A couple of trips to the schools and an eye surgery

Hey everyone!! Daniel has been on a evangelical trip with some village pastors for three days now up in the mountains. He'll be back tomorrow :) I'm glad he's got the opportunity to go, but we are ready for him to be home.
We just had our first group from the States leave on Wednesday, and it went pretty well. Getting the kinks out of the rooms and showers has been an adventure, but we were very happy to be able to have them here while they ministered to the people in Guatemala.

Right before the group got here, we were able to go to two of the public schools and do activities and Bible studies. We were sad we did not get to go to the school in a town close to Chiquimula with the older students, but the teachers had been striking for so long that by the time school was back in session, they had to prepare the students for the final exams! Can you imagine!!?? (Schools here go from January to October 15th)
Anyway, Daniel and Blake went to a public school here in Chiquimula, and the particular class they ministered to was a class of boys. They did a lesson on how everyone has a purpose in the body of Christ, and with the lesson they tried showing the students how to play American football. (All they play here is soccer.) Daniel said that they got the point of the message but not the point of American football. Haha! Since both the guys were "playing", they didn't get pictures...oh well.

The same week, Daniel, Nancy, and Blake went to a public school in San Juan and did a lesson with them on building their house on the Rock of Jesus. They seemed to have a great time. We are sad because school is now out for "summer" vacations, and we did not get to visit the schools like we wanted to because of all the striking, but we are thankful for the time we had with them. Lord willing we will be able to do a few activities with them during their vacations.


A couple of weeks ago, one of the pastors that comes to the seminars brought a man that is in his congregation to our house that had been in a chemical accident at work and the chemical had got in his eye. His eye looked HORRIBLE because three months had past since the accident. He had been going to a public hospital and they had told him that he would have to have surgery that would cost money that he did not have, so he just didn't do anything and didn't tell anyone. Praise the Lord, we know an eye doctor here that is a Christian and did the surgery to remove the infection and place a large contact in his eye that will protect it, but sadly he will not regain his site in the one eye. This surgery cost a little over $250, and if you feel led to give to this eye doctor and bless him, please contact us. Daniel and Blake went to go witness the surgery, and Blake almost passed out. I actually can't believe Daniel didn't because of his "surgery" experiences in the past. :) (I bet they'll kill me for putting this picture on here. Hehe)

Take a Bite out of it

Well when we pick Levi up from school on Friday, the teacher actually came to our car and told us that Levi had an accident today. He fell and bit the inside of his cheek. She said it bled a lot, but in no time Levi was running and playing again. They had to get the English teacher to come and talk to him to see if he was ok and get him to calm down. So when he got in the car we could tell his cheek was swollen. And when he opened his mouth to show us...DANG!!! There was a hole in his cheek! It wasn't a little bit that bled...it is a hole!! And when we were eating at the table tonight, Levi said he didn't want to eat. And when I told him he had to eat, he said his "hole" was hurting. Then I said that it was just noodles with a little sauce and it wouldn't hurt him. Then he said, "Well it ain't your mouth that has a hole in it! It's my mouth!" Hahaha He's just like his mom! But Mme Jo looked at it and Paw and Bones have prescribed salt water several time a day, and praise the Lord it is getting better. (Mary Kathleen wanted to show you her mouth too.)


We also have the bunk beds installed and Sat. we put the last two A/C units in the wall!! The bunk beds are awesome and the pastors are going to love them!! The triples are a little high and I don't know how they'll take that, but they are amazing!! They are adventures for Levi and Mary Kathleen! They love to go in there and play all the time. It's like we have baby sitters now. Haha But thank you sooo much for y'all that gave money for the beds!! It is a huge blessing for the ministry and the pastors!! And others have been donating sheets for the twin mattresses! Thank you soo much! It is wonderful to see God bring His plans together in His timing and His way. Thank y'all!!

Went swimming!

