Guatemala

Time is Up

Our time here in Guatemala is coming to a close. We’ve been here 15 months, including the first 3 months in which Marjorie and I attended Spanish language school in Antigua. During that time, we worked part-time with Casa Angelina.

For the past year, Glenn has worked full-time with Casa Angelina, serving as teams liaison, interfacing between the teams that come and the ministry here. We have seen about 300 people in the past year come through on a team, doing everything from installing electricity and roofs, to gardening and teaching music lessons to the kids. They have built widow’s houses and gone on medical outreach trips, visiting a national hospital  and fire department and building chicken coops to give to poor widows who lost everything from horrible landslides. When not busy with teams, he has done everything imaginable from getting the orphanage dog “fixed” to teaching English and Computer classes, taking kids to the doctor, moving offices around, helping Yuri the national director, etc.

We have love on the kids, who have been rescued from living hell of sexual abuse and abandonment and placed into an oasis in the midst of violence and abuse called Casa Angelina. There are about 60 children or so receiving love and encouragement, education and a family at Casa Angelina.

We had come to serve and to be a blessing to those around us. It has truly been a blessing from God, and we are so, so grateful for what God has taught us an allowed us to be a part of.

We have met and formed friendships with some truly amazing people, both Guatemalan and Gringo (American). We are so grateful that they have received us, cried with us, laughed with us, endured with us supported us and allowed us to give back into their lives aswell. We will truly miss them.

We are excited for the next assignment that God has for us in Uganda but we are sad for the relationships that we will be leaving behind too.

For now, we are packing, giving things away, trying to sell our car and get ready to leave our house this Monday and fly back to Colorado Springs early Tuesday morning.

We’ll see ya soon!

Category Uncategorized |

Celebrating Our 1 Year Anniversary Here in Guatemala

On March 16th, we celebrated our first year as missionaries here in Guatemala.

It’s hard to believe in some ways and other ways it seems like it flew by. We decided to reminisce about some of  this past year’s bigger events.

Our first day: We arrived and everything was new- seeing Taco Bell, and Wendy’s and Radio Shack as we drove through the city at night, until we arrived at our house. Moving into our house was a big deal too, as it was our house now. Tile floors, beautiful flowers in back and front, a water fountain in back, wonderful view from the terrace on top. As it was furnished, we were surprised (and blessed) with 2 T.V.s (we’ve never had 2 T.V.s before!) a king sized bed, a walk in closet. God truly blessed us with where we live!

The Sub: We were able to get a good car that would hold us all, was very safe and actually made out of metal! Our ‘95 Suburban. It was a challenge learning how to drive it in a land built for small compact cars. I liken it to driving the Titanic in a small sail boat marina. But, it has been reliable and we are so grateful for it!

Language School: Our first three months here were spent in Spanish language school, 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. For Glenn, it was mostly review, as he had a lot of Spanish in my past. It was good review though, as much of his Spanish had been buried for years, so it took a good teacher to dredge it up! Our school was set in beautiful Antigua, in a beautiful picturesque building.

Arriving at Casa Angelina: Our first time there was with Yuri, the ministry director here. It was very exciting to go through the rust-red painted metal gate into the beautiful haven for abused kids that are being transformed into mighty men and women of God. It was a joy to see them and meet them and love on them.

Pacaya/Agatha: Glenn had just gotten back to the states for our eldest son Jake’s high school graduation, when Marjorie told him that the volcano Pacaya had just erupted. A day later, Glenn learned that the tropical storm Agatha hit with extreme force, dumping about a meter of water in a little over 24 hours.  This caused Glenn over a week delay in returning as the airport remained closed trying to clean up the 4 inches of ash that had fallen on it, not to mention huge devastation from the extreme amounts of water, including the loss of 6 relatives of one of the workers at Casa Angelina, when a wall of mud literally destroyed and burying them alive.

June Team: The 3 different church teams that came together in June was our first team week, and will always be very memorable. 1 of those teams was the interns from our church, Church For All Nations. It was great to see people from home, to show them where we live and see wee how we lived. This was also my induction into the world of teams (on the receiving side).

Monterico: One team in July took us to the beach with them. It was our first time to the pacific beach in Guatemala. Black sand beaches (aka extremely hot to walk on), rip tides, and a generally lazy day. It was good to visit though.

Medical Outreach: Had a blast, helping to facilitate 3 different outreaches to different villages. The highlight was taking a firetruck ride around Chimaltenango and sliding down the fireman’s pole in the firestation.

