Trip to Belize

We had to make an emergency trip to Belize this past Sunday, 12th. We have been working on getting our residency papers turned in and starting the process for about two weeks now. This is a long process and requires many different kinds of forms. We thought we had all of it ready and were told we had all of it ready...but the day of we found out that we did not have it ready. We were late in leaving the country because every 90 days the visa for Guatemala expires and you have to leave. We talked to them and to stay and pay the fine was cheaper than paying to travel to another country. So we decided to stay and pay the fine. Once you are in the process for residency you do not have to leave. So we find out Friday that we are missing three papers that are all in the States!! These papers were not listed on the requirements; therefore, we did not have them. So because our visa had expired we had to leave the country. This is a SHORT version of what happened...having to return to the capital the same Friday after leaving the capital to get the papers to be able to leave for Belize and then later that NIGHT, after we were home, finding out that the immigration office made a mistake and had Brandi's passport at their office in the capital, 4 hours from us and we had to have it to leave the country on Sunday...but God was very merciful and gave us strength to make it to the next day. We had to take a 1 1/2 or 2 hour boat ride along the shore of the ocean to get to Belize with all the kids with us. And then we had to stay 2 nights and come back the third day to Guatemala to get another 90 day visa. They gave us a lot of mumbo chumpo at the border entering Belize and tried to get us to get our entry and exit stamps and go back that same day and not have to stay the night! Tempting!! Very tempting but we found out later that it is a requirement from Guatemala to leave for three days to get the visa so praise the Lord we stayed! We were able to relax somewhat. Belize seems to be more run down than Guatemala where we were, but it was cleaner and they speak English!! And they had real MILK!!!! I got to drink real milk like in the States!! Trip well worth it!! We made it home safely, praise the Lord, and have time to get the papers from the States to get our residency. The trip ended up cost like $460!!! The very reason we want our residency so we don't have to go spend a lot of money that we do NOT have to leave and come back! That trip alone cost more than one of the kids' residency and only $40 cheaper than Brandi's or my residency. So a little stressful but got through it all and are still kicking! We are just trusting the Lord for the money to finish out the month and keep going. He is so very faithful and knows what we need way before we figure it out and already has prepared it all in advance! Looking back only strengthens our faith and trust that He will continue to provide and accomplish His purposes here in Guatemala because looking ahead only makes us stress and worry! Haha We got today, praise the Lord! So thought I'd fill you in on this weeks adventure. There you go.

Daniel

Celebration at the Church on the Rock

Well last night, we were invited to the celebration at the church on the rock for the church building being completed. They have been having their services in the building now for about two months. They are still waiting for the electricity company to show up and connect power to the building. Right now they are connecting to the house beside the church with an extension cord to turn on their lights at night. They still lack things like putting stuck-o on the walls and paint, but they have the services inside. It was very exciting to see everyone there celebrating and the smiles on all the faces! They are soo happy and thankful to have a building now for their church. The expressed gratitude to the Lord and to everyone that gave to help build the church! So I thought I'd pass this along to those who have been praying for this project and also giving to the construction. God's name and mighty work were lifted up and praised last night. I am sooo thankful for all of you! Without you're prayer and giving out of obedience to the Lord it would have been a different story for us all. It was an act of obedience because it is never easy to just give money to something, especially when you don't see it or maybe are not personally involved with it. But God is faithful and completed His work in that village and with His people there. Many had been praying for a while now for a church building and look how God answered their prayers! Keep these people in your prayers and the spiritual growth of God's church in that village and building. We are very excited and amazed at the works of our God and His hand that touches lives all over the world and how He accomplishes what He begins and establishes. Thank you and God bless!

