Guatemala - Day 4

Let me start this post by saying...boy, am I glad I don't have to drive in Guatemala!!! Our bus driver, bless his heart, scares the mess outta me! LOL Traffic here is nuts...it's the worst I've ever seen! It's so common here to literally run up the bumper of the person in front of you. People walk all in between the cars and buses...for real, like interstate traffic and there will be people in between the lanes! Motorcycles just drive in between the lanes of traffic. The cars and buses cut each other off like there's no tomorrow. Horns honkin' all the time, yet they all remain calm...no road rage! LOL It's seriously crazy...I don't know how they don't have wrecks all the time...but they don't. WHEW :) Oh and another thing, everything here measured in KMs (kilometers) so it's funny to see our bus's speedometer maxes out at 160...LOL! Gas here is $31.99...of course that is in Guatemalan money and it is sold in liters not gallons...but still funny to see on the signs! One of our dollars is worth almost $7.50 here. Crazy!

Well, today was an adventure! After breakfast we loaded the buses and headed out to another community. We started out ministering in La Esperanza - Villa Nueva. We had a wonderful morning and the children were just amazing. They were all so welcoming and loving! They really enjoyed the To Be Loved skit, most of the children thought it was so funny! We got to pray with them and again so many of them wanted their pictures taken so I could show them what they looked like on my camera. It was precious! After ministry we were able to shop some crafts that were made by the local ladies, it was neat to be able to support the local village. They were so appreciative of the team coming to minister, it was just awesome!
When we left the village, we headed to McDonald's for lunch. We were treated to Quarter Pounders and fries along with a hot queso pie...I had never heard of such but it is basically our hot apple pie except its like a cheesecake filling instead of fruit and its still fried instead of baked. They were really good! ;) It was sort of funny because at one point we realized we sitting in Guatemala eating at a McDonalds (across the street from a WalMart) and they were playing Taylor Swift on the radio! For a minute you forget you are in Guatemala...then you spot the menu board and see its all in Spanish! Hahaha
After lunch we headed out to another village in a very remote part of Villa Nueva (New Village). After traveling a long winding dirt road we wound up in a small community of metal shacks filled with families. As we unloaded the buses a storm began moving in. It was so nasty looking but the team was determined to minister. So we spread our tarp and got started with prayer, asking God to move the storms past us. As the team prayed their prayers turned into worship as they started dancing to Break Loose. The clouds began moving and the sun began to peak through the clouds. But when we started with our first set and the heavens opened up...they persevered even through the pouring rain. Eventually we had to retreat to the buses and cover all the sound equipment. We waited out the storm and when it finally let up we went out and did one last dance then we told the people we would be back Sunday instead. Before we left we handed out snacks and drinks. What was crazy was the people didn't leave during the storm, in fact they kept coming...in the rain! They were desperate to hear God's word! We can't wait to go back Sunday!!!
So back to the hotel we went, soaked to the bone but full of joy from what we had just experienced. After some quick showers and a dry change of clothes we were off to dinner :) then devos and off to bed so we can do it all over again tomorrow! :)
Until then...
Love & Blessings :)

What a journey!

We landed safe and sound in Guatemala on Tuesday around 12:30 local time. We had a little trouble getting through customs with all our bags but eventually we made and our buses arrived to take us to the hotel.
Our rooms are great...most rooms have 5 queen beds in them :) so we all get our own bed this year!
The first night we had dinner and then had an amazing consecration service. It was so powerful and the presence of God was so strong. It was a long day and a late night so everyone was ready for bed when we got done.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast at the hotel. Pancakes and fruit is what was on the menu. After breakfast we loaded the buses and headed 2 hours into the mountains to Village 46 for ministry. The road into the village was so bad that the village women came down to shovel and rake the road so the bus could get through. We had an incredible time and I didn't want to leave. I really loved the children there. So sweet and the kids had a blast playing with them also.
We prayed with so many children and adults, it was very humbling to be there and to pray with those sweet people. After ministry time we headed down to have lunch at a little place in town. We had hamburgers and fries and some great down time to hang out and debrief.
After lunch we headed back into another village for a 2nd ministry time. The mayor even came to watch us. He thanked us and was so happy that we came. I met a little angel named Christopher. He stole my heart! I absolutely wanted to bring him home! He was the sweetest thing and he wanted me to hold him and love on him. He kept taking camera because he wanted photos so he could look at himself. He would just laugh when he would see the camera. He has a heart condition...like a murmur...so he had an odd shaped indentation in his chest. He mom said that he was born with it and he needed heart surgery when he was one but they didn't have the money. The doctors said he wouldn't make to five years old. He is four now! I prayed for him and the team joined me in asking God to heal his heart and make it new! It was funny to me that the little boy who needed a healed heart had the biggest heart in the village. He loved on every one of us and made us all laugh! Just precious!!!
I will never forget him and I will continue to pray for him.
After we left the village the mayor wanted to take us to a new bridge that they built to get to another villages school. It was a walk bridge suspended high above a river. He wouldn't have it any other way than for us to cross that big bridge. LOL! It was pretty scary but we did it and once we did we got to hear the story of how the bridge was replaced and how now they can serve the whole village with school that was previously not accessible for the last 10 years. Then he wanted to take us to see the hot springs where the volcano bubbles. That was pretty neat and he had the kids touch the water so they could feel the temperature. The volcano is always active but hasn't erupted for a long time. The country side is so beautiful here. Lots and lots of big mountains. I have discovered that they can grow corn anywhere...and do I mean anywhere....one place even had it growing along the driveway.
We left the hot springs and headed straight to dinner. After dinner it was time for devos and prayer. It was another long, hot day but such an amazing time.

