Ciao Peru!!!

Feeling Tired??

We Are!

Our last week in Peru has been wonderful, but after a month of loving on kids and moms, we are ready for a good night’s sleep! We spent our final week working with a great church team from Indiana. Our mornings were spent in a home for teen girls and their babies and our afternoons in a children’s home, with 100+ kids ranging from 4-18 years. I think God got a good laugh watching us play/trying –to- keep- the kids- from -killing -each other during VBS (let’s just say that they are a little wild!) On our last day, we took them ALL (yes, all 120) to the movies. They LOVED it! I will never forget having three kids snuggled in my lap as they fed me popcorn! We also had a pizza party at the teen mom’s home; for one of the girls, it was her first time to eat pizza! We also made tie-dye shirts with them, as you can see below:

And back for a final appearance by popular demand…………………
The Top Ten Reasons We Love Peru

1. Only in Peru can you order guinea pig, octopus, cow heart, alpaca and goat all in one restaurant.
2. Only in Peru do you get whistled at walking down the street in the jeans you’ve been wearing for a week and your smelly, stained sweatshirt.
3. Only in Peru is there a 50% chance that there will be a toilet seat.
4. Only In Peru are they stingy with their napkins and toilet paper (Let’s just say you better look before you go into the bathroom and it’s too late!)
5. Only In Peru is your Kleenex black after you blow your nose.
6. Only in Peru can you find Chifa (Chinese) restaurants on every corner.
7. Only in Peru are stop signs and traffic rules merely suggestions.
8. Only in Peru is it normal to order water "with gas"(carbonated water)
9. Only in Peru can you drink purple corn (chicha morada)
10. Only in Peru can you meet the greatest translators and Buckner staff!

We want to thank you so much for your interest in our journey this summer. Please know that we could not have done this without you and that your prayers are being answered. Because of you, the children of Peru know that they are loved.

Oh, what a wonderful month we’ve had
But to leave our wonderful new friends, we are so very sad
There is one thing, however, that will always be true-
Our hearts will forever be in Peru
Sadly, we must head home now
So there’s only one thing left to say-Ciao!!

Latvian Ladies Final Update

Cau everyone! Sorry we haven't posted in awhile, we've been really busy in Lejasstrazdi. These past two weeks have been some of the greatest.. Working with the team from Tate Springs in Arlington was a huge blessing, both for us and the kids. They've been to Latvia several times before in a different orphanage called Tervete, but realized very soon after arriving that God put us all in Lejasstrazdi for a reason. We put on a full week of VBS and it went incredibly well. We began building relationships right away and it was amazing to see God begin to soften their hearts to His calling. Four boys gave their lives to the Lord! We took a few trips to the beach and to visit Tervete, where some kids had transferred from; it was so great to see the kids reunite with friends and even brothers and sisters.

The kids here are indescribable. We connected with them in so many ways, whether playing sports (soccer, baseball, football), introducing them to cards, games, crafts, going on walks, buying them ice cream, or swimming. They are so talented, most of them knowing both the Latvian and Russian languages- and a few of them know English as well! We were blessed to be able to communicate with them and teach them at the same time.
One of the best things we were able to do was live in the orphanage with the kids. We all ate meals together and saw each other practically 24/7. I'm sure it means a lot to them that we would put ourselves in their shoes and spend so much time with them. It was extremely difficult to leave last Thursday. Two weeks of building friendships and loving them as Christ has definitely impacted each of our lives. And it's difficult knowing we may never see them again. We are confident that the Lord is there and will be working in that place, even when we are halfway around the world. If you would, please keep them in your prayers.

The Tate Springs team left early on Saturday morning and we've been resting since. The 23rd and 24th of June was a national holiday here in Latvia called Janis (yah-nis), so we interns went to the annual Baptist Church summer camp. It is for all ages and involves all the Baptist churches across the country. We met a team from Canada there, here on a Drama Mission called "Ageless" and it was a blessing to be able to get to know each of them, learning how God has called them here as well.
We've been back in the capital since Wednesday, preparing and serving for two days in an inner-city orphanage in Riga. We are heading back to the states early Saturday morning and it is going to be hard to leave here, though we definitely miss home. We cannot thank you all enough for your prayers, they have truly been helping us daily. Our time may be finished here, but God remains. It is His city, His country, and greater things are yet to come...

