Okay, shoot me! I have been trying to blog all day and here it is now 10:45PM and I am just now getting around to it. Long story short – the 47 of us who took Delta arrived on time in Guatemala and the 3 who took Continental are still absent!
I will write more tomorrow about the happenings of today but everyone (minus three) is safe and sound. Praise the Lord!
God has certainly blessed us with a wonderful week. Today was basically spent building one more house, dedicating the houses, finishing at Panimaquin, washing/cleaning the medical bus and our vans. It was a light day compared to yesterday but a good day.
Here is a recap of the tangible results of this team’s ministry: built 15 houses in El Rejon; hosted medical clinics seeing a total of 473 patients in the towns of Joya Grande, La Pedrera, and El Rejon; wrote 3,920 prescriptions at those three medical clinics; and built a block house in Panimaquin. We thank God for each of these ministry opportunities!
The intangible results are too numerous to mention them all but they include hosting the boys from Vencedores, preaching in Rios de Agua Viva and twice at the local seminary, hosting numerous people for supper and simply ministering to them through food and fellowship.
We had a brief time of praise and worship tonight as we were joined by Pancho, Rita, Adriana, & Sofia Arriola. Rita led us in worship and shared some messages in song. It was a special night.
I received word today that our good friend, church member and faithful GRACE Ministries supporter, Ken Ford, is in an ICU room in Mobile, AL and not doing so well physically. I would simply ask that you join us in remembering to pray for Ken and his family.
Pray for us as we travel home tomorrow and thanks for keeping up with us via this blog.
As always, it seems unreal that another week of doing missions/ministry has basically come and gone. Today is our final day of scheduled ministry opportunities as tomorrow will be a travel day.
Yesterday, Tom Werkema & Brian Koeman went back to Panimaquin and almost finished the block work on that house. You can view some pictures on that work on this site.
The rest of the team went to El Rejon where we did a medical clinic seeing 180 or so patients (I haven’t confirmed the numbers with Laurie King), built four more houses, poured cement in six more houses, had a preaching service, and gave away food & clothes. It was a long day as we left here at 8:30AM and didn’t get back to the mission house until 7:00PM. There were some tired folks last night.
As usual, we came back to a great meal which had been prepared by Jan Koeman, Carla Mast, and Deb Vander Kooy. Our day had begun by enjoying a great breakfast which had been prepared by Clara Broadus & Roy Johns. The folks who have helped with the cooking this week have certainly made sure that we haven’t starved and I appreciate their ministry!
Hopefully, there will be more pictures uploaded today. I will update either tonight or in the morning. Please keep praying for us.
We have been blessed with another good day of ministry. Tom Werkema, Evan Koeman, Dan Kizziah, and Scott Broekema went to Panimaquin to continue building the block house. It is possible that house will be finished tomorrow.
Michael Mason preached at the seminary’s chapel service and did a good job. It was a good service and he was well received. Thanks to president emeritus, Wilfred Johnson, for serving as his interpreter.
A group of folks went to Casa Aleluya for a tour and to do some work. One van load then drove up to Panimaquin to see the house being built.
The medical team had another good day. On Monday they saw 113 patients in Joya Grande and filled 840 prescriptions. They made one house call and Dr. Russ Mohney had to tell that family that she was probably months away from leaving this life.
Today they saw 170 patients in La Pedrera and filled 1,510 prescriptions. Several folks will need follow up care with the most serious being a 17 years old girl who needs a valve replaced in heart. Pray for her.
Tonight we hosted the boys of Vencedores and they were really great. There were 43 of them and they devoured 28 large pizzas by themselves plus cookies and candy. As they were leaving, they were asking when they would get to come back. That is always a special night.
We will have devotion tomorrow at 7:00AM and then we will all go to El Rejon to build, do medical, and distribute provisions. Please keep us in your prayers.
Greetings in the precious name of Jesus. We are getting ready for breakfast followed by morning devotion at 7:00AM which will be led by Jerrod Brown, Campus Minister at the University of South Alabama. These devotions are times of refreshing.
Our medical team will be doing ministry today in a local village and another group will be going to Casa Aleluya. Tom Werkema and his crew will continue working on the block house in Panimaquin. Evangelist Michael Mason will be preaching in the chapel service at the CAM seminary in Chimaltenango. I thank seminary president, Tico Vargas, for that invitation.
Tonight, the tornado known as the boys from Vencedores hits the white house. We are bringing them up to enjoy some fun, fellowship, and food. The members of our team brought jeans to give to the boys and we will give them some candy. Those boys really love coming to the white house and we love hosting them.
Thank you for following us via this website and thank you for your prayer support.
