Saturday ended up being a very emotional day for me. When we decided to be a part of this mission trip I had no idea how I would be effected. For the most part Saturday morning was really laid back. After breakfast we headed to the church to be available to do one-0n-one sessions. We knew that due to work schedules not a lot of people had signed up, so we weren't sure what to expect. Since this was the first time we had been out to the church during day light we enjoyed getting to look around the property. There was also time for Magda to tell us about the kidnapping of their daughter and how they we able to use that event to testify about the power of prayer and how great God is. Mike and I are relatively new to Nashville/Otter Creek so we did not know anything about their story. If you ever get the chance to hear the Shermans speak about their experience(s) in Guatemala you will truly be blessed by what they have to say.
After Magada was finished talking with us, one of the male members of the church asked if we would sit with him and help him with his personal budget. Cayce headed up the session with Magda as the translator while Montayne and I sat in on the session. Who knew that a 45 minute session on money would have me in tears. This was truly a story of someone who trusts in the Lord and was not willing to sacrifice some of his monthly tithe in order to pay off his debt faster. He told us that "everything he has is from the Lord, so how can he take away from someone who has given him so much"
You always hear about the poor countries. Sometimes you get to see how the less fortunate live. But it is rare to actually sit down with someone and see their detailed monthly budget. This situation was heartbreaking in so many different ways. It makes us really appreciate what the Lord has blessed us with and it also made Mike and I reassess how we spend our money. It was very difficult to come back to a country where people tend to be so irresponsible with their money after being in a country where most people have so little.
The Church
After we were finished with our one-on-ones we went to grab a bite to eat before starting the Saturday night seminar. This portion of the seminar was similar to the Friday night portion. We had a 1 hour class, dinner, and then the final 2 hour class. As you can see from the picture below the Saturday seminar was a little smaller than the Friday, but we still very happy with the turn out.
Saturday Seminar
Church Kiddos
After the seminar was finished there were still families hanging around to work on their personal family budgets. To pass time everyone started playing Tic-Tac-Toe. Who would have thought that a bunch of people in their 20's and 30's would have enjoyed writing X's and O's on a board.
Tic-Tac-Toe
Once we had wrapped everything up at the church and the last of the families had gone, the group grabbed a bite to and headed to bed.
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