Grace Missions Blog

This entry is coming late but I guess that is how it is going to be.  We had probably 25 guests for supper tonight and by the time we feed everyone and spend some time in fellowship the night is gone.  I apologize and appreciate your understanding.

We had another blessed day.  We were on a “normal” schedule today and were able to build 8 more houses and put cement in 8 more.  That brings the total houses built to 16 with 10 of those receiving the cement already.  This team could do more but I am restricting the number they can build each day.  Everyone worked hard but you could tell who the cement workers were when they came through the supper line – they were a bit slower than everyone else.

We will have our own service in the morning featuring the music ministry of Carlos Villatoro and the preaching ministry of Dr. Tico Vargas.  Tomorrow night will be an evening of village ministry.

We will pray for our respective services tomorrow.  I think we have 16 or so different churches represented on this trip.  We appreciate you checking on us by reading this blog.  Pray for us!

Sorry for the lateness of this post as it is already 10:40PM central time and 11:40PM eastern time.  Our first official “work” day of this trip was good.  We actually did not get to the village until noon as we started our devotional time thirty minutes late due to the arrival time of the Delta folks last night.  The devotional time was long as we introduced ourselves and spent some time in fellowship.  One of the vans had a mechanical mishap on the way to the village and that cost us some time.

So, did you get anything done today?  Yes!  Eight houses built with two being completed with cement and only lacking hanging the door and installing the hardware.  Everyone did well and the attitudes were great!

Good fellowship tonight.  Most folks seemed tired but the games are going strong even as I write this entry.  Thanks for checking on us and thanks for the prayers.

The entry is actually being posted a little after midnight here in Guatemala.  The 20 folks from Michigan arrived safe and sound around 9:00PM.  The 23 Mobile folks arrived around 11:30PM.  Those Yankees are great friends – not a single one waited up to make sure we arrived safely!

So, even though our Delta flight was an hour late arriving from Atlanta into Guatemala City, we are thankful for God’s watch care over us all day.  Thank you for praying and, Lord willing, we will post again tomorrow night (Friday).

Greetings! Sorry for the lack of information but I could not get on the internet. The week has been great! The folks on the trip have been great! The weather has been great! The Lord has been Great!

We had a group of 8 folks from Knoxville, TN join us Tuesday and Wednesday as their mission projects did not materialize. They were a great group of adults and a lot of fun to be with as we worked together to build houses. We finished all our houses on Monday except for the fronts. The concrete was mostly finished Monday night. On Tuesday, we completed the houses and dedicated all 15 and were done by 1:30 PM. We took the group to Antigua and had a late lunch. Then we went back to Alotenago and did our second food distribution for 100 families. (The first was on Monday night in the same village but in a different location.)  We got home and had pizza at 7:00 PM. This was a great day as we shared the gospel, dedicated the houses, and gave gifts including blankets made by the group from Oak Grove Baptist Church, King’s Mountain, North Carolina; Bibles for each house, and other items for the families. The evening was topped off by a wonderful fellowship time.

Today (Wednesday) has been spent going to the seminary for a tour, going to the Mall nearby, and then off to a special needs orphanage. We are now back at the mission house and have washed a van, truck, and will do the last van after we take it somewhere to get a tire repaired as it is going flat.  Bro.Paul is taking a large group around the property and showing them all the coffee plantation and buildings.

Tonight, we will have a great meal and then a time of fellowship before we begin our preparations to return to the states.  We leave the mission house tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM and both groups will fly out about 12:30 PM but on different airlines.  It has been a great week but we are ready to get home.

P.S. Tena found her anniversary gift as I was talking to her on the phone! It was great!

What a great day today as we began our day with a wonderful devotion lead by Miss Kittie Camp. She inspires us to greater heights whenever we hear her share about the Word of God. Her devotion was about Grace!

We met the ministry team with Bro. Parker and went to the village and had a block party for a couple of hours. It was fantastic. We had balloons, cotton candy, giveaways, beads, and just a great time with the people, especially the kids. It truly was a blessed time. Many of the men wished to continue the building projects so by the end of the day, we have 10 built ready for concrete and 1 house framed.

Our folks are working like it’s the last day and have been absolutely terrific in ministry and actions. Bro. Travis Northcutt was able to preach with the help of an interpreter today at the church nearby the mission house. This was a real blessing to him as well.

We plan to go to Bro. Walter’s church and then to Antigua tomorrow instead of the lake as a landslide has blocked the road to the lake. It’s all good!

