Day Four

First stop of the day with Andre and his family. When your single mom only brings in $100 a month, $25 for school (per kid!) is impossible

The sweetest girl with the brightest smile  

The incredible ministry rig

Saul is an incredible guy who runs the wheelchair shop

This family has experienced untold pain. We read Revelation 21:1-7 together.

Collecting bottles 

Mínor is my homeboy and an incredible truck driver

First home visit of the day

Day four brought four special home visits across town. We saw love, joy - including a four day old baby born Sunday, as well as profound struggle and pain. With each home visit we brought food, clothing and the gospel. Each family had a story and a life that was difficult to comprehend. One family lived illegally on government land and their situation was so rough and physically unhealthy I didn’t take a single picture. Another single grandmother would collect plastic bottles to the tune of 100lb(!) of plastic for $3 USD. Mothers of mothers lived together to make ends meet. Since paid work isn’t consistent, the ones that were able to work went while the other ones stayed home and tended children and household. Dirt floors made the rain we received last night that much more challenging to maintain a somewhat healthy living environment - add to that high humidity and it’s a recipe for disease. Rivers of literal garbage floated past their houses. In all of this, 3 of the 4 families had a living faith in Jesus. The missionary Ben pleaded with the fourth for Christ, but they weren’t ready to make a decision as a family. All in all it was a powerful day spent hearing the stories of four different families for a couple hours each. 

Day Three

David and Jim putting on the roof

Siding

Prepping to put on roof

Jim got blasted with the blue painter. David took it pretty well

The dusty street outside of Roxanna’s house

Two private donors from DCC and Kingsway provided this house

Nearly done with the house 

 Getting the walls up

Roofing the house

Today proved the most challenging and beautiful housebuild yet. Jim and David Rivers seemingly thrived whereas the 91+ degrees with 70% humidity almost took me out. Had to take a breather to cool down just before and after lunch. El Rancho is a farming community with aloe vera and and tobacco leaves. The countryside is littered with massive cactus. We built for Roxanna and her two precious daughters today after the original single mother we were going to build a house for received one already. 

Day Two

The first group, socially distanced before the floodgates opened.

Jim+David working on precious Samantha’s chair

Approaching Gymnasio Municipal 

Emily on intake (white shirts = government workers

I kid you not, there was two inches of space for the wheelchair truck. We thought we would hit! 

The beautiful surrounding area 

Prepping the chair for the young man on the right

Precious Samantha

Local pastor in yellow sharing the gospel

Getting the swing of the humid heat and over the sore feet. Today was incredible. It was a distribution day where 59 people came through to receive 31 wheelchairs and 28 walkers/canes across 7 hours. The team custom fit each chair to the designated person and added additional safety features where needed. The Guatemalan Government and local church in Jicaro have partnered with Ben and Emily (Bethel) - it was quite the production. The day started with a ceremony where the three of us were presented special straw hats which then followed into an older woman speaking a blessing over me as I was able to simply adjust a new cane to her body... the gift of mobility that we take for granted is life changing. So many precious people. Pastors from the local church presented the gospel and prayed with each person who received a wheel chair. 10 people gave their lives to Christ today. 

Day One

I’ve never seen a more steep and narrow road out in a remote area. 

Jim brought life, energy and building expertise 

Pastor David was killen it today. 

Thank you to Calvary Chapel Sequim and Dungeness Community Church for funding this house. 

Roofing

Roofing

Thank you to Calvary Chapel Sequim and Dungeness Community Church for funding this house. The first day brought blood, sweat and tears... all of which were good and beautiful things. Blood: sheet metal is ridiculously sharp... you actually don’t even feel being cut. Sweat: it was 90 ish degrees combined with high humidity. I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard in this type of heat. I’m guessing I had somewhere around 18 glasses of water today. Tears: when we completed the house and Ben Mooney prayed for the family there was hardly a dry eye. All in all it was an amazing day. Tomorrow we distribute wheelchairs to 25 families. 

7/20 Photo Additions 

100%

Thank you to the team of people who have given to make this possible. In a very real way, you're coming with us on this trip too. As of 5:58pm on 7/9/21, we're 100% fully funded! Like Paul said in Philippians 4:18, we're amply supplied. Thank you from our hearts. I will attempt to daily post pictures and stories each day if time allows. 