Daniel

Hanging by a finger

Well good morning to all. Got a little story that as nothing to do with the ministry but thought I'd share it anyways. I was looking at our property wall one day and the razor wire that is around the top of the wall. I have already had to climb over the wall a few times b/c I didn't have the keys and couldn't get in. But the electricity was not on when I did this. Well one time it was on, but I had help from a friend to balance me while straddling the wire to get to the other side. Makes you feel safe and secure knowing that no one can get in your house b/c you have electrical razor wire around your wall even though I've done it three or four times. But keep praying for protection from the Lord against evil. But back to the day I was looking at the wire. I thought that this wire is not sharp at all it is only pointy and thin. It wouldn't cut you at all to grab it if the electricity was not on. It can't cut b/c it isn't sharp. Well...I feel and think different now! I was getting some fruit out of our tree one day to make juice. The tree is next the property wall and the fruit was at the very top of the tree. So genious me got our ladder and climbed to the top where it says do not step or stand. I had one foot on the top of the ladder and one foot on the property wall under the wire. Well I got everything down just fine. When I was easing down the ladder carefully I made it off the wall and onto the ladder with both feet but still had one hand on the ladder and the other hand on the wall hold the medal post that the wire is connected to in order to balance me. So I made it down off the wall safely and was about to turn and put both my hands on the ladder when I felt my hand stuck on something and couldn't move it off the wall to the ladder. I pulled and pulled again but couldn't figure out what was going on. So I turned around and started to investigate the situation. I notice that my middle finger was stuck on something. Then I noticed a pointy piece of metal coming out of the top of my finger. It took a couple of seconds to figure out what it was and where it was coming from. Then when I was able to focus I saw that while I was swinging my hand around it hit one of the NOT SO SHARP razor pieces and went through my finger so fast and smooth that I didn't feel anything or know what was happening. After I screamed like a girl in my mind...I slid my finger up the razor piece and off the fence. Then I just squeezed my hand into a fist hard and walked to the house to recover from the panic in my mind and not lose it. Brandi saw me walking to the house and new something was wrong so she came in to check. When I started to open my fist to show her my finger, blood ran out. So I got a bowl of clean water and stuck my hand in it and started trying to clean off the dirt and blood. I saw where the blood was coming out but it sure did look little. So after I cleaned a little Brandi said she wanted to see. So I lifted it up to show her and she couldn't find the hole. Haha It was such a fine cut in and out that it torn nothing, praise the Lord. But we found it after looking for a while. Felt like Barney Fife and his trigger finger injury. But thank the Lord that it only was sore and is healing good and fast. I saw where the wire had rust all over it and I could see all the dirt through my finger. It went in toward the middle bottom part of the fingerprint area and came out at the top by my fingernail. So I had to get a tetanus shot and 2 more within 6 months. But I reckon now I think a little different about the wire. If you touch it, it will enter your body rather easy and fast. Then you either have to stop and figure out how to get loose or pull whatever stuck off the wire. NASTY! I am very happy that the wire was not plugged up to the electricity that day!!! There you go.

Daniel

Pictures of the "Church on the Rock"

This past year, we had the privilege of working with a pastor from a village close by. He is a pastor that was having his church meetings in his daughter's house. Someone donated a piece of land to the church, but they did not have the finances to begin construction. We visited this pastor and his family and his church, and God truly touched our hearts to help them. Throughout 2011, God continued to provide the finances and construction teams to build "the church on the rock". Praise the Lord, right before Christmas, the doors and windows were put in, and the church was finished. Thank you all so much who have been a part of this project. It has been such a huge blessing!
The following pictures are of the land where the church would be and the construction up until the end.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

We are soo happy and excited to have Uriah Nathan with us through this Christmas and New year. He has been wonderful and is adjusting soo fast to the trauma of this world and not the tummy world. We had a great experience at the hospital. We got in there with the doctor at 11:30 pm on Dec.. 14th and Uriah was born at 12:30 am on Dec. 15th. He was 9lbs 4ozs and 21in long. He has redish blonde hair and after the lie detector and a few interrogations, I'm not worried, but it is different to have a baby with that hair color for the second time in a role. His eye color is now coming in and they look like they are going to be a dark greyish blue. After more interrogations and detectors with Brandi, we're going to make it through the different appearances. He is doing so good at night and seems to be adjusting to everything very well. The kids love him! They are so precious and tender with him. And everyone here says he looks just like a baby doll. So we are proud, if you ain't noticed, and very thankful for your prayers and support!! God is soo good and Faithful!

