Guatemala School Evangelism Update

Cesar Gonzalez and I share a mountain view near a village called Buena Vista (Good View) with our LifeQuest mission team. From left to right are Cesar, me, Tim Goulet, Mari Edmonds, Jimmy Mitchell, and Jolene Mitchell.

Good morning everyone! 

I just got back from a mission trip with a team from LifeQuest Church in Belton, Missouri. And what a trip! For me, it almost didn’t happen because of a “trip” I took down the stairs a few days before flying to Guatemala that left my knee wrenched and me trying to figure out which end was up!

But by God’s grace I was able to go and hobble along. And during our time together, we ministered to five schools in seven days, and saw 349 children and adults pray to receive Christ!

While we had prepared to do more discipleship talks and follow-up on the relationships with kids and teachers in the schools we were in a year ago, due to some logistical issues, Cesar decided to schedule us to go to several smaller schools near Amberes, Guatemala, that we had not been to with a group. So, we adapted our plans and shared the gospel with the kids, parents, and teachers of each school. And their response blew us away!

Are These Numbers for Real?

If you are like me, it’s hard to believe that so many would respond with a “yes” to the gospel in such a short time. Maybe you are asking, “How can this be so easy? Are we just making converts and not helping them become disciples?” These are good questions.

While I don’t want to pretend that we are experts or that we have all the answers to how to do this, I will say that I have been involved in projects like this for over 25 years now, and I can say that Jesus’ words recorded in John 4:35 ring truer now than ever. When the disciples asked Jesus about food after he had had an amazing spiritual conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said,

“Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest!”

God is Doing a New Thing…

Guatemalans have been very receptive through the years, but to me it seems like their receptivity has gone to an even higher level in recent days. And as so many are responding, we know that the only thing holding the harvest back is the laborers to bring it in and to help new believers grow in their new faith. Jesus also said,

“the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth laborers into His harvest fields” Luke 10:2.

Trusting God as We Play.Story.Eat.

Our strategy was very simple. In every school we visited, we played, we told stories, and we ate with the kids, parents, and teachers. Typically we would start in the classrooms at about 8am each weekday. Cesar would take two of our team members, and I’d take the other two, and we’d each spend at least an hour and a half with a particular class.

Testimony Times Really Connected…

While we usually did something fun to break the ice, when we got to the testimony times, because of the kids’ attentiveness, we spent most of the classroom time sharing our stories and talking about how we can each receive God’s gift of salvation through faith and trust in Jesus. We talked about sin. We talked about how we all deserve hell because of our sins. And we talked about how Jesus forgives and offers eternal life to all, not forcing anyone to receive His gift, but giving us a choice to receive it or not.

Child-like Responsiveness…

And in simple, child-like faith, they prayed to receive Jesus’ gift of salvation. Typically after the prayer time, we’d switch classes and repeat the process. Then around noon, when the kids would be leaving to go home, Cesar had arranged for us to eat together. In most cases, the teachers and a couple of parents would cook for everybody, and they’d invite us to help pat out some tortillas! Usually, by the time we got to eating, we’d connected so well that many were inclined to tell us their stories or want to keep talking about what we just experienced together.

The Blessings of a Rainy Season Pace…

Because it typically rains almost every afternoon at this time of year in Guatemala, Cesar didn’t schedule for us to go to any schools in the afternoons like we did last year with a Lenexa Baptist team in August 2024. This extra breathing room in the schedule allowed us to not have to leave a school in a hurry and to be able to have lingering conversations with the teachers and directors of the schools. I will highlight a few of those stories below.

Before I unload the pictures on you, let me mention a couple of upcoming events.

Upcoming Events…

This week, Bill Burrows and I will be traveling to Burwell, Nebraska, for the annual Rural Church Leaders Conference October 11th at Burwell Baptist Church. We will lead breakout sessions on The Habits of Replicating Disciple Makers.

Closer to home, Bill Burrows is practicing those disciple making habits in Avondale, MO, a town he moved to last year. It’s surrounded by Kansas City and has about 350 people. God has given him a team of people that prayer walk several times a week asking God to draw people to himself and to send more laborers to Avondale. If you would like to get better at making disciples, let us know or join us in Burwell.

10:02 PRAYER

(Pray Luke 10:2 each day at 10:02 am or pm that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into His harvest fields!)

Please pray for Cesar Gonzalez and the teachers and believers who will be continuing to impact and lead the children and adults in their new-found faith in Jesus.

Pray for our plans to return to follow up with another team from LifeQuest Church, Lenexa Baptist, and maybe even your church! If you are interested in participating in some aspect of this kind of a missions trip, or helping us schedule a new trip, now is the time to let me know!

Ask God to send workers to Avondale, MO, and to glorify himself there.

Love y'all!

Steve

PS…As always, thanks for your faithful support! We couldn’t do this without you.

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Our Mission Trip in Pictures…We Played!

Our first day in the school in Buena Vista, Jimmy took on a whole class on the teeter totter!

Songs were always a hit.

