Willing to Serve in Guatemala City

 When the Celebrant Singers’ Reprise Team came to Porterville for a concert one Friday evening in July, several families were asked to host members of the team in their homes after the concert. Two women stayed in our home: April Simon, a vocalist from Ohio and Linda Wentz, a musician from Visalia, California. After the group returned from their tour, I contacted Linda Wentz to find out more about her experience.

   Linda, a retired letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, has been playing trumpet since the fifth grade. Later she also learned how to play the French horn and flugelhorn, which has a tone similar to both the trumpet and the French horn. She has participated in many local music groups and is also member of her church’s orchestra in Visalia.

   When Jon Stemkoski, the founder of the Celebrant Singers, talked to the orchestra about the Summer Reprise! program she was very interested. The Reprise groups began in 2009, with the idea of providing opportunities for people from 18 to 80 who liked to sing and/or play instruments to go on short international mission trips. Reprise means “repeat” when used as a musical term or “sing it again.”

   When he described the summer mission trip to Guatemala City that the team would be taking, Linda really wanted to go. Her husband Walter told her that if she could raise the necessary support money, he would agree to her going with the team. She decided to give it “her best shot!” After letters were written and sent out to family and friends, the entire amount came in within six weeks!

   Training began at Saint Anthony’s Retreat in Three Rivers with four days of intense practices. Then the team was bused to its first concert in Porterville. A concert was held in Chatsworth the next evening and also during four services on Sunday. At 3:00 a.m. on Monday morning, the group arrived in San Diego with all of the instruments and sound equipment wrapped securely for the 5 ½ hour flight to Guatemala City via Houston.

   Once in that city, which has a population of about one million people, the Reprise members split up and went to the homes of local families where they would be staying for the remainder of the time there. The Communidad San Pablo received them like “rock stars.” “There was a huge crowd waiting for us at the airport with welcome signs and balloons. It was overwhelming!”

   The people who were members of the large Communidad San Pablo were very generous and worked together providing the necessary vehicles, helping to load and unload equipment and drove the school bus which took the group to various places within the city.“Personally, I was blessed by their generosity and strong faith.”

     The Reprise team held many concerts, sang during Sunday services and went out to various parts of the city to minister in music. At the end of each concert, they were able to pray individually with people who requested prayer.

     Linda was thankful for good health during the tour. It was also very good spiritually for her. “Besides the ministry to others, the Lord worked in my heart!” She was also grateful for the Lord’s protection as there was some political unrest which led to demonstrations in Guatemala City while they were there.

    Her willingness to take on this experience during her retirement years is inspiring and a good example for us all. “It’s something I always wanted to do, but never had the opportunity because I was working.” How appropriate that when asked about a scripture meaningful in her life, this was the verse she picked:   “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ ” Isaiah 6:8 NIV