Wow, this has been a long but productive day. The medical team had a good day and were excited about the opportunities to minister in Joya Grande. They will go to another town tomorrow.
The four folks working on the block house in Panimaquin are moving along rather nicely too. Hopefully, they will finish it this week.
The folks building houses in El Rejon now have six houses totally finished, one needing only one side nailed on, and two more almost ready for cement. They worked hard today and several of them went to bed really early tonight.
In addtion to the medical clinic tomorrow, we will have a group work at Casa Aleluya. Jack & Carolyn Ciak joined us for supper tonight and Jack will be coordinating that visit.
By the way, we are not starving as Jan Koeman and crew have done a great job of feeding us. Tom Compagner and other guys have been preparing a great breakfast each morning. Tonight, Paul & Cristy Leytham prepared a feast for supper. So, we are eating extremely well and thank those who are making that possible.
Thanks to Tony Gettig and Ben Vickers for getting some pictures on the website today. Hope you enjoy them. Keep praying for us.
Greetings in the precious name of Jesus. As you noticed, we had a couple of guest bloggers yesterday preceded by a guest blogger on Saturday. I hope to include others in this process as the week progresses.
In a couple of hours we will meet for our devotion time with Carla Mast leading the worship, Tony Getting assisting on the guitar, and Michael Mason bringing the message. After that, a team of 18 will depart for Joya Grande to do a medical clinic, a team of 4 will leave for Panimaquin to lay blocks in building a house, and the rest of us will go back to El Rejon to continue building houses. Pray that we will have a blessed and productive day.
Hopefully, some pictures will be uploaded today as we have sent some to Ben Vickers via e-mail. I encourage you to send comments to any of these entries as those are shared with the team. Thanks to Coach Nate Blaylock and the folks at Callis Communications in Mobile, Alabama, we now have our phone service up and going so the mission house has a Mobile, Alabama telephone number. Wow!
Pray for us often and keep in touch!
We’ve had a a great couple of days. Yesterday we had the privilege of serving God through building houses. Today while observing the Lord’s Day we were blessed by some beautiful singing and some very powerful preaching. I’m trying to work out a deal that would involve leaving Pastor Teddie here permanently in exchane for a local minister but I do not believe that the locals are as excited about this proposition as I am. Tommorrow some of us plan to begin the medical phase of the trip. I’m thrilled that I’ve got a couple of really seasoned docs to watch after me. The nurses here are often mean spirited towards me, but I glad to be surronded by so many that are not only outstanding caregivers but also have a heart for serving God and all his people. Please pray for God to guide us and for physical and spiritual healing in this land.
Adam Hensley
What a wonderful experience so far here in El Tejar, Guatemala. After surviving the humiliation of realizing Pastor Teddie had lied to me about several matters…I have regrouped to experience some great blessings. On Saturday afternoon I was invited to preach to a small church, Palabra Viva, somewhat Pentecostal in their beliefs, and was received better than I could have imagined. Out of the woods and weeds came at least 150, mostly women and children, to enjoy the service. I was blessed.
On Sunday I gave the morning devotional for the group. I spoke from Acts 16:22-34 asking, “What did the Roman jailer see in Paul and Silas that made him ask the question, “What must I do to be saved?'” Later that morning I preached at the Rivers of Living Water Church in Chimaltenango. I was priviliged to preach with an interpreter, Bro. Eugene Dighero who works with the GRACE Ministries here. Bro. Eugene also interpreted for me on Saturday. At Rivers of Living Water we had a great attendance. Again, I was blessed to have been given the opportunity.
Here it is Sunday night. We have just returned from a great service of singing, testimonies, and singing. I have prepared for what I will speak on in the morning at our devotional time. I will be speaking about Stephen’s Last Hour from Acts 7:55-60.
I have been reading this week a book about crucial moments in the life of D.L. Moody. I have been praying that this week would prove to be a crucial time in my life as a believer and as a minister. I hope to look back on these few days in Guatemala as a turning point in my life. God is speaking to me through ordinary events. He is teaching me to trust him more, and worry less.
Thats it for now. Pray for me and for the entire team. Michael
This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! We are starting a bit later today as the service at Rios de Agua Viva Church doesn’t begin until 10:00AM. So, our devotion time will begin at 8:00AM with Evangelist Michael Mason leading us during that time and then Michael will be preaching at Rios de Agua Viva.
We will then follow our normal Sunday routine here of going to Las Antorchas restaurant for a meal and then spending the afternoon in Antigua. We will have a worship service here tonight.
Check back tonight for another entry and we also plan on uploading some pictures either tonight or in the morning. Keep praying!