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Showing posts from June, 2012

Guatemala Family Team- Days 1-2

After our day of travel, we arrived safely in Guatemala! Yesterday, we were able to sort our supplies and prepare for the week ahead. We were so thankful to arrive safe and sound. We appreciate everyone's prayers and would love for you to keep praying! Today, we woke up and were able to go to Casita Adonai to do some work projects. We successfully completed the painting in two classrooms, prepared the bottle for planting projects next week, and starting our sewing projects as well! Despite all the rain, we had a great day and were so grateful for the opportunity to begin to serve the community. Last but not least, we were able to celebrate Taylor's 15th birthday and enjoy some great birthday cake. Feliz cumpleanos a Taylor! Please continue to pray for our team's health and safety. We would also appreciate if you would join us in prayer for our host, Demli. She is still very sick and seeing the doctor daily. Please pray for encouragement, rest, and health for her. Buen

carolinespromiseblog's photostream

carolinespromiseblog's photostream on Flickr. Family Team Saturday

Christ Wesleyan Team Headed to Guyana

We are excited to partner with Christ Wesleyan Church from Winston-Salem, NC to minister to orphans and vulnerable children in Guyana, South America.  Several on this team have served with us in Guyana in the past and are excited to return, this time taking friends and their new Pastor.  They will join full time missionary, Angie Hemric and CP Intern, Amber Gravley.  Their focus will be to improve the area where our PAL tutoring sessions are held, work with the local church in Guyana to reach out the community, and share Jesus with the kids and families of Plastic City.  Check back for updates and please join us in praying for this team

Would You Be Ashamed?

From Amber - Guyana intern  Would You Be Ashamed? That’s a question a 13 year old asked me on Wednesday at PAL. We were using a dictionary to look up the continent and equator when Lily began to softly cry. I asked her what was wrong and she could only shake her head in silence.  I gave her some space as the others graciously continued working around her.  Her silence was broken a long while later as the children transitioned to practice a skit from the book Billy Goat Gruff.                                          As others rehearsed, Lily came to sit close to me on the step.  “Miss Amber,” she asked, “Would you be ashamed if you couldn’t read?”  She was broken.  I had to fight back tears of my own as I looked her in the eye.  “No, I would not be ashamed,” I said, “but, if I knew I was struggling I would ask for help.”  Lily has only been coming to PAL four weeks.  And as I continue to reflect on this situation there are so many things that I still can’t believe took plac

Happy Birthday Caroline!

Nine years ago today David and I were in Guatemala, returning to the city from a week of ministry at Lake Atitlan.  I knew that we were close to a referral of a baby girl from Guatemala and that Friday I could not get her birth mother off my mind.  My heart broke for this woman I did not know yet, understanding that she was probably close to delivery.  All I knew that day was that God was asking me to pray for her. Several days later after we had returned home we received the call from our adoption agency that our baby girl had been born!  When David asked "what day?" he was not surprised to learn that it had been that Friday, the day that we spent on that bus. We have always shared this story with Caroline as a testimony to God's timing.  He knew that she was our daughter and he had us IN Guatemala on the day she was born! That was nine years ago and we can't imagine life without her.   Today she will spend her birthday, celebrating in her beautiful birth cou

Wilson Team - on the ground in Guatemala

What pure joy it has been to be a part of the very first missions team from Wilson Community Church!  I'm so thankful that the Lord has allowed Caroline's Promise the opportunity to share this experience with them.  In just a few days, these men and women  have their eyes opened, hearts broken and spirits set on fire with a passion for the work God is doing here in Guatemala City.  In just 2 days, this team has painted classrooms and worked on lighting at Casita Adonai, shared testimonies and helped with children's ministry at church and worked alongside local youth workers from Iglesia Adonai to minister to children at Herona (a church plant of Iglesia Adonai).  Those are all wonderful accomplishments, to be sure.  But the greater accomplishments, I believe, have been the things that cannot really be quantified, qualified or checked off a list.   These are the accomplishments of the Holy Spirit in each one of our lives.  For example, one woman has shared that she

carolinespromiseblog's photostream

carolinespromiseblog's photostream on Flickr.

Guyana Bible Society Visit

On Friday fifty children crammed up on six benches and overflowed on the steps as Guyana Bible Society came to visit PAL.  This is the second year they have partnered with Vreedenhoop Wesleyan (partner church) to distribute backpacks to 50 school children.  However this year was a little different from last year. The first difference was the unexpected, but celebrated, arrival of six adults who came to support their children and genuinely show their appreciation  to us for caring so much for their children. The second difference was the participation of our PAL leaders in all the events of the day.  The big event was taking the book Billy Goat Gruff and developing lines to create a skit from the book.  This two-week project with Amber had its debut and will have an encore performance at our upcoming community day. The third difference was engaging our own local people as song leaders and distribution of backpacks and snacks to all the children. The final difference was

First Summer Team Headed To Guatemala!

This morning our first short term team of the summer boarded a plane to Guatemala.  We are thrilled to be partnering with Wilson Community Church in Wilson, NC as they embark on their first mission trip!  This outreach focused church has done plenty of mission work in their community.  For several years their pastor and members of the congregation have dreamed of serving in another country.  When they contacted Caroline's Promise and asked if we could take them we said "YES!!".  We are blessed to have Caroline's Promise Board Member, Tami Rumfelt leading this team. Our prayer is that their experience and the training they receive from Caroline's Promise will prepare them for years of international missions. Thank you Pastor Gary and team for allowing us to be a part of your first trip! You can see pictures of their commissioning service and hear a special song written just for their team here .

Education For Life

10 +1=? That is a question that a 10 year old child in Plastic City cannot answer.  On Thursday, I had the privilege of going to dinner with one of the pastors from Vreed-en-hoop Wesleyan Church. He teaches at a secondary (middle) school here, and his wife is a professor in the Educational program at the University of Guyana. His wife Corrine, was telling me about the educational system in Guyana. I walked away from that dinner overwhelmed, but also more sure of what the Lord wants with my life. In the States we have the “No Child Left Behind” program; Guyana used to have that, but in the past ten years, their educational system has changed. Now in Guyana, if you don’t pass your end-of-year test, you still pass the class!  In my opinion, that is why I find a ten year old who doesn’t know what 10 + 1 equals. It breaks my heart.  Teachers here teach for the test. They write math problems on the board, (and in this particular child’s class) the teacher gives the child