12 posts tagged “guatemala”
For those of you who supported us for our Mission Trips we want to thank you very much! We have just finished producing, and will be sending soon, our Thank You Newsletters. Pictures and stories throughout the newsletter will help you feel like you were part of the trip, because you were! One thing I want to point out, is that I have made available a few short videos from my trip. If you would like to see them please email becca.holcombe@gmail.com and I will make them available to you.
Thanks again to all of you!
For those of you who have checked up on myself and Becca, thank you! I'm sorry that it has been 3 months since the last time I updated this site. I was a little frustrated with the fact that I could not get video to upload the way I wanted it to.
Both Becca and I leave this coming Monday. We are going to separate locations, but seeking to accomplish the same thing: The furtherance of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah.
We are both very excited. This will be Philip's first trip as THE leader, and he is nervous, but confident at the same time. Becca is going as trip support once again. She is very good at helping a leader by supporting them.
Philip will be keeping up the Guatemala Team blogsite during the trip. Please visit www.guate2009.blogspot.com to see what is going on in Guatemala. The team loves to hear from you daily.
I finished all the medical tests required by the Homeland Security. Now I just have to wait for them to review them. Best I can tell this is the last step before they offer me a position. I am looking forward to hearing back from them. The sooner the better. Everything is in the Lord's hands for the timing of things. The Guatemala team trip is in August and I really need/want to go on that trip. However, I will somewhat be at the mercy of Homeland Security regarding if I can request that time off so soon after starting. I will be past 90 days if I can get offered a position soon.
Our Guatemala and Ghana teams have a get away weekend this coming weekend. It will be good to get to see everyone on the team. I am looking forward to seeing who I will be able to rely on as team leaders, and how we will all get along.
Two months with Friday the 13ths in them. Back to back. How strange is that?
I am still waiting to hear back from the Dept. of Homeland Security regarding the Customs Border Patrol Officer position. Right now I am expecting them to offer me the position, but there are still a few details to work out before I would accept. We'll see....I should hear back sometime in March, thus making the whole process almost 9 months long.
Things at the restaurant are still the same. Business is steady, but low. The managers are trying to push out about two or three of us. I interviewed with the Beverage Dept, for a salary position. Not something I want to do for a long time, but something that I could do that pays ok and will put me back eligble for benefits.
Missions is trying to rev up a little as we are now about six months away from the next trip. Another first for Real Missions as we attempt to have two trips leaving SeaTac airport at the same time. It will be neat to see it all work. We also have an orientation get away planned for the end of March that will get everyone going on the two trips excited. We are coming into the major fundraising season, so watch out for notification from us :)
I'm learning a lot about leadership and decision making on this trip. I am finding I have plenty of room for growth. I will admit this trip has different dynamics than the typical trip. On this trip we are working with missionaries that we are not used to, and Clark and I are bouncing back and forth as leaders. It has been a challenge for Clark to step back and let me lead. It has been a challenge for me to step up and lead when Clark is around. Fortunately, God has worked ways for this to be easier than either of us expected.
I'm getting to understand and work with teenagers a little better. It is a process because of the differences. However, it has been good for me. I look forward to the remaining days as there will be much more change.
For continued updates on our missionary events please visit the Real Missions Blog at : www.2008guatemalateam.blogspot.com
We arrived safely in the town of Canilla on Tuesday. It is a long and tedious drive, but well worth it. We got to meet the Fickers, and they are an amazing family. I will write more about them later, but I'm sure you can imagine a little of what it takes to be a family that moves to Guatemala when you don't speak Spanish and sets up a camp and outreach....and then stays for 15 years!
Yesterday we got to visit a small village (aldea) called Chicoxop. This aldea is of Mayan decent. Most of the people there speak Quiche which is a dialect of Mayan decent that has mixed a little with Spanish, but mostly is very distinct. Needless to say, we had to communicate mostly through hand motions and facial expressions. When we did try to translate, we had to speak, then our translator would repeat what we said in Spanish, which our aldea translator would then repeat in Quiche. Quite a process! By the end of our time there we had put on our VBS with some games and crafts, done two dramas, and a couple funny skits. We loved every second of it.
From a leaders perspective: It is great to watch as the youth we brought here begin to jump into their roles and begin to find their purpose on this trip. You can pick out which ones are 'helpers' and which ones are 'leaders' and which ones are great with the kids. I look forward to assisting these gifts to grow and encouraging these young people to continue to stretch.
I'll write more when I can next. We leave for another Mayan aldea today. Pray for our safe travel, a great welcome, and the Lord's love to be communicated.
-Philip
I'm sure you can guess that I am excited about the upcoming trip. It is 'in my face' already as we get all the last minute stuff done in preparation to leave on the 18th. Since I am leading the trip, there is a lot more of that to do than I am used to. I hope you all got my letter and that you are visiting to keep up to date. Feel free to send me a private note with your email address so that I can update my database.
The team is pumped up and ready to go. We are all expecting really great things. I believe God is going to do some neat works while we are there. I know we are going to be willing vessels, and God loves to use willing vessels.
The Fickers (the long term missionaries we are working with) are very excited. We have received a fresh batch of medical supplies to take for them. We have put together the VBS that we are taking down to use with the children, and the dramas all look great! This Sunday we will be prayed for and launched by Real Life Church.
This will likely be my last post until I am in Guatemala, so please pray for the following:
Safe travel, health, unity, good communication, love to be shared, pray the devotional time is intimate, pray the young people we are taking are all changed forever, pray the people of Guatemala meet Jesus.
Blessings and peace upon you, I thank God that I have such loving and supportive friends and family.
I will be leaving for Guatemala on August 18 very very early in the morning. We will return around August 28th. This is going to be an exploratory mission trip for us, as we are starting a new relationship with some local missionaries in the San Andreas area. They are a team of physicians who have setup a base of operations there and lived in the area for many years now. You should check out their website at: www.adonaiinternationalministries.org
I am excited to go because this will be my first trip leading, and my last step in being released to organize and lead trips in the future. The team that is going is a great team, and I look forward to working with them. We will do local Vacation Bible Schools, a drama, show 'Facing the Giants', medical outreach (two of our team members are in the medical field), some work projects and general evangelism. Every trip is unique in its own way, and I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord will do through this one.
Please pray for all the finances to come in. Pray for our safe traveling and health. Pray for team unity. Pray for a great start to our relationship with Duane and Leslie. Pray that I do a good job leading, and make the right decisions. Pray for salvation of people, and for them to get connected to God and a local church that will take good care of them. Pray for signs and wonders.
I look forward to sharing with you all that happens when I return. I will update this blog when I can. Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Becca is getting really excited about her upcoming trip. If you haven't received a letter already, you should get one soon telling more about it. She has wanted to go to Ghana for years now, so this is the fulfilment of many years of desire. God has placed those children over there on her heart. I look forward to seeing how this trip will change her.
I have been actively working on Real Missions material over the last few months. It has been good to be involved again. The manual and help materials we have produced look great and are very useful. I am beginning preparations for the trip I will be leading to Guatemala in July. You will hear more about that over the next few months, but it will be the first trip I have lead from start to finish. If you know me, you know how exciting that is. It is possible, Real Missions will take two trips to Guatemala this year, but that is up to God.
I just finished the Guatemala picture slide video. Please view it as it took me awhile to do. It is about a minute in length, but I think it came out pretty good. I would love to figure out how to shrink it a little so all the picture's look great. Maybe on the next one. Please let me know what you think.