We Bid Farewell to Guatemala.....

Well the time has come to say goodbye here in Guatemala City. Today was a rough day because we went to each of the four Buckner Homes here in the city and said our goodbyes. We are excited to be reunited with our families, but sad to leave the country that we have all grown to love. Tomorrow we are heading to spend the day at a hotel. We think they are trying to pamper us before we leave to ensure that we will return but we are not complaining! We will welcome the hot shower before we return home! What they dont know is that we would come back here in a heartbeat without staying in any fancy hotel. Before we are off for our day of relaxation before returning to the states, here is a glimpse of our last week in the beautiful country!

This week we were not joined by a team, so all the ministry was done with just the interns. We thought that this might call for a slightly less hectic week, but we were mistaken...our week started on Sunday when we met the boys and girls tranisitional homes at the dump (the picture above is of the whole group at the dump). This sounds odd...I know, but there is a huge ministry opportunity here. People live at the dump. When I say people live at the dump, I do not mean near it, I mean literally in it. Their homes (or shacks I should say) back up to the dump. You can imagine the filth, smell, and creatures crawling around. It was an incredibly eye opening experience to say the least. We brough humanitarian aid items such as toothbrushes, food, etc. to the people that live here. This is the poorest area I have ever seen in my life and these people were deserving of the gifts we brought. Some women had up to 7 kids living in a one bedroom shack...our eyes were opened to see how truly blessed we really are...Below is an image of the children that will ever be engrained in our minds...




Day two started on Monday morning at 4 am when we met with the missions coordinators that work at the Buckner office here in Guatemala. We loaded a bus and headed to Chicimula, which is five hours away. This was a whirlwind of a day. After attempting to sleep most of the way to our destination, which is a very hard task with the bumpy roads here, we arrived for breakfast at none other than our favorite: McDonalds! I did not mention this last week but McDonalds delivers here which is so crazy. The even crazier part is that they deliver on motorcycles...which I so graciously named McMotor Men! Anyways, after breakfast we took off to SOS. This is an orphanage that houses many children, but it is set up differently than other orphanages we have been to. There are homes that houses 9 children and each house has a mom. There is no strucutre as a whole or meal plan. The individual homes operate on their own. This was neat to be here for a few hours. We could definately tell a difference in these children because the homes operated as little families and they all took care of each other. While we were here, we played and got to deliver shoes to the children that needed them. This was such a blessing for us and the children to see their faces when they put on their brand new pair of zapatos!
After this, we went to another orphanage in Zacappa and played and delivered gifts, after which, we jumped back on the bus and came back to Guatemala City. While this day was so much fun, we were pretty beat by the end of it!


Day 3 was the day that we went to Zone 18. This is another very poor part of town. It is so sad because the homes literally look like a bunch of carboard boxes stacked on top of each other. The scariest part of this is that if one of these homes collapses, they are all going down. This could be devasatating. These people are so poor. We went to a church in this area and delivered rice, beans, sugar, and flour, along with some fun gifts for the children, including balls, stickers, and t-shirts. This was another neat experience. As we left, the members that received gifts put their hands out and prayed for us. They also gave us chicky cookies and coca-cola, which has been our favorite snack since we have been here! Once again, we went to serve them, and they ended up serving us. This was such a humbling experience.



Our last day of ministry was yesterday morning. In the morning, we go the privilege to go to the hospital. The hospital seemed more like an airport than a hospital because there were so many people in there. There were people lined up and so crowded outside of the hospital and then lines and lines of people inside the hospital. It was crazy. We were guided by a doctor and two medical students up to the childrens wing in orthopedics. This is only capable of serving 10 children at a time, but yesterday, there were only 6 children being cared for in this wing. Some had infections, broken limbs, or were waiting for surgery. We brought pinatas. When we got there, we realized how silly it was that we brought pinatas for the children to play with in the orthopedic area, but somehow it worked and the children had a blast! One mother told me that her son has not been happy for days because he has been in so much pain and this was the first day she had seen him smile. Needless to say, little Gary did not stop smiling the entire time we were there and he was having the time of this life! It was such a pleasure to bring a little bit of joy into the mundane world of these children. We closed the day with a trip to the bowling alley...which is exactly the same as an American bowling alley. We had a good time and enjoyed the little break from such a busy week!

