A strange thing happened on the way to the meeting...

Do you ever feel like God is trying to tell you something.  All at once.  Loudly.

This afternoon has been like that for me.  Within the space of one hour we experienced a strange variety of things that has me going, "Hmmmm..."

On the way to our weekly staff meeting at the YWAM base we saw a jack-knifed semi truck trying to make an impossibly sharp turn from a highway (under construction) to a little side road where all the regular highway traffic is being routed through.  I felt so bad for the driver and felt a little bit of how frustrating it would be to try to manoeuvre through a centuries old, cobble-stoned, city to make deliveries in narrow, quaint little streets.  Antigua is charming until you are a truck driver I'll bet!

So we had to take the long way around through another little town to get to our meeting.  While on the road we were behind a police truck with 2 officers in it just minding our own business until a large can was thrown out the window of the police truck.  Right away I said to Mark, "Did you see that?  They just littered!"  Why that was so surprising I still don't know!  Then the second can was thrown out.  That's when I noticed that they weren't just any cans, they were the large 20 oz. Gallo beer cans!  So they were drinking and driving, on duty, and littering.  "Hmmmm..."

Right about then my phone went off that I have a text message.  Now, I usually don't check texts because, frankly, it's usually just ads for the company we have our phones with.  But, for some reason I checked this one. It said that I had a court date.  Tomorrow.  For the Q4,000 (about $500) debt I haven't paid.  The text was complete with case numbers and everything.  I said to Mark, "What debt?  We don't owe anyone that kind of money!  What do you think this is?"  When we got to the base we showed our director and he said not to answer it or even call the number because it's an extortion.  ????????  Yeah, an extortion text message.

Then, while we were in the meeting I heard a truck trying to get through the street and heard a crash.  Not good.  Mark went outside and saw that the driver had hit our car with his truck and put a decent dent in it.  For real.  Not even kidding.  I went out to look at what had happened and there was the driver trying to get away!  I stopped him and our director helped me out while Mark was moving our car to assess the damage more accurately.  The driver immediately started blaming US because we had parked on the street.  Now, there's nowhere else to park at the base.  There's only the street.  WE had parked on the street and that's why he hit us and it's our fault.  Our director made him get out of the truck and I said to him that it's not our fault it's his fault and he said that here in Guatemala it is the parked car that is blamed for these types of accidents!  Again--????????

Our director immediately got on the phone to the police, and miraculously, that changed his tune.  All of a sudden, he was all apologetic and wanted to know what he could do to make it right.  We took his information and left it at that for now.  The damage doesn't effect the performance of the car only the look--so it's not too bad.  But, we do feel he needs to take responsibility for his actions so we're thinking of how to do that without causing his family hardship by demanding money.  And in case you're wondering, the police never did show up. 

So what do you think God is trying to teach us?  Is He trying to tell us that justice is His and we can't look at man's idea of justice to work for us?  Is He trying to tell us that He is in control and we need to rely on Him?

I don't know.  But, I do know that God is good, and just, and He is in control.  So, I'm not going to worry too much about it all.  I'm going to continue to pray for our beautiful home country of Guatemala.  I'm going to pray that HIS justice reigns here and thank Him for his grace and mercy that keeps us working here.  I'm going to believe that He loves this country more than we do and that we can be instruments of His will here in Guatemala.  I'm thankful that we are able to do what He's asked us to do.  And tonight I'm going to bring soup to homeless people and addicts and be thankful for the things that keep MY life here normal for me.

How's the kids?

We get this question a lot because, they grow so fast!

Alicia

She is now 16 and finishing up her junior year of high school.  She speaks pretty fluent Spanish and does a lot of translating for teams.  She is participating on the drama team that Mark put together that participates in school ministry as well as street ministry.  Alicia will be spending the summer in Chico, CA participating in the 24-7 program at YWAM Chico.  This program is like a mini-dts that teaches leadership and service.  She's excited to venture out on her own for 8 weeks!  We aren't as excited for her to be gone, but, really happy that this opportunity has presented itself for her.  Her future plans include some college online next year and then in 2013 she plans on moving in with her grandparents and attend nursing school in Brainerd.  After school, she wants to return to Guatemala to work with villages that don't have a lot of medical care.  She is also trying to coordinate a mission trip for our youth group here in Antigua to go to San Andres Quiche to minister to needs there.

Bailey

Bailey is 14 and finishing her freshman year of high school.  She speaks really good Spanish and also participates in the drama team ministering in schools and on the street.  She loves music and art and is very gifted in drawing.  She has been taking piano and excelling at it!  She hopes to participate in the youth worship team later this summer after a few more weeks of lessons.  She will be spending the summer working with the different teams that will be arriving to work with YWAM Antigua this summer as well as helping to get ready for the DTS students who arrive in July. 


