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

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!!