As mentioned earlier, today was our last day as we made our way around the city to say our goodbyes. While we are sad to leave, we are also excited to return home to start (or continue) our ministry in our own community. I think that the team would agree with me in saying that the thing that has been laid on our hearts the most is the necessity, urgency, and call to minister in our own community where we live. The missions coordinator who has showed us around most of the country is named Amed. Amed has been so inspirational for each of us. Amed and his family live each day here and pour their lives sacrificially into the ministry of this community and country in which they live. Here we are in Guatemala doing ministry in another country, and many of us do nothing in our own community and country. This hit each of us pretty hard. While we have been blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Guatemala, we are also excited to retun home to minister! We are also not sad because we hope that the Lord will give us another opportunity to visit our friends here agian one day!

Thanks so much for each person that has been reading this blog and keeping up with our adventures! Without many of you, we would not have had the chance to come here, so for that, we thank you. We hope that you have enjoyed getting small glimpses of our journey. Our challenge to you would be to go. God calls us to action, so our team is praying that the Lord moves you to act, whether it be in Guatemala, China, Africa, Russia, the USA, your ccommunity, or to your next door neighbor. We have been blessed by our trip and we know that when you take the chance to act and change a small portion of this world and peoples lives, you will be changed and blessed as a result. Please contineue to pray for our team as we travel home. Pray for mercy and safety. We also have three members of our team staying here longer, so please pray for their safety as we leave them behind to do more traveling and ministry! And may you always remember the beautiful faces of these precious children...we know we sure will! Thanks again for your prayers and support! Have a blessed day and we will see you all soon!

Latvia - 2008 - Children's Orphanage in Riga - Pt. 03

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia - 2008 - Children's Orphanage in Riga - Pt. 02

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia - 2008 - Children's Orphanage in Riga - Pt. 01

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Peru: A Glimpse of HOPE

I want to introduce you to someone. This is my friend Susana.* She is a beautiful teenager, pregnant, and before this week, hopeless and lonely. However, this week, God transformed her heart this week as she heard of a God who loves her more than anyone and chose to give up His life for hers. Her tears of sadness were replaced with a glowing smile and hope.

Thank you so much for your prayers this week. God answered and is still answering them! We spent the week at a teen moms' home, making crafts, singing, acting silly, playing games, and sharing the story of Joseph, emphasizing forgiveness. We also shared stories about our lives with them, sharing the hurts of our lives and God's redeeming love. It was amazing to watch the girls' hearts melt, as they asked us to pray for them, shared their hurt and pain, and expressed their love for us. At the same time that God was moving in them, He taught us so much...yieldedness to Him, flexibility, His power and perfect plan.

Here is a snapshot of the week..in between our time with the girls, we held a lot of babies, cried, drank a lot of caffeine, prayed, and ate some fabulous lemon pie!!

The girls doing crafts

Angie and her buddy

Krista and a cutie patootie

The kids (Heather included) at the jungle gym

Please continue praying for us this week as we work with a church team from IN in a teen moms' home and an orphanage. Angie's dad is doing better, but please keep him and her family in your prayers. Thank you so much!

Oh How Time Flies When You Are Having Fun...in Guatemala!!!

It is hard to believe that we have just completed our third week in Guatemala! It feels as if we have just arrived, yet one week from today we will be returning to our homes. It is bittersweet but we are so excited about the full week that lies ahead of us! More about that later, but now I am going to tell you all about our third week in Guatemala!

This week, we were joined by a team from Little Rock Christian Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas. We were so excited when this team arrived to find some youth and young ones along on this journey! Their energy and excitement was like a refuel of energy for us! We met up with them on Sunday morning at church, which was followed by lunch at nowhere else than good ole McDonalds! While this may not be our first choice in the states, McDonalds has become something that we have grown to appreciate and love here. For whatever reason, it is a little taste of home for us! In the afternoon, we hung out at the Baby home and then headed over to the single mothers home, where we were joined by the Girls and Boys from the Transitional homes. We played futbol, cards, and had pizza! This was such a fun time of fellowship and it was concluded by a show of dancing from the girls! There was such joy as they danced for us and it was such joy to watch them!