Thanksgiving: We had our missionary friends over for Thanksgiving. What a great day of food, fun and fellowship.

Christmas: While our eldest son Jake was visiting us for Christmas break, we went to Casa Angelina for Christmas. Celebrated by watching the orphans’ Christmas play, then eating Christmas dinner at ( actually Christmas Eve) 10:00 PM, followed by our very own fireworks celebration (a part of Guatemalan Christmases), and then opening presents on Christmas Day at midnight, until about 2:00 AM. Seeing the kids faces light up as they opened up their Christmas presents that had been donated by a Christian school group from Alabama was priceless.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks: We never before have seen 360 degrees of fireworks from our terrace, some close some far away, but the whole horizon was filled with fireworks for about 15 minutes.

Home School Coop Thursdays: Started in September, the group of about 10 missionary homeschooling families meet on Thursday mornings to have science, music and art classes. This is where our kids met many of their friends and we bonded with many of the other missionary families here in Guatemala.

94 People: This was a tough and long week, as 94 people from different churches and cities around the U.S. came for a week at Casa Angelina to build a house for a widow, do medical outreaches, and work at Casa Angelina. At any given time, we had 10 projects going on.  A lot got done, but wow were we exhausted by the end.

Intermissions Conference: Immediately following the group of 94 people, we left for a weekend conference at Lake Atitlan, which  is a picturesque lake, surrounded by volcanoes. It was a good, refreshing time for us as a family.

Mexico x2: We’ve had to travel to Mexico twice now in order to renew our visas in order to stay in Guatemala. Basically it is 2 long travel days (there and back) and in the middle a day spent at Walmart and the hotel pool.

Our First Anniversary: Thankful for all the things that God has blessed us with- things, relationships and experiences.

Category Uncategorized |

Life in Guatemala- The Differences

How is living here in Guatemala different than living back in the USA?

Great question- glad you asked!

One of the more obvious is that we speak Spanish here. At least we do in the bigger cities and more developed areas. The more remote a location or village, the more probable that they speak one of the Mayan dialects, such as Kaqchikel or K’iche’, which have a lot of “popping noises” that you may hear in Papa New Guinea. In some areas, they don’t speak any Spanish or only the young do.

Driving is another difference. A common question that people ask me is, “Are there speed limits here?”

My reply is “Yes, there are.”

The question that always follow is, “Are they enforced?”

My answer is “Not usually.”

Driving here is a challenge to say the least. You have to be aggressive and defensive at the same time. Also, you have to be very aware of who’s around you. There is always someone who wants to go 25 mph, no matter what the speed limit is. Also, at night it is very dangerous, as many cars are missing functional tail lights and/or brake lights. I tell people that you have to look for the “void” (the darkest spot) at night when driving, as it is probably a car without lights (or perhaps a motorcycle).

All the old and broken cars are here from the U.S. I once saw an old Toyota pickup truck that was carrying “chatarra” in the back, which is scrap metal. I couldn’t very well tell where the scrap ended and the pickup began! No joke!

Then there is the smoke.   Most people that visit comment about it.  Many, many cars smoke terribly, and the diesel engined buses and trucks are the worst. I’ve seen smoke so thick coming from the back of a bus that you couldn’t see the front of the bus. We’ve learned to be quick on the “recirculate” button in our Suburban!

Guatemala is a country of paradoxes. On the road right next to the 1972 Toyota is a brand new BMW that comes screaming past– or Audi, or Peugeot or Mercedes Benz or Corvette.

Car-jackings, especially in the city (Guatemala City that is- the capital), can be frequent. Small Japanese cars are favored, so it’s best not to own or ride in one. Sometimes, the thieves want your Blackberry or Ipod that you have carelessly been waving about while driving.

Per capita, Guatemala is on of the most violent countries in the Americas, easily beating Mexico (violent acts per 100,000 people). In the city, there are about 55 murders per week- just in the capital! The homicide rate for the country is about 52 per 100,000 people. The USA was 5.0 last year.

Another thing that we have to be aware of is ATM theft. We personally know at least 8 other missionary families that have had there bank accounts drained via card readers placed inside the ATM machines in Antigua, and then had charges from all over South America show up over the next several days.

So, crime is a huge factor to be aware of here.

Food. Yes, we eat a lot of rice, black and re-fried beans and tortillas. A typical breakfast would be re-fried beans, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Lunch would be tostadas, with re-fried beans, shredded cheese (maybe) and guacamole. Dinner would be very light, maybe some coffee and sweet bread (think hard cookies).  Most of the foods that we are used to from the states (that’s what we call the USA)  cost twice as much here.  For example, a large Skippy peanut butter cost us $5.  We choose not to buy many things that we would like because of the outrageous price!  A big box of Life Cereal (like you may find in Sam’s Club)  is $10.

