Refuge from Earthquakes

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I stood in the bathroom preparing for a luncheon engagement when the floor started rolling. The washer downstairs repeatedly banged against the wall, confirming that I needed to get outside quickly. Earthquake! “Lord, keep us all protected,” I mouthed as I grabbed the rail of the stairs. I literally flew down stairs and ran to the front door. Parked in front of the door, my car bobbed like a boat over waves on a lake. The sounds around me were loud, as the buildings shifted and groaned under the strong movements of the earthquake. My heart rolled right along with everything else. Then it all stopped. Quietness set in until the initial shock passed, then everybody around me went into action. I persuaded my rubbery legs to function and entered the apartment to see what damage had been done. I had felt tremors in Guatemala several times, but this was an earthquake.

It amazed me how well-built the concrete block homes were. Everything in the apartment held together as if it had been gently rocked. Nothing broke, and the windows held firm. I thanked the Lord for His protection.

On January 13, 2001, the USGS reported that the 7.9 earthquake, on the Richter scale, had its epicenter off the coast of El Salvador. This devastating earthquake caused several landslides in El Salvador, killing hundreds of people and covering villages and homes. Eight people in Guatemala died as a result. The news said that this earthquake was the strongest in El Salvador since 1986. We lived about 148 miles from the devastation. After the main earthquake, the ground continued to convulse, with 660 after-shocks reported.

To add to the drama, the active volcano Pacaya boomed during the night, with huge columns of smoke pouring into the sky. I felt like we were in a scene right out of the Indiana Jones movie set.

We felt many of the after-shocks over the next several days. After the first night of several shakings, I slipped my clothes on as I prepared for bed. I didn’t want to be in my pajamas if I needed to make a hasty retreat outside. What I didn’t wear to bed, I put in a pile by the door to grab on my way out. I wanted to be prepared. I already had a small survival pack, but it enlarged greatly after this experience. I loaded up the trunk of the car with water and a food supply—just in case.

A week later, while at school, another big earthquake hit us with the epicenter in southern Mexico.The long florescent lights swung back and forth as I moved the kids to the inside wall, away from the windows. One of my students had a panic attack and started hyperventilating. Fortunately, the tremor lasted only a few seconds, because Tom* ran to the hall and hollered, “I can’t stand it, I’ve got to get out of here.” Another teacher covered for me while I took him outside to calm him down. We talked, and I prayed with him. However, with all of the earthquake activity that had been going on, he sank deeper into his state of fear. I encouraged him to come back into the classroom. He replied, “No way.”

“Tom, I’ll let you put your desk by the door, we’ll keep the door open, and you can see the outside door from where you sit.” After a few moments of thought, he agreed to do this. We entered the classroom, and I knew we needed to read Psalm 91 again and talk about the Lord’s protection. Peace settled upon Tom and the other students when they were reminded of the love the Lord shows them every day and that He is their Protector.

All of us experience a certain degree of fear at different points of our walk in this life. I may have reacted like Tom in the earlier years of my life, before I knew of the Lord’s love. Psalm 91 comforts me and is a favorite passage that reminds me of the peace that the Lord wants all of us to have. My heart still races when the ground moves, but knowing that the Lord has my hand helps me to feel peace and trust in Him. Another favorite reminder of His love is Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isn’t He awesome? Our Creator encourages us to have a personal relationship with Him in this life. I hope and pray we can hang onto that hand and not let go no matter what happens around us. It’s our refuge—a safe place with Him.

*Name has been changed.

Kidnapped Continued

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If you haven’t read the post from last Friday, you will want to do so before you read today’s post.

When one of the armed men shot the tire of the car, it didn’t go flat until Linda’s* family made it home to seek help for rescuing her from the kidnappers. It was a miracle—one of many that day. Another miracle happened when a neighbor noticed suspicious activity in the house next to her. She called the local police, who already knew about the kidnapping, describing activity that didn’t seem normal. In the series of events that took place after that, Linda was rescued two and a half hours after the kidnapping. One of the kidnappers got shot while the others fled, but Linda calmly went to her rescuers. The officers took her to the Embassy, where her family waited under protective custody. At school, the administration gathered everyone together to announce the successful rescue. The cheers and praises were probably heard in the next town over. God heard and answered our prayers.

This tragic event became a testimony to Linda and her family. We celebrated her return to school, and she shared her bravery and trust in the Lord for her life. Linda understood Spanish and spoke with her captors, who showed her favor. Nobody tried to touch her or hurt her in any way. She boldly talked with them about the Lord, and confronted them as to why they kidnapped her. “What if something like this happened to one of your loved ones,” she challenged. Linda felt a sense of peace that could only come from the Lord. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV).

This event provoked fear in most of my students, to the point that their parents asked the school for counseling and follow-up for the kids. Some of them were having scary dreams and not wanting to leave their homes. Instead of having normal classes, we opened our Bibles to the scriptures that describe God as a refuge.

We read Scriptures that say we can put our hope and trust in Him. Our favorite passage, Psalm 91, begins with, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (NIV). His refuge isn’t a place we can randomly enter, but with a personal relationship with Him, we can freely enter this place at any time. We are not always going to be kept from bad things happening, but in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, He will go through it with us guarding and protecting us each step of the way. That’s where testimony comes in. We go through the test and have the testimony of His divine love. Our talks with the students were deep and had a healing balm as we sorted through these truths.