Dios te Bendiga

 

Two Weeks and Three Thousand Dollars Away

We're nearly ready to launch...

As of 6/24/21 we're at $9810 (7/8 update $11,926) raised towards our minimum goal of $12,830 and are so thankful for everyone who has given to make this trip possible. If you haven't donated, would you consider doing so today by clicking here? If you'd like to hear more about this trip and see where the funds are going, click here. Again, thank you friends and family for sharing your resources with Guatemalans. 

The six of us from three states and five churches are gearing up and training to go. We're still waiting to receive three renewed passports back for what constitutes half our team. Would you pray that God would enable these passports back before July? Would you also pray that the eternities of many Guatemalans would be changed as a result of the week we get to spend there - we're so excited.  

Guatemala Bound with Love

 The Covid situation in Guatemala is nothing like America. There are no direct payments from the government or bailouts for small business. If you can't pay rent, you get kicked out. Can't pay for water... it gets turned off. As some of you have probably heard, Thomas Winfield and myself are traveling to Guatemala July 10th-16th with a team of six men (total) representing three states and five churches. Our hearts burn for the people there. We will build houses, distribute wheelchairs, food and Bibles to families that desperately need them. Our minimum goal for the 'big ticket' items is to build two houses and distribute 25 wheelchairs. We've raised approximately $1500 (7/8/21 $11,926 raised) towards our minimum goal of $12,830. If more funds come in than our minimum, we will build more and distribute more. Each team member going personally paid for their trip expenses, so 100% of what's given will go directly to the mission. You can give directly to our mission by clicking here. Material costs and itemized break down below...

And now, here are the stories of the single mothers in front of their current houses. These stories come directly from our missionaries in Guatemala...

Norma Elizabeth Cruz Ortiz is 48 years old and lives in El Mitch El  Jicaro.  She separated from her partner due to alcoholism for eight years now.  Since then she has not known anything about him and much less support his children financially.   

With a great effort, she has been working to provide her children what they need at home and school.  She works by washing clothes for others, earning $1.5 per 12 pieces of clothing washed and also cutting lemon where she received $0.25 per can of lemon cut from the tree.  Norma’s oldest daughter  help  her financially with $1.50 per day in order Sonia has something to eat daily due to she doesn’t have a stable work and there have been time that she has not had anything to eat. 

The children are: 

-Delmi is  16 years old (4th. Primary) 

-Flor of 15 years of age (5th. Primary)

-Oscar is 13 years old (3rd. Primary)

-Marco who is 11 years old (3rd. Primary)

Doña Norma's children do everything possible to help their mother with the household chores.  Thanks to God, the family has their own land which it is  inheritance  from Norma’s father. However their house is build of wood, scrap metal and nylon very deteriorated. The land has water, drainage but not a bathroom or electricity.  The family collects firewood to cook and uses candles to be able to move around the house at nights. 

The family's situation is not stable, the mother does not have a stable job and the payment she receives from the work she does is very little and insufficient to build a better home. It is for this reason Norma is requesting support with the construction of a house, which it will be a   great help for her and her children. 

Extra needs for consideration: 

-1 wash station-

1 bathroom 

Maribel Galicia is 48 years old and has been separated from her husband for some time. She cannot read or write which it has been the main reason why she cannot find a stable work. Currently the job she does is washing clothes for others and she received $1.50 per 12 pieces of clothing washed. She also works in the fields cutting oregano from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, earning $43 per month. 

Despite she doesn’t have the financial support of her daughters’ father, she has been doing everything possible to move forward and raise her daughters on her own, and now also for  her grandchild who is four years old. The family members are: 

-Elizabeth Santiago (20) is a single mother of the  girl Fernanda who is 4 years old.   She works in the field  in order to support her mother with the family expenses. 

-Maria Asunción (16) studies seventh grade. 

The family lives in their own land where they built a house made of scrap metal, nylon and wood very deteriorated. The house is nor a safe place where they can continue living and addition they don’t have electricity so they have to use candles at nights.  The land  has water, but it doesn’t have an adequate place for go to the bathroom or wash their clothes and dishes. 

The family has worked very hard to move forward and cover all their basic needs. However they have not been able to build a better home for lack of resources. 

Extra needs for consideration: 

1 bathroom

1 wash station 

You can give directly to our mission by clicking here.