The Most Important Room

Posted on April 20, 2015 by adrienneorris

Really the most exciting thing happening around here is that the walls are going up at the hospital. But they are not the walls that we intended to lay first. They are the walls that God wants first…. and so we move forward.

We should have received a container full of plumbing supplies for a plumbing team to put in two weeks ago. But the container was delayed by a red flag from the government and a strike by the drivers. And so…. the team was here with no supplies.

Yet when God called us to build this hospital, we knew that the most important part would be the refuge it would provide and the opportunity it would be to be a light into the darkness. Part of the hospital includes a prayer room. The International House of Prayer (IHOP) has been a constant here over the years. IHOP is located in Kansas City and is 24/7 prayer and intercession for the needs of the world. We too believe that this is priority and a necessity to have as part of our ministry so it was included in the plans – in the front corner where it was accessible to all.

Where did we start building? From the back forward which would mean that the prayer room would not be finished first. Throughout this whole project though, God has constantly reminded us that we are nothing without Him. That this is He who is going forward and that it is important to make Him a priority above all. So when the container didn’t come, we took that as God asking us to move forward with the prayer room. How quickly it can go up!

After the floor was poured we had our first night of worship there – under the open sky! How beautiful to come together as a body of Christ and worship together. Priorities. It’s easy to say that God is first in your life and the most important thing. But putting God first in your life is another thing. For me, when busyness surrounds me, I can easily find that I lose sight of my priorities …. Yet my faith is strengthened when God steps forward and says that He has it already figured out.

For me, coming to Guatemala and committing to be part of this was something bigger than just a decision. It was putting God in front of any of my other desires that I had. I gave up a job that I enjoyed, a school family that I cared for, I moved far from my physical family and my church family. I gave up friends and comforts and opportunities. Yet the choice was one of priotities…. To listen to what God was asking or to listen to me.

As I have lived out life here and watched this come together, God has made His priorities clear and it gives me confidence and peace that He is in the driver’s seat. The walls of the prayer room remind me once again that we can lay the plans in our head, but God will lay the plans out in front of us. We walk forward in faith knowing that God is laying the blocks that He needs to reap the harvest.

Our first of many worship sets in this room.

Looking down the front corridor.

Duane working at night to perfect the floor.

The Scream in the Valley

Posted on April 20, 2015 by adrienneorris

I sat and listened to the scream that has covered the valley. To me it sounds like desperation as the locusts have taken to the trees. It is dry. It is hot. It is unrelenting at times. And so is the scream of the locust – unrelenting. It echoes from the mountains. There is no escaping it. I can almost pretend that it is music…. But that is a struggle. To me it is so annoying.

I went to the side of the mountain where the sound could not echo. I was trying to escape the sound. And yet it didn’t relent. I listened to it trying to distinguish what it was that I was hearing… and among the screech that was constant, there were a few individual sounds that were being heard. A few locusts who were singing out of sync. It was almost as if they were in panic. Screeching louder and faster than the others. Yet to hear this shrill, I have to be silent and still. We have to focus not on the noise around us, but on the individual. I find it easier to just take it all in than to hear one voice at a time. The truth is that I tried to escape this morning to gain clarity in what God is saying. I tried to hear that still, small voice. God says – Be still and know that I am God. And with all that is going on around here, it is impossible to deny that He really is God and He really is in control. The scream of the locust is the same as the scream of a student who is in distress. It’s the same as a neighbor asking for help or a child who doesn’t know how to express themselves. It takes the same concentration to see where the need is as to hear the single locust amongst the thousand on the mountainside. But this is what God is asking me to do these days… and so I focus intently on that still small voice and trust that God is in control of all. Be blessed today my friends and listen for the locust!

Fires have taken over the mountains on all sides. Because it is so dry, they spread fast. Farmers burn their fields to eliminate weeds and last year’s corn stalks, but the fires can quickly get out of hand. I like the beauty of fire on a mountainside at night – but only for a second as I realize the destruction.

A Day Away

Posted on April 3, 2015 by adrienneorris

It is Holy Week here and we have a few days without class. Becca and I took advantage of the time and went to visit some friends that have an orphanage in another part of Guatemala. The two days we were away gave my mind time to decompress and get away. We spent time with the family there and the kids and enjoyed a few sights and sounds.

Our third bus of the day – an original Blue Bird

The market in Santiago

The most beautiful church I’ve ever seen…. different shades of Green! (my favorite color)

We had to take a boat across the lake to get to the orphanage. How beautiful the lake was!

End of a Quarter

Posted on April 3, 2015 by adrienneorris

It is summertime here and that means it is appropriate to teach a little “Can Jam”. Some were more enthusiastic than others with a new game.

We continue to plug away at school with two new classes of students. It is different than last year. We knew this going in. We knew there would be differences, but they are hitting me more with each passing week. The students are different from different backgrounds, different personalities and different abilities. This means that our challenges are different to educate them and guide them as well. Here are some snapshots of different days at the school.

At the end of the first week of exams, we did some Team Building time with the students all combined. I especially like doing things like this because it builds unity and trust and acceptance within the students. Mixing the groups allowed our older students to serve as models and leaders in the groups as well.

In Guatemala it is custom to throw trash in the roads and along the streets. All of the schools gathered together to collect trash one morning. Here we are enjoying our time to the fullest!

The mile run…. it is greeted with the same amount of joy here as it is in the states! One disadvantage is – right now it is hot and sunny always!

March Birthdays! Many of the students don’t celebrate their birthdays at home or with their families. Their 15th birthday is celebrated, but the other ones are often forgotten. We try to celebrate each month together as an opportunity to spread some cheer and love. With more students means more celebrations!