Every day we played with the children while they arrived and then went together into the church. Peace Haven performed puppet songs, puppet skits and it was fun to watch the children because they didn’t even know what puppets were. Vincente would teach them a Bible lesson and then we would break off into groups of boys and girls. One group played games while the other did crafts. At the end we came back together and sang songs before we dismissed. The last day George, one of the pastors from Peace Haven, told the Bible lesson. He began with what I have heard is one of his most famous stories about two horses….I will let him tell you the rest some day. Bobby was translating and I couldn’t decide who to watch, George galloping around the room or Bobby trying to imitate him…What a good time we had!

The children are still asking where the group is and I know they can’t wait until next year…

Thank you Peace Haven for being Jesus to the children in Jocotillo. Your light shone strong and I am so excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of these, His precious children.

Lesson learned in VBS: While candy is falling from a broken piñata – watch out for running mothers!

You may be asking where is La Barranquilla? It is located in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, a Red Zone (do not enter), one of the many slum neighborhoods in the city. A place where people live but a place most do not want to be. In 2008 Lakeside Baptist, a church from Salem, Virginia opened the door for us when they provided a clinic to address the medical needs of the community. This year Hickory Grove Baptist Church, came from Charlotte, NC, demolished a dangerous pedestrian walkway and built a new bridge. We are grateful to say the least because without this we would have never been able enter an open door and walk across a bridge meeting the people exactly where they are…In need of a Savior!

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28

I have the priviledge of working in a women’s ministry with my neighbor for prostitutes. The place where we have our ministry is called “The Oasis” and it is located on “The Line” where the women work. The first time I went I had to get past where I was going and what I was seeing. These ladies have believed the lie of Satan and some feel they have no way out because of financial burdens they have. Most of them don’t go by their real names and their families don’t know what they do during the day when they are at work, but when I look into their eyes and listen to their fears they have a need that only Christ can fill.

Randall and Jackie Darby, my neighbors, started this ministry 10 years agos and have seen many women come to know Jesus and leave The Line. God has miracously opened doors for other jobs and they are involved in church. These ladies have hearts just like I have and deep down they are all little girls desiring our Father’s love. They love to color and display their pictures in the room, which we have recently repainted and hung new curtains and pictures. It is a place filled with the love and warmth of Christ.

Recently I was able to share my testimony and as my Spanish improves I hope to be able to share in teaching the Bible lessons. The time there starts off with prayer and singing; they love to sing, followed by a time in God’s Word. The ones that can read love to take turns reading the Bible. Last week I was able to be there when 2 of the ladies accepted Christ. One of the ladies has been there for 10 years and last week was her last week.. It was such a blessing and an exciting time as well. Please pray for these ladies – they are so afriad of giving up the money and stepping out on faith. They can’t see that abundant life with Christ is waiting for them and many turn away because the guilt of knowing about Christ and not accepting Him is more than they want to handle. I love these ladies and long for them to know Christ. Pray for us as we are the hands and feet of Jesus to these ladies and that His love will shine through us brightly. 

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1

…The evangelist says he “sometimes crossed the line” in politics, “old age can be a lonely time,” and warns evangelicals of being “victims of our own success.”…

Closing paragraph…But the most important issue we face today is the same the church has faced in every century: Will we reach our world for Christ? In other words, will we give priority to Christ’s command to go into all the world and preach the gospel? Or will we turn increasingly inward, caught up in our own internal affairs or controversies, or simply becoming more and more comfortable with the status quo? Will we become inner-directed or outer-directed? The central issues of our time aren’t economic or political or social, important as these are. The central issues of our time are moral and spiritual in nature, and our calling is to declare Christ’s forgiveness and hope and transforming power to a world that does not know him or follow him. May we never forget this.

Interview by Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Joanna Weaver writes in her book “Having a Mary Spirit”, “Once you say yes to the Lord, you won’t know exactly where you end up, but you can know you’ll always find your way home.” She expresses that saying yes to God is the beginning and then we move along one yes at a time. It is amazing what God can do with a heart that says yes in spite of the cost.

Saying yes to Guatemala was about advancing God’s Kingdom, but He had so much more in mind. He is blessing us and teaching us so many new things. My 14 year old daughter, Taylor, has been learning about humility with a kind and gentle spirit. There have been some rough roads for her to travel, but she came to me just last night and said that God was moving in her to get rid of everything that was a source of pride to her. She feels like God is stripping her of everything but Him. This morning she left with her book bag full of “things” to give away today. With obedience comes deliverance and I believe she is on her way.