This week we moved around to different orphanages a lot and had a variety of ministry going on! One Monday and Tuesday we got the opportunity to go back to Remar in the mornings to hang out and play with the children from ages 0-6. This was exciting for us because we already knew a lot of the kids because we had worked there the week before, so we enjoyed the chance to love on these kids some more. It definately is a contrast to HueHue and the kids here are much rougher and need much more love! The picture below is a picture of one of the childrens shoe...maybe we should make a shoe trip to Remar...

We also had an interesting experience at Remar. It was the conclusion of Monday morning. We were about to leave and head to lunch so we were walking the children home. As we rounded the corner, all the children were gathered around this one area. The boys were making the noise of a turkey and sticking their tongues out as if it had died, and the girls were standing there flabbergasted, speechless, and with expressions as if they would lose the lunch they were about to eat. Little did we know that the lunch they were about to eat was what was causing such gasps. There was a huge turkey hanging on the wall in the middle of the orphanage with blood streaming, or oozing, I should say, down the sidewalk. We found out from the boys gestures and impersonations of a dying turkey that this turkey was just killed in front of these children. Luckily we did not witness the sacrifice of the turkey, but merely the aftermath of the horrible death of such a innocent animal. This was a humorous and interesting cultural sight and experience to say the least. Needless to say, we were thankful that we were not joining the children at Remar for lunch that day.....and for those of you with weak stomachs...we decided not to insert a picture here of that glorious sight.....

The afternoons we got the privelage of doing a mini vacation Bible School with the boys at San Gabriel. This is an orphanage that houses only boys and most of them have been in some kind of trouble. We were forewarned about the roughness of these boys, and while you could definately tell that they had had a hard life, I was pleasantly surprised at their open attitudes and excitement about all that we had planned for them to do. It was also neat to see the Arkansas group pass out humanitarian aid and candy to them and to see them so excited.

Wednesday and Thursday we went to the community center in the morning and to another boys orphanage in the afternoon called Elisa Martinez. At the community center we did things such as color, play with play dough, play memory, face paint, and paint fingernails. This was a different experience, and a breath of fresh air, if I might add to what we have been seeing, because these children had families. The community center serves mostly as a day care, so many of these children were young, vibrant, and joyful. It was fun playing with them and getting to minister to them as well. When we left, they did a dance show for us, which was one of the funniest things I have seen. I wish I could explain to you in words, but there are no words for the dances that these children did except they had us rolling in laughter. They were better dancers than I will ever be too and they were only four or five! It was fun to see this part of their culture. In the afternoons, we worked at the other boys orphanage and did VBS as well and merely just spent time with them. There is a large group of special needs boys at this home so it was a fun experience. The gospel was shared on Thursday afternoon by Senora Johnston (the Spanish teacher from Little Rock Christian) and 6 boys accepted Christ! It is amazing how even though the gospel was shared in a foreign language, how much I understood what was going on! God is good and the same across all cultures and that is amazing!

