Car Broke Down

Hello there. I had an interesting day yesterday with our car. We went to the store to get minutes for our phones and when I got back in the car with the family...it wouldn't start! I noticed the battery still worked with the lights and radio so I thought it couldn't be the battery but we called Jorge and he came with a truck to jump off the car anyways. But it wasn't! And while we were working on the car the security guards in this parking lot came over with a pen and notebook asking for our information and vehicle tag and description. Very confusing and annoying and I know they were probably just doing there job but that didn't stop me from finding a spot on their face and letting them have it!! HA! Knocked one out cold and the other ran like a baby. So we jump in the truck and got out of there fast! Then I came back to the present time and reality and this time gave them our info. I came back to change the battery out completely still thinking it could be the battery and another guard come nosing over and starts standing over me watching and not saying a word. Then when I finally give him attention HE pulls out another notebook and pen and starts to ask me information. He was not there when I knocked the other guy out...so I thought I could write everything down for him. I wrote my name was Keith Baker and "You'll never take me alive!!" HAHA SO we finally figured out it was the starter that was stuck. I was praying so hard to God for it to be the battery b/c that would be easy....expensive but easy. I was able to get a mechanic to look at the starter that afternoon which is unheard of!! And it only ended up costing me Q100 rather than Q1,100. Amazing how God works sometimes!! Here I was asking God if I could spend Q1,100 when he had it in mind for to only have to spend Q100!!! If I could only shut my thoughts and mouth for a while and let God handle more in my life!!! Well....there you go!

Use what you got

Have you ever felt like you weren't doing enough or needed to do more? Sometimes I feel like we need to be doing more, but when I look at my days and our calendar there just doesn't seem to be any more time to do more. So then I look at what we are doing to make sure that there aren't things that need to be cut out to do more of something else and all of it seems to be what God has called us to do. So then I wonder if it is just my flesh or pride that is telling me this. Last week I looked at another ministries webpage and it made me feel like we were doing nothing compared to them. This is a lie...I know but I still felt that way after watching their videos and seeing all their projects. So then I go to praying and asking God if there is something more we can do. And God spoke to me through the Word. I was reading in Matthew 25 and read the parable that we all know and have read so many times, but this time I saw something in the parable that answered my questions about doing more. I heard God say to me that He is the one that gives us our plans and abilities to do things. It was like He said, "I am the one who gives you your assignment." And according to this parable some assignments are bigger than others but nothing is mentioned about being more important or valuable b/c He congratulates the man with 10 more the exact same way He does to the one with 4 more. BUT!! The one who did nothing was condemned and what he had was taken away from him. So God told me to relax and stop worrying about doing more or not doing more. He has given us our assignment and also has given us exactly what we need to do that assignment ,and then I can only do and work with the things that He has given me. If he only gives me 2 then I can only work with two. If he gives me 5 then obviously I could do more with 5 than with 2 but according to God they are both equally important and what He wants! So I need to focus on what He has assigned ME to do and not look at what everyone else is assigned to do. But I am still held responsible for what He has given me to do but....no more than that. Isn't God just and fair! We often don't feel like He is but that is during the times when our pride gets in the way or our feelings and we start focusing on the world's standards and what we want rather than God's already supplied plan and purpose for us that is very enjoyable and peaceful and fulfilling and satisfying and perfect!! Gos is amazing and it is wonderful to be His servant and worker!! Well....there you go. I'll try and have a more humorous story next time.

A Bloody Experience

Hello there. I had a wonderful near death experience the other day. Nah...just joking but I did almost pass out. And this has nothing to do with me. I know Brandi will fuss about the title. Well Mme Jo is working in a new village where we are building the church. There is a young boy there that has a piece of wood in his leg from fall off a telephone pole. As he slid down the pole the wood went deep into his leg. this was three months ago so the leg was healed and better but you could still feel the piece in his leg. So Mme Jo said she could do a small surgery and cut it out. Well I had to translate, meaning I had to be there and watch. I also was holding the light for her during it all. Well after some time of her trying to find this piece of wood in his leg she discovered that it was deeper than we thought and the local anesthetic was not enough for the boy not to feel her FINGER DEEP IN HIS LEG FEELING FOR THE WOOD!!!! Nasty!! After I saw the boy in pain and the sounds her finger was making in his leg...I started to feel dizzy and like I was going to throw up. So I had to leave and get some fresh air so I would throw up! I was as white a ghost. When I came out of the room...all the other folks waiting to see Mme Jo looked at me with big eyes wondering why North Americans could change the color of their skin! Then as I was lying there I remembered that I was the translator so I got back up and went in and just sat there in case she needed something. Well she finally stopped and said he needed general anesthesia b/c it was too deep to get out and sowed him up. The next day God did a miracle and we found a good Christian doctor who is one of the best here that said he would do the operation for free!! So the boy will receive the surgery and, Lord willing, get the wood out of his leg and everything be good to go. AND!! the best part...I don't have to watch it! I don't know what happened b/c I have seen some really nasty things as a police officer but the heat in the room, the blood, the boys face with pain, and the sounds from his leg as Mme Jo moved her finger around inside of it was just right for me to lose it! But it's all good. Keep praying for the boy. God bless!!

