A custodian, who worked at the school I taught at in Guatemala, impressed me greatly with his kindness and dedication to his work. I learned that he pastored a small church, Friends Church, in a village a short distance across the river from a volcano. Fuego, an active volcano, periodically spews ash and at times, lava, and this little community sees some of the fallout. Pastor Pablo* and I only greeted and smiled at each other because of my lack of Spanish. From talking to other staff members, I found out how this pastor showed his commitment to his job position. From his home in a little village called Altotenango, Pastor Pablo traveled close to one and a half hours by chicken bus —one way. He faithfully made this trip daily, five days a week. He rarely missed work or arrived late.
Not only did I see a specially dedicated man of God, but so did others. At the beginning of December, the sixth-through tenth-grade classes made plans to bring a Christmas celebration to the children in Pastor Pablo’s church. Plans were made, gifts were collected, and treats and games were put together. One cool, windy day, we all loaded up into five vans. One of the vans broke down just a few miles from San Cristobal, but that didn’t put a damper on the enthusiasm. Everyone crammed into the four vans, and off we went.
When we entered the village, we found ourselves in the middle of a village parade. Our caravan blended right into it. The students acted like celebrities, laughed, and took advantage of the situation, as they waved to the people lined up and down the street. It looked like this had been planned, but that was not the case. When we reached Friends Church, everyone pitched in to carry our cargo up a steep incline to the property. Close to three-hundred children and their families waited for us. A ripple of excitement flowed through the crowd, and all eyes followed the CAG students as they entered the church structure. (This church consisted of posts and flat-tin roof with open sides and a dirt floor.)
Our students went into immediate action with a full program. Some of the musical students led praise and worship songs. Others performed skits with puppets and shared Scripture about the birth of Christ. I observed children who had never watched a video before, with their eyes glued to the TV screen. Their saucer-sized eyes got even bigger at the conclusion when they received a small gift, a sack of goodies, and a sweatshirt. My students took charge of sweatshirt distribution, because one of my student’s family donated all of them from their factory. Not knowing how many of each size were needed, I’m sure some of the small children ended up with sweatshirt nightgowns.These kids absorbed every minute of the joy and happiness initiated by this new experience.
At times, I would glance over at Pastor Pablo and see tears running down his face. He loved his people. Seeing them being treated with such love brought him humbly to his knees. I could hear him say over and over, “Gracias Dios.” We prepared to leave and his million “graciases” followed us.
I saw another door of opportunity for evangelism open wide. This church became the next big missions project, with the help of some great friends and missionary kids. In the photo you can see a huge rock in part of the church structure. CAG teenagers chipped that rock out of there the old fashioned way, using picks, shovels, and brawn. It took them hours, but they succeeded. In time, walls were for the structure, a concrete floor poured, and a new roof added. I don’t think Pastor Pablo ever totally recovered from the flood of blessings that came his way. I believe the blessings came from the hand of God because of his faithfulness to God and to his people in the church. Once again, the missionary kids showed their passion in action. Isn’t it wonderful to see the love of God flow through some and spill all over others?
*Name has been changed.