The team was adept at shaping balloons for the kids.

Often, before shaping the balloons, Tim would have a competition to see who could actually blow up a balloon!

This game had a boy and a girl put their “face” on while blindfolded. Their partner had to coach them along the way!

This girl carefully pulls out a wooden piece in the game “Jenga” in this school near Santa Cruz Narranjo.

Tim makes a balloon dog for a little boy.

In the larger schools like this one in Santa Cruz Narranjo, making balloons at the end of the day was quite a production.

These four boys keep an eye on the three chairs in the last couple of rounds of a game of musical chairs.

We “Storied”… Sharing Testimonies…

Cesar talks to the kids about one of Jimmy’s stories while he was in the Navy before coming to know Jesus.

Cesar introduces Jimmy and Jolene before sharing their testimonies to this class in a school near Amberes.

Jimmy and Jolene’s faith story was a very rocky one. Just three years ago they were at the point of divorce. Because of a friend’s recommendation, they went to LifeQuest Church and not only found help to save their marriage, Jimmy found Jesus and friends to help him grow in his newfound faith. They now lead a small group in their home and are happily serving others in ministries through LifeQuest.

Here, Mari is patting out a tortilla. Mari’s story includes the pain of abuse and trauma that fueled a drug and alcohol addiction. Six years ago, she and her husband Matt came to LifeQuest for a Christmas program and within a month found Jesus. She has been sober since and grateful that she and Matt are both seeking to follow Jesus together and finding places to serve in the church.

Eddie Gonzalez, pastor of Samaria Church near Rinconcito, Guatemala, introduces Tim before he sings a song in both English and Spanish with their Sunday worship team. Tim is the youth and worship pastor at LifeQuest, and on this trip he had several opportunities to speak and lead in music.

Here I’m talking about how a gift is not automatically ours just by believing all the correct things about the gift. It only becomes ours when we receive it and open it and enjoy it.

Here I’m leading the children in a prayer of salvation.

Cesar liked having me reenact my fall and share my verse of scripture that I memorized from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, that “two are better than one…because if one falls, the other can pick him up.” Here the kids are helping pick me up off the floor after “falling.”

After my example, Cesar called for volunteers to fall and then have others pick them up!

I winced thinking about how these boys were “helping” pick up one of their friends by the legs and arms!

We Ate! … A lot!

At the school in Buena Vista, the team gets their first taste of “Chuchitos” (meaning “little dogs”) a Guatemalan version of a tamale that was made especially for us.

At Cesar and Elba’s place in Amberes, Elba fed us like kings.

Linda, one of the school teachers at La Linea, a school near Amberes, was adept at grilling one of the most delicious meals we had all week.

Jolene makes her first tortilla!

Tim got the prize for the best gringo-made tortilla!

Here, the entire school ate together with the parents.

Jimmy and Jolene scoop out the beans and the noodle salad for our last school of the week.

We Made Some Great Friends!

At the end of each day, the kids were quick to share a hug with the team.

Kendi (bottom left), the teacher of this classroom, and the acting director of this small school, was one of our favorites. Her love and dedication for the children went above and beyond her job.

Tim and Mari pose for a group picture with one of their classes in Buena Vista.

Marisela (center), the principal of the school in Buena Vista, wanted us to see the view from this spot near the cabin that she and her husband built. A couple of days later we met her husband and daughter there to see the sunrise.

Awaiting the sunrise on the porch of Marisela’s cabin. In the middle is her husband Danilo and Briana, their daughter. They offered us the use of the cabin anytime we wanted for meetings or retreats. Danilo said that they want their cabin to be used as a place for people to find God.

The clouds did give way for Danilo to snap this brief glimpse of the sunrise.

Thanks for reading this to the end! And thanks again for your prayers and support!

Love y’all!

Steve

While in Guatemala, we enjoyed the opportunity to see the Chiefs get a win!

Play.Story.Eat. Summer Update

Good morning everyone! 

The last time I sent you an update (at the end of April), we were coming off a huge evangelistic soccer tournament in Rio Blanco, Nicaragua. Since then, several noteworthy things have happened. So this is my attempt to share some of those happenings and highlight how God has continued to bless.

Pastor’s Discipleship Retreat

In late May in Parkville, Missouri, we did a small retreat to help pastors and discipleship leaders collaborate on how to sharpen their effectiveness in making disciples in their various ministry settings.

Almost everyone on the retreat has been on regular Zoom calls with Bill and me for more than two years. This was the first time to be all together in person. As a result of that retreat, several partnerships were formed for facilitating more training on Disciple Making Movements (DMMs). Stay tuned for more news about that in the future!

Guatemala Soccer Followup

Ever since our big Guatemala soccer evangelism trip of 2022, we have been trying to encourage follow-up to the many decisions made. Much of our efforts have focused on Monjas, Guatemala, where we have a mixture of friends doing cowboy ministry, soccer, a children’s home, and several churches that we have partnered with on various projects.

