My “plan” was to allow someone else to write an entry last night but we had internet connection issues and that didn’t happen.  Sorry this is late but when you can’t get online there isn’t anything you can do about it. 

Our Tuesday was busy and productive.  The team traveled to a village (name to come later) where they completely (all four sides, cement, doors, windows) finished three houses, got a fourth ready for the cement, and a fifth one almost to that point.  Not much, huh?  That was done in three hours and fifteen minutes.  Plus, they hosted a VBS during that time frame too.  God blessed them with beautiful weather and they responded well.

They then drove to Panimaquin where they distributed food & clothes to 100 families plus began the process of building another house.  The house build was “tough” b/c they didn’t have the proper supplies but they adjusted and made do. 

So, it was a good day and we thank God for all He did for us.  Today will see them go back to the same village to build more houses, host a VBS, and host a block party with jumpers, cotton candy, balloons, games, et cetera. 

Tim & Peggy Knighten went fishing this past weekend.  We had their catch last night as a part of our supper.  The fish was a mahi mahi (is that spelled correctly?) and it was good.  My only concern is that I saw packages in the trash with stickers that said “use or freeze by 11/20/09” which leads one to ask if they really “caught” those fish?    

Keep praying for this team.  Lord willing, we will post tonight. 

P.S. – Did I understand correctly that Miss Bessie said T. Garrett is on this trip?

They came, all 29 of them, from New York, Canada, Michigan, & Alabama and all met in Chimaltenango, Guatemala to join 15 others who had already come from AL & MI.  The Lord graciously gave them a great day of traveling and all arrived safely.  He is to be praised for His mercies! 

Perhaps the best thing about today is the fact the we have this “interstate” coming up to the mission house from El Tejar!  Thanks to Bro. Paul for coordinating the effort to widen & smooth that road – it is awesome!  You folks from Danville Baptist just would not believe it! 

Pray for this team as they begin doing ministry on Tuesday morning and their plate is full – 20 houses, village ministry, block party, hosting the boys from Vencedores (Casa Aleluya), two weddings, one wedding reception, and whatever else God puts in their path. 

Hopefully, a Day Two post will come in the evening so check back late tonight.  Thanks!

P.S. – I want to give a “shout out” to Pastor Jack Bailey and folks from Danville Baptist Church for their graciousness in hosting Tico & Armando this past Sunday night.  Excellent!

It is now Friday morning as I bring the updates on GRACE ’09 V to a close.  Thanks for taking the time to keep up with this team.

On Wednesday, most of the team members and four of the Fab Five went to the lake.  They had a good day.  I don’t know all of the details but I do know they rented a double decker boat and eventually ended up diving/jumping into the lake from the upper deck.  Matt DeYoung was the ring leader and I think that goes back to the “boat trip” to Kentucky from earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Stan & I were joined by Samuel & Pastor Max, Mike & Katie Parker, and some other TN folks in building a house for an elderly gentleman.  That went well and I appreciate Mike Parker allowing GRACE Ministries to help in this situation. 

The afternoon was spent washing the blue truck and doing some other things in preparation for our departure the next day.  We then headed to Paulino’s for supper.  We were joined by Tico Vargas & John King. 

We had an evening devotional plus a share time although this team wasn’t much on sharing.  We dedicated Larry Josue.  He is the son of Herbert & Antionetta. 

Yesterday, we left at 3:15AM headed for the airport.  Elle rode with me in the Montero as she was sick.  We had to make a couple of stops for her which delayed us some but she made it.  The luggage truck had a flat tire and Solomon was having difficulty getting the lug nuts off.  We were blessed that the truck on the road in front of the airport so we took our vehicles over and off loaded the luggage into them.  Everyone got checked in and the Alabama folks, the Michigan folks, and Myrna all arrived home safely and on time. 

Of course, it was a real joy to see Samuel Acan enter the USA.  It took him awhile to get through customs and they drilled him pretty good but he made it!  He doesn’t understand why we have no mountains or volcanoes in Alabama! 

