Greeting in the name of the Lord from Guatemala.  Today is our last day and the group, although smaller than some, worked hard, completed all we had hoped to and more, and today is a day of rest and recovery.

We had originally planned to complete 12 houses on this trip but at the request of Tico a team was put together early Tuesday morning to build a house for a young, new christian, family that had a desperate need.  The tiny patch of dirt that he had inherited was even too small for the usual design so slight modifications had to be made on the fly but by lunch the crew gathered for a dedication.  Marvin, along with his family fought back the tears as he was handed the keys to his Casa.  Tico arrived a little later and was teased to be mindful of Marvin as he was now a full fledged “home owner.  What a joy it was to hear all the praises and glory go to the Lord for his provision to this young family.

Yesterday several of us also went to Casa to visit the children and deliver some gifts send down.  Although all the “officials” were gone the staff was gracious in allowing us time with the kids.  The school for the children at Casa is right there on the grounds and the Principle allowed eight year old Rosie, whom Gloria and I support, to leave her class for a about an hour to visit with us and meet her American family.  Even the language barrier could not stop the love from passing through as we hugged and held her hand as she walked us around to show us her home.  God is taking good care of these little ones and we thank Him and praise Him for the short time we had.  It is amazing to see how even the very small toddlers there have learned how to entice you to pick them up and hold them and then how to keep you from putting them down.  Mike and Dottie have done wonderful work providing for these children but with over 400 there, they are all hungry for a personal touch and some love and affection.  Most of the group left small parts of their hearts behind as we pulled away and headed back to the work sites.

It’s an early day tomorrow as we leave for the airport around 3:30am.  Thank you all for your continued prayers and we look forward to seeing you this Sunday.  Until then, may we all continue to rest in the Lord for all that lays ahead.

Jerry Whitmore

Yesterday, the team had beautiful weather as they were able to continue building the houses.  They have completed two houses, five more cemented, three are ready for cement, and two will be built on Monday.  They have been able to work until around 5:00 p.m. as the rains have not been threatening.  If everything goes as scheduled, they will participate in the house dedications on Tuesday.  Please begin praying that God would move in the lives of these families during this dedication.

Mrs. Sharon, Mrs. Louise, and Mrs. Camp did a superb job in preaparing a delicious dinner last night.  The team loves to come back to the mission with a hot meal waiting on them.  We were honored to have several guests and they definitely left full and happy!  Thank you ladies for all of your hard work.

The morning began around 7:00 a.m. at Alpha and Omega Church.  The team quickly headed to Antigua for some bargain shopping and delicious lunch.  As of this writing, we are waiting for the team to arrive back to the mission house in order to prepare for a food distribution at a local village.  They are planning to minister to 100 families through the giving of clothes and food.

Everyone in this group has shown a wonderful attitude towards each other and the Guatemalans!  We are looking forward to the many other things the Lord has prepared for them this week.  Please continue to pray!

The team didn’t make it out to the village until about 11am today because we didn’t get here until about 11:30pm last night. Praise God we made it even with the delays! We went to the village Aldea San Jose Chirijuyu in Tecpan,Chimaltenango. We had two teams and we built 4 houses today. 2 of the houses had the cement poured already today. Tomorrow we will go back to the village and split into different teams and build three houses.

In Christ,

Carlee

Bro. Jerry and the team arrived around 11:15 p.m.  They quickly ate pizza, sang Happy Birthday to Carlee, and went straight to bed.  Tomorrow they will begin to build houses.  Please pray for them!

The team spent the morning dedicating the houses that were built this week.  Lazaro and a Chimaltenango pastor helped dedicate the houses by praying and presenting the gospel to each family.  They witnessed seven people accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior!  Please pray for the local pastor as he disciples these people.  May we never forget that our focus in Guatemala is to win people to the Lord.  The Lord used a group of North Americans to build a 12×12 tin house in order to change their lives for eternity!  If you have ever invested money, time, talent, or prayers in GRACE ministries then you are making an eternal difference in the lives of people!  I stand amazed and humbled that God would even allow us to have the privilege of furthering His kingdom.  May the message of salvation be loud and clear!  He is worthy of our praise!

The afternoon was spent ministering to a local village through food distribution.  The team saw approximately 150 families.  It was a joy to have several Guatemalan families join the team for a hot dog supper.

This team is filled with a group of talented men and women.  The men have helped repair a ceiling fan, tighten a sink, and fix the generators.  This group also gave a generous donation towards the purchase of a new freezer for the mission house.  The freezer was purchased today and it is already being used!  We are extremely grateful because the freezer will be very beneficial for the future teams. The team has expressed their appreciation for allowing them to stay at the mission house, but we are thrilled to have them serve with us.

Please pray for their safety as they travel back to the USA.  Pray for Bro. Jerry’s team as they travel to Guatemala.

–Deidra

Thrilled, Shocked, Overjoyed, Speechless!  These words do not accurately describe the feeling Samuel felt when the lady at the embassy granted his request for a visa.  I saw Samuel tonight and he is still “walking in the clouds”.  We are extremely appreciative to everyone who helped with the paperwork, interview, and many prayers.  We realize that God alone receives all of the glory, praise, and honor.  He allowed Samuel to have favor in the eyes of the people at the embassy!  God definitely left us saying “Wow!”  We serve an awesome God!