The week of July 2-10, we funded Eduardo Mejia and Eyner Garcia, of Nicaragua, to spend a week with Cesar Gonzalez, connecting the dots in various projects in Monjas. I wasn’t able to be with them because of a long anticipated trip with Nola and 11 of her family members to Spain. (More on that in a minute!)

Since both Eduardo and Eyner were instrumental team members with us in the preparations for the tournament we did there in Monjas two years ago, they were perfect for tagging along with Cesar and speaking from time to time to players and coaches. Since Eduardo is a key leader of Project Hope in Nicaragua, an added bonus was for him to meet some of the key Guatemalan leaders at the James Project Children’s Home in Monjas where we have begun partnering in the last few months. Here’s a few pics of theirs.

Family cruise from Spain To Italy and France!

From July 9-19, Nola and I had the privilege of traveling with 11 of her family members to Spain, where we got on a cruise that made stops along the Mediterranean Sea in Italy and France. Our trip started off in jeopardy due to the cancellation of our main flight to Spain from Dallas. In spite of the 24 hour delay and multiple traveling mishaps in Spain (including getting on the wrong train and one of Nola’s sisters getting pickpocketed of all cash and credit cards!), we still managed to get to our ship with 5 minutes to spare!

I am grateful that our family handled all the traveling curveballs with grace and good humor. Fortunately it did get better! It certainly was a trip that none of us will ever forget!

Hope you are doing well this summer. Let us know what God is doing in your neck of the woods and how we might join you in prayer.

Love y'all!

Steve

PS…Thanks for your faithful support! Even without communicating ahead of time for funding Eduardo and Eyner in Guatemala with Cesar, your steady generosity made it happen! Muchas gracias!

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Nicaragua Soccer Evangelism Trip and May “MAPS”

Here is our Nicaragua soccer evangelism team from Lenexa Baptist right before heading to the soccer stadium in Rio Blanco on Saturday, April 25th. From left to right, you have me, Brian Griffin, Cassity Griffin, Tim Dykman, Heather Mitchell, Jake Solem, Eli Shay, Tony Shay, and Hallie Griffin.

Good morning everyone! 

Our soccer evangelism team from Lenexa Baptist just got home last Sunday night from a week of fast and furious soccer and evangelism in Rio Blanco, Nicaragua. Over the course of the week, we partnered with Eduardo Mejia and a team of 38 Nicaraguans from Project Hope to put on a two-day “Furia Santa” (Holy Fury) tournament. All told there were over 200 teams, more than 1500 players, and hundreds of spectators. Along with the Project Hope team, we partnered with 108 volunteers from local churches in the Rio Blanco area who worked alongside us to talk with people in the stands. As a result, we got to see over 336 people pray to receive Christ!

May Scripture “MAPS” Info

Before I share the story of our Nicaragua trip in pictures, let me say that our 2025 experiment to provide monthly scriptures for a daily conversation with Jesus is now heading into May. I can’t believe how fast this year is going! Below are the links that can get you going. Note that if you haven’t done this before, you can jump in at any time and benefit from this process. FYI, we will have our monthly “MAPS” Zoom call this Sunday, May 4th at 4pm for anyone who would like to meet with several of us doing the same thing.

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• May 2025 MAPS template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, May 4th, at 4pm

Thanks so much for your prayers for our Nicaragua team. It was one of the most enjoyable trips I’ve been on, and a large part of that was because of how well our team gelled with each other and with the Nicaraguans in such a short time. As you will see from the pictures below, we had an amazing adventure!

Love y'all!

Steve

Nicaragua Trip in Pictures!

Before loading the bus in Managua for our 6 hour drive to Rio Blanco, we took this picture of our Project Hope team. An advance team had gone before us the day before to prepare for the rest of the group to follow.

The only real travel mishap of the trip came when our bus arrived at the stadium to get through a narrow gate, and the front left wheel slid into a concrete ditch!

Thanks to the ingenuity of our driver and a couple of mechanics, they were able to jack the wheel up out of the hole and put a board under it to drive it out!

Praying Over the Stadium

On the evening before the tournament, Eduardo Mejia (pictured on the right) directed our team and the church volunteers to walk through the stands and over the field to pray for every person who would come to the tournament and that many would come to know Christ.

From the stands you could see our team walking the field to pray.

Meeting the Mayor and Her Team

The evening before the tournament, the mayor (the woman in the scarf) and her leaders arranged to feed the entire team, and while we waited on the food, they gave us a brief history of Rio Blanco.

Before going to bed the night before the tournament, the drama team did a run-through to be ready for the next day. From left to right are Jake, Eli, Cassity, Brian, Eynor, Meli, and Eduardo. Hiding in the back were Heather and Hallie.

Pregame Preparations

The morning before the tournament began, Eduardo gave instructions to the volunteers from other churches.

The trophies sit at midfield as the players and spectators arrive.

Eduardo (left) and Rene (right) take a a quick photo with the city sports director of Rio Blanco. Rene worked with Eduardo on the tournament logistics and visited Rio Blanco several times with Eduardo in preparation.

The referees pose for a picture for the local news before the games begin.