This was a very good team.  Great attitudes!  Great work ethic!  The Lord blessed us with awesome weather although we know Guatemala needs the rain.  My prayer is that these team members will consider joining us on a future trip and bringing a friend or two along. 

I close by saying a huge “thank you” to those who helped lead this trip – couldn’t have done it without them!  Obviously, our greatest thanks goes to God as He blessed us immeasurably!  My prayer is that He received the glory for all that was done this past week!  He, and He alone, is worthy! 

Next up – First Baptist Church of Wilmington, NC as they arrive this Sunday, 8/2 and leave the following Sunday, 8/9.  Pray for them!

I need to correct a mistake from yesterday’s post.  I listed Soy’s uncle as being 45 years old when in fact he was only 38 years of age. 

On the surface it would not appear that much was accomplished yesterday but in reality it was a very productive day.  The team dedicated the six houses built the previous day while another team built, completed , and dedicated the seventh house in that village.

I had a meeting with Tico Vargas about the upcoming Pastors’ Conference.  Afterwards, we began washing vehicles, powerwashing the tools, powerwashing the tool boxes, sorting & reloading the tool boxes, and cleaning out the storage room & garage.  Wow, what a difference a few  hours in those rooms made! 

The boys from the Vencedores dorm at Casa Aleluya showed up around 4:45PM and had an absolute blast going up and down these hills.  The blackberry bushes are now void of any color berry!  Those forty-three boys inhaled 20 pizzas in about ten minutes along with some cupcakes.  They really enjoy coming to the Casa Blanca.  Their question as they boarded the bus home was, “when are we coming back to the Casa Blanca?” 

Today, while Ross Genzink, Soy Taylor, Brandon Baker, Brad Kleinjans & Matt DeYoung lead a group of “slackers” to the lake, Stan Hatcher & I will go start & complete a house somewhere near Antigua.  We are doing this as a favor to Mike Parker.  We will all meet at Paulino’s for supper and then come back for an evening devotional which will include a baby dedication. 

I will try to post either late tonight or from the airport tomorrow.  O, the luggage?  Never came so I instructed Continental to send it to Detroit.  Brad has looked so cute in his girlfriend’s clothes! 

Thanks for following us via this blog and thanks for the prayers.  Keep praying!

Sorry for the delay in posting this entry but I could not get online last night.  There are a number of team members getting online each night and they seeminly are uploading their pictures on MyFace.  Long story short – I am on the tail end of the connection and couldn’t jump on. 

The Lord gave us a good Monday.  Chris Taylor had shared the Word with us on Saturday morning and Davy Bosarge did so yesterday.  Both guys did a good job!  John Vickers continues to lead our musical worship each day and is doing a good job too.

We sent one group of 16 folks to the seminary where they painted almost the entire interior of the chapel and did paint the entire exterior of it.  They also painted some other areas on the seminary campus.  I am told they did a great job!

The rest of the team went to the Tecpan area where they started and completed i.e. cement poured, fronts on, et cetera six more houses.  That is remarkable when one considers that mountain goats have decided to not live in this village because of the steep terrain.  We had a number of folks fall down as we made the trek down to the initial four houses.  Slip sliding away would be the theme for the day!  This team has definitely been challenged when it comes to navigating the terrain but they have done superb!

We had 25 or so guests join us for supper last night and we all enjoyed a good evening of fellowship.  Pastor Max & Terersa’s son-in-law, Estuardo, was in that number and it is always good to see him. 

We have been praying for Amanda O’Bannon and her brother since the events of this past weekend.  Yesterday morning, we received word that Soy’s uncle, Terry Taylor, 45 years old, had passed away from an apparent heart attack.  Soy’s mother, Myrna, is on this trip too.  Soy & Myrna will remain here and the service for Terry will take place on Thursday in Texas.  I ask that you join us in praying for these situations. 

Good news – the airlines assured us yesterday that Brad Kleinjans’ luggage is not lost!  They just don’t know where it is!  (Their very words!)  So, we rest easier now knowing it isn’t lost! 