Day 3 was just as incredible. We went to another village in the city called Villa Neuva. We got to go door to door to invite the children to come watch us. We had such an amazing time at this village and got to pray for so many people. It was just such a cool experience and one I will never forget!

I have posted almost a thousand pictures on Facebook so be sure to visit my page or the PEAK page to see all our adventures.

Off to bed I go...hasta mañana!

Get Ready Guatemala!!!!!!!!!!!

After a 1:30am wake up call, it's 3am and we are on our way to the airport! We have to meet the team at 4am sharp and our flight leaves at 5:30am...after a short layover in Atlanta we should arrive in Guatemala around 11:15am (12:15pm CST).

We are super stoked and can't wait!!!

Until then...
Blessings from The Kennedys :)

Fundraising Update!

Wowzas! Have we been busy!!! SO much going on with the school year ending and PEAK practices and outreaches...The kids have been working so hard getting prepared for this trip and we are super excited about all that God has done :) We are about $1000 away from our goal...and our trip will be paid for!!! We can't even begin to express how thankful we are for each and every one of you that has partnered with us to help us get to Guatemala!!! Y'all are amazing and we are praying above and beyond blessings on all of you :) If you haven't given yet and want to help us get that last $1000 knocked out please visit us at www.GoFundMe.com/FaithOnAMission to donate!

Here some pics of the things that have been happening in the last few weeks...

 

Some papers filled out, pictures taken, birth certificates sent and $525 later...Voila! Passports applied for :)

Our passports finally came and we were so excited to see them in the mail!!!

We all had to get our travel immunizations and prescriptions done, so we put our big girl/big boy panties on and the adults headed down to Global Outreach Clinic for our shots. The kids got to visit their favorite doctor in the whole wide world, Dr Lohse when they went to Brentwood Childrens Clinic for their shots. Next it was onto Allenhill Pharmacy for our typhoid, malaria and trip meds. A dozen bandaids, a couple hours and $700 later we were all vaccinated and ready to travel...so glad that part is over, as you can see we are NOT fans of needles...LOL

 We had some outreaches for Adopt A Block helping to pick up trash, deliver groceries, pray with people and we even got to do Sidewalk Sunday School!

 We did some more fundrasiers...a family yard sale, ChickFilA, McDougals Chicken and of course...CAKE TRUFFLES!!! :)

And we had our church yard sale and as you can see you should always wear sunscreen! Oopsies! Fair skinned girls burn after several hours in the sun..LOL

The team has been performing in our BoomTown Children's Services for the whole month of May...that is always a lot of fun!

So as you can see lots going on and we still have our big outreach night coming up on June 5th in the main sanctuary at church. This is where the kids will get to perform all the dances and dramas that they have been learning for the last several months. It is a chance for them to perform in front of a larger crowd before the trip..which is great practice :) We are very excited about sharing this night with friends and family! I'll post from that night soon.

Until then...

We sent our sponsor letters out last week and starting posting the fundraising page link to our Facebook pages asking for your support! Your donations have begun rolling in and we are so excited to say that we have raised approx. $1500.00 already!!! We are so blessed and honored by your support!!!

Along with your donations, here's what we have done so far:

I am happy to report that we were able to raise $800 from our Cake On A Mission Valentine's Day fundraiser...we worked non-stop for several days to complete all those orders :) We even shipped some of the cake truffles this year! It was a great success!!! We are so thankful for the family and friends that support us and believe in us and this trip!!!
 
Jaeden and Faith sold candy bars and raised $100 toward our goal.

My mom sold one of her purses on Ebay for $50 and gave that toward our goal.

Both kids have been working on some recording projects and so far have raised $150.00 toward the goal!

We also had the PEAK Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at the church and it was a success too :) Each team member will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sales though I am not sure yet what that will be.

