From One Country to Another

Well, it has been over a month since we have arrived in New Orleans, and we are still not in the swing of things. Two days after we arrived, Jodie was offered a job on campus. This is a blessing b/c it allows us to stay on campus as long as we need to after Derrick graduates. It also kept us from stressing out over not being able to find income. The Lord provides, and we give Him the glory!

Derrick will have an interview at a Sherwin Williams store early next week. Please pray that the interview will go well.

Classes for Derrick have been challenging to say the least. It has been over 2 years since he has been in a classroom setting, muchless in a dogmatic routine. He is doing well in his classes, but struggling to keep up with the pace (along with every other student here).

It has been good to see some familar faces, be able to speak English, and understand everything that people say to us.

One thought: Football is a privledge to have, and Derrick is soaking it up. One grateful friend that we met in Guatemala gave up his precious BAMA vs Georgia tickets this past weekend. It was nice to sit, well stand, and watch that exciting game . . . even if Bama lost.

Speaking of football, the seminary is starting a flag football league, so all the wannabe football super heros will be playing . . . of course that includes Derrick!! It will be fun and entertaining.

Jodie has enjoyed (more than anything) to be able to spend time with her family. We have been back to the Bayou almost every weekend for the sole purpose of spending time with them, and Derrick's family as well.

This blog has been a series of rambled thoughts . . . sorry for that . . . just trying get everything in!

Have a blessed day!

Long Time!

Wow, it has been a really long time since we have last posted. Talk about busy times. While in Guatemala, just during the summer we saw 9 groups come and go. These groups were from all over the US and even Canada. In total, some 125 houses were built. PTL!! During this time, we met many who had already accepted JC, and sadly, many who have not. However, the gospel was shared for each of these families, and, Lord willing, those who do not know JC will eventually come to know Him as their Savior.

On top of the 125 houses, there were about 9 villages that were blessed with the Word and some provisions. In total there were more than 1,000 families that had the opportunity to hear the Gospel this summer. That is somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 people!!

We were blessed to be a part of this awesome ministry and we pray that this work will continue and people will come to JC as a result. We ask that you pray for GRACE Ministries as it is in a time of transition. Also pray for those who have and will accept JC. These people need to be discipled! Please continue to lift up the Garcias

and the Tzars.

As well as Casa Aleluya and Amor del Nino as they were a big part of our ministry while we were there.

Thank each of you for all your prayers and support!!

Casa Derrick and Jodie

This weekend saw us host 5 boys from Casa Aleluya. It was a weekend that the parents could come and take their children home, but many did not take the opportunity to do so. So, we dropped by Friday afternoon to see who might be able to come hang out with us for the weekend. So, we got the level 5’s that were left: Geovany 4, Hugo, Nery, Geovani 1, Sebastian (L to R). Yes, Light Bulb, we had you precious Geovani!!

We did have a chance to do everything with these boys that we were able to do with the first few that came over before. This crew was content playing xbox all day. However, they did go to our Saturday Bible study with us, and were able to play some street soccer in Joya Grande. They also we to church with us on Sunday morning.

The damper to the whole weekend was that we received a phone call Sunday afternoon telling us that Geovany 4’s mom was at the door crying b/c her son wasn’t there. We had forgotten that Sunday afternoon was a time for parents to just visit their kids. So, we rushed over to Casa so that Geovany could see his mother. When we arrived, Nery’s dad was there as well, so we were glad that someone took the time to call us. We are thankful for the blessed weekend that we were able to spend with them.
One reality that we have come to grasp while working with and hosting these boys is the fact that we have parents that love and care for us. Parents that still don’t want to let go! We thank the Lord that we are able to get a hug or kiss from our parents as soon as we hit American soil. As you lift us up in prayer, please lift our parents up as well . . . for salvation (Derrick’s) and protection. Also lift these boys up to the Lord; pray that they would know the love of the Lord in their lives.

