Guatemala: Day 3

Day 3

Today we were back in the Cerrtios community.  We had VBS in the morning at the community center and then in the afternoon we were back in the church under the bridge.  Today we had more kids then the day before.  Word is spreading and we anticipate more growth tomorrow.

Today we talked about Gods protection and provision, even in difficult circumstances.  The Bible story was about Joseph and how God protected him despite what his brothers had planned for him.  The kids photos were taken and printed and they made frames and decorated the frames for their pictures.  The frames had the phrase Dios Me Ama (God loves me) and we placed their picture in the frame.  The kids love the crafts, stories, games, and especially our large group times where we sing songs.  This has also become a favorite time for the team as well.  We’re learning new songs and having a blast singing with the kids.  We were even asked to sing for them in English.  The kids are open and receptive and are eager to learn and participate.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is an important day.  Kathy, Janice, Pam and Linda will be working with a group of moms from the CTC and the church.  They will be doing a craft and sharing a Bible study with the ladies.  This will be an important opportunity to share the gospel as well as give encouragement to a group of moms who are struggling.  Pray for our ladies as they share with the moms of the community.  Wednesday is also our day to share the plan of salvation.  We will do that in various ways…Bible story, craft, memory verse, and sharing the message in large group.  Please be in prayer for kids who are ready to hear and accept the transforming message of Christ.  We are praying for a celebration in heaven because lost souls will be found.

I also wanted to say a word about our translators.  We have 3 women and 2 men and they are definately an important part of our team.  The greatest thing about this group of translators is that they love the Lord and they are right in the middle of the ministry…not just tranlating but loving on the kids and helping in all aspects.  God has blessed us with a great team of translators!

God has blessed us all with good health, safety, energy, and great weather.  Thank you for your continued prayers.

Christ First,

Jimmy

Guatemala Updates

Day 1

We spent this day at the largest orphanage in Guatemala City called “The City of Children.”  We worked with the girls side of the orphanage.  We had close to 200 girls on this day.  There were girls ages 5-15 that we were with.  Several of the older girls were pregnant or already had babies.  Girls come to this orphanage because they have no parents, parents no longer want them, they’ve been raped, their families cannot afford to take care of them, or they are in some sort of trouble.  We had the girls in 3 shifts we the last shift being with 30+ special needs girls.  Our focus was to share the gospel with the girls and give them a message of hope and love.  They made salvation bracelets, book marks that had John 3:16 on them, and they also heard the story of Zaccheaus and Christ’s love for him even though he was considered “unlovable.”

Day 2

We spent our day in the community called “Cerritos.”  This is where we will be the rest of the week.  Buckner has a Community Transformation Center there as well as a partnership with a church in the community.  We spent the first part of the day in the CTC doing VBS with the kids.  We had 4 teams with 10-12 kids in each team.  Our focus for the first day was God’s creation and how we are his special creation.  The kids learned the verse Psalm 139:14.  The children used playdoh to make something from God’s creation.  They made an ocean scene to talk about the different creatures that God made.  Recreation was tag but always ended up in soccer (futbol)…they love it and are very good at it.

The second half of the day was spent at the church under the bridge.  Cerritos is split up into two neighborhoods: one at the top of the hill and one at the bottom of the hill, under this huge bridge.  It is a very impoverished area.  Homes are made with wood, metal, and whatever scraps they can find.  There is a message on top of the church that says “Don’t do it.  Jesus loves you” (in Spanish).  Many people take their own lives by jumping off the bridge.  This is just a little sense of the hurt, pain, and hopelessness in the community.  But amongst this darkness there is a ray of light and hope that come from the church and the CTC.  We spend the afternoon with the kids at the church.  Kids in Guatemala go to school but just half days.  The kids at the CTC go in the afternoon and the kids at the church go in the afternoon.  We did the same VBS material at the church that we did with the CTC.  It was a bit of a challenge with only 2 rooms and about 50 kids.  The only part we were not able to do was recreation.  There literally is no space for kids to play.  It’s just pathways inbetween the houses.  Despite the challenge, our team did a phenomenal job and the kids loved every minute of it.  In both locations kids kept coming in once they heard the music and saw what was going on.  We anticipate having more kids at both locations as word spreads about our activities.

I want to brag on our team.  They are amazing!  Nothing has been “according to plan” but that hasn’t bothered them at all.  They are willing, eager, and ready to go with the flow.  I thank God for the priviledge to minister with these people: Bill and Janice N., Hannah W., Bailee M., Pam D., Linda R., Jeff M., Aaron M., Kayla C., Juliana M., Kathy C., Kelsey C., Brandon C., Natalie C., Lezah M., and Colby W.  God assembled a phenomanal team and He is using them to bring love, laughter, and hope to some beautiful children.

Also, we wanted to say thank you to our FBC Allen family for all the prayers and support that you have given to us before the trip and while we’re here.  Please continue to pray for openness to gospel, God’s love and power to be shown through our team, good health for the team, safety, and that God’s name would be glorified in the Cerritos community of Guatemala City.

 

Christ First,

Jimmy

Two Pictures from Guatemala

Our first info from Guatemala: two awesome pictures!

Training Pastors in Guatemala

Passing out clothes from our sewing ministry.