Waiting...

I am confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14

 

I waited patiently for the Lord;

He turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

he put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1-3

 

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;

my hope comes from Him. NIV

My soul, wait thou only upon God;

for my expectation is from Him. KJV

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in Him. NLT

Psalm 62:5

 

 

Merry Christmas

 

May your holidays be filled with the JOY

of knowing the One who was born to die

for all mankind to provide

Salvation full and free

for all who will receive His gift of Love!

 

Merry Christmas!

David and Glynis



Visitantes! We love visitantes!

We love friends who come and visit...yes, we do!

 

We recently had some long time friends come to visit.  Many years ago, we lived in Huntsville, Alabama, where David was Minister of Education at Southside Baptist Church.  We met Steve and Lisa and a couple of months later their baby girl, Hollan was born.  Hollan and our daughter Deborah were friends together in the nursery.  Steve first fell in love with Guatemala on his mission trips with David back in the 80s.  But alas, times changed, jobs moved us, and we said good bye.  But both Steve and Lisa accompanied David on mission trips to Guatemala in the 90s even though we were then serving in another church.  Their love for Guatemala and her people grew as their family grew and moved away for career changes as well. 

Several years ago, they located a prayer card of ours and contact was established again.  (Isn't neat how friends can just pick up where they left off many years in the past and friendships continue to grow?)  A couple of years ago, they began to sponsor a Compassion child, Angel, from Guatemala.  Love continues to grow :)  Then in July 2010, their daughter spent two months working at the orphanage Casa Bernabe in Guatemala City.  We weren't able to connect with her because we were in the states during that time.  She had a wonderful experience.  Love for Guatemala continued to grow.

Back in June, they contacted us with information that this time Hollan was returning for six months to continue working at the orphanage and that they were planning to accompany her to Guatemala.  We were so blessed that they were able to visit with us for about 5 days, visit Angel and his family (their Compassion child), do a little sightseeing as we returned to Lake Atitlan (sure looks a LOT different from 25 year ago!), spend a little $ for special gifts and rememberences, worship with us at Iglesia Canaan, share a few stories of life, catch up to date with family and friends from the long ago past, sit around the table and partake of some meals and even a game of dominoes along the way.  Then Monday, came so quickly, and we gathered their things and headed to Casa Bernabe.  What a wonderful time they will have as they share in ministry with Hollan for a few days before Steve and Lisa head back to the states and Hollan continues her ministry for several more months!  Sharing in ministry, keeping an eternal view in focus, draws the family even closer!

Love for Guatemala continues to grow!

 

Steve, Lisa, and Hollan - so glad you came.

You refreshed our spirits and ministered to our lives.

Love you!

 

Now who's next?

It's begun...

A new partnership was dedicated between Iglesia Bautista Shalom in Zacapa

 and Iglesia Bautista Shalom Chiquimula and First Baptist Church of Mt. Pleasant, SC. 

 

Pastor Rolando and his wife, Maria Inez - Iglesia Bautista Shalom, Zacapa

Vision Team of FBC, Mt. Pleasant

 

 

Certificate of Partnership

 

Pastor Elfidio and his wife Marcia - Iglesia Bautista Shalom, Chiquimula

Vision Team, Mt. Pleasant, SC

 

What a blessed time it was to share in worship and Biblical challenge to the task before them.

 

In the past month, Pastors Rolando and Fido had visited the adopted areas

of Corral de Piedra and Chancó seeking permission from the aldeas leaders to begin a Bible study. 

A young girl, overhearing their request, offered her family's home. 

So our first visit the next day was to visit this family.

 

 

Dad was away working but we were able to meet with the others.

 

Alicia, their 19 year daughter, shared the family's story.

The father accepted christ about 26 years old after listening to a message on the radio. 

The entire family are believers.  Two older brothers are in the states and are preachers.

She will be married in December to a young pastor and will move to

another village about 4 hours away from Chancó.

 

We all listened attentively as she shared their story and decision to follow Christ.

They walk about an hour each way to attend a church in a different aldea

since there is no evangelical church there.

 

 

After walking up the hill to the school,

 

the team was able to spend some time with the students.

 

Liz and Dr. Charles shared their testimonies.

 

 

The team had brought Spanish Bible story booklets, silly brand bracelets,

stickers and candy to share with the students.

 

The students listended very intently to both testimonies.

I saw one older young man listening very intently to Dr. Charles.

Pray for God's work to bring to take root in these students' lives.

 

 

We were able to visit in three homes and pray for the people.

 

 

We were received warmly at each place and invited to return.

 

This woman is the aunt of Alicia and has cancer.  She has not received Christ.