Christopher

Christopher has just turned 13 and is finishing up 7th grade.  He is taller than I am and he is still growing--too fast in my opinion!  He speaks excellent Spanish and also has been helping with translating with teams and also for Mark in the park.  He is busy with computers and friends and we are so thankful that he has a gift for computer technology and has fixed things here many times!  He LOVES spending time with his friends and playing computer games and just hanging out.  He just started attending our church's youth group and it's been fun to see him be part of what God is doing in our youth.  He will be helping with sound and video editing for our ministry this summer and with the teams that are coming.

So that's it!  They are growing fast and it's fun to see God work in their lives.  Thanks so much for all the support and prayer we receive for our family--it's such a blessing!

--Dayle

George!

There is a man named George (Jorge) who has been coming to street church and we have been speaking to for a few months now.  He speaks perfect English and tells everyone he's from Hollywood, CA.  He has lead a rough life.

Mark has talked with George very strongly about his need for Jesus and George kept saying "Someday, I'm just not ready now."  But, he kept coming to street church and talking with us.  He's has a lot of anger inside and is constantly getting into fights.

Last Sunday night when Mark asked if people would like prayer, George came forward and said, "I'm ready now, Mark."  Mark looked at him and said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time!"  George received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. 

Please continue to pray for George!  He has a long way to go with his addictions and his anger.  We are hoping to start working with him towards rehab.

--Dayle

What's Up with Street Ministry?

This is something I get a lot of questions about! 

It's been so busy!!!  During the month of April and into May the local homeless shelter shuts down and many of the people who sleep there on a regular basis are on the street.  Needless to say, we've been crazy busy with soup run and gone through over 50 cups of soup every night that we do it.  It's been great because we are building relationships with these people.  It's important for them to see us on a regular basis so that they are able to build trust with us.

We currently have 4 of our street people in rehab!  Jaimie and William are in Teen Challenge.  Mark just visited them this week and took William to a doctor's appointment.  William is doing well and still in the beginning stages of his rehab program.  Jaimie is in the middle of it and is struggling a bit.  Please pray for him.  This is a difficult time when things are being dealt with deep inside of them and it's easy for Satan to come in and make them feel "picked on".  Miguel and Ana are in a different program and are nearing the end of their time there in the next few months.  We met with them this week and they are looking to join us with the street ministry we do here.  There are a few things to consider with this so pray for wisdom for us! 

In the past we've talked a lot about Charlie who was at Hogar de la Roca.  He has chosen to leave rehab after 7 months in the program.  We have run into him in the streets and he is drinking again.  We are concerned about what will happen to his health for returning to alcohol after his rehab.  Please pray for Charlie.  He did tell us that he wants to return to rehab, but, didn't show up for some of the things we set up for him to do in order to return. 

It's been a wonderful thing to minister to these people.  We are so blessed to be able to do what we do!  We have also started meeting every Sunday evening with them to do a "street church".  We do worship and preaching and prayer with them.  They have responded so well to it and we are seeing some definite results in their hearts!  Keep praying that this continues to turn into discipleship of their lives and many more are set free from the bonds of alcohol and drug abuse.

--Dayle

Holy Week!

It's been so long since I've been able to update!  It's been crazy busy--but that's all good, right?

We had a great Holy Week--the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.  It was busy with preparing for outreach on Holy Thursday.  We had our church's youth group helping with the outreach and had a tremendous time with dramas and preaching right up until it started to rain.  Hard.  This was interesting since it wasn't rainy season and usually doesn't rain that time of year. 

But these teens wouldn't stop.  They went out anyway and just started talking with people and praying with people and handing out tracts.  They were inspirational.  So many people got to hear the gospel that night and we were out until 6:30 am.  I can't wait until next year!!!

Good Friday evening is completely crowded in Antigua and Mark went out with a small team of people to do some street ministry.  It was so fruitful that he was out until after midnight again!  Saturday night he was out again until really late.  It was a wonderfully fruitful time of ministry and the gospel was preached to crowds of people who had spent a lot of time that day thinking about what Jesus had done for them so many years ago.  What a blessing!

Another answer to prayer--we are always needing tracts.  It's been something that has been a real trick with getting them ordered and then shipped to someone who is coming down all at the same time that we need them.  God is so good!  Another missionary couple that we are friends with down here were talking with their chiropracters in California while they were home over Christmas and these doctors have a passion for evangelism.  They also LOVE the Living Waters tracts that Mark uses!  They wrote to him and asked him to make up a wish list of tracts that he uses.  They ordered over 52 pounds of tracts, videos, and literature for us to use!!!!!!!  They also paid for an extra suitcase for someone coming down to bring them to us.  All in time for Holy Week!  We are so grateful!  Mark had all the tracts he could use and still has some to use.  They also want to be kept up-to-date when he needs more.  What a HUGE blessing!

Thank you all for your prayers during Holy Week.  So many wonderful things happened!

--Dayle