Author Archives: Carroll

Kidnapped

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Arriving at CAG (Christian Academy of Guatemala) early one morning, I felt the sense of urgency when the principal told me that the staff would meet in front of the office. I wondered at this out-of-the-ordinary request when students were already in the school building. A coldness gripped my heart when I heard the word kidnapped. The coldness intensified when I learned that one of my students had been kidnapped that morning. With few details and fighting tears, I brace myself for my students. I had never thought of such a thing happening, and I certainly didn’t have any training for such a crises. My mother’s heart felt pierced. I called out to God for help and wisdom. Lord I need the right words to say, and help me not to provoke more fear in the hearts of these children. Help me to remain calm and be a source of comfort. Keep me from falling apart.

Soft sobs and long faces surrounded me in the classroom. “Children, this a time when the power of prayer goes into action.” No further words were necessary as everyone went before the Lord requesting the protection and rescue of Linda*.

Linda lived with her family, in the country, a short distance from a village near San Cristobal. I later learned that her father, sisters, a friend, and she left for school as they had daily for many months before this. But this day was different. Armed men stopped the car a few miles from their home. One man shot a tire to keep the father from returning home for help. Then another grabbed Linda and shoved her into their own vehicle. They kidnapped her with the plans to get ransom money. Even though the tire had been shot, it didn’t go flat until the family reached the house. The father rushed home and called the US Embassy. Within minutes, that task force went into operation.

We continued to pray in our classroom for the protection and covering of this young girl. We serve a God who wants to protect us, and there are many places in the Bible that show He is our refuge. We declared these Scriptures for Linda and her family. We prayed that they would find a calmness in knowing who God is and that He had Linda in the palm of His hand.

I will conclude the story about Linda in the next post, but I have a question. Have you had your trust and faith stretched during a crises or even during a hard situation that life seems to deal out at times? Our testimonies are an encouragement to one another. We never know when we may be caught up in a difficult time and then remember the words someone shared—the exact words that we needed for the moment.
*Name has been changed.

Meeting With Royalty

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Scan 4.1Occasions pop up in life that surprise you and add to the special memory library tucked away in your heart. The sixth-grade class and I experienced one of those times. Through a missionary friend, a possibility developed for us to meet the president of Guatemala and his wife. My mind asked a myriad of questions. Would he receive us? What would the security process be for us? Could we even get close to him? After my initial reaction, we began to make plans to meet with President Alvaro Arzu and his wife, Patricia, at the Artisans’ Market.

President Arzu presented himself as being dedicated to public service and visited the market to encourage and endorse the hand-crafters and vendors. I couldn’t imagine us getting very close to him, but we had to go. This situation fit into our study of current events, and it was important for the class to see the man who presided over Guatemala.

Being a typical teacher, I researched about the president and found out that he was born the same month and year as me. (I won’t tell you how old we are .) Arzu took the office of mayor over Guatemala City for a term and then, in 1996, he became the 32nd president of the Republic of Guatemala for one term. He is known for helping to bring an end to the long civil war that ravaged Guatemala. After his presidency, Arzu appeared to have the favor of the majority of people, who voted for him as mayor, over Guatemala City, four more times. He continues to serves in this position at the present time.

On the day of market, we headed out. “Hey kids, listen up. I don’t know if we can take pictures or not, so wait until we have permission before you use your cameras. Stay close to me and be obedient to what the security guards say.” I had no clue what to expect. My only comparison were televised events with US presidents. In that scenario there would be a lot of security and media, with common people lost in the background. But a surprise awaited me.

The kids, chaperones, and I entered the market area, abounding with beautiful handcrafted items. Displays of textiles, ceramics, jewelry, and coffee filled the market. The kids went from one place to another looking at the array of items for sale. The crowds were sparse, but we spotted the place the media had set up for the president. I looked for the dogs and the security guards and didn’t see anybody that looked the part.

Scan 4.2We talked about the handicrafts, and the importance of the income for the families and the country. The items displayed were traditional in style, color, and usage, a representation of the different tribes in Guatemala. We suddenly noticed a commotion by the gate, and in came security men, in their dark suits, around the president and his wife. I could hear the students’ whispers that went from, “Wow” to “It’s really the president.”

Because of the small crowd, we stood right up in front of President Arzu as he gave his speech of endorsement. Afterwards, we received permission to talk to the president and his wife. We took full advantage of it and were allowed to take pictures. Both the president and his wife asked the kids questions about themselves and the school. We all felt a peacefulness over the whole setting. We never dreamed we would meet with royalty, and that day became a topic of conversation for a long time. My students glowed when they saw themselves on the news that night with the man who presided over Guatemala.

The Artisans’ Market is right by the entrance to the La Aurora Airport. It’s one of my favorite places to go when I want to purchase typical items. For any of you visitors, it is a must-see. You won’t be disappointed.

The Passion of Love In Action

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Scan 3.1A custodian, who worked at the school I taught at in Guatemala, impressed me greatly with his kindness and dedication to his work. I learned that he pastored a small church, Friends Church, in a village a short distance across the river from a volcano. Fuego, an active volcano, periodically spews ash and at times, lava, and this little community sees some of the fallout. Pastor Pablo* and I only greeted and smiled at each other because of my lack of Spanish. From talking to other staff members, I found out how this pastor showed his commitment to his job position. From his home in a little village called Altotenango, Pastor Pablo traveled close to one and a half hours by chicken bus —one way. He faithfully made this trip daily, five days a week. He rarely missed work or arrived late.

