January February 2008

January and February 2008 Newsletter

Special prayer request
2 Pastor's houses built
3 more churches dedicated, ON MEXICO BORDER! A glimpse of what dedications are like! please take the time to read these 3 accounts....you won't be sorry!
Between 30-40 churches represented at the pastor's conference

Hello from Guatemala. As I often do I would like to start out by saying how very much we appreciate all of your encouraging notes, the prayers, and the sacrifices that you make so that this ministry is the success that it is. You are truly the best partners in the world. This month I would like to ask you to agree with us in prayer. As you know we are continually on the go with building projects, church dedications, teams and taking food out to the feeding centers. For a long time we did everything with one truck. Many of you have been here and know how difficult the treks up the mountain are. Praise the Lord, just last year we were blessed with a new Kia truck, which took a lot of the load off of the Mitsubishi. We began having some problems with the Mitsubishi recently, so we took it to the mechanic. We were told that the motor is just worn out and it needs to be replaced. So, we need about $2700 to get truck back up and running. We know that God is already at work to supply this need, and we ask for you to please stand in agreement with us in prayer that it would come quickly.

Praise the Lord we started the second week of '08 with a team from Gap Hill, South Carolina. They came down to build a Pastors house in the village of Nueva Esperanza. Together with the men of the team and our Guatemala construction team we were able to raise up the walls and put on the roof on a 16 ft. by 20 ft. house in 3 and a half days. The word was literally put into the walls, we took a bible and chapter by chapter put it into the cells of the block as we covered that home and family with our faith and prayers. We bought 2 full size mattresses for 2 full size bed frames that were built by the team. What a joy it was to see the look on the Pastor’s and his wife’s faces as they walked through the house. Their eyes were filled with tears of joy. It was just 2 small rooms, one a bedroom and the other for their kitchen and living area, the walls are raw block without stucco-unpainted, and a tin roof. But for them they had never had anything so big or so nice. What a blessing it was to be able to meet their need and thanks to the church in South Carolina we were able to meet that need. With this team we saw many people accept Christ as Savior!

At the end of February we hosted a team from Archer, Florida. We took on another pastors house project. In the village of Muyurco were we built a church a couple of years ago there has been a struggle to keep a pastor in the village because there is no where for him to live. So the supervisor of this church came to us asking for help. We built a small 2 room house for a pastor to live in. But, instead of the tradition block construction, this team wanted to try something different by building forms and pouring solid cement walls. With the floor finished, we took the team up. We headed up the mountain prepared to sleep at the church until the project was finished. After 3 days of hard work and 2 nights sleeping in hammocks the project was completed. The supervisor was amazed at how quick we were able to build the house. We had many on lookers watching us build the house so we are believing that will use this house to be able to reach out to the people of this village. The day after while we were picking up the wood and tools, the supervisor was able to lead a man to the Lord who stopped to look at the new construction!

Later in January we went to the Guatemala–Mexico border to dedicate 3 churches. It was a long trip to make, 9 hours from one side of Guatemala to the other, but it was well worth the trip to be able to dedicate the churches. We traveled all day on Friday to get to the Guatemala / Mexico border. Then on Saturday taking advantage of the first service not being until the afternoon, we went over into Mexico to renew some our visas. The first service was in the village of Mercedes. We left the paved roads and started down a bumpy dusty road and after some time as we were getting close to Mercedes our church coordinator said look over there you can see the river that separates Guatemala and Mexico. We were within just a few hundred yards of the river and Mexico is on the other side. Well, as always we had a great time worshiping and praising God. As we began ministering to the church the Holy Spirit began flowing meeting the needs of the people physically and spiritually. What a powerful service. They expressed their gratitude over and over again for the construction of the church. They prepared chicken soup with rice and tortillas. Then they gave us chicken tamales. As we were leaving the church a member of the church came up to me and presented me with a cardboard box that had a live chicken in it, so I thanked him and took it with me. I added it to my collection of chickens and turkeys from the churches that we have built. From the time we finished the construction on the church until the dedication service these precious brethren had prayed in enough block and cement and had already began working on the walls! They have been working so hard, everyone pitching in and selling chickens, tamales, pigs, whatever they could to be able to help out. This is also the first church that we used a printed banner for the sign…you should have seen the pastor’s eyes light up when we gave it to him. It was fantastic. They hung it immediately. The pastor said that over one year ago he dreamed that foreigners would be bringing blessing to the village. The pastor was there, of course, but so was the pastor that started the “white field” as an outreach of his church a village away. He tells that God spoke to him one day and told him that there was “a church” in that village that needed to be cared for. So he and his wife began going and evangelizing…..soon they had 7 believers, then 15, then 20, and when he turned it over to the current pastor there were 27. They now have 35-40! We presented the pastor with a Thompson-Chain before we preached, and after we preached he presented us with his bible, man I was so touched. It was a special 75 anniversary of the church of God in Guatemala edition! It tells how the gospel came to Guatemala, the first missionaries in Totonicapan . Wow, it was fantastic. He said we may not be in the official history but God knows what all you are doing here. We felt like crying!

We went to the first dedication on Sunday in the middle of a plantain plantation, a village named Maria Linda! We’ve done dedications where they’ve cut down coffee plants for a church, but plantains are a first. It was beautiful. We ministered on owning the vision; it’s not just pastor’s vision. It was a powerful time. Before the service the pastor told how that for 13 years people had tried to start a work there, but never could get converts. The Lord spoke to him and he began going to that village from his village where he pastors. He says the Lord said it was time and he needed to step up to the challenge. So he did. They have 30 or so believers there, he is training a brother to be pastor and they are walking it out by faith. They are so happy with the church, and are busy trying to get a place for the new pastor to live. They have columns up for a pastor’s house. That’s all, but we told them to keep believing! They had an official ribbon cutting....ha that was a first for us! Then, they had chicken soup for us and 4 stalks of plantains to go!

The second church on Sunday was in San Jose las Flores. This next church was a wonder to behold, dangling in the air! Ok so you have to see the photos.

The only land that they had was the side of a cliff. So they are working with what they have. The roof wasn’t on yet. But it is by now. The head carpenter got sick with malaria or something. So we gathered together in a circle and prayed it was so moving to see the believers there pray for all of the ones who donated money for their church! They cried as they received the pulpit and bible. We prayed for them and they for us/and you, then you know it…..food! Sandwiches, mmmm mmmm ick! But we smiled and choked it down. They said to tell Pastor Hale and all the 100 club that they will pray for you everyday, believe me, they will.

The beginning of February we had our annual 2 day Pastors conference with a dear pastor friend and his church from Texas. We had the pastors of between 30 and 40 churches present. They are so eager to come and be minister too. We ministered on Excellence in Leaders. All were ministered to, many were healed from sickness. When they went home they were free, they were refreshed and built up in the Holy Ghost.

Since that conference we have received so many calls thanking us for the conference, the pastors were so blessed by the teaching and they are already teaching what they received to their leaders and congregations. Praise the Lord! Part of the team also went out to the feeding centers each day to minister to the children. Serving them food but also ministering the word to them and many came to the Lord.