Alicia and her family pray that she will be healed physically

 but more importantly, that she will be healed spiritually.

One of the team members shared the Bible story of the woman

who was healed by faith after toouching the hem of his garment. 

 

 

In February, FBC, Mt. Pleasant, assisted Iglesia Bautista Canaán with a medical clinic in Nearar.

Now God is opening the door for them to work in these two aldeas, Corral de Piedra and Chancó.

Nearar is on the right of the map and Chancó is on the left..

 

Already their hearts are burdened for this area;

their minds are at work as they consider how God will use them to invest

in the lives of these precious people who need to hear of the saving power of Jesus.

 

The vison team, national leaders and family -- all partners together in the work of Christ.

 

 

 

 

Just like God...

The morning after I wrote the last post, I was reading in one of my devotional books, Streams in the Desert, book 2, and just like God does, He dropped a timely word. Perhaps it is because we live in a foreign country apart from past comfort zones, or perhaps it is because we see these things happening on a daily basis, or because we have walked in places where the evidence of the evil one is very real, but whatever the reason, we are more aware of the need for prayer covering than ever before.  Hear our heart in these words.

The weapons of our warfare are...mighty to the pulling down of strongholds
(2Cor. 10:4)

 

In the Great War in France a strong position had to be taken.  The enemy's lines were so defended by trenches, parapets and barbed wire, that any assault, however determined, by whatever number of men, must have failed.  However brave the attackers might have been, not a man would have reached the enemy's trenches alive.  It was, in fact, quite impossible for the place to be taken by infantry assault.  But the attacking general had collected large numbers of the most powerful artillery, firing the most powerfully explosive shells.  With this excessive strength of massed artillery a continuous fire was kept up for over five hours on the one objective till trenches were blown in, palisades thrown down, and wire entanglements blown to pieces.

Then, when the artillery had done its work, the waiting troops were at last able to go up "every man straight before him," and, with comparatively little loss, to capture the position.  What had been absolutely impossible to them before had been made possible by the sustained fire of the artillery.

I believe this is a most accurate and instructive picture of spiritual warfare.  There are positions of the adversary that cannot be stormed or starved.  There are defenses that are impregnable.  There are obstructions which effectually bar the progess of the most devoted members of God's great missionary army.  Before such can possibly succeed, there is necessary the sustained and continuous fire of the artillery of prayer.  Nothing else will take its place.  Nothing will avail until it has done its work.

Too often, in the absence of prevailing prayer, the assault has to be made without, and precious lives are sacrificed, time is lost, and all efforts are in vain; not because God is unfaithful, or the servant is not devoted, but because the artillery of prayer has been lacking, and no breach has been made in the enemy's defenses.

Northcote Deck, Streams in the Desert, book 2

 

Will you join with us as we make a continuous fire on the strongholds in the Chorti area? 

It is just like God to answer in accordance to our prayers.

 

We have work in

La Cumbre de Nearar

La Iglesia Bautista Canaán, Chimaltenango

Pastor Victoriano Cojti

Pastor Nahum

David and Regina White

Local Believer and Leader Reyes

Brainerd Baptist Church, Chattanooga, TN

 

Beginning work in

Lagunetas

David and Regina White

Chorti Baptist Agriculture Development Project

 

Beginning work in

Chancó

Corral de Piedra

Iglesia Bautista Shalom, Zacapa

Pastor Rolando Cruz

Iglesia Bautista Shalom, Chiquimula

Pastor Elfidio Castillo Arroyo

FBC, Mt. Pleasant, SC



Second Partnership is well underway!

The second partnership between Iglesia Bautista Dios es Amor, San Andres Itzapa, and Bull Street Baptist, Savannah, Georgia, has officially begun with the first team's evanglistic ministry.

 

 

Iglesia Bautista Dioes es Amor has begun a work in El Porvenir II, Cantón, San Lorenzo.

Pastor Apolinario comes every Sunday morning to meet with the attendees -

a group of eager to learn children.

No adults attend at this time but weekly he works diligently with these children,

 teaching them songs and Bible stories with eternal truths.

 

 

The enthusiastic group arrived ready to be the "ayudante" to the church and the pastor.

Each day they visited homes in the colonia,

often accompanied by some of these young smiling faces,

and shared the love of Jesus, leaving behind a gift of the Gospel of John.

 

 

And on Wednesday afternoon this group of children grew

 

 

and included parents and grandparents

for an afternoon Bible story and activity.

 

Attentively they listened.

Even some parents helped prepare the needed supplies.

 

Little eyes were amazed at "it" all began to come together.

 

Everyone was involved in the activity...note Pastor Apolinario right in the middle.

