Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Many Thanks...

Here is a copy of my Thank You letter to those who sponsored me to go on my mission trip... a lot of people donated to make this possible and I am so thankful!

Greetings…

I just wanted to send you a message letting you know that we had a safe and blessed trip to Guatemala. Thank you again for  your financial support to make this trip possible. It was an amazing experience. I wanted to highlight a few  of my favorite moments, but I am not sure I can narrow it down to just a few… from serving and loving, to zip lining and hiking; everything was memorable :)

We planted a total of 60 gardens in Cruz Blanca. We played with the children of the village. We saw women weaving blouses. We got to experience the Learning Center and the goodness they are bringing to the lives of those who are in the village.

To highlight a couple of my favorite memories:

* Planting a garden for the village witch doctor. I envisioned someone with voodoo dolls, a bone through her nose, etc. You know, whatever Hollywood dreams up. Instead, I found a beautiful lady who was probably in her 30's who had a contagious laugh and beautiful smile. She harvests coffee beans to sell in the market and weaves for about 11 hours a day.  She allowed us to pray for her and her family. As we were leaving she wrapped me up in her arms and gave me a kiss to thank me for the work on the garden. Wow!



* We met a boy named Daniel, who is 14 years old. He dreams of being a doctor, but due to his family situation, he has to work full time as a farmer during the day and take classes at night. Whenever VisionTrust has a construction/gardening type of team come in, Daniel takes time off work to help serve this community. He spoke a couple of words of English, but we were able to communicate through the translator. At the end of the time in the village, he broke down in tears when we said goodbye, which of course caused me to bawl!!!  He was such a hard worker and had such a sweet spirit. I pray that he continues with his dreams… I'd love to hear that years from now he has become a physician.



* Lorenzo… what a funny kid. He is 8 years old and just a sweetie. Every time he saw me, he ran up and gave me a hug. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand each other, the smiles and loves got our point across. For about a year now, my daughter has been asking me about sponsoring a child in a 3rd world country. I never felt it was the time to do so… but now after spending a week with the kids of Cruz Blanca, God has put it on my heart to support someone. To send them to school, feed them, and allow them to learn about Jesus. When I got on the VisionTrust website, I found that Lorenzo was available to sponsor. Praise God! My kids say they can't wait to get to know their "Guatemalan brother".



The time I spent in the village was such a blessing. These people touched my heart. I loved serving them, learning about them, and spending time in prayer with them. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to go on this mission. I am going to be forever changed by the experience. I had a hard time leaving these people; however I know its just a matter of time before I go back, I love these Mayan people :)

Be blessed by being a blessing,
Lisa Williams

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