God Wins Again- satan Loses. Ha Ha

On June 18th and 19th some friends and I went to a small town in Guatemala where I was scheduled to teach an evangelism seminar at a church. Unfortunately, the day we arrived someone from the church died. But the seminar wasn’t cancelled, so we moved forward even though things were a little awkward. The distractions that followed made things even more interesting: A bunch of kids showed up for a kids club before the seminar, and we were asked at the last minute to provide the program- so we came up with something. I expected more teens at the seminar, but it turned out to be a mixed crowd that included kids. Those who showed up didn’t seem very excited about the teaching, but it was hard to tell what they were thinking- were they mourning the one who had just died, was it a cultural shyness, were they bored? To make matters more difficult we had to translate a lot of the seminar into 2 different languages which made the teaching a lot longer than usual- I had to abbreviate things quite a bit. Then the power went out briefly during the teaching and we couldn’t get the sound to work for one of the videos I wanted to show. Because of the funeral and the cultural thing of not starting on time the next days classes were shortened from 5 hours to 3 hours. It was a little discouraging.
But, you see, God always has a winning strategy even though it may include some hardships and setbacks. A group of kids at the kids club prayed to receive Jesus into their hearts. Maybe that was the main reason we were there! A girl at the seminar prayed to get right with God too. Yep- it was worth it all. Also, the pastor’s son seemed excited about the teaching, and I have a feeling that he’s going to really use what he received to do some great things where he’s at. So, sorry satan, you lose. God wins. Again.

Photos of the disaster

Disaster

There aren't words to describe the amount of destruction that is in Guatemala right now. Many bridges linking remote areas to the rest of Guatemala have been washed out and destroyed making it difficult to get help to people. Many roads have been washed out. There is a giant sinkhole in Guatemala City that swallowed a 3-story building and you can even see the building anywhere in the picture of that hole. There is mud in the village nearby where our base is from the top of the village and covering the highway below--maybe 1/2 mile or so?

Our village is in a lot of need. Boulders, trees, and mud washed through it like a river taking out houses and businesses in it's path. It's an incredible sight. Reports are that there are over 170 people dead, 175,000 people homeless, and many still missing in Guatemala (average numbers since the papers all differ a little).

Mark and I have been busy since Sunday helping where we can. The first big need was water so our base was able to provide 55 gallons of water. There was a need for food for the church that has been made into a shelter for those who have been affected by the storm and our church here provided pounds of rice and beans for them to cook. Mark dug for 2 mornings trying to help get mud out of some of the houses. Mark and I were able to buy food for some families who are in need of it and get it to them. We saw a need for something for the kids to do who are in the shelter, so we've been doing a kid's club in the afternoons for about 70 kids. Then there's just networking other ministries here who can meet the needs with the people in San Miguel who have the needs.

It's been a big week. A few people have asked, "What can we do to help?" I know the first thing people want to do is send stuff down, that's not a good idea! Really, it might not get to us and if it does, we have to pay to get it from the post office--counter productive. What is needed right now is money to buy the things that are needed and to start helping with the rebuilding that is going to be happening.

Please continue to pray for us and for those affected by the storm. We will update as we are able.

Whirlwind Weeks!

It's been a crazy whirlwind in our house lately. I don't know how else to describe it! Not only have we been wrapping up the school year, but, we have had teams and ministry commitments that have kept us hopping. Sometimes it amazes me how hard it is to keep things from spinning out of control! But, it's been a good time in our house lately for many reasons: 1) Looking forward to a little break from the school routine, which we all need. 2) The ministry is really stepping up and doing well. 3) The kids are growing and we're trying to keep the social calendar to a dull roar!

But, one of the biggest changes we had during these 2 weeks was a temporary addition to our family in the form of a little boy named Clinton who was placed with us from the emergency courts here in Antigua from the streets. We met Clinton through our soup ministry around Easter time here. He was living with a group of homeless people in an area of Antigua called "La Polvera" (basically the vacant lot). He did have parents or anyone with him, he was by himself, working when he could in the market selling toothbrushes and toothpaste.

We were concerned about him, understandably, and spent a few weeks trying to find out his story. What concerned us the most was when we found him starting to sniff glue. Glue is a huge issue here in Guatemala (it's a cheap drug), and few people understand the danger. It really is more dangerous than a lot of street drugs. Mark and I knew we had to act quickly. We had a lawyer who attends our church find out about the system for getting a child off the street and started that process.

After sitting with Clinton at the courthouse for 4 hours, we were told by the judge that they had made at least 15-20 phone calls to orphanages in the area and none of them would take him. The choice at that point was to return him to the street until they could find something or taking him home with us. It was a clear choice. At about 1:30 am, we were sitting in the back of a police truck driving back to our house with Clinton.

Now began 2 weeks of total change for a little guy who had been on the street for a while. Taking a hot shower was something fun for him and we couldn't get him out! He just loved the clean feeling. Brushing his teeth regularly was also something he liked. Waking up and knowing he'll have 3 meals and play time with kids was new. Watching kids do school work was interesting to him--he'd never been to school. Just family life in general was a lot of fun for him to experience.

We had just watched the movie "The Blind Side" and I remember the scene where they are having Thanksgiving dinner and they all take their plates into the family room to watch TV and Michael Oher takes his into the dining room and sits there and starts to eat. That happened with us! I remember all of us dishing up our dinner and heading into the living room (we were used to this since we hadn't had a dining room table for a while) and Clinton sat at the dining room table and started eating. We all gathered up our stuff and sat with him and enjoyed sitting around a table together.

So many things we take for granted.

