) and boarded our plane to Houston.  Upon arrival in Houston, George (better known as Jorgé), was in quite a bit of pain.  His lower back was spasming and he could barely walk.  Thankfully, we were able to get him a wheelchair for navigating through the huge Houston airport.  He is currently feeling much better after some r&r, praise the Lord!  We all passed through customs and were readmitted to the U.S.!

On a sidenote, some of us (me for sure!) were not honest with the customs official.  We were asked to declare any souvenirs and plant and animal products that we brought with us into the U.S.  Well, Alyssa and I had a minor problem in Guatemala……we discovered pulgas in our beds!!!!  Now, I can’t guarantee that I was carrying pulgas in my clothing, but I do know one thing for sure.  Sometime during the plane ride to Houston, I was bitten twice on my hands by a mysterious, small bug.  So I may have served as a coyote (one who illegally transports immigrants) for Guatemalan fleas!!! Ewww.  I apologize to all members of my household (including my dog and cat) for this inconvenience.

In Houston we had another goodbye session for Susan as she took another flight to the Dallas Fort Worth airport.  We can’t we wait to see her and the rest of the team for our picture sharing party on the 28th!  We arrived in the desolate, snowless Detroit a little after 5pm and headed back to our families, schools, and jobs. BAM! Welcome back to real life.

While the culture shock in terms of re-entry is undeniable (especially after visiting Zona Tres this year!  In Zona Tres, people literally crawl through trash trying to find things to resell and make a living off of.), we have a God who will never leave us or forsake us. In the U.S., Guatemala, or even Timbuktu, we have a friend who sticks closer than a brother and who has a plan for the children of Casa Bernabé, the people in Zona Tres, our mission team, and all those who seek Him.  What a comfort this is!  This experience has changed our lives and has taught each of us something we will never forget.  Thank you for all of your prayers!! 


Guatemala 2011-2012= SUCCESS!!!!!!!!
~Kristen

Please continue to pray for the Rumbarger family, as they are pursuing an educational visa for a young man, as Jill remains in Guatemala. Thank you!