Day 1 Sept 29, 2008

The first day of our trip, I rose early. Just like I would back home. I was up and out by 5:30am. It was a little strange. Being in a foreign country, knowing no one, your only alternative is to take a deep breathe and trust the Lord. I began doing a little investigating of this beautiful place in which I had just spent the night. It was beautiful. While I was out investigating I met my new early morning buddy, Charles. Charles had arrived from San Marcos, TX earlier on Sunday than I had so I had not had the opportunity to meet him and the rest of his group. He had his camera out just like me. I took a chance and asked him if he were with Buckner, phew, he was. We became fast friends and had a great time that morning discovering the beauty of this great place.

We went out to get pictures of the volcano across the street from the Vista Real Hotel. It was beautiful. Sometimes it is too cloudy or foggy to see the top. That morning the Lord so orchestrated it that Charles and I got to see the beauty of it all. We made it to the median and then the floodgates of traffic were opened. There we were taking pictures and wondering how in the world will we get back across the street. Traffic on either side flying by us. Something began to resound in my head. This is universal. Traffic back home is hectic. People going to work, getting children to school. Children catching the school bus, universal. It happens throughout the world, life.

Took us a little longer than we thought it would but we finally made it back across to our hotel. I can hardly wait for breakfast.

Leaving the United States

As I said the Dallas Airport was a treat. This is where I first met some of the others going to Guatemala on the Buckner SOS trip. It was a group comprised of Buckner people, Geoff Moore and those traveling with him and Ben. Ben was along for documentation purposes for Buckner. He was the passenger sitting directly in front of me. A quiet, unassuming kind of guy. The passengers that sat beside of me were a brother and sister traveling back to Guatemala. You remember the test? The not talking to anyone test? Well, Hugar and Mary were my flight buddies until Guatemala. The very interesting little fact was that Hugar and Mary spoke little English, and me, even less Spanish. They wanted to talk the entire trip to Guatemala. I had thought the language would be a barrier. Well, it was but it did not deter Hugar and Mary from wanting to have conversation, lots of conversation. Hugar showed me pictures on his camera that he had just taken on his trip to a friends in Washington State. They were delightful.

I did have a little reprieve by being able to watch Bucket List.

The great thing about watching a movie like that is on the flight they take all the bad language out of it. How enjoyable!!! (I still wonder why they can do that there but not at the theater. I know maybe they could show it with a bad language-free showing and one with bad language in it. The industry just might be surprised at how much we would like the movie. Such was the case with Bucket List.) It was wonderful and left me in my seat crying a little uncontrollably, for many different reasons. If you can watch it without the bad language I endorse it fully, not so much if it is full of the unnecessary bad language!!!!!!!! Sweet Hugar, empathized with me about the tears. He had already seen it. He was the sweetest man. I thank God for Hugar and Mary, just a taste of what was to come and the Guatemalan people.

What did I learn from this leg of the flight. God can take away any language barrier. He can work all things to our good!!! Now I mentioned Ben earlier because at the end of the flight, He admitted I gave him much entertainment trying to converse with Hugar and Mary. I even had the Buckner trip manual out trying to find the words to use when Hugar asked me what my profession was. I guess you would have just had to been there.

Arrival: Guatemala Mission: Shoes For Orphan Souls-Buckner International

Guatemala Shoes For Orphan Souls, Buckner International Shoe Trip - Departure 9/28/08

I want to share about my Shoes for Orphan Souls Shoe Trip. I thought the best place to start was from the beginning. I have to admit that from the time I accepted the opportunity to go on the SOS trip until the day I left, I fought demons of doubt and fear. The closer I got to departure though the more that the Lord convinced me that I was to go on this trip. He used many of our listeners, unbeknowest to them to confirm that this was something I was suppossed to do. I did not want to leave my children and even wondered if that was the right thing to do to them.

Addy told me on the Saturday before I left with tears in her eyes, "Mommy I already miss you." I had to reassure them and myself that God is God and we can trust Him no matter what. My husband on the other hand felt very sure that this was the trip for me to take. I continued to prepare.

The Sunday morning I left for Guatemala, I could not eat. A little nervous but convinced I was supposed to go, my family and I headed to the Greensboro Airport. It was great to have my sister, Phyllis and brother-in-law, Mike to go along with Ron, Aaron and Addy. It is always great to have a good support system. I was flying out alone and had not done that since I was 19yrs of age. My sister reminded me that Brianna, my niece, does this all the time. It's funny how things change as we get older. I don't have the carefree attitude about certain things that I once did. You learn that life is unpredictable and things happen. I am so thankful I did not allow the enemy of my soul to steal my confidence in God. I just continued to trust Him. I had joked with my family that I was going to try an experiment on my flights to Guatemala. I was going to fly with out talking with anyone. Now, for anyone that knows me knows that there is no way that I could go to Dallas on an airplane and not talk. I must talk, I must connect with people. I said my good-byes through the tears to my family.