 

 

And the finished product...a sock puppet.

Yes, Pastor Apolinario will use these in his Sunday morning teaching lessons with the children.

Another method to share the Gospel of Jesus with little ones like these.

 

Reminds me of the chorus we used to sing when I was a little one too:

 

Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.
Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.
Little ones like me,
Sat upon His knee,
Jesus loves the little ones like me, me, me.

 

Jesus loves the little ones

so much He died for them too.

Anyone, any age, of any nation

can receive Christ as Savior and become His eternal child.

 

Headed out...Need Prayer Covering

We are so excited...Brainerd Baptist medical/evangelistic team has arrived, soon the team from Iglesia Canaán meets with us here at the Arkansas mission house in the capital, and then we will launch out to Nearar. We NEED your prayer covering! Then along the week, I will drop in some pics and updates so you can follow along the journey.

We head to Jocotán to a hotel as our home base and then daily will go up the mountain to Nearar to share the love of Jesus. It is exciting to see the first "working" partnership between these two churches. (Now, I'm sure those guys on the vision team would disagree about the "working" part as they moved that galera down the mountain to Reyes' house...sorry guys, no offense!)

David and Regina White will be working with us as well. Pray specifically for David as he is "recovering" from a bout with dengue fever.

Pray for safety in travels.  

Pray for Satan to be bound, eyes and hearts to be opened and receptive to the Truth.

Pray for an amazing moving of the Spirit among the people to hear, discern the Truth, and receive salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Pray for physical needs to be diagnosed and met. Pray for physical strength and stamina for the team.

Shine, Jesus, shine,

Fill this land with the Father's glory.

Blaze, Spirit blaze,

Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river flow

Flood the nations with grace and mercy.

Send forth Your word,

Lord, and let there be light.

Cliff Richard

The Name of...

Jesus

The power of My Name to bless both you and Me is beyond your understanding.

from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

There have been names that I have loved to hear,

But never has there been a name so dear

To this heart of mine, as the Name divine,

The precious, precious Name of Jesus.

Jesus is the sweetest name I know,

And He's just the same as His lovely Name,

And that's the reason why I love Him so;

Oh, Jesus is the sweetest name I know.

lyrics by Lela B. Long

Bless the name of Jesus
Praise the name of Jesus
Sing unto the King of Israel
Bless the name of Jesus
Praise the name of Jesus
Sing unto the King of Israel
And I'll sing glory, glory
Glory to his name forever
Glory, Glory, Glory to his name

Copyright: 1983 LEHSEM MUSIC, LLC DBA LEHSEM SONGS

No other name but the name of Jesus
No other name but the name of the Lord
No other name but the name of Jesus
Is worthy of glory, and worthy of honor
And worthy of power and all praise
lyrics by Brian Doerksen

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name, 
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Philipians 2:9-11

The Name of Jesus

The Lord of the Harvest

In February some special friends of ours come to visit.  Jim and Patsy are long time friends from when we served in Columbus, GA.  They came with David on their first foreign mission trips back in the 90s and fell in love with Guatemala and her people.  They have continued to come at least a year since their first arrival.  Their home is decorated with LOTS of Guatemala treasures...makes us feel VERY much at home when we visit.  One of their favorites places to visit and purchase items is the wood factory.  His fruits and vegetable carvings are so realistic that more than one person returning home has been stopped to have their baggage checked..."Are you certain you don't have any fruits in your bags?"  And then are passed right on through the line when the agents see the wooden apples.

This past February trip, they gave us a beautiful wood carving.

Taken from Matthew 9:37, the spanish reads -- "The ripe corn is much more, the workers few."

I wanted to hang it on a wall in the dining room, but it just need something to hang alonside it.  I kept looking for something that would shout out "This is it!  You need me!"  The other day in the market I saw it.  I answered its call and bought it home.

The fields are filled.  The harvest is ready. There are few laborers.

Though it has a definite Guatemalan look,

it has a universal look.

The symbolism is so strong.

"Then He said to His disciples, `The Harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 

Therefore beseech the Lord of the harest to send out workers into His harvest.'"

Matthew 9:37-38

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,

 baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

Freedom

...O'er the land of the Free and the home of the Brave!

Our prayer is that you know and experience the eternal Freedom

found in Jesus Christ alone.  Freedom from the penalty of sin

which separates you from God is found in the acceptance

of the payment of Jesus' death and resurrection

once for all.