The school counselor came into the classroom for group sessions. The process of healing took time, but we all stood together for one another in the love of our Lord.

God did not create this world to be sinful, but He gave humankind the freedom of choice. It is sad when someone chooses to do evil, because it affects the innocent. Our encouragement came from Linda’s choice to testify to her captors and trust the Lord with her life. I hope her testimony encourages you. None of us knows what tomorrow brings or even the next hour. One doesn’t have to live in a third-world country to see tragic happenings, but the Lord God remains a place of refuge for any who wants to enter in.

*Name has been changed.

Kidnapped

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Arriving at CAG (Christian Academy of Guatemala) early one morning, I felt the sense of urgency when the principal told me that the staff would meet in front of the office. I wondered at this out-of-the-ordinary request when students were already in the school building. A coldness gripped my heart when I heard the word kidnapped. The coldness intensified when I learned that one of my students had been kidnapped that morning. With few details and fighting tears, I brace myself for my students. I had never thought of such a thing happening, and I certainly didn’t have any training for such a crises. My mother’s heart felt pierced. I called out to God for help and wisdom. Lord I need the right words to say, and help me not to provoke more fear in the hearts of these children. Help me to remain calm and be a source of comfort. Keep me from falling apart.

Soft sobs and long faces surrounded me in the classroom. “Children, this a time when the power of prayer goes into action.” No further words were necessary as everyone went before the Lord requesting the protection and rescue of Linda*.

Linda lived with her family, in the country, a short distance from a village near San Cristobal. I later learned that her father, sisters, a friend, and she left for school as they had daily for many months before this. But this day was different. Armed men stopped the car a few miles from their home. One man shot a tire to keep the father from returning home for help. Then another grabbed Linda and shoved her into their own vehicle. They kidnapped her with the plans to get ransom money. Even though the tire had been shot, it didn’t go flat until the family reached the house. The father rushed home and called the US Embassy. Within minutes, that task force went into operation.

We continued to pray in our classroom for the protection and covering of this young girl. We serve a God who wants to protect us, and there are many places in the Bible that show He is our refuge. We declared these Scriptures for Linda and her family. We prayed that they would find a calmness in knowing who God is and that He had Linda in the palm of His hand.

I will conclude the story about Linda in the next post, but I have a question. Have you had your trust and faith stretched during a crises or even during a hard situation that life seems to deal out at times? Our testimonies are an encouragement to one another. We never know when we may be caught up in a difficult time and then remember the words someone shared—the exact words that we needed for the moment.
*Name has been changed.

Meeting With Royalty

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Scan 4.1Occasions pop up in life that surprise you and add to the special memory library tucked away in your heart. The sixth-grade class and I experienced one of those times. Through a missionary friend, a possibility developed for us to meet the president of Guatemala and his wife. My mind asked a myriad of questions. Would he receive us? What would the security process be for us? Could we even get close to him? After my initial reaction, we began to make plans to meet with President Alvaro Arzu and his wife, Patricia, at the Artisans’ Market.

President Arzu presented himself as being dedicated to public service and visited the market to encourage and endorse the hand-crafters and vendors. I couldn’t imagine us getting very close to him, but we had to go. This situation fit into our study of current events, and it was important for the class to see the man who presided over Guatemala.

Being a typical teacher, I researched about the president and found out that he was born the same month and year as me. (I won’t tell you how old we are .) Arzu took the office of mayor over Guatemala City for a term and then, in 1996, he became the 32nd president of the Republic of Guatemala for one term. He is known for helping to bring an end to the long civil war that ravaged Guatemala. After his presidency, Arzu appeared to have the favor of the majority of people, who voted for him as mayor, over Guatemala City, four more times. He continues to serves in this position at the present time.

On the day of market, we headed out. “Hey kids, listen up. I don’t know if we can take pictures or not, so wait until we have permission before you use your cameras. Stay close to me and be obedient to what the security guards say.” I had no clue what to expect. My only comparison were televised events with US presidents. In that scenario there would be a lot of security and media, with common people lost in the background. But a surprise awaited me.

The kids, chaperones, and I entered the market area, abounding with beautiful handcrafted items. Displays of textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and coffee filled the market. The kids went from one place to another looking at the array of items for sale. The crowds were sparse, but we spotted the place the media had set up for the president. I looked for the dogs and the security guards and didn’t see anybody that looked the part.

Scan 4.2We talked about the handicrafts, and the importance of the income for the families and the country. The items displayed were traditional in style, color, and usage, a representation of the different tribes in Guatemala. We suddenly noticed a commotion by the gate, and in came security men, in their dark suits, around the president and his wife. I could hear the students’ whispers that went from, “Wow” to “It’s really the president.”

Because of the small crowd, we stood right up in front of President Arzu as he gave his speech of endorsement. Afterwards, we received permission to talk to the president and his wife. We took full advantage of it and were allowed to take pictures. Both the president and his wife asked the kids questions about themselves and the school. We all felt a peacefulness over the whole setting. We never dreamed we would meet with royalty, and that day became a topic of conversation for a long time. My students glowed when they saw themselves on the news that night with the man who presided over Guatemala.

The Artisans’ Market is right by the entrance to the La Aurora Airport. It’s one of my favorite places to go when I want to purchase typical items. For any of you visitors, it is a must-see. You won’t be disappointed.