Well, it's not Saturday night, but I just wanted to send out a quick little update.
For those of you we haven't gotten the chance to tell yet, unfortunately, the tourist visa we had applied for for Rene was denied, so Ginny is making this trip solo.
I (Ginny) arrived safely in Orlando a week and a half ago and have been enjoying the training so far--lots of info--although it is sad to be away from Rene for so long. I also want to share a praise for my hostess, Kathy, Missionary Ventures' bookkeeper here in the Orlando office. She is so hospitable and kind, and I have totally enjoyed my stay with her! Thank God for that provision!
We also just have a couple of immediate (events that happen today) prayer requests:
--At about 5:30 EST today Rene (via conference call) and I will go before the Board of Directors for official approval, and possibly any counsel they decide to offer as well. Please pray for Rene and me, for unity in spirit, despite the physical distance, peace (no anxiety, but resting in the Lord,) and clear minds to be able to communicate clearly our vision and plan for ministry in Guatemala, as well as to answer with discernment, integrity, diplomacy, and sharpness of mind any questions they might send our way. Pray for the Board, for wisdom, discernment, words from the Lord, and godly leadership towards us in any decision making that has to be made regarding us and our future with Missionary Ventures.
--On a slightly lighter note, tonight it "20-foot Banana Split" night for the Uth group! Please pray for a sweet time of fellowship, especially for new kids to feel included, and for Rene and Micah (our co-leader) as they teach the kids (Micah will be leading the message tonight), as well as for the Uth band, who will be leading the group in worship. Thank God with us for the youth standing up to serve the Lord and their peers with the gifts He has entrusted to them!
Thank you all for standing and partnering with us! We couldn't do it without you!
Many blessings,
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Uth Praises & Visa Prayers
Hi everyone,
Hoping a praying that you are doing well. This is just a quick note to share with you a few praises and a big prayer request.
First, we want to praise God for things going on with the Uth ministry at Union church. First we had a good turn out of students at our first fall meeting. It was a good chance to welcome back a ton of our students and to welcome a few new students to our group. We had a good time worshiping, and playing some crazy games! We have excitement and anticipation for what God is going to do this year with this group!
We also were able to take a good number of our students to the beach to close out the summer. We were able to enjoy a good time of fellowship - but more importantly it was a great blessing to look back and see how God had taken care of us driving in the roads of Guatemala considering how bad safety has been lately. Thank God for his protection! Please pray that we can continue to find favor in the eyes of the youth entrusted to us, and for wisdom, so that we can continue to challenge them to live out lives that please God, in an accepting fun environment. .
The next big thing we have going on right now is working on getting a visa for Rene. This week we'll be going to an interview with the US Embassy to hopefully be approved for a tourist visa, so we can travel to the States for about a month during Sept-Oct. During this time we'll be attending a mandatory training and orientation with Missionary Ventures in Florida, as well as taking advantage of our time in the States to visit with friends and family in Texas and California. Being approved for this visa is vital to our ministry and ability to make this trip, so please join us in prayer for favor with the embassy and for all travel plans to come out smoothly.
Thanks again for standing with us! May God bless you all!
In Him, by Him, and for Him,
Hoping a praying that you are doing well. This is just a quick note to share with you a few praises and a big prayer request.
First, we want to praise God for things going on with the Uth ministry at Union church. First we had a good turn out of students at our first fall meeting. It was a good chance to welcome back a ton of our students and to welcome a few new students to our group. We had a good time worshiping, and playing some crazy games! We have excitement and anticipation for what God is going to do this year with this group!
We also were able to take a good number of our students to the beach to close out the summer. We were able to enjoy a good time of fellowship - but more importantly it was a great blessing to look back and see how God had taken care of us driving in the roads of Guatemala considering how bad safety has been lately. Thank God for his protection! Please pray that we can continue to find favor in the eyes of the youth entrusted to us, and for wisdom, so that we can continue to challenge them to live out lives that please God, in an accepting fun environment. .
The next big thing we have going on right now is working on getting a visa for Rene. This week we'll be going to an interview with the US Embassy to hopefully be approved for a tourist visa, so we can travel to the States for about a month during Sept-Oct. During this time we'll be attending a mandatory training and orientation with Missionary Ventures in Florida, as well as taking advantage of our time in the States to visit with friends and family in Texas and California. Being approved for this visa is vital to our ministry and ability to make this trip, so please join us in prayer for favor with the embassy and for all travel plans to come out smoothly.