Every Sunday morning we travel an hour to our church where Bobby, Taylor and I work in Sunday School and Junior Church. So on Sundays I head off with my bag of crafts and my lesson in hand, but every Sunday I walk away blessed beyond measure. What a privilege it is to share Christ with these kids every week. This week we are going to be studying the life of Samson and his incredible strength. His strength was in his obedience; saying yes to God, but when he chose his own path there was no more strength. Spanish is the hardest thing I have ever tried to learn, but in my obedience He gives me strength every Sunday to share with these kids. I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit speaks to their hearts in their own language.

Bobby teaches the adult class and I am amazed at what he is doing. The people there love him because they can see the love of Christ shining through him. I am so thankful for Bobby and the life that he leads. He washes me with God’s word and is teaching me so much.

I would say we are all learning more about humility and love. I pray that God pours me out like a drink offering for the people that He has called us to work with. Thank you for your continued prayers that we will be living water drinking fountains in this drought-stricken land.

“You and I have been cleansed – and filled – in order to be spilled.” Joanna Weaver

As you can see in the picture – I do not have beautiful feet. Yessenia, our pastor’s wife, and I go visiting on Wednesdays to invite people to church and to talk with the ladies that have been coming. This is what my feet look like when I get home. We have such a good time even though sometimes she says things that she just has to act out for me to understand. The first time we went out, she ask me to pray….I had just finished language school and was not ready to be called to pray on the spot. Needless to say, after that one time she didn’t ask me again for a while. I have loved watching God use Yessenia as she talks and prays with the ladies. The first day there was a lot of silence, but now she shares with boldness and the light of Christ.

I had the privilege of going to el basurero with some missionary friends of mine. El basurero is the garbage dump here in Guatemala. I have inserted part of an article by Gretchen Kroth explaining in more detail about the dump.

The Guatemala City garbage dump, situated in a ravine, occupies 40 acres of land in the nation’s capital. Guatemala is the most populated nation in Central America, with more than 13 million residents. This landfill, one of the largest and most toxic in Central America, houses over a third of the country’s waste, including trash, recyclables, and discarded food items. There are few, if any, health and safety restrictions limiting the items that can be disposed of in the dump. Medical supplies, including used syringes, toxins emitted from discarded gas tanks, as well as other biohazardous materials contribute to the dangers of the landfill. Human and animal corpses deteriorate amid the waste, exacerbating already poor sanitation conditions.

The margins of the landfill are so heavily populated that they are considered a municipality of the city. Reportedly, 30,000 squatters reside along the perimeter of the garbage dump. It is permissible to erect temporary houses or structures bordering the landfill because the ravine and surrounding properties are public land open to all. Approximately 4,000 men, women, and children live within the squatting communities, scavenging in the dump for personal items, including that which can be used for housing and served up as food, as well as sought after for re-sale on the open market. Those who are unable to find space in the margins of the landfill are considered lucky if they can find a few square feet within its borders and among the fetid trash.

However, after methane gas emitted from the compost ignited a fire in 2005, the city decided to erect a wall encircling the ravine and imposed restrictions on entry into the dump. Other dangers threaten the safety of the workers in the dump, including landslides, which are prevalent during Guatemala’s annual rainy season. 8 adults and 2 children were killed in June 2008, after scavenging in a “high-risk” zone notorious for its landslides. Accidents from collisions with garbage trucks and injuries resulting from broken glass and other hazardous items have also often proved fatal. Following these tragic events, authorities distributed identification cards to those who were authorized to work in the landfill, imposed opening and closing times for the entrance gates, and prohibited any child from entering. While both necessary and beneficial, the restrictions displaced families residing in the garbage dump and left them with few choices as to where else one might live. “Guatemala’s Garbage Dump Education System” by Gretchen Kroth

Because the families are unable to afford education for their children it becomes a never ending cycle of never leaving the dump. I was able to go to a Christian daycare on the outskirts of the dump to help parents that live there. The teachers are giving educational instruction as well as practicing hygiene and the best of all…teaching the children about Jesus. What an amazing group of teachers and workers that love these children. The daycare has 80 children enrolled from ages 1 to around 10 years of age. These children were beautiful and every day they go home to poverty beyond description. Jesus loves these little children and He died for them and it was so cool to be able to tell them that we loved Jesus too and we worship the same Jesus that loves them so much. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus and wow did I want to be that for these children. Every hug, every kiss, every word was bathed with the love of Jesus. It was an incredible day and Jesus showed me that I have to see others with His eyes, love with His heart, and hug with His arms without condemnation or prejudice of any kind. He has called me to love ALL of His children. I pray that you too, will see with the eyes of Jesus – all around us are people that need His love. Be His hands and feet today!