Again, sorry for the delay in posting.  Hope you have a great Tuesday.  Keep praying for this team.

We enjoyed a good Sunday as God blessed us.  The day began with us attending the 7:00AM service at Alpha & Omega Church.  That was followed by shopping in Antigua, lunch at Las Antorchas, and some more shopping.  We left at 3:15PM bound for a village in Tecpan to distribute food & clothes.  We drove for about 75 minutes just to get there but were blessed to be able to minister to 100 families.  The rains came as we drove but were not a problem during the distribution – praise the Lord.

We had a team meeting tonight in order to get organized for tomorrow.  That will include building houses and painting the interior of the chapel at GBS. 

Brad Kleinjans still doesn’t have his luggage!  I spoke to a rep from Continental tonight and all she could tell me is that they don’t know where his bag is but it should be delivered to Guatemala at some point in the future!  Brad’s attitude about this continues to be awesome!  Join me in praying that it came in on the late flight tonight or will come on the early flight tomorrow. 

Thanks for keeping up with this team.  Everyone is doing great!  Keep praying!

It is almost 9:30PM as I enter this post  and our day is drawing to a close.  Here is a brief recap of where we are – we had a last minute cancellation so Nicole Crawley graciously stepped in to fill that vacancy.  I have to give credit to Continental for allowing us to make a name change at no charge even though we were technically too late to do so. 

One of our Michigan team members had a battered passport and they would not let him board the plane.  So, while the others headed to Houston and on to Guatemala, he went to the passport agency in Detroit and got a new passport.  He was scheduled to arrive in GC at 9:15PM.  I appreciate Soy and Davy Bosarge making that airport run. 

The Michigan team members led by Ross Genzink arrived in GC at 11:00AM today and the Alabama team members arrived at 1:10PM.  Everything went well in our travels. 

We had a meeting and then went to supper in town.  Afterwards, the men met to discuss the house building.  Our day is going to begin with a 6:30AM devotion as the first morning always takes a little longer it seems. 

Thanks for praying us through a day of traveling.  Keep praying and we will do our best to keep you updated.

This is Tuesday morning, and teams have departed in three or four different directions.  We have been SO BUSY!  We are putting the finishing touches on house No. 12, dedicating several completed ones, and starting a completely new house near the Seminary–a needy project that Tico acquainted Bro. Jerry about last night.  Using all the “flexibility” that Bro. Teddie has ingrained in us, plans for this day were shifted, and we have one great team getting that building underway, even as I blog.

Talk about multi-tasking, we are doing it!  One group is going to Casa today, so, Nadine, your gifts are being delivered to your adoptee.  Transportation arrangements for the many things going on have been successfully juggled, and we are getting it all done.

A highlight for me was the remote village where we went to minister on Sunday night.  We gave out food and clothing for some 60 families, which amounts to around 350 people.  They graciously arranged for me to sit while I dispensed a food item.  The whole process was so well organized that the word “hectic” that usually accompanies these efforts couldn’t be used.  I even had time to watch the faces of the team members interacting with the people as they came through the line, and I was so blessed–I saw such joy and compassion.  I saw such gratitude expressed by the people as they received from our hands.

Then, on the way home to the mission house, over very curvy, mountain roads, one lady, who shall remain nameless (because what is said in Guatemala, stays in Guatemala), put her head down, and even got down on the floorboard of the van, for part of the way  All of a sudden, we rounded a curve and had a fantastic view of the volcano, with the sunset and cloud formation that no artist could possibly duplicate.  We had to pull over and just look, and take pictures.  We had moved on just a few hundred yards, when smoke billowed from the mouth of the volcano, and we had another breathtaking view.  We pulled over again for more soaking in God’s magnificence, and more pictures.  Bro. Jerry Whitmore made a comment on this experience at our Monday devotional time that was so appropriate–I will paraphrase it for you.  “We were ministering in His Name, and He treated us to an exhibition of His grandeur.”