Well...we woke up this morning around 3:30 and I could hear that it was raining very heavy outside. It did this for a while. The day before we had workers on the roof trying to repair some leaks. The last time it rained this hard here was last year when it flooded the houses close to the river, and now we live in that area! So I got up to look outside and see if the water was in the yard or on the street in front of our house. Then I noticed that it was raining in our house...where the workers REPAIRED the roof the day before! Our table and couches and beds and floors were all getting wet! So we spent the next hour moving things around and getting up and down with Levi, who was having a nightmare, and we finally just put him in the bed with us. So now it had been raining very hard for a while, and the fearless, valiant Brandi was scared for Mary Kathleen being on the other side of the house by herself because when the water floods from the river, everyone has told us that it comes in all of the sudden, without warning. So she was going to be close to her if we had to "grab them and run," according to Brandi. So Levi and I slept in our bed and Brandi in Levi's bed next to Mary Kathleen's room. I woke up again around 6 am and it was still raining but lighter, and I noticed that I did not hear any cars passing by on the road. So I thought I'll get up and put a tarp on the roof. I looked out the window and over the front wall in front of our house, which comes up to my chest, I could see rolling brown caps of water, because the water was very dirty!! So I thought we better get things together and go while the water is still not on our house. So I went to wake up my fearless, ready wife, and after 5 minutes of yelling, "Brandi! Wake up!" She finally jumps up ready to RUN!! We managed to get out and and cross the river in front of our house with our awesome 4-runner we just got! Brandi and the kids were in the back crying and scared to cross the running water in front of the house, and after we crossed with no problems Blake said, "Oh my gosh. That was nothing!" So we went to Mme Jo's house for a while to eat breakfast and then came back and Blake and I spent a few hours with the hose and a broom sweeping the mud into the drains! Oh and we went up on the roof to put the tarp down and Blake's foot went through the roof and broke some of the clay tile! Hate that! So now we have to wait till Monday for the wonderful guys to come back and, Lord willing, to fix the roof! Just glad Blake didn't fall all the way through! But praise the Lord that no water entered the house or passed the front of the house! So it wasn't that hard and didn't mess up anything. One of our missionary friends about a mile down the road had over 2 ft of water in their entire property and inside the house!! So keep us in your prayers! God is good and merciful!

Daniel

Pictures of our Past visit with the Pastors, Daniel Preaching in Salfate, and Pastor Meeting at the house

We have been able to take food to the injured pastors for the past month and a half, and these pictures are of the last time that we could take food to the pastors...but just the way the Lord works, the next week, the Johnson's, another missionary couple here, started giving money each week to provide for their needs! God is amazing!!! Don't let anyone tell you different!!!!





Daniel had the privilege of teaching a service at the church in a village close to Chiquimula this past Sunday (Sept. 25th). They wanted to do the service in the new church, but since it was coming a flood, and the church doesn't have a roof yet, we still had to have the service in a house. (But praise the Lord, the church will have a roof very soon!)




These last pictures are of the Pastors' Meeting we hosted in our house on September 28th. During the meeting, Daniel gave a devotion and got an update on how everyone was doing and how the Lord was working in their churches, we had lunch together (good 'ole southern fried chicken...with tortillas), and Pastor Jendrick Lobos led them in a very encouraging worship service and message after lunch. We all had a great time!

