How often have you made plans only to have those plans get changed?  We were told that because of a protest we would not be able to travel West until after lunch on Wednesday.  We delayed everything and was set to have our share time at 9:00AM when the call came that the roads were clear.  So, we shifted gears and quickly got everything ready to leave by 10:00AM.  We had zero problems in our travels to and from the village.  Thank you Jesus!

We divided into five dedication teams with each team taking six houses to dedicate.  The dedications went extremely well.  Dr. Rex told me that a couple of the young men from Danville Baptist led in their dedications and did a really nice job.  The people in this new village were very gracious and grateful.  Pastor Juan was a huge help.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dr. Ashley Holladay and her assistants, Lori Bailey & Dena Free, pulled around fifty teeth Tuesday and Wednesday combined.  The patients were families involved in the feeding center.  I appreciate Ashley doing this for those people.

After lunch, we went down to the feeding center and had our share time.  Why the feeding center?  The upper room was very hot and we sat in the shade between east side of the building and the bank.  Very pleasant.  This group was not very talkative.  Hopefully, God did a great work inside each of us.

Seventy five percent (33) of the team members left for the airport at 9:00PM.  They have a 12:20AM flight.  The remaining twenty five percent (11) will leave the mission house at 3:00AM on Thursday.  Pray for these forty four folks as they travel.

This team has been great!  Really great!  Pastor Joe David, worship pastor Rex Looney, deacon Ross Genzink, Sunday School teacher Soy, and a host of others have all done excellent in helping lead this team.  Perhaps the greatest of all of these was Ellis!  The man is amazing!  Absolutely amazing!

The Lord blessed this team.  We give Him thanks!  We thank you for praying and for following us on this blog.  It has been good!  To God be the glory!

The team enjoyed a productive Tuesday.  We had our usual morning time of worship and time in the Word before beginning our day.  Those times in the upper room are always special and I thank God for them.

The team went to the local dump to share some food and to just love on the people who were working there.  They shared the Gospel and encouraged the people there.

The team then made their way to the Casa Alleluya Children’s Home for a tour.  Adam Clemmons began the tour and then Dr. Mike Clark took over.  It was a very informative time as they saw the new hospital being built and spend some time in the dialysis house.

The team then divided up with a group coming back to the mission house to sort clothes and get ready for the night of distributing those clothes and food in the village where they have been building houses this trip.

Everyone else went back to the village to finish the houses which took about two hours.  The other team members arrived with the food and clothes and one hundred families were blessed with those items.

Today, 8/5, is testing our “flexible” attitudes.  There is going to be a major protest by the teachers all over Guatemala this morning.  They will literally shut down many of the major highways.  We have opted to spend the morning in our share time and then go out after lunch to dedicate the thirty houses that have been built.  This is the plan “if” there are no problems and the highways are clear in a timely manner.  We shall see.

Pray for this team.  Thank you for checking on them!

Pastor Joe David Bailey was in charge of the team this morning as far as assigning work assignments.  Five of the ladies opted to spend the day at the feeding center helping Lazaro & Glendy with the cooking, serving, cleaning, playing with the children, et cetera.

The other thirty eight headed West again.  They had a very productive day as, after three days of building, twenty nine houses are up, twenty six have receive concrete, and those twenty six are totally finished i.e. doors, windows, et cetera.  This team definitely has a mind to work!  Pastor Joe David obviously pushed them really hard today.

It appeared to me that no one was going to need to be rocked to sleep tonight.  Back at early in the morning with more ministry opportunities waiting.

Keep praying and keep checking on us.  Thanks!

Sunday for the team was a typical Sunday.  Nothing out of the ordinary took place.  Zip lining, shopping, meal at Las Antorchas and a service at the GRACE Community Church.

About the biggest news of the day was that Pastor Joe Bailey took his suit coat off even though he was the messenger.  He will go home on Thursday and will leave that mess for me to clean up – I appreciate it!

Thanks for praying for this team.  Keep doing so, please.  All is well.

Saturday was a productive day for our team as all forty five headed out to build houses.  Ten more houses were built with two more started i.e poles in the ground.  Fourteen more houses received concrete bringing that total to eighteen.  Six of the houses are now completely finished.  So, yes it was definitely a productive day.

I stand corrected.  Samuel Acan tells me that two teams in the past have traveled a greater distance to build.  Not much farther but farther.

Sunday will be the usual with some folks doing zip lining while the majority will shop, eat lunch at Las Antorchas in Antigua and then attend the service at the GRACE Community Church.   Joe David Bailey will be bringing the message.

Pray for us.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by and read this brief update.  Everyone is well.  To God be the glory!

We have water!  Everyone can shower!  Hooray!  That was the best news of the day for this team after a really good day of ministry.

Our Friday was productive.  We had four young ladies go the feeding center to help with the children.  They had a good day.

The rest of the team went to a village that is farther away from the mission house than any GRACE team that I know of has ever gone.  It took us about two hard hours of driving to get there.  We literally did not start building until noon and stopped at 5:30PM.  Ten houses were built, four received concrete and then those four were finished with the exception of hanging the doors and windows.

Our day began with some great worship led by Rex Looney and then a good word from the Word by Mike Clark.  It is always good to have Dr. Mike & Miss Dottie join us.

Today, all forty five of us head back to the village.  Our goal is to build ten more while finishing the ones built yesterday.

Pray for us.  Thanks for checking on us.  Everyone is well!