Good morning everyone!
It’s been a little over a week since we got home from our Lenexa Baptist Guatemala mission trip, and wow! Have we got some great news to share! As we mentioned before the trip, this team was scheduled to work in several public schools in the department of Santa Rosa, doing “Play. Story. Eat.” evangelism in three elementary schools and three high schools. And as a result of this team’s outreach, 614 children and adults made professions of faith!
Here is our Lenexa Baptist Guatemala team. From left to right on the front row are Courtney Neland, Jason Neland, Maggie Neland, Nola Reed, Steve Reed, and Ken Miller. On the back row from left to right are Anthony Cox, Jake Solem, Makayla Johnson, Benjamin Johnson, Luke Neland, Ellie Conaway, Claire Henderson, Josh Neland, Evie Neland, Kisla Rodriguez, Gracie Neland, Angela Miller, and Anna Powell.
Your Prayers Answered in Big ways!
Before we get into some of the stories, our team would like to say “Muchas gracias” to you for your prayers. In the last update, I listed several things to pray about, and God answered every one of your prayers—especially those prayers for effectiveness in communicating our testimonies and the gospel! Down below I will take each of those prayer concerns and mention how God answered each prayer so specifically.
Note that each day the team was scheduled to have about four hours in a particular school to do a combination of fun activities, classroom presentations, sports, faith stories, and share a snack and refreshment with the kids. Our team of 20 divided into four teams, and each team took a classroom to share testimonies, play games, and invite people to respond to the gospel message and pray to receive Christ. Those that prayed gave us their names and sometimes phone numbers, and that is how we kept count of those responding.
I have so many pictures to share with you! Each picture conveys a wonderful story that excites us, and we hope they might inspire you. Don’t miss the picture and story of a teacher who told me how we had impacted her as a child 20 years ago!
But before I show you those pictures, I want to highlight the answered prayers and how you can respond.
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.)
God answered your prayers! You prayed for:
1. Safety in travel for the team. We made it there and back with no issues. And even though it rained almost every day, the rains never stopped any of our outdoor activities!
2. Each of our team members to stay healthy and be unified. We had a couple of days where several of our team had stomach bugs. Thankfully that only lasted a short time and all got better quickly. Our team did demonstrate a contagious love for each other and for those we encountered. Their flexibility was also evident as we navigated multiple changes each day.
3. Each member of the team to have an opportunity to personally lead someone to Christ through their testimony. Wow! Was that prayer answered in spades! Every team member had the opportunity to share their testimony at least once a day and many several times each day. Our team was able to connect well and were able to share the gospel clearly, persuasively, and with much joy. And 614 came to Christ as a result!
4. The follow-up plans. With so many new converts, there is much to be done to follow up. Pray especially for Cesar Gonzalez and his wife, Elba, as Cesar will be leading follow-up teams in each location.
ENGAGE
We plan to divvy up the names of those who came to Christ among our team so that we can pray for every one by name. If you would like to be a part of a prayer team that joins us in praying for these people, let me know, and we can give you a portion of these names to pray for.
INVEST
Thank you for your continued investment in this ministry. Your giving made the difference for us to do what we did. We are so grateful to God and to you for the many blessings we have received in the process of doing this work.
You can give through the link below, or checks can be sent to:
Daybreak International, 11628 Oakmont St., Overland Park, KS 66210
Thanks again for your support. Please let us know about any of your prayer needs.
Now, check out these pictures!
Back to School!!!
Our first school was in Santa Rosa de Lima.
I took a selfie with our classroom in Santa Rosa de Lima. Best I recall, most of these students prayed to receive Christ!
Here, Kisla Rodriguez, one of our team translators (left), helps Nola tell her story in a classroom.
Our team of younger folks were like rock stars the whole week taking pictures with hundreds of kids. In this pic are Anna, Josh, Claire, Makayla, Ellie, and Benjamin.
In Santa Rosa de Lima, the students perform a marching band number for us.
This is at a high school in Santa Rosa de Lima.
Jason Neland promotes a game of football. Benjamin, Ellie, and Gracie look on.
Jason teaches a group of high school students how to execute an American football play. Amazingly they got the idea and wound up enjoying their first chance to play an actual game!
Anna and Gracie share a moment with several high school students and a teacher in Santa Rosa de Lima.
Claire Henderson brought hundreds of balloons and made various animals for the children in this elementary school in Amberes.
This little girl loves her butterfly balloon Claire made.
Courtney Neland does a craft with a few children at an elementary school in Amberes.
Gracie Neland braids a girl's hair while Makayla gets a big hug from another little girl.
Claire, Ellie, and Jake "die" in the water skit while Josh is waiting in the wings to come searching for water as well.
This teacher at an elementary school in Amberes told me a story of how 20 years ago, when she was 10 years old, she had come to a bonfire we had at Cesar Gonzalez' house for about 60 kids. She remembered us roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and telling stories that she said changed her life. She told us that what we shared that night had made a difference in her marriage! Today, she is married and has two children and believes from personal experience that what we were doing today would have a similar result on these children!