Good news about the pastors

Well we have some good news about the pastors that y'all have been praying for now for about a month and a half now. We went last weekend to visit them and give them some more food, and they all seem to be feeling better and looked better. Before, our visits were very short and not much talking because they were either sleeping or in too much pain to talk for a long time. Well this last time, the whole preachers don't know when to stop was our case! We had a great time with them and stayed for a couple of hours visiting and laughing. The biggest joke that went on and on was how they wives are going insane from having their husbands, the pastors, in the house all day long! HAHAHA The pastors were talking about how their wives are treating them like kids and telling them to sit down and take better care of themselves. And the wives are saying it is hard to have them there all day and are praying for a faster recovery so they can go back to work. But it's funny how it all got started...I started it!! LOL Yes, maybe not the best idea but it sure was funny. They are very humble and patient folks so when I saw a little of the tension and realized how hard it really must be for them now, the Bryan McIntyre inside me came out and I started talking to the wives and the reactions and comments that eventually came out were hilarious!! The pastors usually wake up and leave around 6 a.m. and come back sometimes after 6 p.m. from work or visiting in the mountains. So they don't know how to handle being in the house and not being able to go, go, go. So pray that they make it and the love and tenderness between the spouses will grow and not dwindle. With their injuries, they still have some time before they can go back to work so continue to pray for their provision and needs. We have enough money from all of y'all giving to still buy food for one more week for them. Another ministry here, missionaries, are also helping tremendously with their needs and also with the pastors we do not know and can't reach. They have been huge with buying the meds and paying doctor bills. They also are providing food and seeing that they receive the proper treatment and care. Some very sad news...One of the pastors that broke his back is still waiting for surgery!!! The hospital says they do not have the material, the rods, to do the surgery and the missionaries can't buy them and give them to the hospital because the policy doesn't allow that so that black marketing won't be encouraged. So as of yesterday, between are contacts and the missionaries' contacts, we found a doctor here in Chiquimula that is willing to do the surgery for FREE!!, but he needs the rods to do it. So they are looking for the rods and waiting to get the pastor transported from the public hospital in the capital to Chiquimula. The doctor still has to examine the pastor to see if it is not too late for surgery because he has been lying in a hospital for almost a month and a half waiting!! So pray fervently for this pastor and the doctor and the other missionaries to be able to line everything up for the pastor. The pastor's name is Seferino. The missionaries are Larry and Marla Johnson, and the doctor's name is Dr. Barrientos. Pray for them! And keep praying for the others to recover and heal completely and correctly. Brandi and Blake went with the Johnsons to visit the widow who's husband died in the accident. His name was Oscar, and her name is Seria. She is still cooking and helping in one of the feeding centers from the Johnson's ministry and does this voluntarily. She said that they are making it and are pressing on. Brandi took her a lady's gift basket to give her and asked how everyone was doing. Seria said that her six year old daughter is taking her dad dying the worst out of the family. At first, she was ok and would talk about her dad being in heaven, but now she doesn't understand why he hasn't come home and why she can't see him. Seria said that sometimes the little girl will cry all night for her dad. Please pray for this little girl and for the rest of the pastor's family. While they were there, the church people were there talking about getting a new pastor for the church so the ministry there could continue. They sure are strong people, but please keep them all in your prayers!

We also were able to go to the village in Camotan and finish paying for the doors on the church there yesterday. The pastor and his family gave us a huge lunch while we were they to say thank you. The pastor and his family are composed of 11 kids and the parents, 13! So they do not have much money and often need help with food and other needs. But they actually killed their turkey for us and cooked an awesome lunch so we could spend time with them and be blessed by their giving to us! And turkey's here are very expensive. They had been feeding and raising that turkey for a while and then they gave us more to take home and eat with us! OHHH that was so humbling and touching for us! An amazing example for us and reminder of God's love and willing to sacrifice and give to His people, since the beginning of the world! God is good!!! Love y'all and thank y'all so much for your prayers and giving to God's people in Guatemala!!

Hello there. We have some more information about the pastors and some pictures that we would like to share with everyone who has been praying, and also those who have given to help with their financial needs. We were able to take a basket of food and an offering to them two weeks ago and visit and pray for them. We spoke with them about their needs and food situation. Another ministry has been able to raise money to help with their surgeries and medicines, praise the Lord. Also, between the first time we were able to give and this last time, a church organization here in Chiquimula has raised money to give food to the pastors for 2 or 3 months, praise God. They have supplied them with beans, rice, sugar, salt, and cooking oil. I'm not completely sure, but maybe corn with that also. After speaking with the pastors we found that they are still lacking in other areas like toilet paper, detergent, milk, eggs, and other everyday necessities. So we were able to buy four of the pastors these items. The other pastors are either better or we do not know them and have help from other places.

These four pastors are still recovering and have their families with them. Pastor Esau still has a broken arm and rib. He broke his right arm used for work so he won't be able to work for at least another month. Hari is still recovering from surgery on the left side of his head. His scalp and part of his face actually were pulled off and hanging down from the wreck. He was able to receive surgery that day to reconnect his scalp and skin. He still has a while before it will be connected. His ear is also bleeding still, and the doctors said they couldn't look at it until the swelling went down and the damaged skin healed more. Jeremias got back from the capital from his second eye surgery as were visiting these pastors. And the lady, Gilma, has recently found out this week that one of her vertebrae is broken. She went to get her knee checked out, and in the mean time the doctor discovered through X-rays that her vertebrae is broken as well. He said it was a miracle that she was walking. So now she has to do nothing and be careful for three months.