We managed to get a little done with the ministry between Uriah's birth and Christmas. First of all, the morning that Uriah was born, I went with Jeff Edwards, another missionary, to take clothes, toys, and food to a family in the village where the church on the rock that we built in Salfate is, and they were so excited! Jeff and his church back in the States sponsored this family for Christmas, and it was a blessing to see their faces when they received their gifts! That night, Jeff met us at the hospital to welcome baby Uriah into the world.


I also was able to go with our church here in the city, Casa del Alfarero, to the church on the rock. Our church took over 600 tamales (a typical food they serve here at Christmas time and other celebrations) and over 200 toys for the people in this village on Dec. 22nd. We did a little drama about the birth of Jesus and gave testimonies on the change in the house after Jesus was invited in. The people loved the drama and eating tamales, since most in the village cannot afford to cook them at Christmas. But they were very happy to get to eat them this year and get toys for the kids!

I also had the privilege of helping the missionaries, Larry and Marla here in Chiquimula, to deliver food and gifts to two different villages again at the top of the mountains here in Chiquimula on Dec. 23rd. The site was beautiful!! And it was a blessing to be able to help and be apart of what they did for the lives of the people in the villages.





We had a wonderful Christmas. We celebrated Christmas Guatemala style which involves eating until 12 am and then shooting fireworks for the longest. Levi and Mary Kathleen were running around having so much fun. We were at our pastors' house that night. We actually had to wake up the kids the next morning to open their gifts here at the house at 9 am!! Imagine that parents! But we were out until like 2 am. Then we were invited to eat with some of our friends in another town called Ipala for Christmas lunch. Amazing turkey and mash potatoes!!! So we were too busy to be too sad that we weren't with our families in the States and were taken very well care of by our friends here in Guatemala! God is good!! And now we have my folks here with us until the 6th of Jan. and then my in-laws are coming until the 13th. So we are having Christmas up until the 7th of Jan.! Can't beat that! But thank you everyone who prayed for us with Uriah and for our Christmas in Guatemala! We are very blessed and happy and very thankful for our friends and family all over the world! We are already planning new seminars and school visits for 2012. Be with us in prayer for God's guidance in all our plannings. We want His will to be done and His kingdom to come in the ministry and lives in Chiquimula. Love y'all and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Daniel and Family!!

Seminar In November

Well we had another wonderful training seminar with the pastors in Guatemala on November 3rd through the 5th . Pastor Philip Skipworth came and taught on how to study the Bible. He taught many new things for these pastors. Many were sharing that the teachings were amazing and had a big impact on their spiritual lives. Some have told me since then that they are using some of the methods taught in the seminar to study different books of the Bible. This is what it is about! There were 17 pastors in all, and we handed out 14 diplomas at the end of the seminar. We had some very good discussions during the sessions. I really enjoyed that because they seem to be getting comfortable with each other and thinking deeper and wanting to grow deeper. They split off into groups to do some homework and really came out with very good answers that showed how they are learning and using the Word. We were woke up the first morning with singing and playing guitars outside from the pastors. They all like to sing and just to give you an idea...Brandi fits in perfect with their style of singing...LOUD! Hahaha But it was awesome to see the fellowship and challenging and encouragement going on between the pastors. They loved the bunk beds! They made the youngest guys get on the top bunks on the triples. And they were even nervous about sleeping up there. Good stuff! They really enjoyed Philip and his style of teaching and his willingness to fellowship and be apart of them. Philip brought some very impressive notebook folders with all the material that he and his wife put together. So we are going to have another day meeting in December or January to study more in depth in some of the material in the notebooks. I am excited to be able to review with them and see their growth and application of these principles in their lives and ministries.

We posted a video on Youtube to give you an idea of what we do. This video has a portion of one of the teaching classes, a night service, and the certificate presentation. It is not the best quality, but we hope it gives you an idea of what we do.
Follow the link ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU7baCSUGBo

Pastor Phillip also brought some bulletproof vests with him as well, so during his visit, we were also able to visit the San Jacinto Police Department and give them the vests. They were very excited to receive them and it was a blessing to be able to minister into their lives. Also, there was a "man" that needed ride home from the hospital after his surgery, and the bus would not take him all the way up the mountain to his house. So, we offered him a ride...but then when we went to the hospital to pick him up, we found out that we were also taking him and his family back home. Let's just say we were a little cramped.

