It is a little after 3:30AM and I just watched two vans head down the hill bound for the airport.  Our departure actually began yesterday as the Duimstra family headed home.  Actually, we gave Cindy the proverbial “third strike” before dismissing her from the team.  Her family was innocent but guilty by association.  They arrived home safely last night.

Gail Pugh and Linda Redder were supposed to update the blog the past two days and they failed miserably.  Here is a quick recap – the house dedications were a real blessing.  The folks in the village celebrated receiving their new houses like no other village I have ever seen.  What a great day!

VBS ended with a bang too.  Mark and crew saw hundreds upon hundreds of children.  Many decisions were made and many seeds were sown.

The construction teams built 25 houses and cemented 26?  (That will give you something to think about!)

The medical team had a slower than expected day on Friday but met some important needs.

The third wave of us leave at 9:00AM today.  Mark and the Canadians will remain here until Wednesday and will be doing ministry plus a little down time.

I apologize for the past two days of no posting but I know the team members have been keeping in contact via the phone and electronic means.

Thanks for checking on us.  Pray for us as we travel today.

For once on this trip I am posting an entry before our friends in Michigan, Canada, and Alabama go to bed.  It is 6:30PM here and our day is not complete yet – I will explain in a few minutes.

Yesterday, I failed to mention one of the most important things that has been taking place this week.  Mark & Rachel Mast along with David Vargas, Lazaro Suruy, and others have been hosting dual Bible schools each day.  Yesterday, they had approximately 600 children attend.  You have to understand that these Bible schools are being held outside with one taking place on a dirt soccer field.  Translated that means the children are basically standing up the entire time.  Mark told me it was the most primitive location in which he has ever held a Bible school and he has held a bunch. (I think Abraham’s son, Issac, was in one of Mark’s earliest schools)  I have talked to Mark today as they are not back from the village yet.  I do know there have been a number of salvation decisions but I do not have an exact figure.

Our teams built 4 5/8 more houses today which brings the total to 24 5/8.  (It is my understanding they were really flexible today) I think 20 of those are complete, 4 others need the fronts put on, and the other one needs to be finished and then have the cement placed in it.

I have not gotten a report from our medical team yet.  Someone told me that Skeeter got into some fire ants today so they may have one more patient tonight.

The team is in the village where we have built 20 houses doing a clothes/food distribution tonight.  They were supposed to start at 4:30PM and it is about a one and half hour drive each way.  I expect them back around 7:30PM or so.

We have had some wonderful worship/Word times in the mornings.  This morning was no different as Tom Compagner shared a personal testimony.  Tom is a great friend so I am biased but it was a strong word.  The Band Mast continues to do a great job of leading our musical worship.

Emily E. is a machine when it comes to cement work.  Heather O. leads a mean cement crew too.  Rebecca Barker is not going to work as long as there are children within three miles!  Jon D. is a slacker!  Jasmin K. is getting married or something like that!  (Problem is that the guy does not know it yet!)  Peggy K. knows how to lose tools!

Miracle alert – Tico Vargas actually worked with the team today!  (I did not actually see it but I am told he worked)

Thanks for checking on us – it is appreciated.  Pray for us.

Our morning began with musical praise and then a word from the Word was shared with us by Mark Mast and Gord Armstrong.  Good word!

Everyone went to the village to continue the building process.  All twenty houses in that village have now been built (one needs a few pieces of tin) and three need to receive the cement.

Our Thursday in the village was cut really short as we left at 1:30PM in order to get back to the mission house so we could host the boys from Casa Aleluya.  That was a great time and the team did great interacting with the boys.  Thanks to Lee & Candy for bringing the boys to the white house!

Our Friday will see us going back to the original village to finish the houses, doing a medical clinic in Chimaltenango, going to another village to build five more houses, and doing a food/clothes distribution in the evening.

Thanks for checking on us.  Keep praying.

First, I apologize for this entry being late as it is almost 11:00PM here.  I have been trying since around 8:00PM to get online and have just now succeeded!

Today was a really good day.  The Band Mast led our musical worship and then Dean Kapenga brought us a good word from the Word.  He challenged us from the book of Philippians.  Thanks Dean!

Eight more houses were built which brings the total built to sixteen.  Of those sixteen, twelve have received concrete and at least five are completely finished.

Mark Mast and team conducted two Backyard Bible Clubs today with a total attendance of around four hundred.  They did an awesome job in spite of difficult circumstances.

Larry & David Crawley did a plumbing job at the mission house, got the feeding center ready for water, and roughed in the new office area at Casa Aleluya.

I had Jennie Dyck & Rebecca Barker on my team today.  Can you say hiring them was like losing five good men?  Wow!

Thank you for checking on us and please pray for us.  If the internet is up and running, I plan on posting around 7:30PM tomorrow night.

This entry is later than I had planned and for that I apologize.  Our day of building was not long but we are driving about one hour and twenty minutes to the village.  We had our usual morning with our praise time and devotion following breakfast.  We then met about the day’s activities and headed out.

Everyone exhibited really great attitudes all day.  The building sites were a little challenging but not the worst we have ever seen.  Eight houses were built with five of those being completely finished and the other three ready for the cement.  Good day!

Mark Mast has had his team busy tonight sorting out the various things they brought for ministry purposes.  I am not sure how they get all of those things here but they do it year after year.

The Crawley guys were working on a plumbing project – imagine that!  This was after we had gotten back to the mission house and it was already dark.

I guess the only problem we had today was when we lost Katie Tillman.  However, like a stray dog, she came back.  (She has really taken to the team calling her “Skeeter”!)  That plus Cindy Duimstra copping an attitude in the kitchen!  LOL!

Thanks for praying for us.  We will, Lord willing, post again tomorrow night!

Greetings from Guatemala.  Not a lot to report on today except that with the arrival of Betsy Watson late last night everyone is present and accounted for.  We thank God for His watch care in our travels.

The late afternoon and evening were spent settling in, going to supper, and having a meeting to discuss the various things related to this team.

Thank you for your prayers.  We will begin our first day of ministry at 7:00AM today.  Keep praying.  A full entry will be posted tonight if the internet is up and running (it was down for a bit last night thus no post).