Rajun Cajuns and Rednecks

Wow! Sounds like the start of a Danny Leblanc joke . . . many of you know what we mean! We had a mixture of people from Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina, & Tennessee this past week, and the Lord used them mightily to witness to the lost and poor of La Primavera and La Pinada. They were able to build 12 houses, give 100 families food and clothes, and fix up house #2 at Love the Child children’s home.

With only 18 people, this group worked really hard to complete the 12 houses, especially considering the fact that the sand did not arrive for most of the homes until day 3. After the first day, Derrick’s nick name was “slave driver.” We are still trying to figure out why working a 10 hr shift for the Lord makes people react that way! But it was all fun, and the group had a blast serving the Lord despite being worn out.

We passed out food and clothes in a village called San Jose Pakul. A church from Santiago, Sacatapecez had a host of events before our arrival. San Jose has no evangelical church, so please pray for those from the church who are sharing the gospel. And pray for open hearts.

Hopefully we will get some pictures to post . . . sorry that there are none at the moment.

A Birthday Dream

Many of the people in the villages that we work in do not celebrate their birthdays with parties and gifts . . . many do not even know their birth date. The fact is that for many it is just another day. For the girls of Latin America, the 15th birthday is a very special day. However, like the other birthdays, it too is not celebrated much in the villages.

For this reason, on May 20th, we decided to give a Quinceanera party for Celestina, a girl in our Sunday night Bible Study. It was a very special time as most of her family came together to eat cake and celebrate her birthday. While some of you have participated in a Quinceanera at the mission house, this was a completely different ball game!

Almost 30 of us were inside one of the houses that one of the teams built. Celestina, wearing her typical clothing and a tiara (courtesy of FBC Lacombe), sat to the side and tried not to be the center of attention. Derrick read from Proverbs 31 and charged Celestina and the rest of the women who were present to live a Godly life. He also explained the Gospel in hopes that one would surrender his or her life to Christ. However, there were no salvations, but there were planted seeds. After the charge, Derrick prayed for Celestina and we all ate cake and drank Pepsi. Celestina can not read very well, but we bought her a Bible to help her to learn more, and in the process, she will be able to read about the Lord! After eating, we took tons of photos of the family and then watched the Jesus film.

Please pray for the Garcia’s. There were three families present that do not know the Lord as their Savior. Please pray that the Lord will use the message and movie to move the hearts of these families. Pray that Celestina will come to know the Lord before we leave Guatemala (Aug.).

Bungalows + Jungle + Ruins = Tikal

Tikal . . . Wow! The Lord is truly amazing. While the ruins are interesting to learn about and, from the top, have a spectacular view of the jungle canopy, it is what surrounds the ruins that makes it worth walking through the heat. The wildlife is awesome. While touring the park with our tour guide we were able to see some howler monkeys, coatimundis (raccoon family), and a few tropical birds. We walked for about 4 hrs, and saw most of the ruins.

We returned to our bungalow located inside the park, ate lunch, and a took a dive in the pool. It was about 90 ˚F, with 85% humidity without A/C, and we only had electricity (from a generator) from 6pm – 10pm. So, the pool was nice to have. After swimming for a little while we returned to the trails to see spider monkeys, toucans, parrots, and other types of birds. The sunset was awesome, but the animals took the show!

The next day, we took a canopy tour. The guides put us in harnesses and we rode some zip lines through the top of the jungle. We went through 9 zip lines and 10 platforms about 40-50 feet above the ground. It was so much fun!! Afterwards, we went back to walk around the park and we saw some crocodiles, lizards, turtles, and some more birds. In all, it was an awesome trip. The only thing that we didn’t see was a jaguar or snake. Jodie was happy about that!

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An Island of Flowers

For our next journey, we headed to Flores. It is an island on Lake Petén Itzá that is nothing but hotels and restaurants (not many flowers to be found). It is where most of the people going to Tikal stay. It is nice and relaxing, very small, not too busy, but very HOT! Because it is hot, most of the hotels have A/C, which is not common in Guatemala. It is a great place to watch the sunrise and sunset.

sunrise at Flores

We didn’t do too much except walk around and have supper, oh yeah, and swim. The water was clear as a whistle (whatever that means)! The next day, we got up early and watched the sunrise over the lake! Then we headed to Tikal and stayed a night there. We then returned to Flores the next day and went on a boat ride around the lake before we headed to the bus station for a long night back to Guatemala City.