Not only did I see a specially dedicated man of God, but so did others. At the beginning of December, the sixth-through tenth-grade classes made plans to bring a Christmas celebration to the children in Pastor Pablo’s church. Plans were made, gifts were collected, and treats and games were put together. One cool, windy day, we all loaded up into five vans. One of the vans broke down just a few miles from San Cristobal, but that didn’t put a damper on the enthusiasm. Everyone crammed into the four vans, and off we went.

When we entered the village, we found ourselves in the middle of a village parade. Our caravan blended right into it. The students acted like celebrities, laughed, and took advantage of the situation, as they waved to the people lined up and down the street. It looked like this had been planned, but that was not the case. When we reached Friends Church, everyone pitched in to carry our cargo up a steep incline to the property. Close to three-hundred children and their families waited for us. A ripple of excitement flowed through the crowd, and all eyes followed the CAG students as they entered the church structure. (This church consisted of posts and flat-tin roof with open sides and a dirt floor.)Scan 3.2

Our students went into immediate action with a full program. Some of the musical students led praise and worship songs. Others performed skits with puppets and shared Scripture about the birth of Christ. I observed children who had never watched a video before, with their eyes glued to the TV screen. Their saucer-sized eyes got even bigger at the conclusion when they received a small gift, a sack of goodies, and a sweatshirt. My students took charge of sweatshirt distribution, because one of my student’s family donated all of them from their factory. Not knowing how many of each size were needed, I’m sure some of the small children ended up with sweatshirt nightgowns.These kids absorbed every minute of the joy and happiness initiated by this new experience.

At times, I would glance over at Pastor Pablo and see tears running down his face. He loved his people. Seeing them being treated with such love brought him humbly to his knees. I could hear him say over and over, “Gracias Dios.” We prepared to leave and his million “graciases” followed us.

I saw another door of opportunity for evangelism open wide. This church became the next big missions project, with the help of some great friends and missionary kids. In the photo you can see a huge rock in part of the church structure. CAG teenagers chipped that rock out of there the old fashioned way, using picks, shovels, and brawn. It took them hours, but they succeeded. In time, walls were for the structure, a concrete floor poured, and a new roof added. I don’t think Pastor Pablo ever totally recovered from the flood of blessings that came his way. I believe the blessings came from the hand of God because of his faithfulness to God and to his people in the church. Once again, the missionary kids showed their passion in action. Isn’t it wonderful to see the love of God flow through some and spill all over others?

*Name has been changed.

Determined Success

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Teachers spend many hours with their students and get caught up in their personal lives, as well as the academic. This happened to me many times and these intense situations needed a lot of extra attention. One instance happened when the principal of Christian Academy of Guatemala came to me with a concern for a young Korean girl who had been held back a grade because she didn’t understand much English. He brought her standard test scores, and they showed that she excelled in everything except English. I could empathize with her, knowing how I felt in a Spanish environment, with a limited ability to comprehend what I heard around me.

The Lord is faithful and after talking with the principal and Sue’s* parents, we decided that Sue would begin sixth grade with my class. The parents would continue to have tutors help her with each subject area. On the first day of class, this timid student sat quietly in her desk with eyes full of expectation, while all of the other students were bouncing off the walls with excitement. Sue took her education plan seriously. She knew she had to learn an array of subjects and lacked the ability to comprehend all that I taught to the class. My heart burst with admiration, and I saw her as a role model for me when I faced obstacles in my life.

Sue had attended CAG for two years so had some comprehension of English, but she understood Spanish better because her family ministered in the Spanish community. She knew many words in English, but didn’t know how to use them or understand them when someone spoke to her. I knew I had my work cut out for me. I talked to her teacher, from the year before, and she assured me of this child’s intelligence and deep desire to learn. “Could I make a difference in her education when I couldn’t speak Spanish or Korean?” Lord, I need some wisdom and insight as to what your plan is for this child.

I offered to work extra time with her during my prep, as part of the plan. In the beginning, I could hardly hear her respond when she answered a question or had a comment. Out of her shyness, she would look and whisper to the floor. I met with her privately, on a daily basis, and as the days of tutoring passed by, Sue became bolder and showed a confidence I hadn’t seen before. She demonstrated her intelligence, many times, in the fast rate it took her to grab a concept or learn how to use English words. Within a few weeks, she sat up straight and tall in her desk, with a grand smile on her lips, and made eye contact with whomever she was speaking to.

Later, in the school year, Sue became sick. It became stressful for all of us, to see someone we had grown to love start fading away. We prayed every day for her, and then the day came when we heard that she had gone back to Korea. My heart hurt deeply for her when I looked back over the positive changes that had taken place since the first day of my class. With a determination to succeed, she held some of the highest grades in the whole class. She joined in with laughter and jokes, adding to the personality of the class. I had trust and faith that God had a plan for her life and out of His faithfulness, He would guide and direct her.

We continued to fast and pray for Sue, believing that her body would be touched with the healing hand of the Lord. About three months into the next school year, Sue surprised us and came to school in full health. My heart leaped as I saw this beautiful girl with clear, bright eyes and a full smile. Our prayers had been answered, and Sue said she wanted to come back to “this” school. We all rejoiced because we saw the faithful Lord’s hand working in her life.

I think of how important it is to give all we have and then some when we face our personal obstacles. Many times our fears keep us from taking the bold stand that I saw Sue take. Yet, the Bible says that when we have done all we can to stand, we just need to stand firm and the Lord will move in with help. That’s what Sue did when she determined success in her life.

*Name has been changed.