Even though we cook over a Whirlpool brand oven/stove, it is connected to a propane tank outside. It’s not like a BBQ tank, but bigger and with a different connection. We have 2 tanks- 25 lb and 35 lb. We have to call when one runs out and a guy on a motorcycle (think small moto as they’re called here) comes and delivers a refilled tank that is strapped to the back of his moto, and then takes ours away.

Speaking of which, we use Quetzales and not Dollars here. That is the national currency. Officially, it is between 7.7 to 7.8 (roughly) “Q’s” to the dollar. We use 8:1 in our minds to calculate the cost of items. We have coins from 5 centavos all the way to a 1 Q coin, and bills from 1 Q to 100 Q (although there is a 200 Quetzal bill, I’ve never seen one). So, a hundred dollars means you get eight 100 Q bills, which can make your wallet rather thick if you are carrying much money, which you shouldn’t, as it is not safe. Also, you don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket when you’re out because you can be too easily pick-pocketed.

Greeting people is a little different here. Men greet women by kissing their right cheek. Women greet other women in the same manner. Men greet other men just by shaking their hand. (Whew!)

Soft drinks (soda pop for all of you yankees- coke for all ya’ll suthen’rs) are popular, as is coffee. Guatemala is the world’s 8th largest exporter of coffee. Mc Cafes are very abundant, as are other coffee chains- Cafetalito, Cafe San Lucas, etc. There is, however, no Starbucks here (yet- one is rumored to be coming). Horchata (like a rice milk) is popular as is Rosa de Jamaica, which is similar to kool-aide but is made like a tea from Hibiscus petals.

Tile. The world of flooring and bathrooms is all tile. Dryers are not common, so the lint never gets taken out of our clothes (yes, we have a washing machine) so there is lint and dust on the floors constantly. We bought a shop-vac (yes, actual shop vac) to help keep the floors clean (key word….help). We have small carpets on the sides of the bed or on the stairs to help with the echo noise.  Most people with any money at all have maids to help with cleaning and cooking.  We have kids.

Flowers are cheap. Flowers are everywhere. A dozen red roses will cost about 6 bucks or so. We have flowers in our front yard (if you can call it that–it’s small) and our backyard (that would be a stretch).

Dogs are everywhere too. The way to tell the difference from a stray dog and someone’s pet is to pick up a rock or stick. If the dog cowers or flees, it’s a stray. There are very few cats, but lots of dogs. (No, we don’t eat dog, and don’t know anyone who does).

Natives. The native women here most of the time dress in there traditional brightly colored clothing, which is a blouse which is hand-embroidered, and a skirt, made from traditional material. Men sometime dress in their traditional dress, but more in the remote areas.

When entering a gated community, most of the time you leave your driver’s license at the gate house and get a card to turn in on the way out.

Everything is designed for small cars, so parking our Suburban can be a challenge. I liken it to driving the Titanic in a sailboat marina. While most people don’t have a car, there are too many cars for the road system, so the city always has tons of traffic, except Sunday mornings and the middle of the night.

Lots of people walk, and there are very few sidewalks, so many times they walk on the shoulder of the road, with their kids. The buses are called chicken buses, because people are packed in like a chickens in a hen house, and maybe because you CAN take chickens on the bus…. People bring their huge baskets of things to sell on them, and these things are usually put on top of the bus and unloaded when they get to their stop. People will ride in the back of a pickup truck (think import type here)- maybe 5-7. People will ride on a motorcycle too- sometimes a whole family, with the baby in front of the driver, behind the handle bars.

Every fast food restaurant combo meal comes with french fries- McDonald’s, Taco Bell- it doesn’t matter.

Most people wash their clothes in a pila which is a deep sink (usually triple basin) with built in concrete ribs to wash the clothes on.

Contrary to popular belief, where we live it doesn’t get hot; it rarely busts 80. The low’s are usually in the mid to low 50’s and the highs are in the low 70’s, mostly year round. It does get in the low 40’s in November and December, which means the houses are in the low 40’s at night, as we don’t have heat. This is because we live and work in the highlands, about 6,800 to 7,300 feet in elevation. The city and Antigua are about 5,000 feet. We don’t have a lot of insects here either.

Many people cook over an open flame, especially in the villages. Most of the time, it’s inside their house, so there are a lot of respiratory problems.