During a sports day at a school in Amberes, I interacted with a group of kids over the message of the colored soccer ball. Evidently a class of about 25 students had missed getting a visit in their classroom the day before because their teacher had taken her sick child to the doctor. On the spot, we talked with the class, and there on the sidelines, all 25 of those children prayed to receive Christ! On further review I found out that their teacher was a good friend of ours who we have worked with for years. She was ecstatic that we had made the connection.
Ken Miller and his daughter, Angela, share a moment with these children in Amberes.
Anthony and Luis, one of our Nicaraguan pastor friends who had come to help Cesar during the week, got in a friendly arm wrestling match while several boys from Amberes watched.
In Amberes, these girls connected with Gracie and wanted her to play on their team.
Jason shares with a kindergarten class after his daughter, Maggie, had shared her testimony.
Jason and his group got a picture with their grade school classroom in El Carrizal.
Anthony does a balancing trick at an elementary school in El Carrizal. Anthony's story is an amazing one about how for 45 years he was a drug addict, and for a few years he was homeless. Now, more than 2 years sober, he is living a new life in Jesus!
Evie and these girls try their hand at balancing the brooms.
Josh, dressed as a lion, does the limbo while Courtney and Claire give an assist.
Once the kids started, they all wanted to do the limbo, too!
Makayla and Ken turn the rope for several boys jumping rope.
Claire and Ellie are amazed at this little boy's skill at spinning a top on Ellie's hand.
Ken Miller and his team take a pic with their class at a high school in El Carrizal. Pictured left to right are Evie, Angela, Benjamin, and Makayla. The girl with the sash had just won the title of Miss Independence Day.
In Amberes, the final games for the elementary school were decided by penalty kicks!
Jake played goalie for one of the boys teams and had to defend some penalty kicks himself!
Benjamin Johnson and Luke Neland help with the trophy presentation as the high school principal looks on.
Luke wound up playing goalie for one of the high school teams in Amberes.
Makayla Johnson gives a trophy to one of the winning girls teams. Makayla played college volleyball for Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri, where she met her now husband, Benjamin.
In Amberes, the teachers wanted to challenge the gringos in a basketball game. Here Evie dribbles down the lane while her mom, Courtney, blocks, and dad, Jason, refs the game.
Anna is looking to pass while the teachers double down on defense.
Josh prepares to launch the ball to a teammate while Evie looks on.
Jason and I pose for a pic with Hamid, one of our pastor friends from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. We have known Hamid for over 20 years! But years ago, when Jason first met him, both were young men, and Hamid was a semi professional soccer player. This particular day, he had driven several hours to come speak to some of our soccer players. Below is an old pic of Jason and a few of his buddies with Hamid. See if you can pick them out!
A pic from 20 some years ago! Do you see Jason and Hamid?
Here Cesar introduces Hamid before he speaks to a group of soccer players.
Several of our girls played with some girls from a soccer club run by Maria, one of our good friends. Top row includes Claire and Gracie. Bottom row has Ellie, Kisla, and Anna.
Gracie, Claire, and Anna got their money's worth and played a second game with another team!
Claire and Gracie try to team up to steal the ball.
Kisla gathers the ball while Anna closes in on her.
Benjamin, a former college soccer player for Evangel Universtiy in Springfield, Missouri, shows his stuff on a penalty kick.
Ken, Angela, and Luke make sandwiches for the soccer players to eat when they finish their game.
On one of the last days, the local fire department, which had accompanied us on two of the days of sports games, came to Cesar's house for a demonstration.
Here, Kisla volunteered to see if she could get the gear on in less than three minutes.
To finish off their presentation, the fire department does the "ladder of the wind" and unveils an American flag to honor our team.
After the firemen did their demonstration, Cesar wanted us to do the "brand" skit. Cesar narrated the story of how multiple people die without Jesus. Here, Jason gets to be one of the first, dying as a famous man.
Cesar got the firemen to get Jason and carry him away. His brand of being famous didn't help him get to heaven.
Ken died as a rich man. His brand was his money. It didn't help him gain heaven either.
Anthony died as a drunk, whose brand was whiskey. After the skit, Anthony told his true story of being a drug addict, alcoholic, and homeless man. After sharing his testimony, and how he had come to Christ and been mentored by Jason for the past couple of years, every one of the firemen prayed to receive Christ as well!
On one of our last mornings in Guatemala, I took most of the team on a sunrise hike in Amberes.
This route is where I like to run when I'm in Amberes. This morning I took the crew to where I like to catch a few beautiful views.
With the recent rains, this stream was a little more full than normal.
The team took a few minutes to explore the river.
Angela and Anna posed along the trail.
The mountains of Guatemala can get into your heart and mind.
On our next to last day in Guatemala, Makayla had a birthday, and we all celebrated with her! Here, Elba and Cesar Gonzalez look on as Kisla pulls off the candles and Nola cuts the first cake! It looks like Maggie will get one of the first pieces!
On Sunday evening, we had a great visit with Juan Jose Davila, the mayor of Santa Rosa de Lima, pictured here in the white ball cap. As a result of our time together, he wants to continue working with us and was excited about what we did in the schools in his city.
This is now the end of the pictures! Thanks for tracking this to the very end!
Love y’all!
Steve