Before the games, the mayor’s team is recognized at midfield.

The mayor says a few words of greeting.

The DRama

Genaro announces that a team of North Americans and Nicaraguans will do a drama. The mayor’s team stands in the background.

The demons have a tug of war over Meli.

But when Jesus shows up, he casts off the demons…

…and takes away her chains of sin…

…restoring her and setting her free.

And at the name of Jesus all will bow down to Him.

The Gospel in the Ball of Many Colors

Following the drama, Eduardo shares a gospel message using the ball of many colors.

At the end of Eduardo’s message, he leads the crowd in a sinner’s prayer and invites them to raise their hands if they prayed the prayer and meant it.

Here are several boys continuing to hold their hands up.

Our team of counselors from the churches helped people fill out decision cards.

Here, Melvin, one of our interpreters, helps several girls write down their information.

Another volunteer helps a couple of players record their decisions. These two players wound up being on the team that won the men’s division.

Here Hallie took the picture of one of the girls with her card. Each person making a decision was encouraged to get their picture taken with their card. This will be used for the churches to follow up.

Eli takes a picture of another who made a commitment to Christ while Heather looks on.

Spiritual Conversations in the Stands

Brian and Cassity Griffin talk with a young man as Diana interprets for them.

Tim uses the message of our team shirt to share the gospel message with several older boys.

Eli looks on as one of the church volunteers shares with a player.

These ladies pray for several young men.

Jake shares his written testimony with a young man as Jenni translates for him. In the forground are Hallie and Heather.

Diana and Cassity get their pictures taken with these girls who prayed to receive Christ.

Brian shared the gospel with this girl who later wanted to get a picture with us right before her final game to win the tournament. I think she liked the idea of having Eli in the picture with her!

Let the Games Begin!

A view from near the sound board.

Eduardo and the sound guys keep the communication flowing as Eduardo keeps track of the brackets.

As these boys play, in the background is the Musun mountain that is the main landmark for the region. Several rivers start in those hills and they flow to water the surrounding areas.

The big field was divided into eight smaller fields and each team played 5 players at a time. Each game lasted about 10 minutes, so games went by quickly to narrow down the teams to the finals.

Here a girl is being taken off one of the fields to be checked out after a hard fall. Thankfully there were not too many injuries over the two days.

A view from the stands as the men played their final game for the championship.

The Joy of a Team that works

On the last night of the trip, a game of charades became a big hit. Here Hallie holds up a cell phone with an item written on it for the others to act out and for her to guess.

Here a boys team prays before their game.

Before the final for the younger boys division, Rene and the referees share with the boys a sportsmanship thought and then a prayer for both teams.

Before the men’s final, Rene leads in a prayer as both teams stand together.

Each night our team had a devotion and a time for sharing. Here, Melvin (center in black shirt) shares how earlier in the day he and Eli had two younger boys overhear them present the gospel to two young men who were not ready to pray to receive Christ. As Eli and Melvin were about to walk away, the two boys tapped them on the shoulder and said that they wanted to pray the prayer that the other guys didn’t want to pray!

The Trophy Presentations

The trophy presentation for the boys winning team.

Because of the wind, all the banners kept falling over. Here, Tony keeps one of the flags from blowing over.

In almost every area, there are people helping that no one sees. While the trophy presentation is going on, Tim, Heather, Diana, and Cassity keep the banners in place.

The players on the first and second place teams all got medals. Here, Tim, Tony, Eli, and Jake greeted the winners as they got their medals.

The women’s MVP received her trophy from the mayor as several ladies from city hall and our three ladies looked on.

Here’s the men’s winning team with the officials from city hall in front of the trophy for first place!

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Thanks for making it to the end of this! Now YOU deserve a medal!

Our Lenexa Baptist team want to say thanks to you for your faithful prayers!

Guatemala Update, Nicaragua Trip, and More “MAPS”

Good morning everyone! 

I have a lot I’d like to share with you, but I will attempt to keep it short. After I got back from Guatemala at the end of February, my mother had a small stroke (a TIA, they call it) and I have been spending a little more time, along with my sisters, helping Dad care for Mom. Fortunately she is doing better, and I have been getting back to a more normal schedule.

Today, I’d like to share a few pictures from that trip with Ray Gurney, pastor of Cross Creek Baptist in Oak Grove, Missouri. We had a great time and were able to follow up on several projects. We made the rounds between the children’s home in Monjas, our cowboy friends in several places, a senior adult center in Santa Cruz, speaking to a coffee growers class in Barberena, and a motorcycle gathering in Amberes! Before I share those pictures, I want to tell you a little bit about our next adventure in a few weeks.

Soccer trip in Nicaragua April 22-27

We have a team of 9 of us from Lenexa Baptist who will travel to Nicaragua April 22-27 for a soccer related project in Rio Blanco, Nicaragua. Eduardo Mejia, the leader for that ministry in Nicaragua, was here in Kansas City Monday night, March 24th, for a training event, and our team is excited about going! Stay tuned for more about that trip.