So they continue to pray and trust the Lord to provide for all their needs and healing. Please continue to pray for these pastors and their families. One of the others not mentioned is still in the capital waiting for surgery on his broken back as well. They need your prayers and encouragement from God. They still have very high spirits and praise the Lord for everything and pray that God richly blesses all that are giving and praying for them! If anyone still feels led to give to these pastors to buy more food for them there is still the need. Just ask and we will be glad to explain how to give. But we want to thank everyone of you for your prayers! This is the body of Christ worshiping together. When one rejoices, all rejoice. When one suffers, all suffer. And through your prayers and giving you have strengthened and encouraged many folks in Guatemala!! And most importantly, glorified God through your good works!! (Matt. 5:16)

A Sweet Pastor Seminar!!

Hello to everyone! We pray that all is going good for y'all! We wanted to give an update on the injured pastors and share about out last pastor training seminar. We have visited four of the pastors who were involved in the accident, and we had two of them actually come to the seminar this past weekend. The four we visited are recovering and taking things slow. They still have there stitches and bruises and swelling but still have their spirits and encouraging attitudes! We were able to give them food to help with their families and also money from some individuals that gave to us for these pastors. They deeply expressed their appreciation and praised God for the family in Christ they have in the States!! They told us to thank the ones who gave, and said that they will be praying for God to pour out his blessings on each of the people that gave and also for all who are lifting them up in prayers! We are going to stay in contact with them to continue to pray and provide for their needs as the Lord continues to give to them. We also had two of the pastors actually come to the seminar. It was very noticeable how much pain they were still in, but they wanted to be there and came despite their pain. We did give them pain relievers the entire seminar to ease their pain and sent some with them on their travels back to their villages. A true inspiration and encouragement and conviction for us who complain and won't even go to church b/c of a headache.

The seminar went very well, praise the Lord. We had 12 pastors who were able to come and participate in this seminar. Pastor Mark Adams was wonderful and did a great job teaching and preaching to the pastors! It was the first seminar at our house as well. This made it possible for us to hang out with the pastors more and get to know them more. They seemed to really appreciate Mark's humor, for those who know him, and Mark seemed to enjoy passing time with them too. They also expressed how they really enjoyed the rooms, bathrooms, and the comfort at the new mission house! I was very pleased and very thankful to God and all who support us to have been able to get this house and use it for the seminars. The pastors loved the teaching lessons and actually had many comments and questions. We also put them in groups for discussion and more study time. They said that they liked that and had a good time together in their groups and were always prepared to share during the review what they had discussed or thought. It seemed that the lessons on Discipleship really hit home and were even personal for some. We gave them time at the end to give their opinion and thoughts about the seminar, and many expressed how this will be great for them to use for their churches and villages. Many times throughout the lessons many would say, "This is what we need to teach to our families and congregations to start a change and growth." Good stuff!!! So Praise God it went well and He was glorified and the Word was planted deeper in some cases and will go forth to many places!!
Thank you for lifting this up in prayer and for your prayers for these wonderful pastors! Please continue to pray for more pastors from the States to come and continue the training and teaching of God's Word to these people. The pastors would not stop asking me for the dates for the next seminar so they can make sure they are available, and they have other pastors who want to come but need to know the dates for the same reasons. I told them I couldn't know until I confirm with the next pastor(s) when they can make it. They actually prayed right there for the next pastors and for God to keep sending more pastors to teach them and show them more about being pastors. They wrote down some names I gave them, so if you are a pastor, and I have talked to you about coming....you better know you got some very spirited praying pastors calling God to send you to Guatemala to teach!! HAHA Love it!





A couple of really fun moments in the seminar is that the men gave me a birthday party because my birthday was during the seminar (and a birthday bath!!), and we had a few "workout" sessions to get everyone's blood pumping! Fun!










But very seriously, thank you all for your prayers and support for these pastors and for my family! God is so good and never ceases to amaze me at how much He can do when I get out of the way! Love y'all and we are praying for y'all!!! God bless!! He is so good and faithful!!


Daniel and Brandi and the kids (Keep Brandi and the little man in your prayers too while they are both growing (haha) and getting ready for that awesome day!)