In the Guatemala City Airport, June 26, 2010, an armed security guard was examining what looked to him like contraband in the possession of an eleven-member missionary team from Faithbridge Church in Jacksonville, FL. He found the hundreds of individually wrapped pieces of jewelry and watches very suspicious.
The snorting, frowning Guatemalan security official began to confiscate the little prizes and gifts that the missionaries had collected for the girls in the Shadow of His Wings Orphanage in Monjas.
Patricia Shelton, the smallest and oldest member of the team, became very angry and excited over the loss of these special gifts. She countered, “No! No!” She grabbed the packets from the uniformed officer’s hands and tossed them back in the suitcase.
The guard was not used to such passionate resistance. A female officer came over to assist her puzzled and shocked colleague. She grabbed the packets and snorted in agreement. She started to confiscate the “contraband”. This “bling”, she was certain, was for re-sale on the black market.
“No! No!” protested Mrs. Shelton. “Read my shirt. We’re going to the orphanage in Monjas.” Unfortunately her shirt said noting about an orphanage, simply reading, “Team Guatemala”.
Finally, a supervisor arrived to back up his officers. He picked up a wrapped set of earrings and shook his head.
He looked at Mrs. Shelton, frowned and shook his head again. She took the earrings from the supervisor’s hand and put them back into the suit case. Again making herself clear, “No! No!” At this point Michael Callahan, a team member faithfully decided, “If Mrs. Shelton goes down, I’m going with her.” In short order it had gotten tense. The officers were enforcing the rules, while Mrs. Shelton was leading the team in the greater commandment of love and God’s concern for the poor.
She spoke slowly, in a patronizing attempt to penetrate non-English ears, “No. No. For orphan girls. Gifts for little girls.” Again she pointed to her shirt which she discovered later added no points to her case, and repeated, “For the orphans.”
He looked at her. Took her measure. Waved his arms in a gesture that signaled, “Let them go.” The team rejoiced to discover the adamancy of a little old 80-year old woman can, in the embrace of divine providence, overcome the official protocols for border control.
And so, began Team Guatemala 2010’s first day on mission.
After a short trip from Guatemala City to Monjas, Jalapa in the Guatemalan interior, the Faithbridge team found a rural scene rich in panoramic vistas of mountains, volcanoes, farms and valleys. The old growth forest and the plethora of greenery in this mountain setting gave some respite from the tropical heat. Although it was midsummer the weather was tolerable and at times the evening offered a coolness appropriate for a light jacket.
Nevertheless, soul-winning treks to neighboring communities around Monjas often meant long hikes over rough, narrow trails. This required good health, strong legs and plenty of water and at times a good sense of humor.
Ancient Guatemala was chiefly a Mayan civilization until the Spanish began colonizing in the early 16th Century. It was one of the most advanced cultures in antiquity and is still an attraction for archaeologists and visitors who are drawn to historic sites and Mayan pyramids.
Until very recent times the typical Guatemalan native never experienced a government that respected human rights. From the autocracy of the Mayan Empire to the repressive political and economic hegemony of the Spanish to a long series of dictators beginning in 1821 when it became independent from Spain, the indigenous peoples have been oppressed. Even the United Fruit Company (renamed Chiquita Brands International) underwrote severe governments in exchange for a monopoly in the export of agricultural goods.
As a result of her troubled history the Guatemalan population is one of the poorest in Latin America, with nearly 60% of the population living below the poverty line.
This county has 14 million people and 5 million live in and around the capital, Guatemala City. Jalapa where Monjas is located is much more sparsely populated with 390,500 in the whole region.
Corey Wolf, a veteran missionary, based his team of eleven in a girls’ orphanage called Shadow of His Wings Orphanage. After many months of preparation meetings and collections of clothing, school supplies, watches, "bling" (individually wrapped jewelry), board games, jump ropes, underwear, crayons and face paint they arrived on June 26, 2010. Pat Shelton, who turned 8o on this mission, states the orphanage is "for thrown away girls, many who never sat at a table or used a fork or spoon. Some of the 75 girls who reside there are children of murdered parents, or were found begging on the streets or even rescued from the sex trade."
The evangelical effort was divided into three thrusts. First, they ministered to the girls with friendship, gifts, training in practical skills like cooking and needle work and the strength and exhortation of the team members' testimony. Second, they went on soul winning excursions into Monjas and neighboring communities distributing tracts, Spanish Bibles and sharing the Gospel message. Third, Mrs. Shelton organized crocheting classes for local women who would come in and learn to make purses and clothing.
Within a year Christie Callahan was able to report that some of these women were not only making practical use of the large supply of yarn that was left as a gift but that they had set up a shop where they were actually selling some of their creations.
Although the grandeur of Guatemala was nearly overwhelming the team all agreed the real beauty they came away with was the loving souls of the people they encountered, particularly the way so many embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Corey Wolf plans to continue these missions trips to Monjas and other mission fields as well and welcomes any interested parties to contact him at 904-743-5799. He welcomes both those who will go with him and those who will send them with their contributions. For further information on the orphanage you can go to the web site: www.shadowofhiswingsorphanage.org.
Louis Templeman
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