by Jon Keehn | Oct 3, 2016 | Blog, Missionary Thoughts
By Mayra Duran
Over the last few months I have been reading a fascinating historical novel, which I had originally decided not to read because it contains almost 1,000 pages. When I began the book, I felt like I wasn’t making progress and every chapter felt like an eternity to me. Now that I have read more than half the book I don’t want it to end and I am trying to enjoy every chapter the best that I can. Had I not discovered how extraordinary this book is I never would have dared to take the first step: read the first page.
Thinking about this, I am reminded about how 3 years ago I had the desire to do something for Melvin, a boy who lives here in the village with cerebral palsy, who spends a majority of his time in bed without the ability to walk or talk. With the intentions to help him, I asked God if there was something that I could do for him. And you know what? I didn’t receive any answer and I didn’t dare do anything because it was a big challenge. It wasn’t until one year later that I decided to so something for him. I was encouraged to take the first step and I went to visit him. The first visit was a total disaster as I made him cry with what I had come prepared with for him. I was a little frustrated and it was only the first visit. However, God had it all perfectly planned.
The next week a group from the United States came to El Faro and they were exactly what Melvin needed, physical therapists. It was in that week that the perfect help arrived at Melvin’s house. The physical therapists showed Melvin’s family and me a few exercises that we could use to work with Melvin. Now, after 2 years, he receives physical therapy 2 times a week with the purpose of exercising his bones and muscles. His family has seen big changes physiologically in Melvin’s body. There is no doubt that God does everything in His perfect time and invites us to take small steps to be able to contemplate his great wonders.
Is there something that God has been calling you to do and you haven’t done it? What is stopping you from taking the first step? A lot of the time we wait for distinct confirmation when God is simply inviting us to take the first step. I firmly believe that Melvin’s life has changed greatly all thanks to God, but He wanted someone to take the first step.
“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back? What he desires, that he does. For he will complete what he appoints for me, and many such things are in his mind.”
-Job 23:10-14 ESV
by Jon Keehn | Sep 27, 2016 | Blog, Missionaries
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV)
What do you think of when you hear the word unity? Do you see a group of people acting as if they like each other simply to keep the peace? Everyone wearing the same t-shirts as they file through the potluck line? Far too often when I think of unity I think of what could be, not what is. The word unity itself is interesting because it is something that each individual must work towards, but you have to have a group to be able to have unity. This is something that can be difficult to navigate because each and everyone of us have our own thoughts about how things should be done. I have my own ideas of how a people should be unified and I unfortunately assume too often that my way of getting there is the fastest way to do so. I want us to be there now, forgetting that there is work that God is doing in each of the people around me individually that in turn affects the community of people here.
Last week at El Faro we decided to have “La Semana De Unidad” or Unity Week among our staff and missionaries. Our kitchen was closed, we had no groups, and we asked everyone to clear their schedules so that we could work, eat, have fun, and spend more time together than is normal for us. We began the week with our Monday night devotion where we started a new study taking us through the book of Hebrews. Tuesday we all gathered in the parking lot and headed out into the village to construct the outside walls and kitchen for one of our very own cooks, Sebastiana. Wednesday we had a morning full of games and in the afternoon we all cooked and threw a dinner for one of our own who is saying goodbye to us this week. Thursday found us taking a boat ride up the river to Finca El Paraiso and we all had lunch together in Rio Dulce. Friday morning we got our work boots back on to pour the concrete floor in the house that we built on Tuesday. The goal of the week was not to simply work and have fun, rather it was to get our entire team together to work and do things that we normally never get to do altogether.
Since everyone works in different areas of El Faro it was nice to have a week where we all came together to work and play. I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s unique personalities and talent come out in different ways each day. And to be able to have the whole El Faro community serve one of our own was awesome!
I felt really great…and happy! What I enjoyed the most throughout the week was the construction because I found out I can help in a way that I had never done before.
As I was praying for us and thinking through the different ways that we might be able to be more unified as a body here at El Faro it was as if God slapped me right in the face through several different conversations with people and one class lecture I was listening to…The Church (universally) and more specifically the people in close proximity to me are all a gift from God helping to sanctify me, or make me more like Jesus. I love when God smacks me in the head with a truth that I have known for a long time but had forgotten.
Are you living in community with other Christians? What is your relationship with them like? Do you see the people that you go to church with as a gift from God to help make you more like Him?
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 | Bitácora, Blog, Sin Categoría
The kids in the villages keep busy by going to school in the mornings and taking part in many of our programs at El Faro in the afternoons. Once school lets out for the year in October, many of the kids have little to do to occupy their time. El Faro had noticed this problem last year and responded by creating a Vacaction Summer School. This year we had our second school and again it was a huge success. Children came three times a week from 8am-11am and kept busy with games, a snack, an art project, and mental games to keep their minds active and challenged.
