The month of October we moved into our house and the other highlight of the month was working with other IMB missionaries, the Cadenheads, who had a team here from Tampa, Florida. Noemi helped with translation and I helped build stoves in the Guatemala city dump. Of the 450 homes in the dump about 70 have these wood stoves for cooking.
November was a very busy month as well.
- We went to Santiago Sacatepequez to the Day of the Dead celebration and watched them fly kites that were 15' in diameter. For more information on this mayan tradition: link:http: //www.mayadiscovery.com/ing/life/dead/guatemala.htm
- Noemi and I attended the Guatemalan Baptist 3 day Convention in Guatemala city. What a blessing it was to see the pastors of 13 new churches that had been started this year. Of the 13 11 were part of the K'eKchi church planting movement.
We spent 3 days being the hands and feet for BGR (Baptist Global Response). We put together food bags for 500 families affected by the floods during the rainy season. The sacs of rice, beans, and sugar came in 108 lb. bags, we had 20 bags of each. These were divided into smaller 4lb. bags. The final bags that were going to be distributed included rice, beans, sugar, pasta, oatmeal, oil, corn flour for "tortillas", salt as the primary items for distribution. One of these bags would have enough food for a family for 15 days. On the Saturday of that week, we started early with 4 trucks and our van to deliver the food. 
This was a family ministry day. Before it was given out to the families of the Santa Ana Mixtan, Nueva Concepcion area, Pastor Fernando gave a clear gospel presentation to the adults. Noemi had the opportunity to present the gospel to the children of the families affected by the floods. When she gave the invitation many children responded to accept Jesus as Savior. The local pastor said he would follow up with them.
- During that same week our crate from the states arrived. Christmas in November!
- We had the oportunity to speak at the Luz de Vida Baptist Church in Villa Nueva and share our call to missions and to encourage them to be involved in missions. We met with the Pastor to see about further evagelization in the community and the possibility of three missions in the future in nearby communities.
- We had our first invitation for lunch in a Guatemalan's home after a church service. This was the first time they had had missionaries in their home, so we all were having our first! That was a real eye opener to how the average Guatemalan lives. She served us fried chicken guizzards. There are few foods that just turn my stomach and this is one of them. My prayer was: God I will put all 7 of them down if you will keep them down. My wife likes them and wasn't a problem for her. We were so blessed to be there amongst them.
- We had our first Thanksgiving in Guatemala and shared it with our mission family here. God blessed us with great bunch of co-laborers!!!! We pray we can be a blessing to them as well.
- The month ended with a mentoring trip that we will tell about in our next post.
Please Remember to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.
We are so thankful for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, this makes it possible for us to be here as missionaries. When you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, you are an extension of the hand of Christ through your missionaries. Thanks to all who will be contributing to this offering! If you have not given, we invite you to follow this link:
https://netcommunity.imb.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=229.
Prayer Requests:
We are so thankful for the Lottie Moon Christmas offering, this makes it possible for us to be here as missionaries. When you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, you are an extension of the hand of Christ through your missionaries. Thanks to all who will be contributing to this offering! If you have not given, we invite you to follow this link:
https://netcommunity.imb.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=229.
Prayer Requests:
- We are visiting churches as part of learning what God is doing here amongst them, but soon need to choose a local church as our home church.
- For the children from Nueva Concepcion, their Spiritual growth.
- For Carlos and Victor, our guards in our community, Jeff is storying the Bible with them.
- For the salvation of Victor; for growth with Carlos as he has agreed to be discipled. This will be a little more challenging as he cannot read.
- For Jeff's language learning.
- For ABUJ, which is the local Baptist Union of Youth, Noemi is working with them, for their 2012 year plan of ministry.
- For the local Pastors as they plan for 2012.
- Spirtual Warfare, stomach strength for the times when we get affected by amoebas, giardia and such from water contamination.
Thank you all for your prayer support for our family. Without it our transition to a new country and culture would have been more difficult.
Kaila's Soccer Team at Christian Academy of Guatemala