Also, don’t think of a door-to door postal system. While you’re at it, don’t think much of a postal system at all.  We receive our mail or items ordered through teams coming, or a person coming who is willing to shop for us at Walmart.

In last year’s rainy season, land slides and mud slides were a common thing, including onto the roads and highways.

Distances are measured more in terms of  time rather than kilometers.

Meters, centimeters and kilometers are used to measure distances. Pounds are used to measure some things, kilograms weigh people. Gallons are used to sell gasoline.  Gas is about $4.50 per gallon.

Dishwashers are rare, although we have one, we’ve not been able to buy Cascade (the only dish washing detergent we’ve ever seen here) since November.

Electronics are very expensive due to import taxes, which are about 30%.

Most Guatemalans are short. In the land of Guatemala, Marjorie (5 foot 3) is considered tall. I’m a giant at 6 foot 2.

You don’t drink the water here.  (Well, Marjorie does)

You don’t flush the toilette paper down the toilette (except at our house- yes!); you put it in the waste paper basket next to the toilette.

We have no freeways.

We have no railroads.

That’s about all I can think of for now.

Enjoy,

Glenn & Marjorie

Tags: guatemala, Life, missionary, Spanish
Category Uncategorized |

We’re still here

We are quickly coming up on our 11 month anniversary of being here in Guatemala. It has been a smooth transition for us, but it has definitely had it’s trying times.

We are so very grateful to our supporters, who partner with us and those who partner with us through prayer. We are only part of the team, as our supporters are every bit as much a part of what we do here.

I (Glenn) have learned much about hosting short-term mission teams on our internship. I have been on many, many mission teams and have led quite a few of them, but this is the first time that I have been on the receiving side of them. The people that come are so easy to work with and are so gracious. We have really enjoyed helping them be successful in their trips. Several of them have blessed us very unexpectedly and we take that as God loving on us through people (pressed down shall men give unto you).

It has been hard in some ways and easy in other ways not having our oldest son, Jake, with us. We had always expected our whole family to go on the mission field, but as the timing didn’t work out, God has given us the grace to adapt without him here. It has been wonderful that he has been able to come here twice so far.

My (Glenn) main responsibility here has been team liaison, interfacing between the teams that come (averaging 1.5 teams a month) and the ministry organization here. In addition,  I am the driver when the teams are small enough to fit in a 15-passenger van (so far, every time except for 2 teams that came).  Otherwise we use our bus with one of the house parents being  the bus driver, but I ride along anyways, so I’m always with the groups. I do light translating for the teams as well.

When there aren’t any teams, I do all kinds of work, from taking the orphanage’s adopted dog to get “fixed,” to changing the oil on the generator/welders, to teaching English to the staff, getting the campus pastor’s house ready for them, teaching computer classes to the staff, picking up new tables and chairs for the new section of the school, fixing some of the kids bicycles, light computer work for the office and all kinds of other stuff.

When teams are here, my work weeks are often 60-70 hours long, with 1 or 2 days off in a 2 week period. When they aren’t here, usually the weeks are more normal.

Marjorie and I have learned that her main area of responsibility isn’t any different than when we lived in the states. She is the mother and wife who enable me to work with Casa Angelina. She oversees the household and children, their homeschooling, the meal preparation, buying groceries, keeping the house cleaned, etc. That’s not to say that she does all of that, but that she oversees it all. The kids have most of the responsibility of keeping the house clean. Our eldest daughter Erika, is in charge of meal planning, preparation, cooking and grocery list. The kids have for years done their own laundry and cleaned the house. I help with Marjorie and my laundry and cleaning our room.

It took us several months to figure out Marjorie’s role, but now it works well and we are all comfortable with it.

Life here is very similar to life in the states in many ways. We buy most of our food from PriceSmart, which was started by the same guy that helped start CostCo, so many of the same brands are there. We also shop at ClubCo, which is like Sam’s Club and is owned by Wal-Mart. Speaking of Wal-Mart, we also shop at Hiper Paiz, which is also owned by, you guessed it, Wal-Mart. These are in the capitol, Guatemala City, which is about 20-25 minutes away.

We have a local grocery store where we live and we get our daily food needs there.

We have cable T.V. and we watch FoxNews (yes!) in English (yes!). We also have cable Internet (although not quite as fast in the states, but high-speed nonetheless). We drive on the right side of the road, it never gets hot where we live (mid 70’s most of the year), and we live in a gated community which are all condominiums.  It is humid (relatively speaking) here, but the temps are so mild that you don’t feel it. We live at 6,800 feet, and the orphanage is at 7,300 feet in elevation.

