New Guatemala Videos

Alright, sorry that it has taken awhile but here are some new videos from our Guatemala mission trip:

1) Solomon's Porch - this is where we spent a lot of time eating our meals. One night we had a dance party while singing lots of songs.

2) Ziplining - here we spent 1 morning going through a zipline. It was AMAZING as we did 8 different ziplines that went over a National Forest.

3) Cribs - our very own Sam Crawford is here to show everyone where exactly we stayed and some of our transportations.

4) Photos - here we have several photos that we took throughout the trip. Enjoy!

WE ARE HOME!!!

We just got home last night and all are exhausted!! It was overall a GREAT trip and I know it was a life changing experience for all. I am so proud of each and everyone of our kids and know that they are different now then they were before.

More videos are still to come of our last few days so stay tuned. It will include an orphanage we visited, our zip lining experience, our cribs video, and just some other random highlights.

I also just want to thank everyone who was praying for us throughout this trip. We couldn't have done it without you. Know that lives were changed this past week and that this impact will continue to further His kingdom. THANK YOU!!

Guatemala - Day 6

Sorry that we haven't posted for the last 48 hours. Here are 2 new posts: day 5 & 6.

Today was yet another incredible day. We went to a village called San Antonio, the place that was devastated by the tropical storm approximately 3 weeks ago. They are an extremely poor village and about 70 people died that day as well as many homes that were completely destroyed.

I was yet again so proud of our kids. Our initial goal was to deliver humanitarian aid but as we got there the majority of our kids took the initiative to actually visit some of their homes and actually pray for the people.

Below is the video of us at San Antonio and us as we travel by boat to get there:

Guatemala - Day 5

Prior to today we had no idea what to expect. We called this day 'Ask the Lord' day. This is where each of our kids spent about 45 minutes in their devotional time 'asking the Lord' what they feel like they should do for that day! We then reconvened and trying doing all of those things within that day. We had things like praying for the sick at hospitals, giving out food to the homeless, cleaning and rebuilding homes from people we have met previously, handing out Spanish Bibles to those who need it, and playing music and soccer at a park to attract as many people as possible to share the Gospel.

This was such a neat time because it was our kids who felt led on what our agenda should be. This was by far one of the most incredible days! When we debriefed it was amazing to hear how personal this day was to everyone. They didn't determine what they should do by where their friends are. They didn't determine what they should do by what seems the most fun. They ONLY did what they felt the Lord was telling them to do.

Due to our kids being all over Panajachel we were unable to get any videos but here are a few pics:

Guatemala - Day 4

This is the day that all of our kids had the most fear and the most anxiety preparing for. The day AIM told us that we were going to go Prayer Walk & Evangelize to a poor community the majority of our kids had so many questions and hesitations. Though this is was the most feared day it ended up being one of the most incredible days. Our kids did an INCREDIBLE job!! As they walked the streets of the village I've never seen so many young people immediately start praying for individuals courageously and w/o hesitation. Lives were changed today because of our kids.

At the end of the night we asked how many of our students was it their 1st time praying for an individual out loud outside of a church setting and about 20+ of our kids raised their hands. Our kids are growing in many ways.

I'm so proud of each and everyone of them. One of the main things that the Guatemalan people are saying is that White Missionaries in this area typically have a bad name for themselves but many are saying that we are helping turn that mentality around by how much love we show to not only others but to each other.

In this video you'll see a glimpse of us Prayer Walking & Evangelizing. We had the opportunity to also have the mayor of this village announce to everyone that we are coming and you'll see how excited all the kids got. Hope you enjoy!

Guatemala - Day 3

Here we are at Casa de Sion again! It was great seeing everyone for the 2nd day in a row. We got to help finish digging the garden so they can start planting vegetables in order to be sustainable. We also gave them $800.00 to buy chickens so that they can have protein.

In this video you will see how we performed a skit for kids about the story of David becoming king and how God doesn't look at the outward appearance but at the heart. We got to make them crowns to make them feel like they are princes and princesses in the eyes of the Lord. We also had the opportunity to share the gospel to these kids using salvation bracelets. Hope you enjoy!

Guatemala - Day 2

Today was a great 1st day! It is hard to show everything we did today due to how much we did but I hope this gives you a glimpse. Each day we begin with a personal Quiet Time, some corporate worship and a message from some of our leaders. It has been great just helping get our focus on the right track and to help us understand how we can be effective, especially how it pertains to the cultural differences, both in our language barrier but also just being white, upper-middle class people. Below is a glimpse:

I want everyone to know that every single person on the trip did an incredible job!!! They not only worked hard w/o complaining but was also very intentional with every single person there. It is so amazing to see the body of Christ all working together for a common purpose without any distractions.

Some other things that we've been working on is 'Asking the Lord'. We understand that living such a busy lifestyle where TIME is of the utmost important that so many times we can't find time to LISTEN to the Lord. We have been trying to understand what it looks like to live a life of solitude and how to wait patiently on the Lord. Some amazing things have happened tonight as we practiced on doing so. The Lord speaks in powerful ways and tonight the majority of our kids got to experience that. it was truly amazing.

Today was also one of our participant's, Cami Lowery, birthday! We were able to get a birthday cake along with a authentic handmade Guatemalan bag. We also were able to get a live band to sing 'Happy Birthday' to her. We didn't have any video cameras so we apologize that we didn't video it.

Well, time is very short so I apologize for my lack of thoroughness in my description of each day and in my grammatical errors. Know that God is moving in powerful ways in each of our kids and please continue to pray that He will continue to mold them in His image.