Thanks again for standing with us! May God bless you all!
In Him, by Him, and for Him,
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Answered Prayers
Hey Team!
We want to start out by saying thank you to all of you who have been faithful partners with us lately, holding us up in prayer especially. We have seen God answer and provide for many of the things for which we asked you to join us in prayer.
With MVI: The Glasgow family: Bob & Molly, with their two kids John and Catherine, arrived here safely a little over a month ago. We were able to finish up the necessary details on their apartment, with the help of Bob, who arrived a week before his family, and have been enjoying having them as team partners and neighbors here at the Mission House. They are well settled in now, helping us out in many ways. They are actually getting a good taste of the task right now, as they tackle heading up a team here from their home church in Florida.
We returned safely from the trip with the Uncharted Waters (UW) team on July 8th. They brought their Bible-based sports camp ministry down here to Guatemala to reach out to some of the children in the communities of a few local pastors, brothers and sisters who are involved with MVI. The first place we went was a well-established feeding center, where the team was able to witness the product of many years of ministry to the children of the local village, now being educated, well-fed, and giving back with their attitudes of respect, obedience and gratitude, even with a song and cards, and of course smiles and hugs. From there we went to spend a few days in Guastatoya doing a camp with Pastor Soto's church and school, which MVI helped him build, when he had that vision several years ago. We were blessed there to hear word in the town that the school is well know for having a reputation as a quality place of education. While there, we also had the opportunity to take the team to Pastor Marco Antonio's feeding center. Just on the other side of the highway, yet the need of children there was much more obvious than the children coming to the camp in town. Rene and I were blessed to see the team work with the tiny space they had to play games and show love to those children there. It was near the end of the week, and I know they were tired, but you wouldn't have known it by the way they smiled and played with the children there. Overall, we were blessed with safety on the road and in the towns, health, good attitudes, opportunity to minister to children and continue to build relationships with some of our local MVI partners, and the chance to give Ginny an opportunity to translate for a lot of the sports camp material (a good challenge, but overall a success!)
Two days after we returned from the UW trip, another team arrived. They will be followed by 2 consecutive teams we'll be hosting here at the Mission House for at least part of their time in the country, so as you can see, July is a full month for us! Please keep us in your prayers as we work together to serve the Lord in this ministry, bless the teams, and try to stay both organized and still relationship- (rather than task-) oriented during this busier time of year.
We also asked you all to pray for the building of trust relationship with our staff here at the house, and we are delighted to share with you that God has provided many opportunities for improved communication and getting to know each other better as we grow in trust and appreciation! Even last night after the team dinner, Ginny had the chance to talk a long while with Blanca and Aura, a mother and daughter who have been our faithful groundkeepers, cleaners, sometimes cooks, and a few other tasks here and there, for some years now. It is sweet to get to have that time to just chat about life, not necessarily about work.
With the "Uth" of Union Church: We are going strong in our summer activities, from Saturday evening Bible study on the book of John, to paintballing, to the upcoming beach trip and volcano climb. (Don't worry, they're on different days!) There are a few newcomers to our church as well, and these activities have provided great opportunities to get to know them more and get them involved. There is one family in particular who just moved to Guatemala, with whom Rene and I have been able to spend a lot of time, getting to know them (2 brothers and a sister) and try to encourage them, as they're still unsure about their new home. I would like to take a moment to brag on some of the core kids in our youth group. A few of those who've been involved with the church for several years have lately been taking more ownership in the Uth program, helping out and working to make improvements instead of just complaining. Some of these girls took notice of this new family and took initiative to organize a lunch for tomorrow right by where the family lives, to make them feel more welcome. Hopefully, this spirit of initiative will catch throughout the rest of the group.
A new development for which we'd like to both give thanks and ask for prayer, is a small discipleship group Ginny started with a few of the older girls from Uth. We're trying to meet every week, as schedules allow, and starting with a basic study called "Who is Jesus?" Pray for depth of growth, both in their walk with the Lord, as we study more of what His word tells us about Him, and in our relationships with each other, in trust and friendship. Pray it would be a place where they feel safe being open and real.
