Hello Everyone!
Thank You! Cesar and I thank God for your prayers and support each day. Your faithfulness is paying off. The Gospel is spreading in Guatemala!
As I write this note, I have just come out of the jungle and am trying to get my head back into civilization and modern communications. When I close my eyes, I can still hear the howling monkeys. And when I tune my ear, I can hear the songs and praises to God of the 40 people crammed in and around a hut who have just started a new church since November.
Aníbal (white shirt), pastor in Sejux, and his new congregation sing praises.
In a new twist, Cesar and I have brought five Kekchi friends from the jungle who will be traveling with us for four more days as we make our rounds visiting some of our new groups. Every day as we travel, we are doing both formal and informal training on the Play. Story. Eat. process. So far it has been extraordinarily good. Having the extra time with our Kekchi leaders is making it easier for them to digest the training, and we can do a lot of it as we go.
Kekchi group traveling with us: Left to right is Aníbal, Lorenzo, Cesar, Jose, and Jose's daughter Maria.
In the next few days, we will be meeting with cowboys, coffee growers, and women’s leaders. Also, our Kekchi group plays the marimba, so at each gathering (including Cesar’s 70th birthday party Saturday, Feb. 17!) they will add extra spice to our meetings. In addition, we want to see if having a mix of cultures offers us a way for the various groups to get a vision of how the missionary process and principles can work for any group.
The Kekchi team played the marimba on our first stop near El Estor, Guatemala.
10:02 Prayer
Pray that this week we will equip someone in each group to be able to facilitate a group in their area. As of this writing, we have already touched base with 5 different areas and key leaders in our visits. Each place seems primed and ready to grow.
Invest
For this trip, special thanks go out to our friends from Orangecrest Church in Riverside, California. Because of their monthly support for jungle church planting, we have been able to support the work of this newest church in the jungle and have the resources to do this special training this week. Thanks Josh De La Rosa and your team!
Engage
In the months of March and April, Bill Burrows and I will be going to Texas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska to do several different PSE training events. Stay tuned for the exact dates and schedules for each.
Thanks for your continued prayers this week. We believe that our open doors and opportunities here in Guatemala are due to your faithful prayers on our behalf. Muchas gracias!
Love y’all!
Steve