Praying for 2017

Dear family and friends,

                Many of you have seen the change to my blog page. Last year I changed the title of the blog to “Papa Jorge.” I have not become a father but I felt like the change was necessary. The title comes from a word that a man shared with me about 3 years ago.

o. He had just met me and when I began to share with him about the work in Guatemala, he said that he felt like God was showing him my heart and that I was Papa Jorge. This resonated with me because of my love for kids and desire to see them safe, happy and knowing Jesus, but it has taken on new meaning for me in the last few months.

                I have felt like God is calling me to invest more in the missionaries that I know. Life in a foreign country can be difficult, especially when you have problems arise. There is often a feeling of isolation. In November I was starting to feel the need to begin reaching out to missionaries and looking for opportunities to encourage them. This would not be instead of working with the Galilea but would a second ministry. I know that most have pastoral care that visits from time to time but life does not always wait for your care pastor to be able to make travel arrangements. I am seeing the need to develop connections within our community to be able to reach out and encourage one another regularly and supplement the care being offered by the Pastoral Care ministers.

                As I think about it, this is not a second ministry but really an extension of what I am in Guatemala to do. We have a loving Father and He wants to reveal His heart of love to people. His heart is to encourage and build up. His heart is to help His children walk out their destinies. His heart is that His children would know His love and turn to Him always in every situation. He calls us to repent and live. He has called His children to overcome. Most of my time to date has been trying to do this with the children but now I sense it is also time to be Papa Jorge to a larger group. We all need to be reminded of our loving Father waiting to reveal Himself right now, right where we are. We all need a little help seeing Him sometimes. As I return, I am praying for open doors and God’s timing to begin to encouraging missionaries and building them up. I am praying for greater insight and revelation of the Father’s heart for me. I am aware that it is only as I receive that I can give. My desire this year is that people would see Abba present in their life and active in their circumstances and that I would be able to encourage them in that.

 I would like to ask you to pray regularly for a few things for this coming year:

1    1.      More revelation of the Father’s love and discernment to minister                 this to others.
     2.       Intimacy with Jesus and wisdom from the Holy Spirit.
     3.       Eyes to see the opportunities to love people. 
     4.       Freedom in the Spirit to obey His leading without hesitation or                    fear. 
     5.       A father’s heart to become more evident in me.
     6.       Finances for the coming year, I need about $13,500. You can read               my budget in my last blog.
     7.       A reliable car so I am not limited by lack of transportation.
     8.       Wise use of time – Making time for rest and for fellowship with                 God and people during a busy team schedule.
     9.       Health and rest for all our Galilea staff and sufficient time with                    their families. 
     10.     Good rapport with each of the teams and fruitful work.
     11.     Ultimately, my prayer is that people would come to know Jesus                   through the work and outreach we are doing. I would love to see                 team members that do not know Jesus become followers on their                 outreach this year. We also would love to see many come to Jesus in           San Lucas, Membrillal and Zapote.
      Please keep praying this throughout the year.

Finally, I am looking for a person that would help me from the States. I need to send out mailings and write letters to inform people of the work we are doing and the needs that go with along with the work. I would also like to develop of people interested in the work from the U.S. and from our teams that come to work and send out prayer/support letters to them 6 times a year. If you can help with this, please let me know.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. You are a blessing to me

George Kresse

George Kresse

1240 E Southmor Rd

Morris, IL 60450

US Phone: 779-227-3812

Guatemala Phone: 502-5354-5720

E-mail: thegeokr@yahoo.com

If you would like to contribute to support the work in the continuation of this ministry, you can send checks to:

Life Church Morris

P.O. Box  679

Morris, IL 60450

Memo: Mission San Lucas

Looking Ahead

Last week I shared with you a look at what we were able to do in 2016 and hopefully was able to give you a glimpse into the projects that we are working on from Iglesia Galilea. It was a very good, productive and busy year. Because so many people came, worked with us, prayed for us and financially supported all that we are doing, we saw great strides in our work.

We are now looking forward to 2017 with eager anticipation. We will continue the work on all of our projects in Zapote and Membrillal. We are also looking to build a larger Church building in San Lucas. We will be looking for new and different ways to share the Gospel and to see the Kingdom of God expanded in Guatemala. We will host many teams and work with a few others also. This year we should see over 200 people come to work with us and help with the ministries we are working in.

I am writing to make you all aware of my needs for the coming year. I try not to focus on finances to often but it seems like an appropriate time of year to do that. These are strictly my personal needs and expenses. In the past my budget goal has been in the $1,000 a month range. I have looked at the minimum needed for living expenses and travel and set my target just above that. It is also the minimum that the Guatemalan government requires if I am going to seek residency in the future. I have done okay at this level and have not suffered trying to live on that amount but this year I am raising the goal by 50% plus. I would like to explain and ask you to pray about partnering with me in meeting this goal.

As I spend more time in Guatemala, it becomes more apparent that I need to buy some things that I have been doing without and my budget has not left room for those things. My computer is getting old and showing signs of needing to be replaced. I also would like to start getting some comfortable furniture. After a long day of working it is getting more obvious that my body needs a place to rest and recuperate. There is also the potential that I will need to find an apartment or small house this year. I need to get health insurance. I have not had it for the last few years and God has taken care of me but I still need it. The biggest expense is the need for a vehicle. I have been walking or using other people's cars for much of the last 4 years but I need transportation. The bus system is not always safe and not everything is available in San Lucas.

My budget for this year follows

Airline tickets            $1,800
Computer                   $1,000
Food                           $1,500
Clothing                     $   600
Medical Expenses      $1,200
Insurance                    $3,000
Recreation                  $1,200
Furniture                     $1,000
Phone                         $   350
Internet                       $   400
Incidental Exp            $1,200
Vehicle                       $5,000 to 8,000                          
Total                           $13,250 plus the cost of a car
This amount does not include rent, utilities or furnishings for an apartment

I am asking you to pray and consider if God is calling you to partner with me in this ministry .I know that He has called me to this work and He is my provider. As I look back, He has always provided and He has done that through people that have been His hands and feet. I cannot promise you a hundred fold return on your giving but I can promise that God is faithful and He has given us all a role to play.

I am asking God for the following

Monthly givers
20 people giving $25 per month
8 people giving $50 per month
3 Churches giving $100 per month
and in addition, 70 one time gifts of $100 for the purchase of a car.

I do not know how God is going to answer these requests but I thank you for your faithfulness to pray about these needs and if God leads you to give towards them. I do not want anyone to give from obligation but only in obedience if God is calling you. At the same time, these are the needs that I have for continuing in Guatemala. Please share this blog with your friends, family and Churches. I need your help to spread the word and keep doing this work. Thank you

If you would like to make a donation you can make a check to

Life Church Morris

P.O. Box 679

Morris, IL 60450

In the memo of your check write Mission San Lucas