Guatemala in the News, August 2010

Dear Supporting Friends:  

Last month, Guatemala was in the news a lot due to the destruction of Hurricane Agatha and the big sink hole that suddenly appear in Guatemala City. Also, the American Embassy has issued a travel warning for Guatemala because there are a lot of city bus drivers that are killed daily. The ones killed are the ones that cannot or do not want to pay the daily fee charged by extortionists. Life seems of no value here. The street fights that gangs carry out daily is getting more and more gruesome and demonic.  

Some of our students and teachers have been targets of extortionists. Let me share with you one of the cases. This is the story of Pastor Manuel. He studies every Thursday with us and teaches for us every Friday at our remotest teaching center. I say that this place is at the end of the world because the main road stops there. Anyways, Manuel has been threatened by many daily phone calls asking him to pay the ransom of Q. 60,000.00 or his sister and dad would be killed. He went to the local police station and denounced the threats. The police advised him to continue the negotiations and pretend to pay the ransom at a specified location so that the police could catch the extortionists. He contacted our ministry to ask for prayers. As a result, Isaias thought that it would be better to stop traveling to the isolated teaching place because he felt that the terrain would be appropriate for kidnapping him or killing him. When we communicated this to him, he refused to comply. He told us that he has been teaching his students that God is a God that takes good care of His children in all the matters of life. He felt that if he quit going to teach the students, then this would a sign of not trusting God. So we told him to present our proposition to his wife to see what she said. Her advice: to continue the teaching ministry. So Manuel continues teaching in this remote area. And, two weeks after he made his decision, the threats stopped!  

Three weeks ago, Jorge, Pastor Manuel and his wife, David and I were at his teaching place to deliver certificates to his 14 students who finished our course: Bible Panorama. It was a great celebration because100% of the students who began the course finished it! Never in the past, have we had a class like their’s. The top student in the class was crying for joy because his efforts paid off. This man, Antonio, has always been an eager student. To attend the class, he had to walk for two hours over the mountains crossing one river. During the rainy season, the river would overflow so much that he could not cross it. Because of this, he asked us if we could come to teach in his village so we told him that we would if he could gather 18 students from 3 different churches. So he went and promoted the class in the three churches in his community and 14 students enrolled. All of them are continuing their Bible training with the Synthesis of the Bible, our second course. 

Manuel’s wife told me that the joy that Manuel experiences by being part of our teaching staff is what keeps him going. Manuel and his wife also feel that they are not alone in the ministry. She also said that every time Manuel goes to teach or study that she goes to church to pray for him. They are both truly committed to the Word of God. We are the only Bible Institute that has come to them and for that they are truly thankful.  

That day as I was driving our 96 four wheel Rodeo, I was very nervous because parts of the road were flooded or covered by mud slides. However, gladly, the one bus that services this road had cleared the way before we came. In one section, a mud slide had made the road very narrow, just wide enough for the bus to go thru, but if our car slid in that section, it would have ended up in the ravine that I could not see the bottom of! Praise God for our faithful old four wheel drive Rodeo! And praise God because it did not rain that day. David could not believe the beauty of this remote place–the color of the jungle, the vegetation and everything else was magnificent but very dangerous for a nervous driver like me. Manuel’s wife noticed that I was nervous, so she started laughing and teasing me and reminded me that if God took care of them when they were threatened, surely the Lord could keep us safe on that dangerous road.
  

A. MINISTRY GOAL FOR JULY 15 THRU AUGUST 15:

1. July 16, for Ginny and Isaias to visit the new church that Pastor Juan , a graduate of our ministry, started in Antigua last year.

2. July 17, for Isaias to begin discipling Pastor Diego every week in Xela.

3. July 19, for the Ministry Board to meet in Solola.

4. July 19, for David, our son, to preach at home fellowship in our community.

5. July 25, for Annie, our daughter to arrive in Guatemala to spend the rest of her summer with the family after her missionary service in the Dominican Republic.

6. August 7, for David to be inaugurated as the youth pastor for the Saturday youth ministry.

7. By August 15, Isaias should scheduled discipling time with David, Manuel and Juan. 

 
B. PROGRESS TOWARDS MEETING LAST MONTHS GOALS:

1. June 23, for Isaias, Virginia and Jorge to attend a closing ceremony for the 28 ladies who learned how to make sweaters at the ladies group in Santa Lucia Utatlan.

THE CEREMONY WAS POSTPONED, BECAUSE THE LADIES WERE EAGER TO START THE NEW CRAFT OF MAKING SHASHES.

2. June 24, for Jorge to continue teaching the Epistles to the 8 pastors in Nahuala.

THE CLASS IS GOING REALLY WELL, JORGE AND ISAIAS
DECIED TO INTRODUCE BIBLE TRANSLATION TO THE
STUDENTS AS PART OF THEIR HOMEWORK FOR THE CLASS.

3. July 2, for Isaias and Jorge to attend the closing ceremony for the 9 church leaders in Chuisibel, Nahuala.

THIS IS THE COMMUNITY AT THE END OF THE WORLD THAT I WROTE ABOVE, THERE WERE 14 STUDENTS INSTEAD OF 9. A 100% SUCCESS.

4. July 8 for Isaias to continue teaching his Biblical Leadership class in Nahuala.

ONLY THREE OF THE 9 STUDENTS SHOWED UP, THAT WAS BECAUSE I INTERRUPTED THE CLASS TO GO TO THE USA.

5. July 14 for Isaias to celebrate his 58 years of life with a thanksgiving service with the family and staff.

GREAT SUCCESS.

C. PRAISES AND THANKSGIVING:

1.   We praise God for giving Annie a great experience in Dominican Republic as she ministered to different groups. Her main responsibilities were to teach English and present the Gospel to her students.

2.   We praise God for David’s desire to take over the directorship for the weekend youth ministries. He expressed his desire as he noticed that no one from the young people wants the responsibility.  For Ginny and me, this is a great blessing.

3.   For students like Pastor Manuel, who are committed to the work of God, inspite of threats that he received.

4.   We praise God for our ministry Board. They really want to get involved in the guidance of the organization.

5.   I praise God for Ginny, who saw the need for the women, children and youth ministries. Her involvement to these has made a tremendous impact on many lives.

6.   We praise God for His continued care for us in the middle of many social, economical and spiritual problems in the country.

 PRAYER REQUESTS:

 1.   Please pray that God will give us wisdom to minister to people who are experiencing threats and extortions.

2.   Please pray for David as he takes this major responsibility of youth ministries.

 3.   Please pray for Isaias as he approaches candidates to be discipled that may find the time that it takes to accomplish it. 

 4.   Pray for Ginny as she begins discipling teenaged girls from youth grouping the next two weeks. So far, five girls have signed up! 

 5.   Pray for Annie’s time here in Guatemala. She could use a good rest.  We have to make a decision about more orthodontic work for her . 

 6.   Pray for safety as Jorge and Isaias travel to the different teaching centers. 

7.   Pray for the completion of our Recording studio.  The Recording equipment is on the way from the USA.  Please pray that Customs would not hold it up.