Check out the pictures of Samuel in the photo gallery!  We are teaching him to say “Roll Tide Roll!”

Mrs. Ellen was able to share time with the children at Bro. Paul and Mrs. Cristy’s church.  She shared with them a simple message about the salvation of Christ and thirty-five children accepted the Lord as their Savior!  Some young boys raised enough money to allow the group to purchase ice cream and goodie bags for all of the children and adults.  The had a wonderful time this past Saturday afternoon.  Thanks to Bro. Paul and Mrs. Cristy for allowing the group to have the opportunity to share in your church.

The IMA team enjoyed church, dinner, and shopping in Antigua on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon the team was involved in food and clothing distribution at a local village.  They were able to minister to approximately 160 families!

Today the team accomplished cementing all of the houses while being able to “close” some of the houses.  Plans are to participate in house dedication on Wednesday.  Please pray that God will begin to deal with the hearts of the family.  If they do not have a personal relationship with the Lord, pray that Wednesday will be the day!  It is all about making a difference in eternity!

At 1:30 (Guatemala time) today Samuel will meet with the U.S. Embassy for a visa.  We are grateful that Bro. Johnny will accompany Samuel on this trip.  Samuel has been a gracious worker for GRACE ministries.  Pray for Samuel today!

The weather this week has been beautiful!  The building teams have taken advantage of being able to work without the interruption of rain.  The International Missions Association has built a total of 22 houses in only two days!  They are extremely hard workers and many of them have participated in multiple Guatemala mission trips.

One of the highlights of this summer was Bro. Tico allowing me the privilege to teach at the seminary in Chimaltenango.  I found it ironic that I was the one who attended seminary kicking and screaming, and now I was teaching others in seminary.  I taught fourteen first year students in the class titled “Teaching Children in the Church”.  Of course, I would have never been able to teach without people helping me by translating my southern English into Spanish.  I will forever be grateful to Lisa Vargas for attending class everyday and translating my words into perfect Spanish.  I realize that she unselfishly spent three hours of her week faithfully assisting me and I am very appreciative.  I felt it was very important to give powerpoints to the students for them to use as a resource in the future.  Rita Arriola invested hours of her time in translating my powerpoints from English to Spanish.  There were a few times that she graciously translated the notes on a limited time schedule.  Thank you Bro. Tico, Mrs. Lisa, and Mrs. Rita!

We are praying for you as you worship in your church tomorrow!  May God receive all of the glory!

The West Mobile team celebrated their final night in Antigua as they shared the many things God has done in their personal lives this past week.  They flew out of Guatemala City this morning and we are assuming that they have made it home safe and sound!  The following are a few thoughts from some of the team members:

I don’t have the words to express what this trip has meant to me.  It has been a time of great growth and blessing from the Lord. —Barbara Winkler

It was a wonderful experience this week in Guatemala.  There is so much need and we could do so little it seemed.  It is great to know that our God can take our little and multiply it.  It was a great experience serving the Lord in Guatemala. —Linda Sippel

This has been a wonderful week away from home where I could be part of a team serving the needs of people in Guatemala.  I felt so inadequate in what I could do but I pray each small task completed met a need for someone and the local church will continue to care for our families.  I will definitely return.  God bless the Friendship house and GRACE ministries.   You are reaching out in a powerful way. —Anonymous

“When Jesus saw the multitudes he was overwhelmed with compassion because he knew they were helpless and harassed like sheep without a shepherd.”  Matthew 9:36

Overwhelming!  Thanks to GRACE for the beautiful way you served us during our time at the Friendship house. —Sherri

After cleaning the mission house, GRACE ministries welcomed International Missions Association, which is a part of Johnny Tucker’s ministry.  Of course Bro. Johnny is not a stranger to the Friendship family, and we are extremely excited to see how God is going to use them this week.  Please pray for them this next week!

-Deidra

Pizza, fingernail polish, goodie bags, and the entire mountain to explore= 32 happy girls from Casa.  Last night Jack and Carolyn Ciak graciously allowed the West Mobile team to feed and pamper the teenage girls from Casa.  The team had a blast as they watched the girls eat until they could eat no more and constantly giggle.  Thanks Jack and Carolyn for allowing us to spend an evening with your girls!  Thank you West Mobile for investing your time into the girls.  What a treat!

The team has completed a total of four houses, held two medical clinics, and a food distribution.  The second medical clinic was held yesterday in a village that was described as having an absolute breathtaking view.  They were able to minister to approximately 100 people at the clinic.  A special thank you to Lisa Vargas and Christina, a student from the seminary, for translating during the clinic.  Thank you to Mrs. Luisa for collecting the appropriate medicines to use during the clinic.

Today the group will end their mission trip by visiting two orphanages in the Chimaltenango area and spending the evening in Antigua.  Please continue to pray for their safety as they travel home.

We have been here for six weeks and we are witnessing the impact that GRACE ministries is having in Guatemala.  We have had the privilege of meeting about 200 people who are partnering with GRACE to minister to the people of Guatemala.  Thank you Friendship Baptist and the many partners of GRACE for making an eternal difference in the world!  You truly live the Great Commission!