We do eat a lot of re-fried beans (and Marjorie is really good at making them!), but we also eat spaghetti, hamburgers, hot dogs, casseroles, chicken, soup, etc. We even get turkey bacon (personal favorite of mine), Planters Crunchy peanut butter, Heinz ketchup and Pop Weaver Extra Butter popcorn (yes!).

We’ve gone to the movies several times, get DVD’s and watch movies on our 2 flat-screen T.V.s (they came with the furnished condo we rent). We bought a dog (Molly) for the kids and have to take her walks and get her groomed every month and a half or so.

Our church is located in Antigua, and is totally bilingual, as Marjorie and the kids don’t speak Spanish that well (not like I’m fluent or anything- I do OK). Our church is made up of a mix of missionaries and Guatemalans.

We bought and drive a ‘95 Suburbun, which is huge for Guatemala. It is like driving the Titanic in a sailboat marina, but we love it.

We live about 45 minutes from the orphanage, and I’m there 2-3 times a week (unless we have a team).

This is a snap-shot of our life here. Next time I’ll list some of the differences.

God bless,

-Glenn & Marjorie

Tags: Life, Ministry
Category Uncategorized |

~Comments~

Due to a n extreme rash of spam comments, we have temporarily disabled leaving comments. We are sorry for the inconvience, but too many people want to leave sexual trash or financial aid pleas.

Hopefully, we’ll be able to find a fix for this in the near future.

Thank you for your understanding!

-Glenn & Marji

Category Uncategorized |

The Season

We had a great Thanksgiving day, with about 30 people at our house. They were all missionaries and each family brought some food to share. Needless to say, there are some folks who know how to cook and we ate well.

There is something special about sharing times together with fellow missionaries. We go to different churches and have different backgrounds and we all belong to different projects and organizations. However, we all share commonality of being here on the mission field and that draws us together.

I wonder if it was the same for the first colonist that came to America sharing the same conditions that brought them together.

I also wonder if that is what is lacking in the body of Christ, people focusing on our differences rather than our commonality . What could we accomplish if we could learn to get along with each other?

We are excited to have our oldest son join us for a little over 3 weeks during his Christmas break from John Brown University. We’re also looking forward to the brown sugar and choco chips that he will be bringing with him, as well as some other stateside goodies and presents.

We bought our first artificial Christmas tree, as the “real” ones are expensive and very dry here. We got it up and decorated just in time for our Thanksgiving gathering. Our neighborhood is very light up with decorations adorning the outsides.

We will be caroling the Wednesday before Christmas with our missionary friends. Our oldest 3 children have a progressive dinner this Saturday that they are all excited about as well.

This is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about Christmas- the decorations , the traditions, the festive atmosphere. But most of all, I love the fact that in many parts of the world, Christ is celebrated and you can hear Christmas songs singing in adoration and worship, celebrating the King of kings and his coming to redeem mankind- to make possible once again to have a personal relationship with the God. How joyous a time!

It has been a busy several months with many groups coming to Casa Angelina, constructing a roof, teaching music lessons, painting restrooms, building bookshelves, cleaning ceiling fans and big light fixtures, doing medical outreaches and much more. It is a great experience watching the exterior of the orphanage change and grow and improve, enabling the interior of the kids’ hearts and souls to change and grow and improve.

This has been a great year. As a family, we finally are stepping into the dream that God placed in Marjorie and my hearts, so many years ago. It is wonderful being able to experience this as a family, and watch our children embrace and adopt their new surroundings, culture and friendships.

Lastly, we are so honored to be sent out by our church, Church For All Nations and the vision that we share with them. Thank you to all who help support us and partner with us. Together we are bringing transformation to some needy lives in Guatemala.

Merry Christmas to all!

Tags: Broces, Christmas, Season., Thanksgiving
Category Uncategorized |

October 22

The year was 1997, and this is a story of the power, presence and peace of God.

On October 22, Krister Mitchell Earl Broce was born, but  what a turbulent day it was.

We were finishing up our 3 years of living in Germany (well, 2 for me- I was able to spend a year in Bosnia courtesy of Uncle Sam) while in the US Army. Moving in the Army requires a lot of planning and is a very busy time, not to mention moving from/to overseas. We were flying back Dec 6th (mandatory) and so I was deep in the moving “groove”. We were moving to Ft. Campbell, KY. Marjorie was also pregnant with our 4th child, and even this was a little touch and go (being allowed to fly with a baby), but we checked and the baby would be old enough to fly by Army standards.