July 2012 Prayer Letter

To view the entire prayer letter on fullscreen: Scroll until you see the Scribd bar below the prayer letter. On the far right is a box with the bottom left corner darkened, place the curser on this symbol and the following will appear "view in full screen" and click. The prayer letter will appear full screen on your computer for easy reading. To exit full screen view: Place the curser on the same box and the "exit fullscreen mode" will appear, click and the screen will display the regular blog view. NOTE: This prayer letter is two pages long so make sure you scroll for both pages. Prayer Letter July 2012

Waiting Process #1

I know that many of you who read our blog are those who are waiting for your church to be in a partnership with a Guatemalan church to reach an unreached area with the Gospel of Christ.  And you are "sitting on ready" and probably wondering why we haven't gotten things together for you/your church to come.  I know that impatience and intense desire but often things don't process as quickly as we would like.  Lately the Lord has been reminding me of some things that are important during the "waiting process."  I think some of them are applicable to any type of waiting time.  This may stretch over a couple of posts so bear with me.

As we build partnerships, we work with Guatemalan churches.  The first step involves sharing the vision with pastors.  Often pastors are bivocational, meaning they work another fulltime job in addition to being a pastor.  Therefore for us to visit with a pastor, we must work within his schedule.  (Think about your busy schedule.)  Then we must schedule our time accordingly.  (Think about your busy schedule again.)  Often these meetings are several hours away from our home, so they involve two to three days away from home.  Then a pastor needs to have time to process the vision, pray and seek God, share the vision with his church leadership, and together discern God's will for His church.  Sometimes he or the leadership are not ready for a partnership, or already fully occupied in their vision for their church, or are not interested in becoming involved, so we begin again.  However, if they discern this is God's plan for them, then he recontacts us and another trip is scheduled and the initial planning begins.  Sometimes the area is near their own home, sometimes it is not.  Each situation poses it own share of "issues."

So what does this mean in relation to you.  During this "Step One Waiting Process" what can you do?

1.  Pray for pastors to have a vision for reaching unreached areas for Christ.
 It is easy to become occupied with the local church, settling issues here, meeting needs there, etc. and forget the whole picture of reaching out further and further.
 It is easy to become "self-involved" and neglect the far reaching implications of the Great Commission and Acts 1:8.  The urgent tasks often overtake the important tasks.

2.  Praise God for those pastors who have a burning desire to reached unreached areas for Christ.

3.  Pray for vision for the pastor and the local church.
 Pray that God would being knitting in their hearts to specific unreached areas,
       broadening their vision to the specific needs of this area,
             giving insight as to how best meet these needs.

4.  Pray for receptiveness to training.
 Pray that teams from the local church will be trained in best evangelistic and discipleship methods. 

5.  Pray for physical needs of the local team.
Finances - Just as there is a cost for you and your team to come from the states, equally there is a cost for the local team members.  Just as you, team members will be not working during the "mission trip," but differently from you, they are not taking vacation time; they will not receive wages during during those days of ministry.  Pray that the physical needs of their family will be met supernaturally so that God will be glorified in their ministry and the family strengthened in their faith.

Health - Pray for their health and that of each member of their family.

6.  Pray for us as we travel to meeet with pastors and churches.
 Safety - Pray for David as he drives and Glynis as she navigates.  David watches the road in front of the car for POTHOLES in addition to the traffic, often navigating around HUGE fallen rocks or fallen "sinkhole" roads.  Glynis watches the terrain and landmarks, looking for signs (there are VERY few), reading a map (if there is one), trying to remember them for when we come this way again.

The rainy season has begun so that means water saturated land OFTEN slides down the mountain covering parts of the road, HUGE rocks fall as dirt is washed out around them, water saturated dirt under the road is washed out causing the roads to fall.

An example is below.  This occurance was Monday, June 4, 2012; we had traveled this road on the previous Friday and commented on that particular rock being ready to fall.

A landslide occurred at noon today at kilometer 147 route national 1 which connects Sololá with Panajachel, at the entrance to this municipality in the place known as "Tzanjuyu" where there was a landslide of rocks of approximately 2 meters and Earth, that hinders the lane of exit of the municipality.
The COVIAL staff perform tasks of cleaning in place.
Photo: LLG / / Augusto C. (Translated by Bing)

Un derrumbe se produjo al medio día de hoy en el kilómetro 147 de la ruta nacional 1 que comunica de Sololá con Panajachel, en la entrada a este municipio en el lugar conocido como “Tzanjuyu” donde se registró un deslizamiento de rocas de aproximadamente 2 metros y tierra, que obstaculiza el carril de salida del municipio.
Personal del COVIAL realizan tareas de limpieza en el lugar.
Foto: LLG // Augusto C.

 

Praise God for His care for us.  His angels surround us - in front, in back, beside, above, beneath.  We are confident in Him.

