Yesterday was just a continuation of a great week of ministry.  The Lord was faithful in so many ways.   We prayed it would stop raining and it did.  Because of that, we were able to complete the work project we set out to complete and hold the sports portion of the VBS outside all week.

We prayed many would come to VBS, the women’s health classes, and our dental and eye care clinics.   We were blown away with 100 ladies attending the women’s health classes and devotionals.  They had a wonderful time and learned so many important health tips that will have a huge impact in their family’s lives.  The line was out the door for both the dental clinics and eye clinics.  What a blessing to see so many affected as they had cavities filled or were able to get a pair of glasses so they could read the Bible for the first time.  And then there was VBS.  The kids came from all over the village and we had such a great time with them and they with us.

We prayed that many seeds would be planted and that many would ask Jesus into their hearts.  God was once again so faithful as He moved in hearts in all facets of the ministries.  Many received Jesus and many were encouraged and challenged in their walk with the Lord.

So, the Lord was faithful as He always is.  As we stepped out in faith and gave Jesus our “fishes and loaves” for Him to use as He wanted, He moved in the hearts of people and none of us will ever be the same.  Praise be to God for all that He did and will continue to do here in Guatemala.

The team wishes to thank all of you who have prayed so earnestly for us.  The Lord has heard and answered your prayers.

In Christ,

Pastor Matt

After the women’s clinic, then started the Vacation Bible School and the eyeglasses clinic.Today we got to provide many women of the village witheyeglasses, so now they can properly read their Bibles without any trouble. Eyeglasses are not easily provided here for the people of Guatemala, so this was a major blessing that they received.The Vacation Bible School seems to just get better

and better everyday. Stronger relationships with the children are forming, and you can see the light in their eyes as we share the Gospel and the Fruit of the Spirit with them each day. They dance and sing with excitement, and put all their attention in the Bible skits when they are being presented. In my personal opinion, some of my favorite times with the kids are even after the VBS has ended for the day, and we just get to run, tickle, and play tag with them outside. Being able to love on them is such a privilege and blessing.

My favorite part of the today, though, had to be when a small group of us went to deliver food in the morning to a few specific families that Servants 4 Him provide for who are in need of help. I came to Guatemala last year with the team, and grew extremely close to the Lopez family, which is a family of about 20 that we got to work with each day for a week and helped rebuild their house. While we were delivering food, we had the opportunity to stop by their house to see them for the first time in a year and a half. It was seriously the biggest blessing I could ever ask for to be reunited with my “Guatemalan family in Christ.” The children of this family have blessed me beyond measures, and seeing them again filled my heart with joy. Saying goodbye was tough, but it just reminded me: this is what Heaven will be like. All of Jesus’ children in one place, reunited in love, no matter how much time we spend apart from each other. That reunion will live with me forever, and I can’t wait for the next one—whether it’s here on earth or in Heaven with Christ.

We miss everyone!

Megan Rody

The team has grown closer and closer together and it’s hard to believe that we’ve only been together for only five days.  The Lord has shown us that we indeed are each different parts of the body and we’re each needed to do His work.  I pray that you would continue to lift us up in prayer, that we may continue to impact this village and be used by God to open up hearts to Him.

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” –Psalm 115:1

The first day of the women’s health education class was a huge success.  The topic of the day was first aid.  We were expecting about 40 women and ended up having about 60 show up.  It was very encouraging to see how interested the women were in what we had to talk about.  We really had no idea what to expect when we walked into that church and it ended up being a huge success.  Several women came up to us after the class and told us personal stories and how much they thought what we had taught them would help them in the future.

It was also the first day of doing vacation Bible school.  When we started we had about 20 children but by the time we were done with the two hours we had almost 150 children.  Our team prepared songs and skits and we were all really encouraged as to how well the children paid attention and really took in the message we were trying to get across.  We also did a craft and lots of silly games and the children all had a blast.  We are expecting many more children tomorrow. 

Overall the day was really encouraging and I am really looking forward to the rest of the week to see what God has planned for us all.  Please pray that God continues to bless our ministry and the people we are ministering to.

Sarah Neikirk

Our team began its second full day in Guatemala by having the privilege of worshiping with Calvary Chapel Guatemala City.  We were greeted as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as we worshiped (in Spanish and English), heard the message preached from Ephesians 2, and spent time with the congregation after the service.

 We then returned to Antigua and spent the afternoon exploring the town’s markets and sights.

This evening, the team began to pull together the supplies we will be using in ministry tomorrow.  This will include a dental clinic, women’s health outreach, children’s Vacation Bible School and whatever other opportunities God provides us.

Praise the Lord for once again withholding the rain and keeping everyone healthy.

Pray for us as we begin these ministry activities tomorrow – for continued health and protection for our team members, that all would go smoothly, that we would be flexible and, most of all, that we would each be individually open and responsive to the divine appointments God presents.

Craig Burton

We then went to the concert, which included music, games and a neat dance team.  Our team played soccer with the kids and played in the playground with the smaller ones.  At the end of the concert there was an alter call where we got to pray with many children as they raised their hands and came forward.  A few of us also got to pray with some of the adults that where hanging around watching the concert from a distance.  Though the weather report called for heavy downpours of rain all day long, God answered our prayers holding back the rain.  After a lunch break it poured as we left the city.