Down by the Riverside

Well we just finished a week of vacationing here in Guatemala. It was amazing to see the different terrain and climates that this small country has. It is just another reminder of how great and awesome the Creator is. This blog and the above bloggs will tell of our trip.

Our first leg of the trip was spent in Cobán. Cobán is not that great of a town, but it is a middle ground for the many beautiful sites around it. We stayed there for two nights. During the only full day that we had, we went to a place called Semuc Champey. It is a place that you have to want to go to, you can’t just pass through and stop along the way. It is about 20 miles down a long, curvy rock road (after a long, curvy paved road). From Cobán, a total of about 2.5 hrs by van. the view looking down onto the pools

The Cahabón river runs through this little village, and forms and awesome natural formation of pools. The river actually runs under the pools, and exits about 300 yards later. The river water never touches the pools, the water comes from the top of the mountains that surround the pools. It is truly an awesome site. So, we took about 3 hrs to enjoy the cool, clean water . . . we went swimming! the river going under the pools

Also, while in Semuc Champey, we went to explore a cave called K’an Ba. Within this massive limestone cavern, we had to walk, crawl, climb, and swim with one hand holding our only source of light, a candle. Fun huh?! Well, it is definitely something that you would not be able to do in the states . . . at least with a tour guide.

After the cave exploration, we went tubing down the Cahabón river and ended up at a little hostal called Las Marias. While there, we took advantage of a swing hanging from a tree over the river. We decided to play Tarzan for a while and took a few dives into the river. We hope to post pics from inside the cave later . . . we’re waiting for someone to email them to us.

Actors, Singers, Dancers . . .

That was our Friday evening as we went to watch Teresa Lara take part in a two hour musical . . . or at least it seemed like a musical. The students, all 12 of them, had to dress up like little children and explain different aspects of the Guatemalan and US culture in English through music and plays. The whole exam was from memory, nothing impromptu . . . not even the question and answer portion. Thursday we helped Teresa with her question and answer portion for about 3 hrs. We are glad to say that she did a good job!

Saturday, after our Bible study, we stopped by to pick up Samuel and Nestor for supper. Many of you who read this blog have heard of Nestor, but have never seen him. He is a 14 year boy that lives just outside Guatemala City. He is, most importantly, the son of Samuel. We were blessed to finally meet him and spend some time with him. This was the first time in years that Nestor has came to see his father. Needless to say, Samuel was grinning from ear to ear the whole time he was at our house! Please pray for Samuel and Nestor as they hope to see more of each other in the future.

Today, Sunday, we went to church with Max Lara. Plans were to watch Teresa get baptized, and we were going to officially name this blog “Teresa’s Happenings.” However, plans changed, and she was not baptized today, but we did have the privilege to see one man testify about his salvation and then be baptized. It has been a great and blessed weekend, and we pray that that continues as we go to our Sunday night study.

Please pray for us as we head out of town tomorrow. We will taking some R&R this week in Coban and Tikal before our busy summer starts. As always . . . thanks!

Still Amazed . . .

At the sites in this country. It is truly amazing that we serve a God that has created such beauty. The sun sets, volcano eruptions, and people that we see everyday remind us of

"How Great is Our God"!

The last two weeks have been busy as we have been in the process of finding villages and families in need of homes. Derrick and Samuel have been scoping out areas such as Comalapa, Santiago, and Itzapa. Yesterday they went to a village called San Antonio. It is on the outskirts of Santiago. Their are about 25 families in this village that still has no electricity and only a enough water to get by. We will be passing out food in this village in June, so please pray for hearts to be changed. It is the first time that we have really come against even the slightest hint of opposition as the leader sternly said he does not want change . . . spiritually speaking . . . in his village, but will allow us to share the Gospel.