On October 21, we celebrated my 30th birthday. About 4:00 PM in the afternoon, I got a call from my mom, who lived in San Diego, CA. I thought at first it was a “Happy Birthday” call, as she was 9 hours before us. That thought was quickly changed when she told me that my dad had just died a little while ago. It was sudden, but not unexpected, as he was diagnosed with diabetes later in life, and had a series of progressively debilitating strokes over the years, starting 11 years ago on the very same day- my birthday.

I was shocked, as I had thought that I might be able to see my dad again. 2 years prior, he and my mom were able to come visit us (right before I deployed to Bosnia) and at the time I had a thought that, that was the last time I would ever see him. As the day for our move back to the states was fast approaching, I began to think my early feeling was a mistake. I don’t know that you’re ever ready or prepared for the death of a loved one, let alone for your dad though.

At this point I was torn. I gave mom the information she needed in order to contact the Red Cross, who handles and verifies all emergency information for the Army. Without a “Red Cross” message, I wouldn’t be able to go home for my dad’s funeral. I knew that I needed to go home, both for my mom’s sake, and for my own too. However, Marjorie was past due, and there was no telling when she would give birth, and I was not going to leave before then.

So, we prayed that evening, that she would go into labor the following day. That’s exactly what happened, later the next day. But there were complications.

Marjorie had gotten x-rays a few months prior as the baby was breech, in order to check the size of the birthing canal. We had assumed that everything was OK, as this was her 4th child and that she would be able to deliver normally, and that if there were problems, the doctor would have told us by then. Lesson learned: never assume anything with military doctors!

As typical, Marjorie waited to go to the hospital until the last moment, as she didn’t like laboring in the hospital- too many rules and regulations! Her water had broke and she was beginning to labor hard as the doctor informed us that the baby was still breech and that she couldn’t deliver vaginally. At this time, however, Marjorie was into the very “focused stage” of labor, and she could only think of a natural delivery. By the time Marjorie gave consent to a c-section, it was almost too late. They hit the “emergency button” and the whole floor swung into action as if they had just been fired upon by the enemy. They rushed Marjorie into the surgical room and had to perform an emergency c-section, which was pretty much a rip and pull the baby out. They quickly told me that I would have to wait outside, and to me, this was the best news that I had heard in a couple of days! I’m the kind of dad that just wants to wait in the lobby and hand out cigars when the nurse comes to tell me if it’s a boy or girl. But it turned out to be a much different scenario altogether.

Although Marjorie had given consent, she was not happy about that. As she was being wheeled into the surgical room, she let out the most blood curdling screams imaginable, and I was not able to be by her side to comfort her. The screams were not the typical screams heard during labor- those are bad enough, as I was by this time a “pro” on the labor scene. These were sheer terror screams, and they continued until she was subdued by the anesthesia.  I then went into extreme prayer mode. Just 24 hours earlier, my mom had informed me of my father’s death, and here I was in a hospital hallway while my wife lay unconscious while the doctors and nurses were performing an emergency c-section to get our baby out before it was too late. I did the only thing I knew to do: pray, and pray I did!

About 45 minutes later, the nurse came out to tell me that everything was OK and that I was a father of a new baby boy. Marjorie was resting (sleeping) comfortably and that I could go see the baby. I did, and then I needed to go home, as Krister’s brothers and sisters were at the Remilard’s, our neighbors and good friend’s house and I needed to care for them. They were so loving and invited us over for dinner that night. At this point, I don’t remember much more of the day, except passing out on their lazy-boy chair for a while from sheer exhaustion.

The next day I was at the Carlson Wagonlit travel office, getting my official travel tickets (the Army picks up the tab for emergency travel- praise God!). I was taking Jake, age 5 and Erika, age 3 with me to San Diego, while Nick, age 2 was going to stay with some neighbors until Marjorie got out of the hospital. At the time, I didn’t think I could handle all 3, with Nick being so young and “challenging”, especially with all that was happening. Looking back, I should have brought him, but hindsight is 20/20.

We flew the same day, and all I can remember of the flight was a lady helping my daughter go use the bathroom on the airplane and being so grateful for that act of kindness and then landing in Atlanta and literally being rushed through customs with luggage carts full of luggage, car seats and a stroller, plus two small children and being told by an airlines worker to hurray as our next flight was about to take off. I can remember running with all the above as they threw the luggage onto a conveyor belt and whisked us off to the next gate.