Our food has been wonderful and bountiful.  The ladies have worked nonstop to provide it for us, plus fixing sandwiches to go out with the teams.  It has all worked like clockwork, and team members have expressed appreciation.

Yesterday, the rain came after they completed the last house, and after we were all safe and dry at a new (to me) restaurant where we had a fantastic meal.  Then we made our way to a church near the last building site–and we enjoyed a really good Guatemalan quartet.  We knew a lot of the songs, and so it made the beautiful harmony even more special.  They asked our music team to come up for a number, and those of you who know Jeanette well know how she enjoyed getting up on the stage to the keyboard for Bro. Kerry to ”

The fellowship has been wonderful, and we have come to LOVE our Methodist team members.  I even told them I wish they were all Baptist and members of Friendship.  It is exciting to see first timers’ reactions.  One young man said he can’t wait to bring his children.

We really feel your prayer support–from our traveling safety, to the fact that Willie’s hand injury has NOT gotten infected, and Jody has a doctor’s appointment set up for him next Monday afternoon.  Please continue to pray for him, and us.

This blog has been entered by the lesser half of your own secretarial staff,

Kittie Camp

A wonderful week!  That pretty much sums it up for this team!  Once again, God has put together a team of “strangers” who very quickly became “family” over the course of eight days. 

We dedicated the 24 houses today with the help of Pastor Max Lara & Juan Marcos Ruiz.  The most special for me was when Pastor Terry Rainey dedicated one in memory of his mother.  Precious time! 

We were short of some materials to finish three or four of the doors but otherwise the houses are completely finished.  Samuel & Max will see to it that those doors are built and the houses completed. 

We had an early supper tonight and a share time following.  That was a sweet time.  I have been very impressed with each team member this week and the attitudes that have been displayed.  I very much appreciate each one and all that he/she brought to the table.  Special thanks to Life Aid Ministries (Pastor Terry, Pastor Eddie, & Shannon), Faith Baptist of Bartlett, TN, Shady Grove Baptist of Belton, SC, & Motlow Creek Baptist of Campebello, SC.  We had other churches represented on this trip but those three made up the vast majority of our team. 

Of course, it goes without saying that I was delighted to have my wife, Lisa, and the girls with me this week.  I appreciate this team allowing them to join me in order for us to not be separated for two weeks. 

I have been blessed to work with 87 folks over the past two weeks and what a great two weeks it was!  I am a blessed man! 

Pray for us as we head home today.  The AL & TN folks left the mission house at 3:00AM for a 6:15AM flight while the SC folks leave at 9:00AM for a 12:35PM flight. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog this week.  May God bless you! 

Yesterday saw the highest attendance our BBC folks have seen all week as at least 240 children filled the church for the final service.  I am told that it went very well and our team members who were involved seem very pleased.  I have said it before but it is worth saying again – those South Carolina folks do an awesome job in hosting a Backyard Bible Club!  They love it!  I appreciate Tico’s girls going with them again to serve as translators.  Thank God for a good week of BBC. 

Our building teams built four more houses bringing the total for the week to 24.  The cement teams poured cement in 8 more houses meaning all 24 houses now have cement.  We need to put the fronts on about 7 or 8 houses and they will all be complete.  That will take place this morning. 

God gave us a great day yesterday concerning the weather as we were building.  We got back to the mission house to prepare for the village ministry and the bottom fell out.  It delayed our leaving for the village ministry but it still went well as we saw 99 families which equaled 331 folks.  The team did very well in ministering to those folks in the village of Los Corrales. 

Our morning begins at 6:30AM with our time in worship and the Word.  We will then head to San Lorenzo & San Jose Chirijuyu to dedicate the 24 houses.  Each family will be presented with a gift bag including the IPod with the messages from Charles Stanley.  Lazaro Suruy, Juan Marcos Ruiz, and Max Lara will help with the dedications and presenting the Gospel. 

The afternoon will be spent getting ready to leave tomorrow.  Pray for us.  We have two or three who have been sick but they appear to be on the mend.