Friendship, Ministry and Life

The last few weeks have been busy and filled with lots of work, friendship and fun. Early last Saturday we took the team from Hinton to the airport and said goodbye to our friends. They continued working right up until Friday evening. Because of their hard work, computer desks were built at both schools, one of the walls of the Membrillal Church is closer to completion and the playground on the Church roof now has a roof of it's own. They kept going right up until it was time to pack up and go home.

This team has become real friends over the last 2+ years. It is always good to spend time with them and work with them. They encourage me to work more, try harder and be more available to people that come to work with us. I am thankful for them and am already looking forward to their return next year. I am hoping that they are able to bring back a few more of their team from past trip.

While Hinton was still here the His Hands Support Ministry team came to begin the evaluation/registration process for the Membrillal school for next year. Because of the financial concerns at the school, they left with some unanswered questions but they still took time with each kid as if the expansion for next year is going to happen.The kids love the visit from them each year and there are always lots of hugs his week. I have to admit that I had a good time with these crazy ladies myself, though I might have blushed a few times.

My favorite part of the time with His Hands is that I get to spend more time with the kids at the school than any other week in the year. While I drive them around, I also got to interview kids and to play with them during their free times. I was able to laugh with them, get high fives, hugs and fist bumps frequently and occasionally pulled around the playground. This is an important week because it reminds me that I need to keep my focus on the kids and communities that we serve and that the call is to make the love of Jesus known to them. Sometimes this can get lost in the business of the work when we are doing construction.

I am excited for the future of both of the schools here and for the Churches that serve the communities. As I get to spend in these communities I see the heart of the Father for the people that live in them. Looking at the kids, I see the need that we all have to know that we are loved by a perfect Father and that this love is perfect, unconditional and free. If I can see His love in this way, I am sure that it is way greater than I an fathom. If His love is this great for them and for me, then He is going to bring breakthrough in the lives of the families in Zapote and Membrillal. He is going to bring healing and and deliverance to them and as long as I am obedient, I am going to get to see it.

Than you Jesus for your love to me and for that same love reaching to the communities that you have led me to.

Soon I will be returning to the States for a few weeks and while there I will need to raise the funds needed for my return. I will be spending another 2 months here this year and will need to raise $2,500 to $3,000 more to complete the year. Many of you have been a part in my funding already this year and I am grateful for that. I would love a chance to talk with many of you and share all of the things that we are doing here. The vision is much bigger than one person, Church or group and all of you can play a role. Thank you and see many of you soon.

Interviewing families for Source of Hope

Joyful faces of kids at play

Friends

This has been a great week. I got to spend the last several days with Mike and Cindy Harrington. They spend a few says in Santiago, Atitlan and then came back to San Lucas to help out here. They did not come with an agenda but they were just open to doing whatever Tono felt like needed to be done. They came with servant hearts.

While they were here, we did something a little bit different than normal. We often work on projects like building houses, stoves, schools and churches for people in rural villages. Construction here is just one of the ways that people use their abilities and talents to show the love of Jesus. In that way, the project was not that different than any others but I felt like it was greatly different in one regard.

There is a brother here named Rudy that works for Iglesia Galilea. he does whatever is asked of him. He is one of the hardest working people that I  know. He regularly goes above and beyond what the job requires to make sure that everything that needs to be done is taken care of before the last minute, even if he does not go home until late the night before we start a project early the next morning.

In a little less than two months, he will be getting married. Because he has been waiting on permission to build, he had no home to take his new wife to. Time is getting short and there is a lot to do. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the Harringtons along with a group of people from the Church started digging the fopundation for his house and making the column supports for his exterior walls. By 7 last night, he had a foundation poured and is ready for construction to begin on Monday. Not only did we get the property ready for them to begin setting block on Monday, we saved him quite a bit of time and money.

It was such a blessing to be part of Rudy's future,  helping with the home that he will raise his family in. He serves and this week we were able to serve him. God has a plan to meet the needs of His Body. we need to remember that we are called to look out for the needs of our brothers and sisters. If we would all begin to do this with consistent, conscious effort, there would be few needs in the Church body.

The call to support, encourage and edify our fellow believes is for all of us. Whether we are at home or half a world away, we know people in need. We are to look after them as we would our own self. If we all do this, the world will see a unified force for transformation and the Bride of Christ will radiate His glory. Let's ask God who we are suppose to direct His love toward today and again every day  as we get up. It is like Heidi Baker says, "We are called to love the one in front of us, one person at a time." are you ready?

I will be here for another month and a half and then returning to Illinois for a few weeks. I will return here to resume working with teams for the months of June, July and August.  I will need to continue to raise support for the work we are doing. If you would consider supporting me financially, as well as in prayer, it would be greatly appreciated. Checks can be sent to:
My Father's House of Prayer
C/O Guatemala Missions
P.O. Box 679 
Morris, IL 60450 
Checks can be made out to MFHOP.

Family of God

Yesterday the first team of the year arrived. It is always difficult when a team comes to get to know people quickly. This team is hard for me because they are the one that has been working longest with the Church here and over that last 13 years, their relationships have been cemented. They have been coming to work with Tono and Merari for many years. I was feeling like the outsider as we began the day.

When we went to Church this morning, the presence of God was incredible during worship. He spoke to me about family and the unity of the body of believers. I went along very well with a chapter in a book titled "Kisses From A Good God" by Paul Manwaring. I was reminded that family and relationship are God's idea. He created them and is bringing us into a family for all eternity.

As I look toward the coming week, I am excited. Tomorrow we will start by moving a lot of dirt and getting the ground ready to form and pour a concrete drive and parking area at the school. It may not sound like a great day but I am getting to do it with family. I do not know them well yet but I know that in a week, they will be brothers and sisters living in a relationship that is eternal. My back will be sore but my family will have grown by 29.

I am so grateful that God has been showing me recently how connected we really are as the body of Christ. He is making us into one united whole. Wherever He leads and whoever is there, I have a family. I love the people back home and I miss hanging around with them when I am not there but God has really shown me how He provides for all of our needs, even the need for family.

If you would like to contribute to my expenses for the ministry in Guatemala, you can do so by mailing a check to:
My Father's House of Prayer
C/O Guatemala Missions
P.O. Box 679 
Morris, IL 60450 
Checks can be made out to MFHOP.