by elfaro | Feb 24, 2014 | Sin Categoría
In January we had Wheaton Academy back for their third year but this time with a very different kind of group than years past. Instead of Spanish students traveling down to put their Spanish into action with Bible Clubs, we got a group of music students with the emphasis of sharing God’s love through interactive music performances throughout villages and also bigger cities.
The first two days included a trip to the village of Baltimore where the students were able to go to the houses of the villagers to hand out bags of food and personal items, pray for the families, and also invite them to a music concert for the next day. It was a great opportunity not only to witness how people live in our area of Guatemala, but also to talk with the people and hear about their families and their needs. Many times after praying there was not a dry eye left in the room and the Guatemalan families were so grateful that someone was taking the time to hear their problems and pray with them. Nate Urban, a junior, says, “In Guatemala as we were walking through Baltimore, seeing their houses, and their, what appeared to me as, lack of possessions. I was contemplating what it meant that Jesus gives “Life to the full.” Does it mean to have a shiny car and a tv? God showed me that “Life to the full?” has nothing to do with possessions; it is about the relationships that we have with the people around us and with God”.
The third day the team traveled to Livingston where they had a performance right in the middle of town for the public to hear and see. We were able to partner with our dear missionary friends Miguel and Laura and they invited a man from the church named Quique who is a famous singer there. He is now a Christian and sings Christian reggae music and also gave a concert. It was a wonderful ministry opportunity to reach the people of Livingston and also for the Wheaton team to see the unique culture of Livingston.
Another day the group traveled to Puerto Barrios where they visited the only music school run by one man who has dedicated his life to teaching kids how to read and play music. The Wheaton team had a chance to listen to the teacher explain how he teaches his students to read music and the struggle he faces of keeping kids involved in a city where there are many distractions. In addition, his students were able to perform for us and after we had a chance to then perform for them. The morning ended with a jazz improv session that with both Guatemalan and Wheaton students playing side-by-side. Steve Willemssen, the music teacher at Wheaton and leader of the team, said, “It was so fun teaching them American blues music through a translator, then having all of us play the same music all together. Long-term connections with that school and possible in-roads for the Gospel through that relationship are really neat to think about.” Our day in Barrios ended at the orphanage which is always a blast being able to play with the children.
We are so thankful for Wheaton Academy and the teams they bring down. They have such a heart of serving and we are honored that they choose El Faro to share God’s love whether it is through Bible Clubs, house visits, or music concerts.
by elfaro | Feb 24, 2014 | Sin Categoría
Meet Moringa. Also known as the “miracle tree” Moringa is popping up all over the world to fight malnutrition in the neediest of places. Now meet Montserrat Gonzalez. She is a missionary form Mexico who has been serving here at El Faro for the past three years and is involved with various projects at El Faro. When you mix these two things together something beautiful and exciting is made that is impacting the communities that we work in.
The Moringa plant contains seven times the Vitamin C than oranges, four times the calcium in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots, two times the protein in milk, and three times the potassium in bananas. Is there any question what this tree is a miracle? Moringa originated in northern India and has been used in Indian medicine for over 5,000 years. Over time over thirteen distinct species of Moringa developed and was used by different societies around the world, each finding great value in it.
The leaves of the Moringa tree are extremely nutritious and the tree is very easy to grow. What is so incredible that it even seems to grow better in the places where malnutrition is highest. There are many ways of preparing the leaves including using the fresh leaves in salads, drying the leaves and sprinkle them over food, or even blending them in drinks or smooties . It does not have a strong taste and adds so much nutrition to any meal.
The idea of starting the Moringa project at El Faro came from the necessity to improve the nutrition of the children in the villages. Time after time we have seen the poor health of the children and knew a quick response was needed. We got input from four different sources and as we began to follow God’s lead, many doors opened. One huge door was a partnership with the Perenco Oil company who donatd 3,000 Moringa trees to help kickstart the project.
The long-term plan of the project is to go to different villages, especially those that are alongside the Perenco oil line, giving presentations, educating the people, and giving families the trees to plant in their homes.
We are so excited for what God has in store for this project and how the lives of the villages will change for the best because of this miracle tree.
by elfaro | Dec 15, 2013 | Sin Categoría
Galatians 6:10-Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
This verse in the beginning of the book of Galatians has been heavy on my heart these past few days. After reading it several times, what is called to my attention is that the apostle at the time of writing this did not use the words ‘time’, ‘resources’, ‘strength’ or ‘desire,’ which commonly are the reasons that make us desist from doing good or collaborate with others.
The word He uses is the word opportunity, which speaks of a unique circumstance in a specific time to do something. Similarly, the Christmas season reminds us how God in His unique way at a specific time sent his only Son into the world so that the world might be saved through him.
I encourage you to benefit from this excellent opportunity to bless others. There is no better time to bless those who serve Him with their time, resources, strengths and desires so that others know to celebrate Jesus.
As an organization we are blessed by people who help us with their prayers and offerings. Thank you for the opportunity they give us to do good to others.