 Dan Quinones

But, we are here, we are safe, and we have all our luggage and team supplies!  God is good!

Saturday will involve going into Guatemala City for an outreach and children’s concert.  Pray the rain stays away and that many children will attend and give their lives to Jesus.

We miss you all!

Pastor Matt

Today was such an amazing day!  I feel like all of the previous experiences of the trip cannot compare to the incredible events of today.  Today, we did VBS rotations with the children, a prayer walk around the town, and ended the day with a wonderful discussion about how God is working in our hearts!  We split into three separate groups for the prayer walk and walked around some of the neighborhoods where the kids of the care point center lived.  This allowed for all three groups to come back with completely different stories but, overall, we came to the conclusion that God was already present and working in the hearts of the Ethiopians.

This week I had the amazing privilege of helping lead the children in praise and worship songs.  It is so good to see the Holy Spirit moving through the children even if they do not understand every word we sing in our language.  Even though I enjoyed seeing the children praise God through song, the most memorable part of the VBS stations was the relationships I formed with a few of the kids.  Every one of the kids that I had the opportunity of meeting had a huge smile on their faces that was completely full of joy.  This was completely unexpected considering the conditions they have to live in and the lack of material wealth.  During the Bible teaching today, Tyler talked about joy.  He emphasized numerous times that Americans may have everything they want and still do not have joy.  He said that joy came from God and not from possessions.  This is something that I definitely struggle with and I found it kind of funny that such a simple message could convict me so much.

The prayer walk today was definitely a life changing experience.  Seeing the community as it really is was completely heartbreaking.  Everywhere we went a crowd of children would follow us, which really touched all of our hearts.  Just walking through these neighborhoods, holding children’s hands, and praying was so powerful yet emotionally draining.  God really did a work in our hearts and it was unfathomable the joy that these Ethiopians had.  My prayer group had the privilege of going into a home church, something that we do not see very often in America.  There was a bedroom in one corner and a bunch of chairs around the perimeter of the room.  We all crammed in there and Matt Penney read Psalm 46 out loud and then a translator read it in Amharic.  It was so overwhelming to hear the Bible read aloud in another language…God is SO BIG!  I felt so honored to be a part of that experience that was so simple, and yet ridiculously powerful.

Everyone on our team is doing well and God is doing some amazing things here in Ethiopia through us!  Thank you so much for all of your continued prayers.  We love you and miss you all so much!

                                                                                    God Bless,

Christi McCarthy

It was our first day at our new location, so we weren’t 100% sure what to expect. But everything went so well! In the morning we had 4 stations with 4 groups of kids rotating through them: crafts, games, singing/Bible lesson, and face painting. The kids loved it! We learned today that while the care point center we are visiting has had a handful of groups visit them in the past, this is the very first time that they have had a group come to run vacation Bible school activities. So needless to say, the kids (and our team!) definitely enjoyed it. In the afternoon, we played soccer games, sang silly songs, and spent time loving on all the children. At the end of the day, the kids gave us a ton of hugs and kisses when we told them we would see them tomorrow. We can’t wait to go back!

Two key moments stood out to me personally today that I wanted to take the time to share with you. After we arrived back at the care point center from lunch, I walked through the gate of the facility to an unexpected surprise. All the kids were there, clapping their hands, beaming with smiles, as they were so excited for us to be back to spend more time with them. They came around to give us all hugs to welcome us back. It was such a sweet moment to be able to see how much they appreciated the time that we were spending with them.

But even more than they appreciate us, I appreciate the chance to spend time with them. I was reminded that this team is getting an amazing opportunity to live out exactly what the Lord called us to do: love the orphans. God has a huge heart for this special population of people and has called us to love them and care for them. And I felt so overjoyed to be called to and have the chance to minister to them and love them. I think I can speak for all the team when I say that it is an absolute privilege to be with these kids that God is so passionate about.

Another moment that I hope I never ever forget happened when we were saying goodbye to the kids for the day. They always swarm our team, coming around to each of us to give us a hug and kiss. I had tears swelling up in my eyes during this time, as I kissed the kids on the check, squeezed them tightly, and twirled some of them around. I thought about how I will hopefully get to see so many of these kids again in Heaven. I thought about how it will be such a joyful reunion when we are all together again after Jesus returns.  It encouraged me to know that when we leave Ethiopia in a few days, it won’t be goodbye forever. I was able to see a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like with all the Lord’s people gathered together: different skin tones, different languages, different cultures, all coming together in one glorious reunion in the Kingdom to come. While not all the kids are Christians, I am encouraged to be able to see God at work in such a mighty way in this beautiful country. The leaders at these care point centers are passionate about the Lord and are definitely teaching the Gospel to the kids here day in, day out. It is awesome and so humbling to see.

Thank you so much for all your continued prayers. We are excited to be able to share more about our time here and about those special moments that have impacted our individual hearts when we return.

~Justine Davis