Someone call Tena and give her the next clue: 66 star-like diamonds (tiny, tiny, tiny chips! :-)) all in the dark!

Greetings! I tried to blog last night but the internet went down. We had a very slow and unusual start to the day. The Spirit of God moved in during our devotion and folks started to share. My flesh was telling me to stop and go to work but the Spirit said not to touch it! So I didn’t! Can you say, “Please pass the handkerchief?” Stopped at the local store and picked up some water, exchanged money, and we were off and running. Tire problems on one of the vans. Seems you can only put so much weight on one tire. I won’t mention any names here but it wasn’t a man sitting there. LOL  Going down the main highway and the traffic stopped. Two major wrecks blocking traffic. Both were trucks turned over. One was a cement truck filled with bags of cement. Thank the Lord for His direction and we were late and not early. God is good. We eventually made our way to our destination. Built three  houses and working on the fourth. Spent the afternoon working in the rain. Our folks never complained. Great group of people. Went home and had a wonderful supper. Worked on luggage.

Today we are doing a block party with Bro. Mike Parker in the same village we are working. This will be my first and I’m looking forward to it. Got to go and get ready for devotions.

Someone call Tena, my wife, and tell her that I have left a love gift for her (our anniversary is on the 18th) in a secret hiding place. Her first clue: .925

Blessings,

Bro. Jerry

We had a great trip to Guatemala. Our flight in Mobile was delayed an hour or so but otherwise, the trip went smoothly. Willie Johnson was the only one who got motion sick on the plane as we did go into some rough clouds.  He was fine after a couple of visits to the back of the plane!  It probably was that taco or maybe all the stuff he ate with the taco?  Today will be a day of organization and adjustments but we are looking forward to a great day.  Bro. Travis Northcutt’s group from Oak Grove Baptist Church, King’s Mountain, North Carolina, Gordon Young from Virginia, and Becky Thompson from Arkansas  has joined with us (Friendship)  and we are looking forward to working together.  Bless the Lord!  All is well!

It is 4:00AM and the team left the mission house about twenty minutes ago headed to the airport.  Teams drag out the door for these early morning flights and I would imagine most of them are asleep as they make that ride.  Pray that everything will go well as they are all scheduled to arrive in their respective airports around 3:30PM today.

This team was great!  Their attitudes were superb!  Their work ethic was second to none.  I was most impressed by the folks from Thelma Baptist and their pastor, Bro. Doug Chappelle.  Those folks reminded me so much of the members of the Friendship family so you know I fell in love with them.  Matt & Anna Michelle Turner from Pascagoula were great too.  Paul Clark worked really hard and cultivated such a great relationship with the children in Alotenango.  Of course, the folks from Friendship were more than a blessing to me!

The team built 20 houses in Alotenango and was able to help build 6 more in San Miguel.  What a joy to work alongside the folks from Tennessee.  We appreciate the opportunity.

Good week!  I hope to see many of these folks back on future trips.  Team members, thank you for enriching my life!  Blessings!

Again, an entry in the morning.  I had company until late last night and just did not post.  My apologies.

Yesterday was good.  Matt Turner brought us a good word from the Word.  Pastor Doug, BJ, Heath, & Matt have all done very well in teaching us this trip.  Heath is a good teacher and worker.  The other three a much better teachers than they are workers – LOL!

We basically finished the houses yesterday.  One needs cement today as the ground was not level so the family was going to add dirt last night.  We need a handle there and a barrel bolt there but basically the houses are done.  We will dedicate them this morning and then have VBS this afternoon.

This team has worked in the rain every afternoon.  I mean some hard rain.  Their attitudes have been great.

This afternoon we will go to San Miguel to help the TN folks again.  They have been hit with sickness and it has slowed them a bit.  Hopefully, we will also visit Casa Aleluya.

All is well.  Pray that this final day of ministry will go well too and we will be right where God wants us to be.  Thank you for checking on us.  Keep praying!

This entry is actually being written on Tuesday morning.  I simply forgot to post an entry last night – my apologies!

Our Monday was good.  Heath Reese blessed us with a strong word from the Word to begin our day.

Seven houses are completely finished, nine others are ready for the cement, three more have the frame in place, and one more needs to be started from scratch.

The first day of VBS went well I am told.  I do not know the numbers but I do know the folks from Thelma are well prepared!

Chad, Brent, & Samuel did an excellent job of leading/teaching the TN folks.  They built four houses and put cement in three of those.  Good day in San Miguel.

Thanks for checking on us.  Keep praying!