This year was different from last because instead of everyone working on one art project at the same time, they had stations where each day they would pick a different craft to do. The projects included learning how to braid hair and make a headband, making silly putty to take home, decorating rock turtles and creating a storybook about them, water painting, and kite building. The last week of vacation school they also made paper mache piggy banks. On the last day of Vacaction School all the kids had a chance to go to the soccer field and fly their kites that they had made.
Each day we had a total of 50 kids from three villages. The majority are kids that we work with on a weekly basis whether it is through Physical Education, Tutoring, Special Education, or Soccer. We have a strong bond with all of these kids and we care about their physical and mental development. This vacation school is a perfect opportunity for us to continue our relationship with them and also to challenge them creatively through the art projects and mentally through our different “mental games”. We know that these kids are becoming the change in their communities and we feel honored to be a part of it.
To see more photos click HERE
by elfaro | Nov 20, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
In 2011 the Baumann family, (Debbie, Naomi, and Lenny), traveled to El Faro with their church, Cornerstone, in Illinois. That week-long missions trip left the Baumann’s with an imprint on their hearts and a calling that they couldn’t avoid. In the summer of 2012 they spent a whole month at El Faro to discover and experience more about the calling. After going back home and praying, the Baumann’s knew what needed to be done and needed a confirmation from God in the form of selling their house by a certain date. One day before their personal deadline, they miraculous got a call from a buyer, sold their house, and began to plan their year abroad serving in El Faro.
They have been here in Guatemala since July learning Spanish, serving in many areas at El Faro, and growing in their faith as a family. Here are some testimonies from there time so far.
Debbie Baumann
It’s hard to believe that we have been in Guatemala for 4 months. We have been at El Faro for 3 months, and our friends here have truly made it home! We feel like one big family.The Lord continues to provide new experiences and opportunities to serve. Most of my day consists of teaching English. Rather than teach large classes, I teach one to four students at a time. This allows me to adjust the classes to students’ needs. It is so exciting for me to see their progress! On a few occasions, God has opened the door for me to share more than English. I have been able to talk about what Jesus has done for me and my family. My prayer is that these opportunities will occur more and more. In addition to teaching, we have the privilege of being part of the Bible club which meets every Friday at the public beach and Exploridores which meets every Sunday in a local village. I love seeing the children’s excitement when they see the El Faro truck pull up!
Naomi Baumann
My schedule changes depending on what day it is. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I do my schoolwork in the morning. After lunch, I help Wendy, the dentist, with her patients until about 4:00. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are a little busier. In the mornings I do some schoolwork until 8:30. Then, I go to help at the soccer practice with the younger kids. Gavin and Brittany are the coaches. I finish at 12:00. After lunch I do more schoolwork and help Wendy at 2:00 (except for Friday, because this is the day we have Bible club at the beach). Saturday is kind of a day off, until I help teach/learn sign language with Mayra and Evelyn at 3:00. There are 3 deaf children and their families who come to learn sign language. On Sunday mornings we also have sign language class for the workers of El Faro. Later at 2:30 we go to Santa Maria to help teach Exploridores. After dinner we have church in the chapel. My favorite part of the week is Exploradores.
Lenny Baumann
When we first started talking about coming to El Faro, I didn’t want to come. After we left and got here, it wasn’t such a hard thing to do. Right now the main thing I do is schoolwork. When David talked with us last year about coming, he said that would be my main priority. Until I finish all of my work, that’s what it’s going to be. Monday thru Friday, I wake up at 6:00 and do TRX, a strength training workout.. Then, after breakfast (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) I help with soccer practice. I spend the rest of the morning doing schoolwork. If I don’t finish before lunch, I finish in the afternoon. Most afternoons I study some Spanish and run. On Friday afternoons I help with Bible club at the beach. On Saturdays in the morning, I relax. After lunch I go to youth group from 3:00 to 5:00. On Sundays I help with Exploridores. My favorite thing is helping with soccer.
by elfaro | Oct 21, 2013 | Bitácora, Blog
Throughout the year El Faro has teams travel from the United States to serve in different villages that El Faro has an active presence in. One of the goals of hosting these teams is not only to help the villages and to meet their needs, but also to influence the team members to return home to influence their own communities.
A beautiful example of a person who has come to El Faro and went home changed to continue to impact people is Amanda Secor.