As you can see, we had a pretty busy week, but this was only four days! On Friday we ventured to Antigua again with the team and went to the Jade Factory, lunch at Mono Loco (crazy monkey) where we had some awesome nachos, and then shopped at the market again! We came back, quickly changed, and had our farewell dinner with the group from Arkanasas! It was a whirlwind of a week, but it was a great week to say the least! One of the funnest things that we got to do this day, was go to a quincinera! The girls orphanage in Antigua, called Manchen, was celebrating the 15th birthday of 11 young girls in the orphanage. We had the pleasure of attending this event for a little while. It was such a pleasure because the boys from both of the boys orphanages came to join in the festivities so we got to see them one last time. The girls looked beautiful and it was fun watching the girls and boys interact (which they rarely do so you can imagine the excitement and enthusiasm in that place!) It was an experience that I will never forget. Below is a picture of one of the girls in her quincinera dress and some of the boys and girls mingeling at the party!With our team gone back to Arkansas, we had another day off on Saturday. We decided to spend our last day off in Antigua doing some sightseeing and shopping. We were joined by Jeremy Copeland from Dallas earlier this week, so we are pleased to have him here and have him along on our adventures! Here is a picture of us in our mini-van on the way to Antigua. We wanted to show you a picture of us in our van because we really have spent so much time in it together traveling around Guatemala (we averaged about 20 hours a week) and as a result we have grown VERY close over the past month. As you can tell from the picture the accommodations may be a little too close for some..haha! We are grateful for our accommodations. We did manage to have a picture on a chicken bus. They call them chicken buses because they pack so many people on them like they do when they pack chickens on a truck. They are literally EVERYWHERE here and after seeing and learning this, our little mini-van is just perfect!
So on our day off in Antigua, our first stop was the coffee plantation. Having numerous coffee junkies in the group, this was highly entertaining. We learned that Guatemala produces the 7th largest amount of coffee in the world in quantity, and the 3rd best coffee in the world in regards to quality. For those of us that enjoy coffee, we were glad that the Lord brought us here! The free samples were amazing....who needs Starbucks when you have Guatemalan coffee, right!?! After the coffee tour, we had a picnic in a park. This park was at a cathedral that was destroyed by an earthquake and it was beautiful! The scenery and architecture were amazing at this sight...and so were the pb&j sandwiches! Below is a picture of all the interns inside the destroyed cathedral! After this some people headed back to the market to shop, and others of us walked around the town and landed back at Mono Loco, where we watched futbol and Russia beat Holand! It was such a fun atmosphere. Since Guatemala is the underdog, most people here were rooting for Russia (which was the underdog in this game) to beat Holand, which they did 3-1. It was fun to watch this game and the people get so into it. The restaurant was packed and booming with yells, hoops, and hollars. Futbol (soccer) here is like football in America and the people get very into it! Once again, it was fun to experience a piece of this part of Guatemalan culture. We ended our trip to Antigua with a trip to the hotel Santo Domingo. I wish yet again that I could explain the beauty of this hotel, but I cannot in words and it is hard in pictures as well! It was sort of like a resort in itself, complete with parrots, an amazing pool we all wanted to dive into, caddicombs, delicious candy, and a magnificent view of the volcanoes from the roof! Next time we come, maybe we can stay here...

This just about sums up our week. Sorry this blog is so long, but it is so hard to write about an amazing long week in an amazing short blog, thus the reasoning for such a long one! I hope that you are enjoying catching glimpses of our journey along the way. We watched Invisible Children tonight in the midst of sorting through humanitarian aid items to deliver this week and it left us speechless and in tears at the conclusion. It left me wanting to do more. Here I am serving orphans with one week left, and I do not want it to end. At the beginning of our last week in Guatemala, please pray that God will begin to prepare our hearts to leave to come back to the states. While we are excited to see our families and friends, we know that this is going to be a very hard to leave Guatemala because we have gotten so accustomed to being here and have grown to love the people and the culture. In this week we have a jam packed five days, starting bright and early in the morning. Please pray for our safety and continued health as we travel many hours to deliver food to Zacapa, the poor in Zone 18, and to those that live at the dump. We know that this will be a rewarding experience, but also a humbling and emotionally draining experience. Pray that as we come up on our last week that we will remain full of energy, passion, and go out full force the remainder of our time here! Until our next (and last update) have a blessed week! And as Brian would say below....PEACE!

Latvia 2008 - Story of Job - Pt. 03

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia 2008 - Story of Job - Pt. 02

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia 2008 - The Story of Job - Pt. 01

James 1:27
In Service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Pictures... Romania Interns

This is the view we saw one evening from our hotel window in Targu Mures...



Lindsi and I on the bus waiting to go into the Salt Mine on our sight-seeing day...

Party at the Rozmarin Day Center

(Showing off my balloon animal making skills....)

A Day in the Life of a Peru Intern

We are still alive, we promise! In the craziness of this last week, however, we have barely managed to brush our teeth before going to sleep, much less blog!
So let us catch you up!


We worked with a church team this week composed of churches from Sweetwater, TX, New York, and various other individuals. We loved getting to know them and already miss them! We helped them to distribute shoes to children in 10 different orphanages, ranging in ages from 2 weeks to 17 years..no small feat, let me assure you (no pun intended!)

We also did VBS in most of the orphanages, talking about the way God transforms us from plain caterpillars to beautiful butterflies in His time. For the teenage girls, we talked about how every single one of us is unique and beautifully created in the image of God. One of the most beautiful things about this team was their authenticity..they were not afraid to share the hurts of their lives, their humaness and their stories, so that these children might know the power and love and goodness of our God in the midst of the ugliness of life.

