Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Break Dancing in Guatemala

Not so sure this was one of my finer moments in the country... but fun, just the same! 

Monday, January 12, 2009

I'm starting to get really sad...


Today is Day 10 and I leave in 2 days.  As MUCH as I miss my precious D and kiddos (and, I DO miss them terribly), I am really sad about leaving Guatemala.  Really.  Really.  Sad.  

My heart is definitely here in a big way.  Please pray as I finish up my time in country, with the people and ministries, telling their stories, and spending sweet and quality time with my new friends on our “A-Team”.  I’m in such great community and the Lord has blessed me with some amazing new friendships.  


Here was my blog today on the  www.athentikos.com/wordpress site.



MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2009

“ON THEIR BEHALF”

We spent all day with Mayra in Cuidad Vieja (a few miles outside of Antigua). She has a feeding program for the children left behind while parents go to work… and, she is also starting a school next month. An amazing woman and family, serving the little ones in her community.

Cuidad Vieja
 
Mayra
 
The house for the feeding program, “On Their Behalf” that Mayra started with her 71 year old mother.
 
The arts and crafts room.
 

So much love comes from so little.
I’m humbled and blessed from our day today.

Kristin



We travel back to Guatemala City tomorrow, to an orphanage called Casa Bernabe.  

Buenos Noches Amigos,

Kristin

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Day of Rest


We arrived in Antigua last night and went out for dinner.  After dinner we had a little “fiesta” of our own  :-) ...eating, dancing, and laughing way into the night.



My new precious friends... Amy, Kayla, and Mary.

I love Antigua!  It’s my favorite city in the world... my words can’t do it justice.  Today, I will be shopping, exploring and spending sweet time with Cindy Greene.  I can’t wait to see her!!!  I’m so excited!  I’ll post more later... the city awaits...


Here is a blog entry by my friend Stephen “Major”:


We wrapped our shoot in Guatemala City yesterday and headed to Antigua. Antigua is a beautiful city. One could get lost in the beauty of the cobble stone streets, the Spanish architecture, the splashes of color each building has to offer and pleasant faces that greet you. Roughly fourty five minutes from Guatemala City is this peaceful oasis nestled under the shadow of three volcanoes. The visual beauty is left dead when trying to describe it with words. So I will include a few photos. Here is one we were greeted to yesterday at sunset. What an amazing God we serve.


This morning I awoke to someone in the hotel cleaning and playing loud music. Theres nothing like Spanish Pop to get you out of bed. Since it was 6:45 I thought I might as well get up and see what this city has to offer today. Its our day off. I have been walking the streets and meeting some interesting people. There was an old beggar lady who stopped me and asked for money. She couldnt have been more than four feet tall. When I said to her, No Gracias, she hit me on the leg and kept walking. I chuckled at her assertiveness, and should have given her something for her boldness. I then met this nice gentleman, Hosea, who told me about the city. Between his broken English and my broken Spanish we had a nice conversation and he pointed me in the direction of the market and told me how long it would take to hike up the volcanoes.

I am now sitting in a cafe in the town center enjoying some coffee and listening to Sigur Ros. I needed some time for myself and with God this morning. Prayer time this morning brought a peaceful security as I walked the streets of this foreign city. There’s nothing like milling around the inner thoughts, frustrations and joys with your best friend and then just walking and listening to him.


Today is our day off. By mid week our team of eighteen will be reduced to about seven. Some unfortunately have to leave us. We have a lot of work to do here this week but we have worked hard and last night we went to a great restaurant where we ate and then danced. Here are our dancing partners. And yes, I have video of most all of it.


Peace,

Major



You can click on  the pics to see more from Flickr.

Buenas Dias,

K

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Day 4 Pics

Setting up a shot.  My role was the “script supervisor” today.







“Love, Peace and Rock and Roll”  :-)






My roomies... Ericha and Kayla










For Emma and Mac... boys playing with the cars




Ho, Ho, Ho!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Trash to Treasure

The following is something I wrote tonight for our Athentikos blog:



Day 3: Today we had our production meeting in the morning and then we split up into our two teams.

Team 1 started off with an amazing interview with Joel Van Dyke (Latin America Director of Center for Transforming Mission). Joel did a beautiful job of summarizing all the different ministries we are filming… as well as, paint a picture of what Athentikos is all about. Once finished with Joel, Team 1 was on to film the interview with Tita. Tita is the Director of the “Little School” (a before/after school program) in LaLimonda. She shared from her heart and everyone present was deeply moved by her life of mercy and service.

Team 2 began today by shooting more b-roll film of the “life in the dump”… scenes from the “scavengers” entering the dump in the morning for a full days work. From there, we went to a neighborhood near the dump to find and shoot film of the “Doll Lady”. A woman who makes her living scavenging through the dump for doll parts. She pieces the dolls together limb by limb, washes them, puts on new clothes and sells them.

The discarded trash becoming new life.

Both teams saw this today… and, it is Beautiful!

Buenos Noches,
Kristin Vanzant

See pictures from today on Flicker.”



I know we are having technical issues with the comments (thanks Sarah!) ... you can also leave comments on ourAthentikos Blog and Flicker photos.  You know, just to “feed my addiction”.  :-)


Here are some more personal pics from my day... still unable to fully process everything I’m seeing into words.  Enjoy!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


He is not safe but He is good.

Love you all,

K

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Athentikos Blog

Between making sure our Athentikos blog has been updated and downloading pics, updating facebook and sending out mass emails... I have had no time for this little blog.  And, I am so sorry.  Honestly, I am so tired that nothing I write would make sense anyway (it is 1:00 am now, there’s 3 of us still awake and breakfast is at 7:30 am).


All that to say.... follow our trip blog daily and when I get some free time I will post a more personal blog here.


Also.... if you are new to the blogging world, your comments are like “crack” cocaine for us on the other side of the computer.  :-)  I love comments!  So, leave them here (or there) if you wish.



I took the pic above while in the Guatemala City dump today.  Hope in the midst of hopelessness.  Life in the middle of death.


I will post more pics soon.  Promise.


Goodnight in (and from) Guatemala,

K


Have I mentioned that I LOVE this country?!?!?

It breaks my heart and awakens it... all at the same time.