Our Bible studies have continued to be a blessing. The children are always eager to hear stories from the Bible and color a picture that relates to the stories that we tell. Please continue to PRAY for these families, Garcias and Tzars, as we continue to share the love of Jesus with them. Our Saturday Bible study is a hodge podge of families, please lift them up as well. It was a privilege to have Bro. Teddie, Lisa, Dana, and Gina join us last Thurs. night. We always enjoy sharing with people from the states what the Lord has done in our ministry here.

Monday Blues

Monday was the boys last day. We spent the last few hours playing hide and seek and Xbox. They also had fun sliding down a hill side as if it was covered with snow. In reality it was covered with dust! But, they are experts at improvising, and they had a good time.

For our last hour with the kids we went to Taco Bell (again, a first for them). To see the looks on their faces as they looked at the menu was priceless. Even though we are in Guatemala, Mexican (Tex-Mex for some) food is rare for the locals. They had no idea what they were about to eat, but once it hit their lips, you couldn’t stop them!

After we arrived at Casa, a simple “Thank You” made it all worthwhile. We will treasure these moments, and hopefully they will too. We are blessed by the Lord to be a blessing to others.

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¡Se Levantó!

Se Levantó, Se Levantó, de la tumba Se Levantó. He rose, He rose, from the tomb He rose. It was a joy to sing this line of a song this past Sunday. Praise God for the fact that Jesus did not just die, but he rose from the grave and now sits at the right hand of the Father.

Sunday morning we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ at our church, Canaan Baptist. It was the first time that some of the boys actually sat through a “real” church service. We sang, prayed, listened to the Word, and then partook of the Lord’s Supper. What a marvelous day it was!

After church, we returned to the house to eat lunch and have an Easter egg hunt. It was funny watching the boys look through the bushes, leaves, and flowers around the property. We even had a golden egg and gave a prize for the one who found it, and a prize for the one who had the most eggs.

In the afternoon, we headed back to Joya Grande to play some soccer and have our regular Sunday night Bible study. All the boys went with Jodie to the children’s Bible Story lesson and learned about when John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Derrick went with the adults to continue our study through the Gospel of John (we are almost to chapter 8). We were blessed to spend some time with the families and have bread and Pepsi with them after the study. The hospitality that we see always amazes us.

After returning home, a game of "aggravation" (board game) was
the highlight, and Carlos was the victor.

Playing, Working . . . Having Fun!!

Wednesday the boys came over and we really didn’t do much of anything except play Xbox and watch movies. The Xbox was pretty much the ultimate treat as they played it any and every spare minute they had.

Thursday was the first full day for the boys. We started the day with a devotional from Luke 22:39-46. After playing a little, we all went to Joya Grande to help out some farmers in one of our Bible studies. It was good for the boys to see a different culture than what they are used to.



They also had a good time playing soccer with the kids in our Bible study and just spending some time talking with people that they normally wouldn’t have the chance talk to.

Friday, while many people in Guatemala were participating or watching processions, we hung out at the house and talked about the death of Jesus Christ and what it means for us. We also had a good time watching movies and playing Xbox (as I said, it was a hit with the boys). We actually had a soccer tournament on the Xbox, and of course the victor was Derrick!

Saturday was a day to get out of the house. After going through the normal morning routine and talking about the Resurrection of our Lord JC, we headed to the capital. We went to a place called Planeta Maya where the boys were able to play arcade games, ride bumper cars, and take a walk through a haunted house (only two of them did this). The kids enjoyed the change and the chance to do something that they are usually not able to do.

Saturday night, we all participated in an an “American” tradition; we dyed eggs for the next day. This was a first for the boys, and they had a good time making the colors and their own unique designs.

An Easter Blessing

The Lord has blessed us this last week with the privilege to have 4 boys over from Casa Aleluya. The past week is known as Semana Santa in Latin America, and for the kids at Casa Aleluya, it is a chance for them to go spend the week with their families. However, there are many that stay at Casa because they have no family. And for some, the family that they do have does not care to spend time with them.

