Fuego

Most of you have probably heard through news, word of mouth, social media updates, others’ blog entries, or read personal stories, so I am a little late to be sharing this news for the first time. Volcán Fuego (“Fire Volcano”) had an explosion almost 2 weeks ago, Sunday, June 3rd. I was in Antigua at the time with a few girls volunteering at a hospital for malnourished babies. We heard it raining with a big thundercloud overhead, and walked out to the car, surprising ourselves that we weren’t wet. It wasn’t rain. It was volcanic ash and a smoke cloud, at 1 in the afternoon.

We made our way out of Antigua and stopped for a few minutes in the next town over to grab lunch to-go before heading back to the orphanage. Men were outside using brooms, sweeping up piles of black dust only to watch it cover the ground again. Gas stations were packed with at least 3 cars behind each fuel pump waiting for their turn to spray down their dirty windows. Parking lots and stores were crowded, with everyone in emergency mode, grabbing everything they may need, like most people know of as hurricane/tornado/snow storm preparation, depending on the location. Two pizzas that should’ve taken 3 minutes to order and pick up took us about 20 minutes, with everyone else trying to get lunch while they could!

The orphanage sits 16 miles away from the volcano, so all of the cars, roofs, and grounds were covered in black dust. Schools were canceled for the next 3 days. Kids stayed inside their houses as much as possible not to breathe all the bad smoke and ashes into their lungs. Some of us were more thankful that they didn’t have school than others. I got to assist in worship and art therapy for a few of the afternoons, as well as participate in dances and skits for our chapel service that Wednesday morning.

I took the role of a mother with a sick baby. I was down on my knees crying, as the baby doll coughed in my arms. Jesus, another missionary, grabbed a few kids (12) from the crowd to help be His disciples. They walked through the chapel helping those in need, like a dying old man, a widowed mother, or a sick baby. I think this was the perfect week for this type of message, knowing that at least 100 died, many more are still missing, 1000+ lost most of their (already limited) belongings, and 1000s of farm acres destroyed (that several thousand families rely on for food and/or employment) due to the volcano explosion.

May 31, I flew back into Guatemala from visiting in Florida for two weeks. As I was waiting for my ride to pick me up, I notice two girls, about the ages of 7 and 10. They were 40 feet to my right looking down into a fly-covered trashcan. I’ve never seen so much excitement in ones eyes when finding a crushed soda can, reaching all the way to the bottom to pick it up. Maybe they earned a few coins for recycling. Or they are going to make something with it to sell to an American looking for a last minute souvenir. That’s what they have to do to survive. It tore my heart, and still picturing it, I don’t want to think about where those girls and many more like them might be now post-explosion.

While the rain helps wash away most of the volcanic ash from the grounds, it also clogs the drains and makes those who really need assistance even that much more unreachable, creating rough rivers and streams in the roads. It’s amazing to see and hear of the work that is being done by Guatemalans for Guatemalans. I am proud to be a part of this nation and get to witness so many people coming together for one cause.

We didn’t face near as many consequences of the volcano explosion. No rocks coming down on us, lack of clean air to breath, or the shelter overhead being taken over in ashes. All we had to struggle with was a few days of wearing masks over our mouths anytime we decided to leave the building. The kids, staff, and volunteers are all safe at Casa Shalom. But they’re not too sure about their family and friends who were closer to the volcano. We give thanks to the many sponsors, friends, family members, and caretakers for sending us message after message through email, social media, text, and call checking in to see that we are all safe and ok.

We are continuing to keep all of those in prayer for those who are still struggling after the volcano, for those who still have family missing, those who have lost loved ones due to the smoke/ash or the after effects, and those who are making their way into those dangerous environments risking their lives to save others. From the disaster that was the Volcán Fuego, we don’t forget to acknowledge the fuego(fire) in our hearts to gather as a team and see the good that God brought from this situation. Community. Togetherness. Preparation for the future. Lives made new. The realization that there are so many in Guatemala, the US, and around the world that are praying for the best for Guatemala and it’s people. Thank you to each of you who have shown your support in this explosion. We appreciate each and every one who have prayed for us and enabled us to financially help those who need it most. He is with us through each and every storm (or volcano) that comes our way!