“MAPS” Gets Translated into Spanish!

Before I show you trip pictures, I need to let you know that thanks to our good friend, Selvinth Maldonado, our monthly “MAPS” plan for having a daily conversation with Jesus is being translated each month into Spanish! Please pray for Selvinth as he begins another baseball season this week as the chaplain for the Kansas City Royals Spanish speaking players. Down below you will find the links to all our MAPS stuff and to our Zoom call scheduled for this Sunday, March 30th, at 4pm. If you need the Spanish versions, let me know and we can get those to you.

Links to Our April maps eXPERIMENT

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• April 2025 MAPS template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, March 30, at 4pm

As always, we love hearing from you.

Love y'all!

Steve

Guatemala Trip in Pictures!

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

March MAPS plus Guatemala News Coming Soon

The menu board at MAPS Coffee in Lenexa, Kansas

Good morning everyone! 

I just got back from Guatemala and am needing a little more time to sort out my pictures to share more about my recent trip. In the meantime, March is already at our doorstep! Can you believe it?

So for those of us using the monthly MAPS verses, our February MAPS plan ends today. But fortunately for us, Bill Burrows has put together a new set of verses for us to continue on in March! Woo hoo!

Along these lines I want to mention that Nola and I are especially grateful to Bill for putting so much thought into each month’s roadmap for our daily conversations with Jesus. We look forward to each day’s assignment, and it has been a real blessing for us.

You Can Join us In March to do “MAPS”

If you know of someone who might want to join us, feel free to pass this on and invite them to try it. Here are the links below for you to have everything you might need to get started. Note that we have a Zoom call scheduled for Sunday, March 9th, at 4pm for anyone interested in hearing and sharing about how the MAPS process is going.

Links to Our March maps eXPERIMENT

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• March 2025 MAPS template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, March 9, at 4pm

As always, we love hearing from you.

Love y'all!

Steve

PS…If you know anyone interested in a short soccer-related mission trip to Nicaragua April 22-27, have them contact me! See pic below.

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

My friend Eduardo Mejia is sharing a map of Nicaragua and pointing to various places that they have done soccer tournaments. April 22-27 several of us from Lenexa Baptist are joining Eduardo and his team to put on an evangelistic soccer tournament in Rio Blanco, Nicaragua. If you or anyone else might be interested, let me know ASAP!

MAPS Update and Steve Heading Back to Guatemala...Again!

This pic is from last year with Ray Gurney, Cesar Gonzalez, and (in the blue shirt) Eddie Gonzalez, Cesar’s nephew, who is a pastor in La Casita, Guatemala.

Good morning everybody!

Well, our Kansas City Chiefs got humbled on Sunday, and I’m finally off the hook for paying Guatemalan kids in hamburgers to pray for the Chiefs to win! (See the last update for that story!)

I know that we are a week past Groundhog Day, but if it feels like we keep repeating the cycle of me introducing you to our MAPS initiative and then telling you I’m going to Guatemala, this update will NOT dispel that narrative!  

Next Tuesday, February 18th, I am scheduled to go to Guatemala on a trip with my good friend, Ray Gurney, pastor of Cross Creek Baptist in Oak Grove, Missouri. Ray and Cesar planned this trip to celebrate their birthdays. (Ray’s is February 10th, and Cesar’s is the 16th…of the same year!) While celebrating, they had planned to do some motorcycle ministry. But then, after all the developments from our last trip, plans were made to add a quick trip to Monjas to check in with our cowboy friends, the new James Project, and touch base with our soccer friends as well!

While getting Ray up to speed on all the new developments, he mentioned that it would be a lot easier if I just went too! After Cesar joined the arm twisting and after I cleared it with Nola, I decided to book my plane ticket. I’ll share more about all this when we get back. For now, I want to invite you again to our MAPS initiative and tell you a quick story about how this is helping me connect with one of my grandkids.

You Can Still Join us to do “MAPS”!

For those who are new to our updates, “MAPS” is our daily scripture plan for having lifegiving conversations with Jesus that we started as an experiment in January and have continued into February. Because of continued interest, we will have another Zoom call about it on Sunday, February 16th, at 4pm.

My Forgetfulness and God’s Grace

Last week, Nola and I spent a few days in Omaha, Nebraska, with our Nebraska crew (aka Josh, Kristin, Brayden, and Landon) to help in the beginning stages of finishing out a basement.

On Sunday evening, right before going out to celebrate Nola’s birthday, I realized that I had forgotten to do my MAPS for the day, so I pulled out my phone and started working on it. Brayden, my 11 year old grandson looked over my shoulder. “Papi, what are you doing?”

“I’m trying to do my MAPS for today. Do you want to help me?”

“Sure!” Brayden replied enthusiastically. “How does it work?”

“My verse for the day is ‘Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat; or about the body, what you will wear.’” I shared.

“Okay,” Brayden said, hesitating for further clarification.

“We need to say it in our own words,” I said, still looking at my phone, “and then we need to do something about it.”