So, we brought Carlos, Josue, Chato, and Hugo (left to right) over to the house for a fun filled Easter week/weekend. Josue is the only one of the four that is considered abandoned by the government. The other three have some type of family, but their family chose not to come get them, and for Carlos, this makes 7 years without a visitor. It was a blessing to be their “family” for a week. The above blogs will show what we did during the week.

Capping it off with Capshaw

Within the 2nd group, we had 15 people that included kids, youth, college students, and adults from the little town of Capshaw Baptist Church. The Lord allowed them to bless 10 families with new homes. 200 families were also blessed with food and clothes in two different colonials. As a matter of fact, the group traveled all the way to Canada to pass out to one colonial!

The Lord allowed the group to paint at two different childrens’ homes, Amor del Nino and Agua Viva. They also had a fun time getting stomp in soccer by a bunch of school kids from Agua Viva.

On Tues. night the group hosted a Quinceanera party for Teresa Lara. This is a special coming to age party for Latin American girls, and it was a great time to share the Gospel to Teresa's friends. She had a great time, and was very shocked and emotional to say the least.

One event that was unique and a first was that the three girls that were on the team went to the local national hospital and passed out stuffed animals and tracks. They enjoyed that time and it opened their eyes to some different sites. The children in the hospital were blessed by this time.

There were no salvations, but many seeds were planted. We have the opportunity to follow up on these people, and hopefully they will come to know the Lord.

For the last day, most of the group got up close and personal with some HOT LAVA! We went to the peak of Volcan Pacaya and risked our lives for the chance to see real flowing lava. It was the third time for us, but it was fun.

Bubba Can Ministries

Well we have had a busy two weeks as we have had two teams back to back. The Lord really blessed as the Baptist Campus Ministries (BCM) from the University of South Alabama and Capshaw Baptist Church from Huntsville ministered to the people of Guatemala.




The Lord allowed the BCM group to build 4 houses in El Rejon, and pass food out to 100 families in a colonial in the town of Itzapa. They were also able to paint some ceilings at a local home for disabled kids, Amor del Nino. For 3 afternoons they went to a local village, Rincon Chiquito, to host a Basketball clinic and VBS. This was a pretty good week for 7 college students, a Canadian, and a fearless leader. Everyone seemed to work pretty hard except for some guy named Josh!




The best highlight of the trip was to see a lady accept Christ as her Savior. Praise the Lord!! Lord willing, we will be able to plug her into a local church so that she will grow in her faith in the Lord.




On a side note, the group was able to head to the Pacific coast to catch some rays. Under tow? Who cares! We roughed waves and played beach soccer with some locals. It was a nice way to relax after a weeks worth of work.

saturday afternoon bible study

Kathelina & her daughter, Brenda

Our Saturday afternoon bible study has been going great too!! The kids have been coming regularly to hear the bible story. This past Saturday the bible story was about the 10 commandments. This particular bible study is kind of like a childrens church setting because we only have one lady that comes and about 10-13 kids. The ones that come regularly are Kathelina, her 5 kids, and her nieces & nephews. Her husband died about a year ago and she does all she can to support herself and her children. We are praying that the other adults of her family will want to come hear the Word! Here are a few pictures from last Saturday...

Leticia...she is Kathelina's niece. Her mom

passed away about 2 years ago from sickness.

Her and her sisters live with their dad.

Jorge, Kathelina's oldest son. He helps support

the family by working instead of going to school.

If you look...you can see in the background where

they put their pictures...they glue them to the

wall every Saturday! It's kind of like when kids at

home put their pictures up on the fridge! =)

Edgar & Derrick....Edgar is Kathelina's son

Edwin, Kathelina's son






One of the kids favorite places to be....in the back of the blue truck!

Leticia

Mirna (Kathelina's daughhter)

Lidia (Leticia's sister)

Edgar

Edwin

Also, one of their favorite things to do...play "futbol" (soccer) with Derrick in the street!

And all the girls LOVE to get their fingernails painted!!!

What pretty fingernails!!!

...you can even see where we painted Leticia's toenails...RED!!