.JPG)
Rene has been continuing to invest in the lives of 3 brothers who are part of the core group of our Uth. It has been sweet to see them grow to trust and respect him as an older brother in the Lord. Rene has also been heading up the Uth band and Uth Sunday. Once a month, we have the Uth take over all the details of the service, except the sermon, which encourages them to take an active role in the church body, while also reminding the adults of the church that these teens "are the present of the church," as our pastor says. Our desire is that in encouraging the Uth to take ownership of the church in this way, they will be better prepared and on board to take their place in church service and leadership when this generation passes them the torch.
Thank you all again for joining us in this adventure, for your support in the areas of prayers, finances, wise counsel and encouragement, and even personal visits! We are so thankful to have you all as our team partners! May God bless you richly in all things!
In Him, by Him, and for Him,
Rene and Ginny
We want to start out by saying thank you to all of you who have been faithful partners with us lately, holding us up in prayer especially. We have seen God answer and provide for many of the things for which we asked you to join us in prayer.
With MVI: The Glasgow family: Bob & Molly, with their two kids John and Catherine, arrived here safely a little over a month ago. We were able to finish up the necessary details on their apartment, with the help of Bob, who arrived a week before his family, and have been enjoying having them as team partners and neighbors here at the Mission House. They are well settled in now, helping us out in many ways. They are actually getting a good taste of the task right now, as they tackle heading up a team here from their home church in Florida.
We returned safely from the trip with the Uncharted Waters (UW) team on July 8th. They brought their Bible-based sports camp ministry down here to Guatemala to reach out to some of the children in the communities of a few local pastors, brothers and sisters who are involved with MVI. The first place we went was a well-established feeding center, where the team was able to witness the product of many years of ministry to the children of the local village, now being educated, well-fed, and giving back with their attitudes of respect, obedience and gratitude, even with a song and cards, and of course smiles and hugs. From there we went to spend a few days in Guastatoya doing a camp with Pastor Soto's church and school, which MVI helped him build, when he had that vision several years ago. We were blessed there to hear word in the town that the school is well know for having a reputation as a quality place of education. While there, we also had the opportunity to take the team to Pastor Marco Antonio's feeding center. Just on the other side of the highway, yet the need of children there was much more obvious than the children coming to the camp in town. Rene and I were blessed to see the team work with the tiny space they had to play games and show love to those children there. It was near the end of the week, and I know they were tired, but you wouldn't have known it by the way they smiled and played with the children there. Overall, we were blessed with safety on the road and in the towns, health, good attitudes, opportunity to minister to children and continue to build relationships with some of our local MVI partners, and the chance to give Ginny an opportunity to translate for a lot of the sports camp material (a good challenge, but overall a success!)
Two days after we returned from the UW trip, another team arrived. They will be followed by 2 consecutive teams we'll be hosting here at the Mission House for at least part of their time in the country, so as you can see, July is a full month for us! Please keep us in your prayers as we work together to serve the Lord in this ministry, bless the teams, and try to stay both organized and still relationship- (rather than task-) oriented during this busier time of year.
We also asked you all to pray for the building of trust relationship with our staff here at the house, and we are delighted to share with you that God has provided many opportunities for improved communication and getting to know each other better as we grow in trust and appreciation! Even last night after the team dinner, Ginny had the chance to talk a long while with Blanca and Aura, a mother and daughter who have been our faithful groundkeepers, cleaners, sometimes cooks, and a few other tasks here and there, for some years now. It is sweet to get to have that time to just chat about life, not necessarily about work.
With the "Uth" of Union Church: We are going strong in our summer activities, from Saturday evening Bible study on the book of John, to paintballing, to the upcoming beach trip and volcano climb. (Don't worry, they're on different days!) There are a few newcomers to our church as well, and these activities have provided great opportunities to get to know them more and get them involved. There is one family in particular who just moved to Guatemala, with whom Rene and I have been able to spend a lot of time, getting to know them (2 brothers and a sister) and try to encourage them, as they're still unsure about their new home. I would like to take a moment to brag on some of the core kids in our youth group. A few of those who've been involved with the church for several years have lately been taking more ownership in the Uth program, helping out and working to make improvements instead of just complaining. Some of these girls took notice of this new family and took initiative to organize a lunch for tomorrow right by where the family lives, to make them feel more welcome. Hopefully, this spirit of initiative will catch throughout the rest of the group.