I’ll spare you what we came up with. But we talked about what each of us tended to worry about, and we came up with an action we both wanted to do. Here was our collaborative prayer that we prayed together: “Jesus, thank You for providing us everything we need for living, eating, and having clothes to wear. And thank You for helping me and Brayden do this together. Amen.”  

I know it was Nola’s birthday, but I felt like I got the best gift of the day!

If you’d like to give MAPS a try, below are all the links to get started!

Links to Our MAPS Info

• Zoom Call Replay of January 26th…

  To play, enter this Passcode: p5j+yd0T

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• February 2025 MAPS template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, February 16th, at 4pm

As always, thanks for your continued prayers for our missions endeavors. If you have a MAPS story, write us!

Love y'all!

Steve

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Nola got to share her birthday last week at GuacaMaya’s Mexican Restaurant in Omaha, Nebraska, with a couple of our grandsons, Brayden and Landon! ¡Feliz Cumpleaños Nola!

Guatemala News and MAPS Update

This is our scout team that came to the James Project in Monjas, Guatemala on a vision trip. There were four churches represented in our group, three from the Kansas City area, and one from Vancouver, Canada!

Good morning everybody!

I’m back from Guatemala and have a lot to share about my recent trip! Before I do that, let me say a few words about our January “MAPS” initiative.

MAPS Update

If you are joining us in this update for the first time, “MAPS” is our daily scripture plan for having lifegiving conversations with Jesus. For those who have engaged in our January experiment, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. I’m grateful that Nola and I have been able to do it together—even with me being out of the country. Besides getting some spiritual traction, we have had some good laughs along the way as I have bumbled along in several of my scriptural commitments! Check out the Zoom call replays for a couple of these stories!

Join Us in February!

Now that we have done this in January, we’d like to keep it going and invite you to jump in with us in February! The focus of this month is: “What is our mind occupied with?” (What are we thinking?)

Below are several links to get started. One is a link to a recording of our last Zoom meeting from January 26th. It starts with me at Arrowhead Stadium right before the Chiefs game! I shared a bit about my trip to Guatemala before Bill led the group in hearing from one another about how it’s been going. Note that our next MAPS Zoom call will be Sunday, February 16th, at 4pm.

Links to Our MAPS Info

• Zoom Call Replay…

  To play, enter this Passcode: p5j+yd0T

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• February 2025 M.A.P.S. template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, February 16th, at 4pm

As always, I love hearing from you. If you have a MAPS story, write us!

Steve

PS…now scroll down below for the Guatemala news and pics!

James Project in Guatemala

Jim Fruth and Dave Owen were my partners on this trip from Lenexa Baptist. Jim is the Executive Pastor at LBC. Dave is a former Lieutenant Governor for the state of Kansas and a former professional roper!

As I mentioned last time, for me, part of this trip was a scout trip to check out the James Project in Monjas, Guatemala. This is a ministry that is rescuing children from abuse and neglect and helping to restore families in crisis. I went down with Jim Fruth and Dave Owen of Lenexa Baptist. After spending time with them, I stayed an extra week to make the rounds with Cesar to touch base with friends in other places doing cowboy ministry, soccer stuff, and a ministry to senior adults in Santa Cruz Narranjo.

From my perspective, I was amazed at how all our connections came together. Here are a few pics to tell the stories.

This is Bryon and Tiffany Applegate. Originally from the Springfield, Missouri, area, they picked up the torch around 2013 from the founders, Joanne Hartley and Carroll Bishop, and are the directors of the ministry.

Tiffany is sharing the view of the surrounding mountains near Monjas. Jim Fruth is looking on from the right.

The first evening at the ministry, the children welcomed us by family units. While there are approximately 115 children cared for at the ministry, the children are given a home and a family unit to stay with. Each family unit consists of about 8-12 children and father and mother figures they call aunts and uncles, who stay with them.

Here’s one of the houses getting ready to sing their theme song to our group.

The children were quick to give hugs to all of us. Here Jim and Dave share a moment with two little girls.

The following day, Bryon took us around the property to see the houses and the agricultural projects they use to raise as much food as possible to feed the children.

Bryon shares how this is a typical home where the children stay. Here we are standing in the kitchen area where the children eat together.

During the tour, I met up with two good friends who work for Project James—Glendy and Manfredo. I’ve known Manfredo for more than 20 years as we have done cowboy ministry at his father’s ranch from time to time. Glendy was one of the leaders in the local Lions Club who helped us in our soccer project a little over a year ago. Incidentally, Glendy grew up in the home and after graduating college moved back to work with Project James. She and Manfedo are counselors and their primary role is helping the children with their court appearances.

Jeff and Chelsea Hatfield, of the Foundry Church in Lenexa, Kansas, share a moment with a little baby in the arms of one of the workers. Some of the teen children come to the center having been impregnated by family members or by random strangers if they have been pimped by the adults in their life.

Here we are praying over the ground of an adjacent property where new structures will house battered women and their children together.