Clinton is now in Casa Shalom, happily living with 5 other boys in a house with his house dad. He's in school, attending church and chapel, getting 3 meals a day, sleeping out of the rain, playing soccer and basketball, working with chickens and having fun. He's happy! We're so blessed to see him be able to make something of himself and have opportunities to grow and learn. God is good!

Odds and Ends

It's been a while since I felt like I had much to say that would require an actual blog. I say a lot, but, it isn't always life-changing, earth-rattling, or even important! But, I have a few things on my mind and heart that I would love to share!

When we first moved to Antigua, I had a lot of difficulties with a few different things. I missed my family and friends, I missed cleanliness (you can't imagine), I missed the orderly way that things are usually done back home, I missed being completely understood when I talked, I missed so much! I wondered if I would ever feel like this was home. God is so good, because He has made this feel as though I'm home. We have a wonderful life here. I love my family, my church, my friends, my home, our ministry, my routine, and learning Spanish and laughing at the mistakes I make. I still miss some things, but, I don't LONG for them as I used to.

I enjoy the market. When I go to the US, it's fun to shop in a big superstore with everything clearly marked (so everyone pays the same!) and organized. It's fun to get around with my big shopping cart in spacious aisles that are free from debris and stacks of boxes. It's fun to find bargains and marvel at how cheap butter, milk, cheese, bread, and meat is compared to Guatemala. It's fun to find ice cream in our favorite flavors and candy we can't get here. But, after a week or two, I find myself longing to bite into a piece of fruit that is actually ripe and ready to eat when I buy it, or buy the freshest of fresh veggies to prepare for my family. I miss the taste of the beef and chicken here (it is different!). I long for "home".

This past week, our family lost someone irrepalceable in our lives, my Unlce Rod. He was someone who poured out his life for others, including us. He mentored my husband and worked with us as we were just starting out into ministry. He performed our wedding. He was there when Alicia was born and didn't at all mind when she threw up in his hair just before he had to do Bible Study on a Wednesday night! He was a wonderful man of God and an example to so many. I'm so grateful that I had him in my life.

It was tough being here when I wanted to be home with my family and comfort my dad and see everyone and celebrate his life. But, then I realized, the best way I could celebrate his life is by staying here and doing what he did. Pouring my life into others. So, in honor of him, that's what I will vow to do. I think about how he's looking down on Guatemala and seeing us right now and I wonder what he thinks? I hope he's blessed to see the fruit of what he poured into us. I hope we are worthy of not only his time, but, the time of so many others who have given so much for us to do what God has called us to do.

You all are special to us. We couldn't do what we do unless you were faithful to pray and give so that we could be here. It's a wonderful thing to be so blessed with so many incredible people. I hope we are always mindful of that and strive to make it count.

How?

“…how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14
It’s still good ol’ fashioned preaching that God uses to save souls, so since the beginning of October we have done some evangelistic programs in the streets and in a homeless shelter. A group of friends helped us out as we did dramas to draw crowds and then the preaching. Alicia and Bailey were a part of the outreach dramas and Christopher helped by translating the preaching.
On February 13th a couple of people responded to the altar call at the homeless shelter. Then that evening when we did a program in the street in Antigua about 8 people responded to the altar call. A week later we did a program in the street in San Miguel Escobar. A small group of youth responded to the call for salvation that night. Then a week after that we did a program near the market in Antigua. I talked to the crowd about how Jesus said that we need to eat His flesh and drink His blood. No one responded to that altar call that day, but when Jesus Himself preached that same message in John 6 there seemed to be a negative response as well, so I didn’t feel so bad.
During holy week a group of us went to the streets to preach. About 8 people prayed for salvation that night. My friend Dave got to street preach in Spanish for the first time. He and I got some big crowds with a light-show illusion, and then we would share the gospel.
God has provided opportunities “in season” and “out of season” to preach. On March 5th our family was in Mexico to renew our visas and I had shown an optical illusion to a group from a soccer team who was staying at the hotel we were at. Well, about 12 of them showed up at our door to ask to see another trick. So I showed them one and then preached to them, and some of them prayed there to receive Christ also!

The Whole Man

Over the last few months we feel that God has been leading us to minister to not only the spiritual needs of people (with evangelism and kids ministry, etc.) but also to their physical needs. The spiritual needs are by far the most critical because they are eternal, but meeting physical needs can open even more doors in people’s hearts to accept the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We’ve been going out once a week to give soup or sandwiches to homeless and/or poor people in Antigua. In one night we can give away 40 sandwiches or more! One of our favorite spots to give food is behind the market where a group of people sleep out in the open, surrounded by garbage and a bunch of dogs.
Another “whole-man” ministry we were a part of was an evangelistic medical clinic in the community of Pastores on March 8th-12th. Dayle helped to cook meals for the medical workers and the kids and I were part of a drama team that shared the gospel with the people at and around the clinic. During the week of the clinic Alicia and Bailey and Christopher helped with language translation- the girls for the medical team and Christopher for the preaching. The team saw over 1100 patients and we figure that about 100 people prayed to receive Jesus as their savior!
On the first day of the clinic about 300 youth came to the clinic as one big group. They came walking toward the clinic wearing their white shirts- their school uniforms. I told our team that the fields were white to harvest, like Jesus had said in John 4:35. Because the clinic couldn’t handle such a huge crowd they had nothing better to do than to come and see our dramas (if they had come an our or two earlier we wouldn’t have been ready for them). So they watched our program, listened to the preaching and a group of them prayed to ask the Lord for salvation! If you would like to see a video of the clinic outreach go to iglesiadelcaminogt.com and look at the video posted under “Recent Activities”.