Due to the large number of volunteers this week, we needed several interpreters to share the message of God's love with the children. Interestingly enough, God used them to share His message and most of them were not Christians! However, as they shared His hope with the children day after day, the message began to sink into their hearts. One of them said that the first day, the book we read about God was just a story, but by the end of the week, he said it was "really something beautiful." And Dennis, one of the interpreters, decided to accept the forgiveness and love of Christ for the first time! Please pray for our friends, that God may draw them to Him.

Our time here has not been all work and no play, however! We went to Cusco this weekend and visited Machu Picchu. The pictures don't really do it justice..the majesty of God was so evident in the mountains that poked through the clouds!

During our time in Cusco, we also had some unwanted news..Angie's father was hit by a drunk driver on Saturday night, but he is doing okay. Please pray for his recovery and their family.

As we begin week 3, we ask you to pray for us as we return to a teen mom's home and do VBS for them every day. Let me just share an anecdote to give you a small picture of their lives: Heather was talking with one of the young moms this week, telling her how precious her daughter was. In all seriousness, the mother looked at her and told Heather she could have her child.
Please pray for God to do something mighty this week..I would ask you to pray Isaiah 61 over them..that God will bind up their broken hearts and give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. Ask Him to give them love for their children. Please pray for our energy, health(some of the girls are battling colds), and for God to use us and be glorified.

We also lost an invaluable member of our team this week, as Klista had to go home to begin her master's program.
We love you, Klista!!

"Just like you"

Today the Buckner Community Affairs staff began our time in Guatemala. We first visited the temporary boys' home where about 23 boys are living as construction is taking place at San Gabriel. Most of the boys I have met previously and it was wonderful to be reunited. Smiles were in abundance as we passed out toys and candy and played games with them.
One of our team noticed one boy who I met when we first entered the orphanage. He remained separated from the crowd in a back room and would only peak his head out for us to see him around the corner of the hallway.
Three of us decided to go speak to him. Though each of these boys have a different history, they all have similar stories of struggle, "let-downs", and pain. This particular boy was no different, just new to the home. He allowed us to sit and talk with him in his room. We discovered he has only been in the orphanage for a little more than a month. He did not comment about his parents, but stated he had been living with other family members who were abusing him. He said he ran to the streets and then was brought to the orphanage. With an emotionally flat countenance, he listened to our questions. When we asked if he knew why we were visiting, he shook his head no. We said that we believe in a God who loves big, that God loves him more than he can imagine, and that we were visiting so that God could show him that love through us. At that moment tears began to well up, then to flow freely from his eyes. It was as if he had been waiting to release them. He said that he knows Jesus and that He resides in his heart. With that, we reminded him that Jesus promises never to leave us know matter what our circumstances, and that when we feel alone, we are not. We prayed with him and for him, and we promised to continue to do so after we leave. We asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up... he simply said "just like you".

It's not for me to determine the status or authenticity of his relationship with Christ other than to explain what the Bible says. I do know that the three of us were blessed yet pained by our time with him.
We will pray for him. Our amazing Guatemalan follow-up staff will work to disciple him, and Buckner will do our best to help him and give him hope. What was so evident to me today was that the only true answer to the hope so desperately desired is wrapped up solely in Jesus Christ. "Thank you Jesus for using us sinners to share your love with your child who seemed to really need it today."

Friends, please pray that this boy will know Christ in a real way and will find hope and comfort in our precious Savior who loves him deeply.

Jeff Jones

Guatemala Has Two Down...Two More to Go!

Well, we have just completed our second week here in Guatemala and it has been good. It is so hard to believe that we have been here two weeks, but indeed we have. Time has gone by so fast! I will say that our team has sort of felt a lag this past week. We have hit the halfway point and we are tired. Luckily, we had a day off today so we are getting re-energized and ready to meet our next group from the US tomorrow! Here is our past week in a nutshell.

It was our first week to work with a group from the United States. The group that joined us was from Abilene, TX. It was fun uniting with another team and sharing in the minstry! It was a little different than our team initially expected, but in the end, we had a great week! God taught us about having the attitude of Christ and what it means to serve behind the scenes!