Here, Chelsea prays over a mom with an incredible story of survival and God’s grace. Part of their programs involve helping women outside of the ministry compound who have been widowed or abandoned by their husbands.

After our team left the James Project to go home, Cesar and I came back to Monjas a couple of days later and put on an event at the children’s home with some of our cowboy friends from the Cattlemen’s Association in Monjas and the Lions Club in Monjas. The following pics are from that day.

Cowboy Day at James Project!

On that Saturday morning of the event, we met up with some of our friends at the Cattlemen’s Association rodeo arena in Monjas. When we invited them to come with us to pull off an event with the kids that day, they eagerly jumped into action with us.

When we got to the center, our rancher friends were ready to round up the kids and show them how to rope!

It was a great privilege for Cesar and me to meet Carroll Bishop, one of the founders, who still lives in Monjas and came to our event. Originally from Montana, she was more than happy to put on a cowboy hat to take a picture with Cesar!

Here the president of the Cattleman’s Association brings a greeting to the children.

In short order, Cesar took one of the cowboy ropes and made it a jump rope. Turning the ropes are a couple of our Lions Club friends.

The kids loved the sack races.

Musical chairs is always a hit.

Here Gloria gives a prize to the jump rope champion.

The president of the Cattlemen’s Association and one of the Lions Club members gives a prize to the girl who won the musical chairs competition.

After the competitions, Gloria divided the children up to ask each other what they were thankful for and what they were concerned about. Then she led them to pray for each other. Here she is saying a final prayer of blessing over the children. Gloria is a dedicated teacher and follower of Jesus, and last year I spent several days with them when Cesar and I were following up on our big soccer event in 2023 that saw many soccer enthusiasts and children come to Christ.

Before we left, we got a group picture. Unfortunately, the person who took the picture cut off some folks on the right side of this picture!

I was amazed at how God brought several of our friends together to bless the children of the James Project. Cesar will be going back to Monjas next week as the Cattlemen’s Association will be having their annual fair, and one of the days they will be hosting a free Children’s festival. Since meeting the children at James Project, they wanted to make sure that they are invited to be special guests of the Cattlemen’s Association.

Stay tuned for more info as we partner with Lenexa Baptist and the James Project!

Making the Rounds

Here are a few pics from when Cesar and I met up with friends in various places that second week.

At the Senior Center in Santa Cruz Narranjo, I got to “win” the dancing competition with this dear lady!

Here Cesar gives her a scarf that she proudly wears.

In attendance with us at the Senior Center was the leadership team from the mayor’s office of Santa Cruz Narranjo. Joining us on the far left is Cesar’s son, Cesar Jr., who was visiting Cesar and Elba from Los Angeles for part of that week.

On another day, we set up an event for cowboys in Santa Rosa de Lima. Here, Cesar is directing some boys in hammering in the stakes for some horseshoe throwing.

Melanie, one of Cesar’s granddaughters, tries her hand at swinging a rope.

Here is Cesar with Valentin, one of our good friends who is a pastor near Nueva Santa Rosa, Guatemala. His family has cattle and have grown coffee for decades. Anytime we are in the area, Valentin is quick to help.

One day was spent with several soccer teams we have worked with in the past. Here is a team in Amberes, near Cesar’s home.

One of the older boys’ soccer teams came over to Cesar’s for an evening of food, fun, and a devotion. Cesar got the boys playing Connect 4 before we ate. Two years ago, he got me to promise to buy hamburgers for several of the boys on this soccer team if they would pray that the Kansas City Chiefs would win the Super Bowl! They know little about American football, but they are quite aware that the Chiefs have not lost a Super Bowl since they started praying! So as you can imagine, they are already planning a third annual hamburger party!

A couple days after getting home from Guatemala, I got to attend the AFC Championship game with my sons, Josh, Ryan, and Zac! I’m hoping they will help me with my hamburger fund!

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and support.

Love y’all!

Steve

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Click here to Invest Now

Quick Reminder - Guatemala Trip and M.A.P.S. Update

Steve and Bill will be sharing exciting updates on a ZOOM call this Sunday, January 26, 4-5pm. We hope to see you there.

Zoom Link for Guatemala Trip and MAPS Update

More Maps and Steve HeadiNG to Guatemala

Three of our grandkids, Bridget, Addie, and Connor, help their daddy, our son Ryan, shovel their driveway.

Happy New Year everyone! 

Hope you are staying warm today. Here in Kansas City, we are digging out from a big snowstorm that walloped us this past weekend. Every year when it gets to be snow shoveling time, Nola accuses me of scheduling a Guatemala trip. Well, she is not wrong!

Next Monday, January 13th, I am scheduled to go to Guatemala on a scout trip with Jim Fruth and Dave Owen of Lenexa Baptist. We plan to check out a ministry in Monjas and then meet with some of our cowboy friends in three different places—including Monjas. You might remember that we have done various projects in Monjas through the years. The last big thing was a soccer tournament in 2023 that had a huge impact. We hope to give you a quick report while we are there.

