A Note from Larkin

On Saturday a youth team from New Hope CP Church arrived. This week they are working at the Comunidad de Fe School in Guatemala City. I will be with them all week as one of their leaders. And when the leave, I will continue working in this school. 

So that you can hear from someone else, I asked Larkin Sumerlin, the youth pastor at New Hope, to write a blog entry detailing Day 1 in the school:         

  Today was one exciting day!  We awoke knowing that today we would have an opportunity to go to school where we would get to spend time with the adorable children that we have been dreaming about for months.  We had our morning quiet times and went over all we would be doing at the school.  After another delicious meal that was prepared by Mrs. Rena and a few rounds of four-square to get ourselves pumped up, we headed out.  I am not sure how to explain it, but I am not as taken back by the poverty level of the area surrounding the school.  I do not feel very out of place.  Everything feels so at home.  Even though there are armed guards every 100 feet, and shards of glass and barbed wire lining the tops of walls to keep out intruders, even amidst it all I somehow feel a sense of peace and contentment.  It almost feels like I belong here.  A primary factor in my prayers since we arrived is asking God if this is where He is leading Jessica and me.  I cannot lie, after the past two days I am starting to hope so.

                                        

          We arrived at the school and set up all of the activities and small group areas we would have with the children, and finally the time had come….the children came out!!!  The kindergarten children came running out smiling from ear to ear.  They were so happy and excited to come and leap into our arms.  We were able to hold them, hug them, kiss them, and love on them in every way we knew how.  It was beautiful, yet astonishing.  We were informed after the day was over and we were debriefing on all we had experienced that many of these children are not loved at all.  Rarely if ever are they held, or hugged, or kissed.  They long for love but are being denied it.  Praise God for all of the men and women who work at the school who love on these kids and provide them with such an important part of life!  Even though these kids are not loved on much, they were so willing to run into our arms.  They were finally getting to let out all of the love they had wanted to show, and they were finally receiving the love they had always desired.  Everyone here is so loving; both children and adults.  The kindness and graciousness we have been shown has been amazing.  In America, when compared to the reception we have had from the Guatemalans, we do not acknowledge nor appreciate people nearly enough.  I have been so convicted of the lack of love I show towards people I encounter back home.  The people here actually notice you and care about you, at least the ones I have encountered. 

                                          

                                         

        I was excited when Micaiah asked me to write the blog for today’s activities.  I hope I did not ramble too much.  I thank and praise God that He would, in His infinite amazing love, take a man like and allow me to come here and experience the love and joy of these people.  What a great God we serve and love that He loves us enough that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, and also, that while we are at times so blinded and wrapped up in our own lives that He would bring us to a place like Guatemala and open our eyes to a whole new way of living.  I feel so much peace here and could see myself here in the future.  I pray that God will continue to open the eyes of our team, and also the eyes of the Church, that we would be able to see a world that is hurting without having hope.  These children need physical love and affection, and to know that people care for them.  Many all over the world are lost and without the hope of the Gospel, and they go on having never heard it.  I pray that we would all begin to love everyone we meet.  I think we are all at times like these children here.  We just need someone to show us love and that there is One who cares for us.

     Grace and Peace,

          Larkin Sumerlin