What We Do

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We are a non-profit organization that works with pastors, churches, schools, and the local hospital in Chiquimula, Guatemala. We host training seminars for pastors, leaders, and youth from rural areas and we help supply the congregations with Biblical materials to minister to their communities. We visit several public schools to share a Biblical story and play with the kids. We also pray in the local hospital and give out toys, toiletries, and Biblical materials. Ways to Be a Part of this Ministry: Come - We need pastors and leaders to come and teach these pastors and leaders here in Guatemala. Or you could bring a group to work in the churches or schools with construction or evangelism. Financially Support - If you would like to support this ministry, please visit our website at www.eyeswideopenministries.com to donate online or send your donation to: P.O.Box 245 Florence, Alabama 35631 Make your checks payable to Eyes Wide Open Ministries. All donations are tax-deductible. Pray - Please pray we will follow God's leading in all we do.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Teaching the Pastors

We dropped off the group from The Summit Church from Missouri and picked up Mark Puckett the same day to do a pastor seminar at our house. This was Mark's first time to visit and teach in Guatemala. His church has been a part of our ministry for over a year now! He came ready to teach and encourage the pastors in their personal relationship with God and leadership within the church. We had 18 pastors come to participate in the two and a half day seminar. The seminar was a eye opening experience for us all. We grew deeper in our understanding of the scripture! We learned so much about leading our families, churches, and communities through our influence and examples. Mark was able to share many personal experiences in reaching out and leading the church to love and influence the communities...in ways that are "outside" the norm for churches and pastors. I had many of the pastors share how this opened their minds and gave them some new ideas on ministering and reaching out to their communities. Many times we get so caught up with the traditions and religious way of doing things that we miss out on God's way. Not saying that God doesn't use some of our traditions and our religion to accomplish His purposes and reach lives...but we need to keep our minds and eyes open to the moving and direction of God in our personal live, families, and churches! We also went through a prayer clinic with the pastors. Many actually said that this gave them a more orderly way to pray and how to teach others to pray. It is simply the Lord's prayer that He taught His disciples.Mark went through the different areas that the prayer touches, and then we went through a time of prayer together using this model. So we had a great time learning together and sharing experiences and ideas. This time the pastors participated more than usual with questions and comments. They were very excited and ready to go back and put into practice what they learned!
Brandi and Nancy did a wonderful job cooking for all of us and the pastors during the seminar. The kids helped clean and cut vegetables too! And the food was so good!
Mark's church also bought a Communion set for each pastor that participates in the ministry! It was a stainless steel plate and cup. Beautiful! And we were able to give these out to the pastors at the end of the seminar and have continued to give them to the others that weren't able to be there. What a wonderful gift for these guys! And I have been to their church services since and seen them using the set as they served Communion to their church. Good stuff!! Praise the Lord!!

Summit in Guatemala!

We had a group from The Summit Church come and minister with us in June. This was their first time working with us, but many of them have been coming to Guatemala for years. One couple, they are our contact in the church, actually lived here as missionaries and are now serving the Lord in Missouri as pastors/missionaries. We had a great time with the group! They came with sincere hearts to serve along side of us and not to be served. They went with us where we usually go doing the same things that we usually do. This isn't that bad when it's two or three people, but when a group drives two or three hours up the mountain  in the back of a truck to then walk the village praying and giving to the families then stay that night for the church service it's not as easy. But they went the whole time and never stopped pouring into the families and schools in Guatemala! And they poured into our lives and our family as well!! One of our friends in the group even stayed back and helped Brandi at the house.
We visited three different villages with the group walking house to house, praying with the families, giving out food baskets to different families, and inviting them to come to the church to be a part of the service that night. They also sat down to talk and pray with each pastor and their family to encourage them and get to really know them. We walked with the pastors in their villages to minister along side of them. This wasn't always easy! In one of the villages we literally walked up a mountain side almost looking straight down as we walked up. It was kind of scary and really exhausting, but at the top, one of the families accepted Jesus into their hearts and house and actually walked down that night to participate in the church service!! It was so worth the climb! My legs were shaking when we got back down and didn't stopped until we got back home to rest. But that same night my truck broke down on the way home. Some of the guys stayed and waited with me for the wrecker to arrive and tow us back to the house. While we were outside waiting with all the gear in the back of the truck, it starts to rain! So we have to move all the gear inside the truck and pile up on top of everything while it rained. Then the wrecker driver shows up drunk! To drive us back home inside my truck on the back of the wrecker that was smaller than my truck! But hey...we made it home by the grace of God and actually had a great time together! The guys were very encouraging and cracking jokes and laughing which helped me not worry so much or get stressed out! The last place we went to visit it actually rained hard the whole time we were there! But the group still walked the village in the rain giving out the food and praying for the families! Each place we visited lives were saved and changed for forever! I spoke with the pastors days after we left and all shared about the change and moving of the Holy Spirit in the village and lives! WOW! Glory to God!!
The group also went to two different schools and performed a skit and message with the kids. It was very powerful and fun! There were 14 kids that accepted Jesus at the first school!! Praise God! And we were not allowed to do an invitation at the second school but the message and presence of God was just as powerful and moving! So we are praying and hoping that lives were changed there also! My kids actually participated in the skit and loved it! They had a great time! And they also visited the hospital two times to pray and give out gifts with Brandi and Nancy. That is always an impacting experience for both the group and the people at the hospital. So we praise God for His healing and lives that were changed there!
So we had an awesome time with the group and were treated like kings and queens! They took us out to eat several times and even painted part of the inside of our house! Saved me from a lot of work!! Haha And they took us to a city called Antigua and paid for our hotel room and food...just so many blessings and so much encouragement from them! We are so thankful and looking forward to having them come back next year! Good stuff!!