My name is Amanda Secor. I am 24 years old. I grew up in Valparaiso, IN around cornfields & straight roads… boring! I’ve lived here all my life. I grew up in church, accepted Jesus when I was 9, but have felt a life change and spiritual growth mature the most over the last year. I went on my first out-of-country mission trip (to the Dominican Republic) my Sophomore year in high school where God broke my heart for people living in poverty & began to stir a love within me for Central America. Since then I graduated college within a minor in missions & a heart to reach the nations. I am married to my college best friend, Tyler, & have been for 2 years. You can find me as a special needs assistant during the day & a blogger at night. My blog is called “my love for Lyla” and can be found at www.myloveforLyla.blogspot.com
My mom went on several trips to Guatemala and I sat home envious that I wasn’t going as well. After going to the Dominican Republic in 2006 & Honduras in 2009 my heart ached to be back on the foreign mission field. She came home from one of her trips and told us all about this beautiful country and how it was impacting her heart. I knew that I too needed to experience this place. God called Tyler & I on a trip in June 2012. I immediately fell in love with the people, culture, El Faro, & ministry. I knew it was a place I would return over & over. It’s easy to come home from a mission trip & hurt for a few days but quickly fall back into that similar way of living. I came home from Guatemala in 2012 with a broken heart & a renewed spirit for missions and helping the less fortunate. Unfortunately I fell back into my comfort zone, but God rocked my spirit again when He called me back to Guatemala this past July. I came home changed, renewed, & broken.
As our group in June 2012 rode away on the boat my heart was broken. I longed for the day I would return again. When God called me back in July I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t wait to return. After returning it felt like I was coming home. Riding in on that same boat was overwhelming and brought me to tears. God was finally bringing me back to the place He had branded on my heart 13 months before. The missionaries, kitchen crew, grounds people, & staff of El Faro welcomed me with open arms and cheerful smiles. The work of the missionaries is beautiful and challenging. Each of them are answering God’s call on their lives & it has challenged me to search for my call and live it out. And that is exactly what I’ve been doing since returning to the states 3 months ago.
On my trip in July we visited the dump in Puerto Barrios. I had heard about it before & seen several pictures, but those things didn’t do justice to what I would experience for myself. I will never forget what it was like pulling into the dump & seeing mounds of garbage surrounding me. Amidst the garbage were beautiful children running without shoes & strong adults sifting through trash to find treasures to mend and sell. In those first moments my heart broke & was shattered for life. I had never seen anything like what I was seeing before me. I had the most incredible, heart & life-changing experience. I met a beautiful little girl named Mirna who will forever be imbedded on my heart & mind. Her joyful spirit and infectious smile warmed my heart and changed my heart. Upon leaving the dump my heart broke over and over. I felt like no matter how long I stayed it would never be enough time. I came back to the states and KNEW I had to do something about what I had seen. There was no way for me to see what I saw & do nothing. To me, that would be like looking at the face of God & saying no to His Voice. I had seen paper beads before and thought they were beautiful but didn’t feel a need to learn to make them. That was until I watched a video & realized that something as small as a bead made of paper can change the life of someone who is living in poverty and brokenness. I told my husband about the idea to start making jewelry & selling it to make money for the people in the dump. A few days later I watched a how-to video & began rolling beads. I haven’t looked back since.
When I decided to start making beads & had the idea to make jewelry I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But it’s a beautiful concept really. God is using these beads to mend my broken spirit & bring hope to my life. I’m so excited to see what they do for others.. both here & abroad. I am in the process of turning this idea into a small business & then into a non-profit. I want these beads to bring hope, healing, & love. I have a name picked out, based upon a beautiful verse in the Bible, & a piece of Scripture lined up to support my vision. Eventually I want to raise enough money to go to Guatemala and teach the women in the dump & whoever is willing to learn, how to make paper beads & jewelry and use the resources they have (cereal boxes, juice cartons, magazines, etc) to make a living. My vision is to see the people of the dump live prosperous, purposeful lives that involve hope & healing; because Jesus sees them where they are & desires for them to know His love for them. I also intend to use the raised money as a means to support those who are adopting abroad as well as other mission fields God places in my path. I am SO EXCITED to see where God takes this ministry and look forward to sharing more as it unfolds.
To see all about what Amanda is doing and learn more about her beads, follow her on her blog at: www.myloveforLyla.blogspot.com
The next week a group from the United States came to El Faro and they were exactly what Melvin needed, physical therapists. It was in that week that the perfect help arrived at Melvin’s house. The physical therapists showed Melvin’s family and me a few exercises that we could use to work with Melvin. Now, after 2 years, he receives physical therapy 2 times a week with the purpose of exercising his bones and muscles. His family has seen big changes physiologically in Melvin’s body. There is no doubt that God does everything in His perfect time and invites us to take small steps to be able to contemplate his great wonders.
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