During this week, we painted the inside of the baby home. This was such a fun experience. We took turns painting and playing with the children. In the afternoon, we went to an orphanage called Remar. This was a little bit of a rougher situation than we were in last week. You could tell that the children were not as cared for here. This orphanage housed over 400 children, some adults, and teens that are recovering from drug abuse. We only worked with some of the girls though. While this was a different experience from last week, it was still a good experience. I think that the most exciting thing of the week was seeing the girls faces when the group from Abilene passed out gifts. They gave them a towel, a toothbrush, some underwear, and a beanie baby. The faces of these little girls made the trip to Remar each day so worth it! I know that the Lord used this team in a mighty way this week! The pictures below are of Drew from our team holding precious baby Celeste and some of our team with some of the girls at Remar!


The first night that our friends from Abilene were here, we went to eat at this amazing restaurant. I do not know the name of the restaurant, but I do know that the Guacamole was out of this world! We even got to make some of our own tortillas. The pictures below is of some of Amy and Morgan making tortillas!

This week was also an exciting week for our team because Dr. Reyes, who is the President of Buckner Children and Family Serivces, was here in Guatemala City. It was such a pleasure to have him here. Our team was able to learn so much from him. On Wednesday night, we ate at a Restaurant called Porta de Angels. This was such a nice restaurant. It had a view that overlooked the night lights of Guatemala City! We were joined by the team from Abilene and Dr. Reyes, his son, and Arnie! This was such a fun night. It was great food, amazing company, and a beautiful view! This ended a perfect day and was such a treat for our team! The picture below is of our team on the balcony overlooking the view! Thursday night after a long days work, we got to sit in on a staff meeting led by Dr. Reyes and Arnie about leadership and teamwork, followed by pizza! This was such a neat experience to sit in on this type of meeting with people from all over the world coming together with one mission!

On Friday, before the team headed back to Abilene, we got the privilege of accompanying them to Antigua for a little bit of shopping and sight seeing. No, we did not spend all of our money because we have another team coming next week and we will get to shop again! Below are some pictures of the view and the town. The volcano in the picture is still active and erupts about once a month so hopefully our team will get to see this amazing sight of Gods creation while we are here.

This is Week 2 in a nutshell! We have been blessed again this week and are very grateful for a day of rest today. Please pray for us as we go into week 3 that we will remain energized, enthusiasic, and that we will alwayws shine the light and face of Christ to all of those we are around. Please pray that we will have the attitude of Christ. Lastly, please continue to pray for our health and safety. So far God has been faithful in this request, but please pray that he continues to do so. Thanks to those of you who are reading this and journeying on this adventure that God has placed us on. We hope and pray that God blesses you as He has blessed us thus far!

Latvia 2008 - Daniel in the Lion's Den

James 1:27
In service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Romania Interns... going strong

We have been having a much different experience here in Targu Mures compared to last week. We have been spending every day with a different set of children. In the mornings we worked with small classrooms in the Rozmarin Day Center. We were able to doing crafts and Bible lessons with each group. One day this week we were able to give shoes to some of the children. It was very exciting to see the smile on one girls face when she was handed a picture of the woman who donated the shoes. There were also some sad shoe stories too. There was one girl who could not have shoes that were a bit big because her parents would have taken them from her and given them to her older sister. There was another brother and sister that we were told needed to get their shoes dirty on the way home just so their parents would not be able to take them and sell them. It was still wonderful to see these children jumping up and down with their new shoes on their feet.

The afternoons were a totally different story. Each day this week we traveled to a new special needs home. The first home that we visited had 13 younger children. Our 1 1/2 hours was spent holding, tickling, and swinging the them around. We were also used by one girl as a climbing post, and boy was she strong!
The second hour proved to be an adventure as there were 11 children outside in a dirt yard. We spent our time being led around, kicking soccer balls, and getting things thrown at us. It was wonderful to be able to give the children some candy as we left for the evening.

Our third house proved to be a little bit more of a challenge. Lindsi and Gabi made a craft with half of the children while Osi and I just sad with the other kids. It was a tiring experience. The was on child who pounded us on the back when she wanted our attention and many of the others that just wanted to hold our hands.
The last group home was again another great experience. We brought some beach balls to play with and for an hour straight I stood in the yard hitting it back and forth with one child.

This morning we had a party for all of the children in Rozmarin and made them balloon hats. Pictures will come as soon as I can get a chance to upload them.

Latvia 2008 - David and Goliath

James 1:27
In service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia 2008 - Joshua and Jericho

James 1:27
In service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp

Latvia 2008 - Noah's Ark

James 1:27
In service for Christ,
Marc Lowthorp