We made it finally to San Diego where my mom and grandma were waiting for us. The funeral was a couple of days later, and I was to say something on  behalf of our family, and all I could do was cry and stutter out some words. I said  how my Dad had gone home one day and that God had given us a replacement- Krister, the very next day. Then, it was all over, and I wasn’t sure how long I should stay to be with my mom. I stayed for about 10 0r 11 days in total, and decided it was OK for me to leave, and Marjorie really needed me home to help with Nick and the new baby.

About a month later, we had moved back to the US, trying to find a house as quickly as possible, and a vehicle too. We need a mini-van, as a family of six doesn’t fit well into most cars. Mom was able to come out for Christmas , and spend time with her grandkids including the new one. It was a good time and a time of healing and family.

A while before all of this, I remember getting a briefing from a psychologist about stressors in life and what can push someone over the edge. This was to look out for each other, for signs of potential suicide, mental issues, etc. They had a chart about life-events with a ranking of how stressful each would be, such as a divorce, moving, death of a loved one, change in jobs, etc. With the exception of divorce, I think I had hit ever one in the top 5, and I was marveling that I was still sane and that I had a peace in the midst of some severe storms. I remember wondering what people who don’t have a relationship with God would do in similar situations.

I had spent much time in prayer during those turbulent couple of months, and God was so faithful to provide me with his calming presence, his power to keep functioning and his peace to be able to breath throughout it all. So many things had to take place in the right order and somehow it all did.

God is good all the time; all the time, God is good.

-Glenn

Category Uncategorized |

Eternity

Today, I saw the form of a body under a blanket on the way home from the orphanage. I knew what was under that blue and white plaid blanket, and I began to wonder what that person had done today, that they will never do again.

There was a coca-cola truck and a few other vehicles as well as the police on the side of the road, so I imagine the person was possibly hit trying to cross the highway.

I have seen the same thing many times before in several countries while on missions trips and I always have the same thoughts. I imagine what their last days was like before tragedy occurs. Who will miss this person. Was he a daddy? Did she have kids that will never see her again? Did his mom get a chance to kiss him goodbye in the morning? And the most important question: did the person know God? Did Jesus know them?

This brings a new set of questions. If they didn’t know Jesus, then did they have Christian friends that told them about Jesus? Did they ever have a chance to know Jesus? Or, were people to busy or to shy to say anything? Did they just put the tough conversation off until later?

Finally, I find myself getting closer to home with my questions. Did I know that person? Did I ever pass them buy in the market or store? Was I standing next to them waiting at an office somewhere? Did I say anything to them about Jesus? Did I have an opportunity that I missed?

I don’t ask these questions to bring guilt or condemnation. Ultimately it is a person’s own choices and their own responsibility that they will have to answer to God. However, it is through man that people come to have an intimate relationship with God.

Matt 7:21-23 says, Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophecy in your name, and in your name cast out many demons and perform many miracles?” Jesus says, “I will tell them plainly; I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers.”

The word know is the Greek word gnosko, which is the same word used  ‘and Adam knew Eve.’

How many people do I know that don’t know Jesus? How many times have I found it easier to keep quiet or read a paper or book when I could have steered a conversation about who Jesus is.

I am reminded of sitting in Sunday School and the teacher or pastor giving and ‘altar call,’ saying you never know if a bus my hit and kill you on the way home tonight… I’ve seen that all too often, especially outside the U.S. Eternity is a reality, that none of us can escape.

So, I make anew my commitment to share with others what I have. I will share with others the joy of having a close intimate relationship with God through His Son Jesus.

Somber food for thought.

-Glenn

Category Uncategorized |

Teams

The majority of  my (Glenn’s) responsibility this summer was working with the different teams that came. I act as a liaison between a team and CA (Casa Angelina). Basically, I help  coordinate the various projects that the team will be involved with, working closely with Edgar, the construction director here at CA, and also with Yuri, the overall Guatemalan ministry director. I help ensure that the team has the necessary tools and supplies. I also translate for the team. If the team is small enough, then I am the one who picks them up from the airport and briefs them on their stay in Guatemala.  I pick them up daily from their hotel and take them to Casa Angelina, and then back to the hotel at the end of the day. If the team is too large to fit in one van, then Esduardo is our bus driver and I go with him to transport the team.

Texas Team Plus 1 From CO

We are done with teams until the first part of October. So, we have a break and will be doing other tasks in the meantime, such as teaching English to the staff, etc.