David Vasquez
Director of El Faro
To make a Christmas Donation, please click HERE
by elfaro | Dec 10, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
El Faro hosted their eighth consecutive Vacation Bible School earlier this month and it was one of the best yet! Ten years ago Zita Vasquez had been living and working at El Faro for just a few months when she realized the great need the children had in the surrounding areas. She began a small Bible Club and at the end of the first year she had the first Vacation Bible School with volunteers from a high school in Guatemala City. Eight years later we have many of the same volunteers now in the University, but serving with the same heart and compassion.
The theme of the Bible School was ‘Always With Me’. It focused around Psalm 23 and three stories about David’s life and how they relate to different verses found in the Psalm. “I chose this theme and stories because I think it is important that the children learn to trust God from an early age and that they know that God will never leave them”, explained Zita Vasquez.
The program looked something like this: The first three days in the morning we had the Bible School at El Faro with children from five different communities. We had kids arriving by foot, by a boat that we sent out, and also a bus for those that lived further away. On the second day in the afternoon we traveled to the village of Las Pavas. On the third afternoon we traveled to Barrios where half of the team went to the garbage dump to work with kids and the other half went to a needy neighborhood called Mitch. “This year the new challenge was to do two activities in two new locations at the same time”, said Zita. “In Mitch you could see much distance with the people and we didn’t know what to expect. Once we started the youth program many people came including children, youth, and adults and it was a wonderful time.”
Each year crafts are carefully planned to fit the theme of the VBS. The craft this year for the VBS at El Faro in the morning consisted of two things. The first one was designing plates that incorporated the theme of Psalm 23. All of the kids put a verse from the Psalm and also decorated the plates with sheep, roads, shepards, and calm rivers. Because the VBS talked about David and finished with him becoming King, the kids also decorated their own crown with jewels and stickers. The craft in the villages was making sheep for the kids and “stained glass” crosses for the youth.
Our special guests this year were Tio Abner and Youth For Christ Guatemala. Tio Abner has a children’s ministry where he performs a show complete with singing, dancing, and puppetry. He was a great blessing to the kids using his amazing talents for the Lord. Youth for Christ put on an incredible drama for the youth that really touched their lives. We are so grateful for the time they took to come and help El Faro with the VBS.
The last day was entirely in Livingston where we partnered with our friends Miguel and Laura who have a beautiful ministry there. We had a children’s program in the morning and youth program in the afternoon. This was also a challenge because Livingston is an entirely different culture and the kids are difficult, but in the end we have a very successful day and many children and youth were changed.
Over the course of four days we saw a total of 474 kids and 125 youth. We are overwhelmed by what God did this year not only with the children, but with the volunteer leaders and guests. God continues to amaze us with how much He uses children to spread His love and we are so grateful to be part of His work.
by elfaro | Dec 10, 2013 | Sin Categoría
The first time Cornerstone came to El Faro three years ago it was somewhat of an accident. They had a whole trip planned to go to the other side of the country when suddenly a hurricane hit Guatemala City and a volcano began to erupt. Their trip was canceled, but theee desire to go still remained. Through a series of events that can only be explained as ‘miraculous’, the team got hooked up with our teams Director, Keith Brutout, and Cornerstone came down to serve at El Faro.
Three years later and our friendship and partnership with Cornerstone Church is going strong. Within just a week in Guatemala this small team of nine did and saw a little bit of everything. The first day we went to Livingston to help Miguel and Laura Gonzalez with their ministry. We asked them to find someone in their community that we could help out. Tita is a single mother and a neighbor of Miguel and Laura. She had never had her house painted before. Tita does not attend church at the Gonzalez house, but her daughter Jaydi and young son Robinho do and Miguel and Laura are giving Jaydi a scholarship for school. Once the team started to paint, Tita, Jaydi, and Robinho, began to paint also. It was truly amazing to see Tita’s face fill with joy and pride as she added color to her home. Many of her friends who were walking by stopped to ask her what was going on and also to say how lucky she was.
In the afternoon the team did house visits to pray for people in the community. At each place the team was able to visit with the different families, understand a little about the culture, and pray for the specific needs.
Cornerstone also had an entire day in Barrios. It was a rainy day and they started first at the elderly home. The residents from the home were thrilled to have guests visiting them and one woman cried with excitement. The team presented a drama that they had prepared about Queen Esther and afterwards had the people from the home dress up and take pictures to print out. After that the team traveled to the garbage dump to again present the drama and help a church with their feeding program.The day ended at the orphanage where the kids loved the drama and also had pictures taken all dressed up…complete with fake mustaches!
The day ended at the orphanage where the kids loved the drama and also had pictures taken all dressed up…complete with fake mustaches!
Something we admire about this team is the ability to step out of their comfort zones. It isn’t easy to come to El Faro where there is a different culture, language, and type of poverty. However, each team member let God work through them and touched the young and old alike. Thank you for your service and we can’t wait to have you back!
To see more photos click HERE
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