Camp Canaan

Imagine growing up and never being able to go on holidays or to a camp? In North America this is almost unheard of as many people go on holidays not just once but several times a year. Most children and young people also have opportunities to go to a camp for several days. It is so common that we often do not think twice about it. It is part of our life and it is something we expect to do each year. However, in countries like Guatemala the reality of many families is much different. For many the closest things to getting away from home is going to a coffee or sugar cane plantation to work for several weeks or months or going once in a while to a bigger village or city to see family. Many parents of children in Guatemala do not have the resources to go on holidays or even to get away for a little while.
One of the wonderful blessings that AMG offers the children (grade 5 and up) in their schools and centers is a chance to attend 5 days of camp each year. The 40 acre camp, called Canaan, is located in a beautiful location some 45 minutes west of Guatemala City. The camp boasts many amenities like cabins, chapel, hall, soccer fields, basketball court, trampoline, and a swimming pool (which is freezing cold!). Although the amenities are great, the people who minister there are the ones that make the camp excellent. Jose Luis and Ofra are a couple who have been ministering at the camp for many years and they have a heart for the kids who attend. Together with other staff they minister to thousands of kids each year. Over the the 30 plus years that the camp has been around they have ministered to tens of thousands of kids. When I visit projects the kids all talk about the camp and how they look forward to going each year. Many of these kids will tell you that the camp experience and the mentoring they received from the staff impacted them for eternity. The camp even has a special place in the hearts of those students and alumni who are not saved. About a year ago we had our first alumni meeting and we decided to hold it at the camp. Several hundred alumni attended and some even traveled from the States just to be able to spend a day at the camp. Many were crying as they walked on campus and saw the staff. Some literally kissed the ground! The camp ministry meant so much to them and had an impact on their lives.

When we handed the education project in Cubulco over to AMG in 2013, one of our reasons and desires for doing that was to be able to offer the camp experience to some of the children in our center and schools in the aldeas. However, because of financial constraints we were not able to include the camp expense in our budget of 2013. When preparing the budget for 2014 we looked at the camp  again and decided that it was important to include it in the budget and to see if we could get churches to support this part of the ministry. Although the response was limited, we had several churches and young people groups donate money to cover some of the camp expenses. As a result, we were able to send our first group of students to the camp this past August. Ten students from a junior high school that we support in the community of Patuy (1 hour by car and a 3 hour hike away from Cubulco) were given the opportunity to attend the camp. They were there together with other AMG students from other parts of Guatemala and the kids really enjoyed their time. They played games, sports, interacted with other students, performed chores, and were encouraged to spend time in the Word of God and prayer. They were counseled and mentored in walking in the Way. I had the privilege to spend a half day with them and interact with them. 
Our plan was to send a second group of kids in September, but because the week fell during the Independence Day celebrations many schools had activities which interfered with the schedule. It would have meant that the kids would only be able to attend for 2 days. I suggested, therefore, that they postpone the trip until a further date so that the kids could enjoy the full experience. The trip has been rescheduled for January of 2015.

 However, we need your help to make the camp experience possible. We need individuals and churches to come on board in order to be able to raise the necessary funds. The cost for a child from Cubulco to attend the camp is around $40 for five days plus another $15 for transportation. It is at least a 5 hour trip from Cubulco to get to the camp. Our goal is to send up to 75 kids to the camp each year ($4100 US). If we would not had the cancellation of the second group we would have sent around 55 children to camp this year. As of now we have a little over $2,000 committed and it would be great if we could get a few more churches on board to be able to make up the difference. If there is anyone interested in helping out you can send a check to:
Peter Luth

RR 7

10318 Claymore Line,

Dresden, ON

N0P 1M0

 

Make sure you indicate on the cheque that it is for Camp Canaan.

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Update Part 4

The highest highway pass in Central America 10,000 feet.

