We had that team for a little over a week, then they were followed by a one-night pit-stop--a team headed out for a week of medical missions in Nebajc, Guatemala, where Missionary Ventures partners with the couple who run the hospital there. He is actually the son of a long-time partnering Guatemalan pastor with MV, and now he (Juan Pablo) and his wife (Carolina) are expecting a baby of their own next spring, so please keep them in your prayers.
After that team left, we had a team of auto mechanics here for about a week and a half (ARM,) who have been making an annual trip here for about 7 years now. They are a huge blessing and tons of fun to work with, so we've truly enjoyed our time with them here at the house. They take in cars from both staff and partnering pastors associated with MV in Guatemala and fix them up with anything from new tires, to a headlight short, to a brand new clutch (the last 2 of which we personally received and for which we are VERY thankful!!!) All of this is free of charge to the car owners, by the way. So as you can see, they have a great ministry indeed! One of the pastors whose car they fixed was planning on leading a mission trip about 4-5 hours from where he is, and said their ministry was a true answer to prayer, as it made the trip possible. Praise God for His provision!
The ARM team left this morning, so we are having a quiet night here at the house. We won't have another team until around Nov 19th, so we have a little down time in between.
In the meantime, we've been continuing with the Uth ministry at Union. Rene is teaching the book of Luke. Please pray for him in preparing the messages, as well as for the kids, that they would take God's word to heart and grow in Him. We would also like to ask for your prayers as we are experiencing a drop in attendance. One thing is that a new youth group has opened up about 25mins away, attracting many of the kids who were previously part of the Union Church Uth group. It's simply a lot closer for them. We're praying for wisdom right now in how to steer the current group, pour into the lives of the kids still participating, and still reach out, especially to new kids (who aren't yet believers.) One thought we've had is to possibly change the main meeting night to Saturday nights, as many kids have said they just have too much homework to come on a weeknight. Please pray with us for wisdom in how to move forward with this ministry and be good stewards of these kids.
A huge answer to prayer was that at the beginning of October, Rene was able to take a group of the kids to the women's prison in Guatemala City. (WHAT?!?!) Before you freak out...in Guatemala, when a women is sentenced to prison time and her child(ren) are under a certain age, they cannot be separated from their mother. So the children go to prison with their mothers--not exactly the most profitable way to spend your childhood. Also in Guatemala, October 1st is "Día del Niño" (Children's Day,) so in light of these things, the Uth made a trip to visit the children there in prison with their moms in order to celebrate Día del Niño with them. They took some cake and toys, which were in and of themselves a huge blessing, having been donated by the Union Church congregation, and had a sweet time with the children there. Even sweeter was the blessing it brought to their mothers, and now there are some women from Union who want to continue that ministry to the mothers specifically. Praise God for that series of connections, blessings, and opportunities to touch the lives of those hurting and in need. Please pray with us that we will be able to lead the Uth in more outreaches and community service opportunities like this one.
One more quick note: Ginny has been able to start a new Bible study with the girls at Casa Aleluya with whom she lived and worked while there. The idea is to meet with them right now that they are on vacation from school until the new year, and focus on how to study the Bible, exploring specific topics as we discover how to use study tools and search Scripture. We've had 1 meeting so far--they are on Monday nights. Praise God with us for this opportunity, and pray with us that the girls will be hungry for God's word and desire to grow in their relationships with Him, and that this study might help and encourage them in that direction.
In addition to all this "regular" activities, we are also working on the process of applying for a green card for Rene (rather than just throwing money at chance with the tourist visa.) Please pray for wisdom for us as we pray about and weigh the different options regarding how to proceed with this process.
Thank you all again for praying with us and partnering with us in all these things. It is truly a blessing to us to know we have you as part of our team! Many, many blessings to you all!