A new development for which we'd like to both give thanks and ask for prayer, is a small discipleship group Ginny started with a few of the older girls from Uth. We're trying to meet every week, as schedules allow, and starting with a basic study called "Who is Jesus?" Pray for depth of growth, both in their walk with the Lord, as we study more of what His word tells us about Him, and in our relationships with each other, in trust and friendship. Pray it would be a place where they feel safe being open and real.
.JPG)
Rene has been continuing to invest in the lives of 3 brothers who are part of the core group of our Uth. It has been sweet to see them grow to trust and respect him as an older brother in the Lord. Rene has also been heading up the Uth band and Uth Sunday. Once a month, we have the Uth take over all the details of the service, except the sermon, which encourages them to take an active role in the church body, while also reminding the adults of the church that these teens "are the present of the church," as our pastor says. Our desire is that in encouraging the Uth to take ownership of the church in this way, they will be better prepared and on board to take their place in church service and leadership when this generation passes them the torch.
Thank you all again for joining us in this adventure, for your support in the areas of prayers, finances, wise counsel and encouragement, and even personal visits! We are so thankful to have you all as our team partners! May God bless you richly in all things!
In Him, by Him, and for Him,
Rene and Ginny
Monday, June 1, 2009
The Lord Provides
Hello everyone!
We hope this email finds you all well! We just wanted to give you a quick update of things going on with lately.
The Gonzalezes: That's us now! On April 25th, we were married and were blessed by many friends and family who were able to attend, as well as many who helped out. We are so thankful for God's provision in every detail, and even in a few unexpected ways! We were blessed with a beautiful and relaxing honeymoon by Lake Atitlan as well--a much needed vacation for both of us! We are getting settled now into a more regular routine.
The Mission House (MVI): The Glasgows are a family already involved with MVI but looking to take the next step to move onto the field. They will be joining us at the Mission House for about 8 weeks this summer to help out where they can and to be able to get a taste of real life on the mission field before making the jump to long-term. Pray they gain a realistic perspective of what it's really like and that the Lord give them discernment regarding their future. Pray also that we'd be a blessing to them in their time here. We also have several projects to finish up here at the house, some that need to be done before the Glasgows arrive in a few days. As I write, they are working on laying the carpet in the upstairs addition.
We are also working on planning and preparing for teams who'll be here throughout the summer. One that we'd like particular pray for is the Uncharted Waters (UW) Sports Ministry team who'll be here in about a month to lead children's sports camps in a few different areas of the country. This will be our first team to lead together, so please pray for all the details to be worked out, as well as for special grace for Ginny as she will be an official translator for the team (1st time!) so that Rene will be able to spend more time with local leaders building relationship with them.
Speaking of building relationship, please keep us in prayer as we continue building trust relationship with our staff here at the house, as well as for good communication within our whole team.
Youth ("Uth") of Union Church: We would like to ask for special prayer for grace in leading the youth of Union Church. We are praying for wisdom and skill to be able to balance well our dedication to this ministry and to MVI. Time and distance are big factors, as the church is at least a 30 minute drive from our house, but since we have ministry in both places, we are splitting our time between the two. Thankfully our car ("Herbie"--the girls at Casa Aleluya named it--and no, it is not a VW bug) gets good mileage--God provides for all our needs! (Phil 4:19) We've been blessed with great reliability of our little Herbie too--join us in thanking God for this, as well as praying He continue to bless our car with great functioning ability, so we can continue to be faithful in both ministries.
We are also looking at what is the most beneficial way to integrate Ginny into the Uth ministry, both for her and the youth and ministry at large. We desire to use her God-given talents, abilities, and desires to help her better serve and empower the youth at Union Church. Pray with us for discernment in this discovery process.
The weekend before the wedding, we took the Uth to Antigua for our annual retreat. It was a time of teaching, reflection, worship, fun, and fellowship. Ginny was especially blessed to have some quality time with some of the girls and get to know them more. We were blessed by a couple of the other leaders who've shown a notable commitment to the kids and this ministry, as well as by the very mature attitudes and behavior of the group of kids who went on the retreat. God also gave us a surprise blessing of coming in under budget for the weekend, even with giving a few scholarships. He truly does provide for all our needs!
With summer approaching, we'll be attempting to undergo some major changes to the Uth ministry program. Our hope and desire in to be able to transform the ministry into place where the kids can feel challenged to grow in their walk with the Lord, while maintaining the welcoming atmosphere we have now, where they feel comfortable coming to have fun and hang out with their friends.