This summer was the first time in many years on the mission field that we were not able to return to Canada for furlough. This was somewhat disappointing and challenging for us (especially for the kids) since it is hard to get away from work and to find a decent place to relax. Also the challenge we have living in a city is that it is hard to find an affordable place with a yard. When the kids are in school it is much easier as they spend a good part of the day at school, but during the holidays it is much harder as the kids are house bound most of the day. Thankfully the summer went by fairly quick and to avoid the kids being behind the screens all day we had them involved with sporting activities most days. We registered the boys at a nearby soccer academy and they had practice for an hour each day for 4 days a week. We also signed Nico and Jesse up for a soccer tournament on Saturdays. After playing games for several months Jesse's team did not make it to the playoffs because his team was always playing shorthanded. This was quite frustrating for the parents as it is not fun watching your children putting up a good fight, but losing each time because they are playing 1-2 players short (they play 6 against 6 on a small field). However, Nico's team made it to the playoffs and ended up winning 3rd place. They should have done better, but in one of their final games they did not have enough players either. Also for the 3rd place game they lacked a player and Jesse ended up playing with them even though he was in a different age group. It is fun watching the kids play and even watching them practice. It is neat to see how they are improving with each practice and game. Ellen had gymnastics 3 days a week for 2 hours each day. These activities kept them busy for at least several hours a day and they also spent quite a bit of time playing with friends.
We planned to go on some outings as family, but in the end were not able to do much. Work and other commitments kept us from doing many of the things that we had planned. However, we were able to spend a few days in Xela (Quetzaltenango) with the kids with a team from Holland who were building a school. The kids helped out and it was a good experience for them. After this we spent a day at a beautiful water park which was very enjoyable for all of us and with that the holidays ended.

Doing VBS at a school in Quetzaltenango

School started August 14 and we had to get back into the school routine. The kids are in school from 8:00 till 3:15 except for on Wednesday when they finish at 2:00. Jesse is in grade 2 and he was able to get back in the routine quickly. We were a little concerned (although not too concerned since he is a bright boy) about his reading ability since thee school kept on telling us that he was a little behind in that area. However, he had a his first test results back for his reading ability and he more than doubled the goal that kids his age should have. Nico and Ellen had a harder time getting into the routine since they are now in middle school. This means that they have lockers with a combination lock, different teachers, different classrooms, being the youngest kids in the new building, not having teachers remind you of what you need to do for homework, etc. This caused some problems for them and they got several slips for not handing their homework in on time. After a few weeks Ellen surprisingly adapted. Nico on the other hand has had a much harder time and it probably did not help that he was sick for a few days. He had several emotional outbursts that we had not seen before so this was somewhat concerning for us. However, his homeroom teacher Mrs.Choe (who used to be his grade 4 teacher) has been helping him adjust to the challenges of middle school. We also had to sit him down and tell him that we cared and that as long as he did his best we would not be disappointed in him.We said that he would soon get used to it. Thankfully he is doing much better in school now and he seems to be back to his old self. Nico and Ellen play in the school band. Nico plays the trumpet and Ellen the flute. Nico also plays on the middle school soccer team. They have practice 4 days a week, but it only runs for 2 months. They had several games and a tournament, but they did not win any games. However, they did better than in other years and scored more goals and let fewer in.

I missed the first week of school as I spent a week in the States. I had the opportunity to attend a 2 day Christian leadership summit in New Hampshire together with others from the AMG leadership team. I got picked up from the airport by Brian Dennet and his former boss in his Rolls Royce Phantom. I got quite a few stares at the airport, but it was fun. He took us out for dinner and it was interesting seeing a glimpse of what Brian's life used to be like before giving it up to serve in Guatemala. The summit was very informative and helpful and I
really enjoyed it. After the summit Brian Dennett (director of AMG Guatemala) and I drove down to Chattanooga, TN and spent a few days at the AMG headquarters. We had a series of meetings there and it was nice seeing the staff. It is touching the way that they appreciate the work I am doing and go out of their way to make me feel welcome even though I am not an AMG missionary. They do not treat me like an outsider, but like one of them. After a few days there I returned to Guatemala.  
Lia has been busy ministering to women using her gifts and interests. She has been visiting one AMG city project each Friday sharing her story and doing facials with the women. She really enjoys this and the women seem to appreciate her. It seems to be encouraging to many of them hearing that the "gringos" don't always have an easy life either. We also have our share of struggles and obstacles in life. Lia has done this at other AMG events in previous years, but this is the first time that she is going to each project. Recently she also re-visited a project where a teacher had been raped on the school  premises at 11:00am by a pervert who jumped the fence. She went with the staff to the place where it happened, and prayed together. She hopes to go and visit this teacher in the near future.