We made it safe and sound to Guatemala yesterday. It was a long day of traveling but well worth it! Once we arrived in Panajachel, we settled into our quaint little hotel and then went to dinner. We enjoyed an authentic Guatemalan meal with live entertainment. View our video below to see the details!

Today, we are headed to Casa De Sion to help out with a medical clinic for pregnant women. We will be playing with their other children and helping out in any way possible. We're so excited to see the Lord work this week. Continue to keep us in your prayers!

Denver K-Life Summer 2010 Mission Trip!

Here we are, one year after our first mission trip, and we are getting ready to do it all over again! This time is a little different because we have doubled in the amount of students and leaders who are going with us. We are headed back to the beautiful country of Guatemala! We will fly into Guatemala City, and drive to Panajachel where we'll spend most of our time. We hear it's one of the most beautiful locations in the world. It's a small village located on the edge of Lake Atitlan.

We'll be keeping you all posted on our daily service projects and the lessons that God will be teaching us as we serve those less fortunate than us. Pray for our health, safety, and for the amazing people that we'll be coming in contact with.

Camp Kivu

Camp Kivu, formerly known as Kanakuk Colorado, is doing some amazing new things to influence kids & college students for the Kingdom of God. Check out this promo vid that Joe Miller, one of our Denver K-Life kids, created. This camp is going to be amazing!

Rap Vid

This video is awesome!!

Back from Guatemala!!

Wow, how I already miss being in Guatemala!

Below is part of a letter that one of our leaders, who went on our mission trip, sent to all of his supporters. This explains well to what we all learned from this trip:

"John 14:18 says "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." and Galatians 4:4-7 says "But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."

What hit me in particular was after reading these passages Tuesday night, then going back to Remar on Wednesday morning and having these kids remember us and really start to visibly respond and open up to our efforts to love them... we had to leave them. That was it... we were off to lunch and another orphanage and they were left to the reality of things before we had arrived the day before. As we sat on the bus, recapped the experience as a group, and prayed for those kids... my heart was broken and I cried as I experienced what must be a small degree of the pain that our Heavenly Father feels when he looks into this world that He created, and sees the pain in the faces of those who are lost... those who are orphans now and potentially for eternity.

As I spent time with a young boy named Oscar and felt incredibly inadequate in my inability to communicate with him... all I could do was tell him in Spanish that God loves him, and that I love him. Although he shook his head in agreement, I could see in his eyes that he wanted so much more. I have to imagine that more than anything in this world, the kids at Remar desire a relationship with someone they can call mom or dad. And because of the fact that Guatemala is currently closed for adoption and the likelihood of those kids ever being adopted is very low... I struggled with the reality of those kids situation and the lack of hope they must feel. Those kids live in a world filled with rules but no relationships. And in a way, we all live like orphans sometimes when we live our lives as if we had to follow rules in order to be accepted by our Heavenly Father, rather than recognizing that we have already beeen adopted as sons and daughters by God. We already have an eternal inheritance that will vastly exceed all of our expectations and as a result, we live our lives in obedience out of gratitude to God for having rescued us from our status as orphans.

When I was in college, I went through a tape series and booklet called the Sonship Program with some guys from my church. The program focused on this concept of our adoption as sons and daughters of God... but that concept has become more of a reality for me as a result of this trip. I hope and pray that God will continue to reveal to me His purpose for leading me on this trip and I also hope that you may be encouraged by this brief glimpse into my experience. Finally, I hope that this will be the beginning of a new theme in my life and that I will have the opportunity to participate in similar trips in the future. Again, thank you so much for your faithfulness and your friendship. Please feel free to call or email me with any questions or to hear more about the trip!"

- Jon Rankin

Guatemala - Day 6

These last few days have been incredible.  We finished the morning at Manchen and then that afternoon we went shopping in the markets.  Man was that an experience.  What would we have done w/o our translators?!

That night Buckner took us to a fancy restaurant which overlooked the city of Guatemala.  We had our final dinner where we shared our appreciation for our translators and shared how this experience has shaped our lives.  I know and can truly say that this last week has been a life changing experience.  It is obvious to see how all of our kids are different than before.  They all did an incredible job and exceeded all expectations.  I am so proud of them!!

Guatemala - Day 5

The video below is from last Thursday when we visited the all girls home at Manchen in Antigua.

We have been having problems posting videos so I apologize for posting these so late.  We should have another posting showing video from last Friday so stay tuned. 

Guatemala - Day 5

Today we visited an orphanage in a beautiful city called Antigua.  It use to be the old capital of Guatemala until an earthquake happened in the late 1700's.  They even still had many buildings and churches still standing from the 1700's.

Well, the orphanage we went to today was called Manchen.  They had approximately 120 girls with ages ranging from 12 - 18.  It was so heartbreaking to see and hear individual stories.  We saw a 12 year old girl who was pregnant.  We just met a teenage girl who just arrived at this orphanage this past Monday because her mother discarded her.  We met girls who were sold into sex trafficking by their own family members.  We also met a girl who was raped by her dad and so her baby is also her sister.  It was just so sad to see so many beautiful, talented girls who were desperate for love.  

Because we are going back there tomorrow we do not have a video yet.  If you want to see some amazing photos then check out Hailey Moore's blog at http://visionofyou.tumblr.com/.  Just click on any of the 1st 3 pics or the 5th pic to view approx. 100 amazing photos.