 

Wow, that's a lot to pray but we are dependent on your prayers.  Apart from the Spirit's leading, we can do nothing.  Vance Havner once said, that in times like these "we are stranded on Omnipotence."  What better place to be?!  Stranded on the One who IS, who knows ALL, who HOLDS us in His hand.  That's where I always want to be.

 

 

Exclusive? You are right! But...

Recently in a meeting, a fellow missionary shared the following.

She has been having Bible studies with some young men in their late teens to early twenties.  They are wrestling with the claims of Christ on their lives.

One young man said, "I understand this stuff about God.  I know there is a God and all that but this Jesus stuff, that's something else.  If this is all true, then it is exclusive."

"Yes," she said.  "it is exclusive.  You must receive Jesus as your only way of salvation and yield to His Lordship.  It is exclusive...but salvation is for Everyone."

How about you?  Are you a member of the Exclusive Inclusive Team?

Great Week with the mission team!

We had a wonderful week with a medical team from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina as they ministered alongside La Iglesia Bautista Canaan from Chimaltenango opening more doors among the Ch'orti'. It was great days of sharing the Gospel as the medical doctors, dentists and pharmacists shared the love of Jesus in both word and deed.  They were such a great team.  As I was talking with them and sharing how easy they had been to work with, they shared about how they had been spiritually preparing themselves for many months - think that made a difference?!  Well, it did among the Chorti - doors were opened in previously hardened areas, the Gospel was shared with each patient, and several came to faith in Christ.  Really only in eternity will we know the full impact of results from the ministry of FBC Mt. Pleasant. Thank you for reflecting Christ in all you did!

They arrived on Saturday ready to get rolling.  After orientation and dinner, they repacked medicines and supplies and drifted off to sleep anxious to begin the work to which God had called them.  Early Sunday, the 5 member team from the Guatemala church joined us for breakfast and prayer and then we were off to "Ch'orti'-landia."  We arrived in Chiquimula for a quick lunch and registration at the hotel.  Soon after,we traveled about an hour away up in the mountain to Patenta, just a little ways before Nearar.  (You remember Nearar, I know, if you have been following our blog.  It is the aldea where our church has been investing much time in evangelism and discipleship and where Satan does not want to lose ground.)

There were two medical doctors.

Folks who made friends with the patients and kept them entertained while sharing Jesus.

There was a full dental clinic with three dentists and a hygentist.

And oh did they pulled teeth...over 700 for the week!

A fully staffed pharmacy with 4 pharmacists worked tirelessly
filling as many as 320 prescriptions one day!

Monday and Tuesday we operated the clinic in Nearar. 

We were pleased to see some of the same sweet faces from those previous trips.

Since school was in operation Tuesday morning, we were not able to hold the clinic there. 

 Instead, we operated in the front yard of Manual's home from where we had previously worked.

The adobe walls had fallen leaving small dirt mounds on the cement where the house had stood.

But still the Gospel was shared,

patients were seen by the doctors

and dentists,

  

prescriptions were filled,

the gospel was shared in the school

 while others made house calls to some too ill to come to the clinic.

Then in the afternoon, we returned to the school where those in lines waited patiently.

That night at dinner, one of our translators came attired...

in a shout out to our Auburn Fan daughters back home. haha

Somebody please send these guys some UGA t-shirts!

Wednesday was the final day for the clinics.  We loaded the vans early that morning because the drive was about an hour further up the mountain but ended being over an hour and a half further because several times, the vans were emptied as women walked and men helped push the vans up the steep rocky very rutted trail to El Límon.  If you remember, this aldea was the one that struck Pastor Victorianos heart when we first shared the lostness of the Chorti.  But with the receptiveness of the people in Nearar and the lack of response from the leadership in El Límon, the work was begun in Nearar. 

We arrived much later than expected to a large waiting crowd in El Límon with the restriction of no open Gospel presentation.  But as the doctors and dentists worked they shared their own personal story, planting Gospel seeds and opening doors that had been closed.  It was rewarding when several people asked for Spanish New Testaments and promised to read them.  Laying a foundation for future work was a huge step in the salvation of the people of El Límon.

The remoteness of the aldeas and the five hour return trip to the captial before dark hindered another day of mininstry but as we look back over the week, what an awesome time of foundation laying in previously unreached areas.  Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, discipleship and worship times were held by the mission group from Iglesia Bautista Canaan for those who had previously responded to the Gospel and those who did boldly declare Christ as Savior this week.

Continue to pray for the Chorti.

May they hear and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

May the light of the glorious Gospel shine brightly bringing salvation.

Some golden day we will all praise Him around His throne!