Daniel

The Singer in Brandi

Well hello there! How's it going? I have a funny story about my wonderful wife, Brandi. Well everyone knows how much Brandi loves to sing! No secret and not only sing....but sing???? LOUD!! She does have a wonderful voice that is very pretty and she uses it to worship and glorify God. But I think God had to sneeze when she past by on the way to earth and He forgot to put the volume knob on her b/c all she knows how to sing or talk is loud! But I love her! Well she used some money we got from a friend to buy her a keyboard here in Guatemala so she could play and sing at her cell group and practice at home. All the houses here are with-in spitting distance from each other and are concrete walls with open windows. So when she sings....the WHOLE neighborhood can hear her! HAhaha One day Jorge...who lives behind us...was sick and trying to sleep in his room while he had the house empty and to himself. He told me that he was just getting to sleep when Brandi started practicing and singing, and then he could not sleep. He said he was like...Brandi, shhhhh. I love her and love listening to her sing and play her piano. Well, there you go. God bless!!

Daniel

Bad Spanish Interpretation

Something so weird happened last night. The leader of my cell group wanted me to go and "help" another woman with her cell group, so I thought "I can do that, as long as I don't have to teach it". I had talked to her over the phone about it...very dangerous when your original language is not Spanish...and I understood her to say that I was going to go to this woman's cell group and she would teach and I would help, so I just read over the devotion for the night and took off for her house...Well, when the devotion was starting, my leader was praying and I understood her to say "Lord, please give Brandi the words to say tonight as she speaks." My stomach dropped to be knees!!! I had no idea what to do. I couldn't tell them that I did not have ANYTHING to teach because this woman that had opened her house for the devotion was very poor and she had refreshments for us and my leader had already told everyone that I would be speaking...TALK ABOUT PASSING OUT! So, I took a deep breath and prayed, and no one ever knew I was not prepared!! The Spanish was rough at first, but my leader just told me that she just thought I was a little nervous! Wow! This living by faith in a Spanish-speaking country is a little nerve wrecking!! :) BUT GOD IS VERY FAITHFUL TO PROVIDE US EVERYTHING WE NEED AND THE WORDS TO SAY!

Our Church - Casa del Alfarero

I love our church here in Guatemala. Don't get me wrong, I love my churches in Alabama too, but God has truly blessed us with such a great church while we are serving Him here. The worship is awesome, the preaching is awesome, and it is very evident that they love God and love others. Our church here meets on Sundays and then has cell groups and prayer meetings throughout the week. Daniel and I are a part of the cell groups, and we love the prayer meetings. There is a prayer meeting at 5am on Saturday mornings with worship and prayer, and then the first 10 days of the month they have prayer every morning and evening. There are so many opportunities to be in the church and to fellowship with the body of Jesus in Guatemala, and we are very thankful to have that!

There are about 850 members in the church, but the Lord has truly started pushing them to keep growing and reaching the lost in this area. I thought it would be awesome to get our church FAMILIES in Alabama praying for our church FAMILY here in Guatemala. Please join with us as we pray for wisdom, strength, and guidance for the pastors, leaders, and members in Casa del Alfarero.

We love you! Thank you for your prayers!

Back in Guatemala and Getting things Started...

Hey Everyone!
We were very blessed to be in Alabama for almost three months with you all visiting family and friends and churches and sharing what we feel like God is telling us to do this year in Guatemala. As soon as we got back, we started to work.
We were blessed to be able to work with a medical team sent from Global Missions of Mercy that worked with people in the village and also in the city of Camoton. This week, we are working with a construction team also sent from GMM, and we are in the process of contacting pastors and setting up our first Pastoral Training Seminar for the year. We sent out an email asking for your prayers for this seminar...so please pray and lift up the two pastors that are coming from the States to lead the classes and for the pastors here that will be receiving the teachings. The two pastors from the States will be here from March 7th to March 14th.
Also, we have hired Nancy Perez to help us administrate the teams that will be coming in the next five months, and we are not used to being "in charge" of stuff :) so please pray that everything will run smoothly and be glorifying to God.
Thank you for everything!! Please keep us in your prayers!