Levi had the Rota virus during this week and Mary Kathleen and Brandi had a bacteria also. Brandi was taking care of the kids and helping as much as she could with the food and snacks. Nancy and Blake did a lot of work to keep things going smoothly and make sure everyone was comfortable. So we are so thankful to God for blessing us with another seminar with the pastors here. And we are thankful to Pastor Philip for all his work and for coming to teach and glorify our King in Guatemala. Thanks to everyone of you for your prayers during this week!! How we needed them and felt them! God is good!!
May His kingdom come and His will be done in the lives and ministries of these pastors! Amen!

The Crusade with the Pastors

Well, let me tell you, I thought I was a country boy that knew how to camp and do without! Blake and I went with the pastors to a village that seemed to be at the top of the tallest mountain in this area. We drove and drove and drove up a mountain for almost 1 1/2 hours before we reached the village. There was a pavilion there for the church. Another ministry had built that to be the church for the village. We slept and held the night services at the pavilion. We stayed there three nights and four days. It was really amazing to see what these pastors do to reach out to other communities and to help other pastors reach out and impact more of their people. (This is the same group of pastors that had the accident returning from one of these crusades.) A couple of their wives came along and another lady from the village was there to help cook the food for us. We learned how to eat with our hands because they don't use spoons or forks there to eat...only tortillas to get the beans and the food out of the bowl to eat. Thank the Lord they did have a outhouse to use for the bathroom but...don't think I'll go into that part of the trip and that experience. But it was better than walking over to the other end of the church area to do your business. Everyone there was following Blake and me and watching everything we did because we were the white boys there, and it amazed them that we were there and staying with them through the process. ONE day the pastors went to walk to a creek a little ways off to bathe themselves. The next day they offered to take us and show us where to bathe. We were ready, but they had a meeting and it lasted too long so we had no time. But later I thought it probably was for the best because the whole village would have all came out to see the white boys bathing in their creek. A COLD creek. Hahaha! But we had wet wipes and a bucket of water to wash our hair and face and body. That alone felt wonderful! We would walk for about 3 or 4 hours to visit the houses in the village and share the love of God with the families and invite them to the night services. This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but there were several mountain climbing moments that, although very physically exhausting, were VERY beautiful experiences. It was amazing to see the mountains and waterfalls and how pretty everything was. The first night we were going to sleep, I rolled over at just the right time to see a big bug crawling up Blake's bed beside me. I flicked it off and then all the pastors started saying, "Kill that bug. It is dangerous." So we killed it. Then they started telling us the bedtime nightmare story of how those bugs carry a virus that will kill you if it bites you. Oh thank you pastors....We'll sleep very good now! They just laughed and kept on telling us things about the dumb bug! Then one of them sincerely tried to comfort us and said, "Brother Daniel, there have been several cases where the bug bites people and they don't die. Take it easy." OH thanks again for your soothing words. So I slept in the cocoon of my sheets for the rest of the night. And it was very cold up in those mountains!! We definitely weren't ready for that! So we froze during the night because we only brought a sheet to sleep with! Who would have known it could be cold in Guatemala!?
But I know that 8 people for sure received Christ the first two days of the crusade. The last night service, I never heard whether anyone received Christ or not, but God really used the music from a group that came to invite the Holy Spirit's presence. So in all, the experience and time at the crusade was life changing and powerful. I learned a whole new level of comfort in Guatemala. Usually I say, "It is wonderful to go to the capital and sleep on the beds in the hotels and take a hot shower." After the crusade, I couldn't wait to sleep in our bed at the house, and the first thing I did when I got home was take an amazing life-changing shower in our house! Well-learned level of appreciation. The pastors now are hoping that we will go with them on all their crusades and help them get there and back, help them minister, and be a part of their team. Pray for us!!! We are willing but the body is weak! Hahaha But who knows....that could be an amazing service for them and their outreach to the village communities.
Well....enough of that thought. Thanks for your prayers and support for God's ministry in Chiquimula. Continue to pray for our eyes to be wide open to His will and calling in our lives!! God bless!!

Daniel