As you can see, we have a lot going on in this season of life. Thank you for partnering with us as we strive to serve the Lord here in Guatemala. You all are one of His greatest provisions--we couldn't do it without you! May He bless and keep you in everything you put your hand to.
In Him, by Him, for Him,
Rene and Ginny
We hope this email finds you all well! We just wanted to give you a quick update of things going on with lately.
The Gonzalezes: That's us now! On April 25th, we were married and were blessed by many friends and family who were able to attend, as well as many who helped out. We are so thankful for God's provision in every detail, and even in a few unexpected ways! We were blessed with a beautiful and relaxing honeymoon by Lake Atitlan as well--a much needed vacation for both of us! We are getting settled now into a more regular routine.
The Mission House (MVI): The Glasgows are a family already involved with MVI but looking to take the next step to move onto the field. They will be joining us at the Mission House for about 8 weeks this summer to help out where they can and to be able to get a taste of real life on the mission field before making the jump to long-term. Pray they gain a realistic perspective of what it's really like and that the Lord give them discernment regarding their future. Pray also that we'd be a blessing to them in their time here. We also have several projects to finish up here at the house, some that need to be done before the Glasgows arrive in a few days. As I write, they are working on laying the carpet in the upstairs addition.
We are also working on planning and preparing for teams who'll be here throughout the summer. One that we'd like particular pray for is the Uncharted Waters (UW) Sports Ministry team who'll be here in about a month to lead children's sports camps in a few different areas of the country. This will be our first team to lead together, so please pray for all the details to be worked out, as well as for special grace for Ginny as she will be an official translator for the team (1st time!) so that Rene will be able to spend more time with local leaders building relationship with them.
Speaking of building relationship, please keep us in prayer as we continue building trust relationship with our staff here at the house, as well as for good communication within our whole team.
Youth ("Uth") of Union Church: We would like to ask for special prayer for grace in leading the youth of Union Church. We are praying for wisdom and skill to be able to balance well our dedication to this ministry and to MVI. Time and distance are big factors, as the church is at least a 30 minute drive from our house, but since we have ministry in both places, we are splitting our time between the two. Thankfully our car ("Herbie"--the girls at Casa Aleluya named it--and no, it is not a VW bug) gets good mileage--God provides for all our needs! (Phil 4:19) We've been blessed with great reliability of our little Herbie too--join us in thanking God for this, as well as praying He continue to bless our car with great functioning ability, so we can continue to be faithful in both ministries.
We are also looking at what is the most beneficial way to integrate Ginny into the Uth ministry, both for her and the youth and ministry at large. We desire to use her God-given talents, abilities, and desires to help her better serve and empower the youth at Union Church. Pray with us for discernment in this discovery process.
The weekend before the wedding, we took the Uth to Antigua for our annual retreat. It was a time of teaching, reflection, worship, fun, and fellowship. Ginny was especially blessed to have some quality time with some of the girls and get to know them more. We were blessed by a couple of the other leaders who've shown a notable commitment to the kids and this ministry, as well as by the very mature attitudes and behavior of the group of kids who went on the retreat. God also gave us a surprise blessing of coming in under budget for the weekend, even with giving a few scholarships. He truly does provide for all our needs!
With summer approaching, we'll be attempting to undergo some major changes to the Uth ministry program. Our hope and desire in to be able to transform the ministry into place where the kids can feel challenged to grow in their walk with the Lord, while maintaining the welcoming atmosphere we have now, where they feel comfortable coming to have fun and hang out with their friends.
As you can see, we have a lot going on in this season of life. Thank you for partnering with us as we strive to serve the Lord here in Guatemala. You all are one of His greatest provisions--we couldn't do it without you! May He bless and keep you in everything you put your hand to.
In Him, by Him, for Him,
Rene and Ginny
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Big Transition(s)
This is a jpeg image of our newsletter we sent out just before getting married. I think you should be able to click on it to see an enlarged image. Let me know if you have any problems.
Blessings,
Ginny
Blessings,
Ginny
Welcome...
to our new blog! We are so excited to have you join us here to share in the ministry that God has so graciously entrusted to us right now. We hope and pray you are encouraged and inspired as you read and learn how He is working here in Guatemala and that He blesses you richly by what you take away from here. We would be honored to have you as a part of our team! Please let us know if you are interested in partnering with us...
Many blessings,
Rene and Ginny
Many blessings,
Rene and Ginny
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