I proceeded on to the plane, having to walk outside of the terminal to get to the plane. I noticed something different about this plane. It had a pink ribbon painted on it. I found my seat. It seemed everyone had loaded. The seat beside me was empty. Thank you, Lord, you are making it easy for me to do my experiment. Wait a minute, another passenger coming my way. It was my flight buddy from Greensboro to Dallas. I spoke cordially really trying to see if I could go without conversation. No way, he was a very nice, engaging guy. We began to talk about why I was flying and he thought it was great that I was going to Guatemala to minister the love of Jesus. Turns out that he and his sweet family attended Calvary Chapel and now belonged to another non-denominational church. They have 2 boys. After we had our emergency demonstrations we learned from the flight attendant that the pink ribbon was, as I thought, the ribbon for breast cancer. Something that I had dealt with almost 5 years ago. He said that there were only a few in the fleet of Americian/American Eagle Aircraft. Thank you, Lord for making sure that it was on my plane. Another confimation to my heart. It was much bigger than me, though, because tears began to fill the eyes of the gentleman that sat beside of me. He and his wife had just fought the battle through chemo and radiation. She had just recently found out and endured treatment. It was all so fresh to him still. He talked, I listened and I talked and he listened and looked at me and said, "you know I don't think anything happens by chance(nor do I) I think that I was supposed to be in this very seat today. I thank my God for his direction in our life. The time had flown and we were about to land and I look to this nice man and said, "I never got your name," " Sean," he said. "Nice to meet you Sean,"I said, and was so very glad that I was on that plane going to Guatemala. I knew beyond measure that my God was with me and Sean's family, too.

Arriving in Dallas was a treat all to itself. I had several hours there by myself. Something I was dreading turned out to be a great adventure. They have a great monorail to get you from one terminal to another. I thought my children would love this. I loved it. I have decided that if I have to get stranded in an airport I want it to be in Dallas. It is a city unto itself.

It was just like being in a big candy store. So much to do, your nails, a massage. So much to chose from to eat and I was hungry. I sat and had a wonderful lunch/dinner at Bennigans. Of all things a well-done burger. My family can hardly believe it, Mama never eats burgers out.

Charge your phone, rent a laptop. You name it and they have it in Dallas. If you are ever there, don't just settle for what you see right around you, I learned that myself after I had eaten. I found several places that I would probably have liked better but that will be for another time.

So far so good, God!!!!

Bonnie's Wednesday Word - October 15th 2008

I am hoping that this Wednesday Word finds everyone doing well. I pray that you are trusting the Lord to keep His promise to you no matter the circumstances of life. That can be so easy to say and do when all of life is going your way but when it is not it can be very hard. The truth however is the truth. God’s Word is true in season and out. He is the answer for any and every need that we have in our lives.

I bring this up today as a reminder to me as much as to you. I have just had the opportunity to look at pictures taken and to begin to process all I saw and did while on the missions trip through Buckner International, specifically Shoes for Orphan Souls to Guatemala. I have said that in a word the trip was Amazing.

Amazing that there are precious orphans that are without homes and families to love them. Amazing that orphan does not mean just little ones but more times than not older children and teenagers that may never have the opportunity to have a real family to love them. Amazing that the love of Jesus can be seen and felt through a pair of tennis shoes.
Amazing that there are many ministries and organizations such as Buckner who provide love and support to these orphanages in Guatemala as well as other countries including our own. Amazing that people who do not know each other come from all over the USA to form teams to do a work in the name of Jesus.
Amazing that after we have left the precious orphans to come home that our God is faithful to provide every thing that each orphan needs.

He has a plan and purpose for each of them just as He has for you and me.

I have to believe His Word is true for all of us. I cling to his truths not just for me but for Lola, Lena, Candy, Zaida, Oscar, Norman and Miguel, just a few of the precious orphans in Guatemala.

I pray that you will find all that you need is in Him!!!!!


P.S. Thanks for a wonderful 2008 Dixie Classic Fair. $7192.00 in Plinko for Second Harvest Food Bank, at least 622 faces painted on School Days,
a packed house even in the rain for Josh Wilson, Mandisa and Matthew West Concert and the best Volunteers around!!!!!!! We thank you!!!!!

COME BACK SOON TO SEE PICTURES AND HEAR MORE STORIES ABOUT MY GUATAMALA TRIP!