Teams are so important to the orphanage. The help tremendously by accomplishing things that the small construction crew here aren’t able to do, as they are busy with their own projects. For example, the last team, which was from

Electrical Installation

Texas,  installed the electrical wiring in the “Spirit of Faith” house,to include hooking it up to the main electrical grid. They accomplished that in 3 1/2 days, with 3 adults and 4 youth, of which only one had the electrical knowledge. What a blessing. Then the group did some much needed wooden ceiling repairs and installation of trim to keep the wooden planks from falling or sagging.

Wood Trim Installation

Also, this is where people and churches get a vision of what Casa Angelina is all about. They get to interact with the children, love on them and help provide a hope-filled future for them and generations to come. The Bible says what ever you set your hand to will prosper, and I encourage the groups to lay a hold of that verse and declare that every shovel full of dirt, every swing of the hammer, every weed pulled up and every brick laid is prospering for not only this generation of kids, but for generations to come.

It is a true blessing to watch people come from all over and see the love of God fill their eyes as they hug and meet the kids here. The kids are amazing, and it is incredible how smooth things go, the love that the children have and the joy that fills their hearts.

If you would like to come work at Casa Angelina for a week, then contact What Matters Ministries and Missions.  They have trips here almost every month, and you can join up with a group.

Thanks  for being a part of what we (the Broce’s) do as a family. We appreciate your support and prayers.

So, come on down. We’ll leave the light on for you.

-Glenn Broce

Tags: Casa angelina, Glenn, Teams, what matters ministries and missions
Category Uncategorized |

Love

Mud Slide- you can see 4 people crossing it (click pic for larger view)

On the night of Friday May 28th, sudden tragedy struck the small village of Chimixaya. A mudslide the size of 2 football fields fell and devastated the families, including 6 deaths- 1 pregnant mother, her 4 young children and her unborn child.

Mud Slide Tragedy

This was the cousin of Juan Jose who is a house parent at Casa Angelina. Juan Jose was staying in his father’s house and short distance away, when he heard the massive mudslide fall. He then heard the screams of his relative’s, and in the pitch black storm raced to rescue. This house was the best built in the village, but it was also the closest house to the mudslide. As the electricity had long gone out, the mother gathered her children into the corner of the kitchen, holding them as close to her as possible. The mudslide came and utterly demolished the outside concrete brick wall and pushed all of the furniture into the family. The clay-mud devoured them as the Enemy stretched forth his hands to steal, kill and destroy this family. The mudslide hit with such force, that the re-bar reinforced concrete roof began to collapse. Unfortunately, by the time Juan Jose and others arrived, his 6 relatives had been buried and crushed alive and had perished. However, there were 2 children that they could still hear their cries of terror as the mud was struggling to claim their lives too. These 2 were the only family members that made it out of this house alive.

View of Mud Slide

3 families in this small village lost their entire crops, which is their only means of providing for their families.

It wasn’t God’s judgment that came to Chimixaya, but John 10:10 has been proved true. “The devil comes but to steal, kill and destroy.”

Preparing the Chicken Coops

But, there is a second half to this verse: “but I have come that they might have  life and life to the full (abundant).”

You see, Yuri Mondal’s parent-in-laws heard this and decided to mobilize an emergency trip and brought 10 others with them and they also brought a plan. Their plan was to establish relationships with these precious people and bring a solution of love and provision.

Chicken Coops

They came to build 7 chicken coops, 2 for each of the 3 families that lost all of their crops (including Juan Jose’s father ) which was their only means of providing for their family, providing the materials, labor, chicken feed, medicine and 210 chicks.

Loading the chicks

Here’s how it works. The coops were filled with 30 chicks each. They will be feed for 6 weeks and then sold- alive or butchered. They will grow to about 4 or 5 pounds each, which is enough to buy new chicks and feed and have money left over as an income for the family. In fact, they will make enough money to slowly grow this new business, being able to purchase more chicks every cycle. They will also give away 3 chickens to a needy family or to the church as a tithe.

Days old chicks

Loading the chicks

John 3:16 tells us what true love is: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” This is how we are to love the world, by giving: our time, our money our resources. Why? So that they will know we are Christians by our love. Now, we have an inroad to share a deeper revelation of the Gospel, or Good News to these people. Most would think that God had forgotten this small group of families. But not God. God did not cause or allow this tragedy to happen, but He did cause all things to work for good. He brought a small group of Canadians to love on these people and share what they had.

We encourage you to find a way to love others. Find a way to give. This is love. This is the result of being in relationship with God. When you love others, God’s love is made complete in you (1 John 4:12). It doesn’t have to be half the world away; it could be your neighbor just down the road. God has called us to go into all the world telling others about the Good News- that God loves us. Let that start right next door.

Category Uncategorized |