We still have a long way to go and we know that there is a lot of work to be done to get to our goal but with your help we know we can reach it! God is faithful and He will bless you beyond measure for sowing into this trip! We believe it!!!

Guatemala Here We Come!!!

The mission trip location for the 2013/2014 team has been announced and we are going to Guatemala!!!

We so excited and scared at the same time! This year's trip will require more fundraising than we have ever done...BUT we know that with YOUR help and GOD'S help we can get there :)

Here is the sponsor letter that we are sending out...

                                                     P.E.A.K. AMBASSADORS
Hello family & friends,
It is with great excitement that we want to let you know about an opportunity for you to partner
with Faith, Jaeden, Kristian & myself as we prepare for a Missions Trip this summer. This year
The Kennedy's are headed to Guatemala with the 2013 P.E.A.K. Team from Oasis Church!!!
Faith & Jaeden were selected again this year to join an extensive discipleship training program at
our church. The program is called P.E.A.K. (Putting Everything Aside for the King) which is for
children 10-12 years old. As a third year member, Faith had to go through auditions and try out
to be on the team. She had to give her personal testimony, dance, act, sing and go through an
interview. As a first year newbie, Jaeden had to do the same. You see, it’s a pretty big deal…
although 30-40 kids try out, only 12-15 kids get chosen each year. They were both so excited
when they got the call that they had BOTH made the 2013 team!!!
Being on the P.E.A.K. Team means a huge commitment, they spend 4-5 hours every Sunday
afternoon at practice/ministry training and about an hour a day doing their devotions, scripture
memorization and bible reading. The program runs from Jan-Oct and it takes a lot of stamina
to learn all the dances and dramas but they love it! We started training this month and will start
localized ministry in a few months BUT the highlight of the year is our Missions Trip. This year
we are headed to Guatemala. We will be visiting some orphanages, villages and doing street
ministry too! Our ministry days will be action packed 8-10 hours days! Last year was such an
amazing & incredible trip and we saw many miracles happen and countless lives changed...each
child became an instrument that God used to minister to the broken. If you followed along on
the blog you saw ministry happen first hand as each day brought us new experiences and new
encounters with people who needed to hear the good news.
This year, Kristian is once again serving as a counselor for the boys team. We each have to raise
approx. $2000 each...that's a total of about $8000...that scares the mess out of me! But I am
trusting and believing God!!! For the past two years we have seen God faithfully provide as each
of you generously gave to help us on our journey. This year, we are confident He will do the
same and we are super excited to see what He is going to do on this trip! We have already begun
fundraising as the first payment of $1000 was due last Sunday....we worked extra hard and the
kids were able to raise $100 from selling candy bars at school; we raised an incredible $800 from
selling our famous cake truffles for Valentine's Day and Jaeden earned $100 from recording a
kids musical. We were able to make that first payment with these funds, which was a huge
blessing!!!
This Saturday we will participate in a group pancake breakfast, we also have a yard sale planned
and the team will be selling candy bars in front of Sam's Club on a Saturday in March, so we
will earn a portion of those proceeds as well. As you can see, we are all working very hard to
raise our needed funds but we still need your help! If you believe in making a difference in the
lives of others please consider partnering with us to help make this trip possible. Your generous
donation is making it possible for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those hurting and
searching for Him! There are several convenient ways that you can give, see the attached
donation options list for the method that fits you best.
I will be blogging about the trip again this year as we walk out this journey so that you can
follow along from the comfort of your own home. I will be updating as things happen between
now and the time we leave, as well as while we are on the trip. You can follow us online
at www.faithonamission.blogspot.com
Please keep us in your prayers both before and during our trip. We are asking for prayer
specifically as we will again be starting a 21 day fast before the trip. We are asking that you pray
for safety during our travel, for souls to be saved and lives to be touched, for God to be made
real to people and for good health for our entire team. We would be honored should you choose
to participate. If you have any questions please let me know…I cannot thank you enough for
supporting us as we step out in faith on this amazing journey!
Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!
Love & Blessings,
Kristian, Angel, Faith & Jaeden Kennedy

You can give at www.GoFundMe.com/FaithOnAMission
Track our fundraising progress and give instantly
OR
Via Oasis Church at www.OasisChurch.tv click online giving, give as guest then type
donation amount in the "PEAK TEAM" box and "KENNEDYS" in the "PEAK
TEAM MEMBER" box

2013 P.E.A.K. Team Announced

We are super excited to announce that both Faith and Jaeden were chosen for this year's PEAK Team :) Kristian will again be a counselor for the boy's team as well. More info to come but it looks like we will be headed to Guatemala in 2013!!! SUPER EXCITED!!!