You Can Still Join us to do “MAPS”

Before I head out of the country, I want to let you know that we got a good start on our January MAPS kickoff. This is our daily scripture plan for having lifegiving conversations with Jesus during the month of January. If you are interested in joining us, it’s not too late. We recommend that if you join us, don’t worry about catching up on the days you missed. Just start on whatever scripture is given for that day and keep going.

Below is a link to a recording of our Zoom meeting from December 29th. It highlights some helpful information in getting started. Note that this coming Sunday, January 12th, at 4pm, we’ll do another Zoom meeting to check in with one another to see how it’s going.

Links to Our JaNUARY maps eXPERIMENT

• Zoom Call Replay…

  To play enter this Passcode: &@XI8ju9

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• January 2025 M.A.P.S. template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, January 12th, at 4pm.

Thanks for Your Generosity in 2024

As we turn the corner into 2025, I must say a quick word of thanks for your financial and prayer support in 2024. So many things we were able to do because of your faithful prayers and generosity.

As always, I love hearing from you. If you have a good snowstorm story or pic, send it to me!

Love y'all!

Steve

PS…Here’s another pic…this one of a couple of our grandsons!

Izaiah shows good snowball throwing form while his brother Zeke tries to decide if being out in the cold is worth it!

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210

Get S.M.A.R.T. in 2025

Merry Christmas everyone! 

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did.

I know I am dating myself, but do you remember the “Get Smart” TV series where Maxwell Smart and his trusty sidekick, Agent 99, would solve crimes and deal with international intrigue? If not, you can look it up!

In my update last week, I shared about how I needed to open my heart to God for me to be obedient to His will for me. Today I want to talk about how we can “get smart” and make S.M.A.R.T. commitments when we are following directions from God.

This reminds me of something my grandfather used to say when I was a kid. He said, “We grow too soon old and too late smart!” Back then, I thought the saying sounded kind of funny. Now I look in the mirror and realize how true that is!

How do we grow S.M.A.R.T. in our walk with God?

Making S.M.A.R.T. Commitments

Several of us are about to embark on making daily scriptural commitments to God, and this acrostic has been extraordinarily helpful to me. You might have heard it in a business seminar on setting smart goals. Here, it helps us when seeking to obey God’s directions. To do this we want to make it:

S--Specific  

If our commitment is vague or too broad in scope, it becomes hard to get a win, so the more specific, the better.  

M--Measurable

If our commitment can’t be measured, we won’t know if we’ve succeeded in fulfilling it.

A--Attainable

If our commitment is too big, we get discouraged when we fail. Every big goal needs to be broken down into small, achievable steps that over time might reach what we can’t attain in a day. Small steps over time can get us over the mountain.

R--Relevant

If our commitment is not related to the scripture verse we are trying to obey, we can get unfocused on the main reason we are doing this—to be obedient to God’s directions every day.

T--Time bound

If our commitment doesn’t tell us when we plan to get the job done, we can put it off and procrastinate. Giving ourselves a deadline helps us take action at the appropriate time.

An Example of a S.M.A.R.T. Commitment

Let’s look at Colossians 3:19 and see if we can make a S.M.A.R.T. commitment. The verse says:

Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.

So let’s take a first stab at this and come up with an action that I want to take to be obedient to this verse. I could say this:

My action: Starting today, I want to love my wife more.

Let’s run it through the checklist.

S—Is it specific? No. What specifically am I going to attempt to do to love her? Not clear.

M—Is it measurable? Not really. I’m just going to try to love more.

A—Is it attainable? It’s too vague to even know if I actually was successful.

R—Is it relevant? Yes, it is at least relevant to the passage.

T—Is it time bound? No. There is not a deadline for me to know when to evaluate my commitment.

Take a Mulligan

Let’s try another run at this and see if I can do better.

My action: By God’s grace, on Tuesday when I get home around 6pm, I will find Nola and express my love for her. I will hand her a single red rose, give her a kiss, and tell her how much I appreciate her.  

S—Is it specific? Yes. I can clearly see what I get to do.

M—Is it measurable? Yes. I even know how many roses and what actions are involved!

A—Is it attainable? Yes. I can do it.

R—Is it relevant? Yes, it is relevant to the scripture that directs me to love my wife and not be harsh with her.

T—Is it time bound? Yes. I need to do it on Tuesday at 6pm.

Get S.M.A.R.T. with me in January

You, YES YOU!, can join me and others in our January experiment. Use these links to register, get the January MAPS template and join us on the zoom call.

• Register for Scripture MAPS here

• January 2025 M.A.P.S. template available here NOW

• Zoom link for a call on Sunday, December 29th, at 4pm.

Let’s Go for it when the Ball Drops!

With only a few days left before our Zoom call this Sunday, I’m getting excited! I pray that what we do together will help all of us get some spiritual momentum when the ball drops at midnight on January 1st.

As always, I love hearing from you, so keep those cards and letters coming!

Love y'all!

Steve

PS…If you are wanting to get a final end of year gift to us, remember that anything postmarked by December 31st counts towards 2024 giving.

You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:

Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210