God Will Comfort Us

Friday was a tough day for me.  I had to drive some and that is not easy to do in another country where there are few rules.  There are lots of people that walk in the street and bicycles and motorcycles also ride in the street with cars.  Motorcycles go around cars all the time.  It is just very difficult to say the least.  I think it is especially difficult for me because I really like rules.  I have a hard time when there are no rules.   So at the end of the day when the driving is done, I just came home and told Danny that I don’t want to drive anymore.  I know that puts a lot of pressure on him, but it is too much for me.   I just have to ask God to help me during this time.  It was a difficult day and Saturday was no different.  Danny was sick and could not make it to the breakfast at San Cristobal El Bajo.  I was going to drive everyone there with the food, but that proved to be difficult as well.  It seemed that there were more obstacles in my way than normal.  I could not even drive a short distance for something as important as the kids eating breakfast.  I came back home and told Danny I just could not do it.  Manuel was on his way over already to get Danny’s motorcycle.  He drove himself and Janet over to bring the breakfast food so the kids did not have to go without because of my inability.  The enemy tries to break us down and destroy us, but God can do ALL things.

Also, Danny had stomach sickness on Friday and Saturday.  Brayden and I had a bout with it as well.  It is not easy when the kids are sick, but it is really hard when Danny is sick.  We depend on him for so much.  We don’t get much done when Danny is sick.

Today was a gift from God above.  We took two truckloads of people to church and had a wonderful service.  I got to talk to the kids on the way to and from church a little more than I usually do.  That was really cool!  Then this afternoon we had a fun day of soccer with our church family.  That was so much fun!  Brayden played with six to twelve year olds and I played with the ladies.  Brayden enjoys soccer very much and he really gets in there and plays hard.  It was my very first time to play a game of soccer.  I had a lot of fun, but boy was I tired.  I don’t know if you know a lot about soccer, but there are no timeouts and no breaks, except one between halves.  Whew!  I will probably be pretty sore tomorrow from all the running. 

It just amazes me how God can answer my prayers in the blink of an eye.  A missionary friend called me on Friday about thirty minutes after getting home from driving.  I was able to talk to her for a while.  She has been here for a year and the traffic issue is something we definitely talk about a lot.  The church family event was planned before my need arose.  I needed something to remind me that I love being here and serving my God in this capacity.  I didn’t like being here very much on Friday, but God is always here for me.  He changed my mind so quick that I didn’t have time to be sad and homesick for long.

I love so much to receive your emails and comments.  It is so very encouraging.  I am looking forward to seeing some Fairview family in a few weeks!  I love you all and count on your prayers!  

Kim

Tuesday Challenges and Heartbreak

TUESDAY MORNING

Monday night we received a call from our Guatemalan friends that run the childcare/orphan care ministry in Saturno called the Steven House.  Our friends begin to share that one of the teachers was sick, and the other had a class on Tuesday to help her to learn more about being a teacher.  The husband and wife team that run this ministry both work daily jobs.  This meant that Kim and I were being asked to be the substitute teachers for the day.

Going into the Steven House on Tuesday morning, we both knew it could end up to be a very difficult and frustrating day.  The main concern for us was the language barrier.  The other concern was just the everyday problems that all daycare's face each day.  The crying, fighting, biting, messy diapers, etc. that comes with working with 1-6 year old children.

Kim and I both believe Jesus must of been right there beside us.  I could almost see him putting his hand on the kids' head and telling them in a gentle voice "all is well".  I imagine myself being in these children's shoes.  Having these two white people that can't even speak much Spanish teach me in my own country.  But... all was well.  The day went off with no major problems and only a few minor ones.  I wish I had some video of these children as they would hold me around the neck and stare into my eyes with the biggest of smiles upon their faces. 

We continue to learn to trust in the Lord.  We continue to learn that He is in control.  We are to just do whatever He asked us to do, and do it faithfully.

TUESDAY EVENING

Every Tuesday evening around 6:00 pm I go with my dear brother Manuel from the church here in San Pedro Las Huertas to San Cristobal El Bajo for our small group meeting.  Manuel's sister has started coming with us on Tuesday evenings as well.  We walk up the footpath road and head towards the tiny house on the side of the hill.  This home is the home of a wonderful, dear family that allows for their property to be used for the children's breakfast and Bible study on Saturday mornings.  The home is a one-room home with the open fire stove right outside the only door.  There are four beds inside this one-room home and no more.  We take a seat on a bed with many children and their parents doing the same.  The owner of the home always gives her guests a drink of atol (warm rice milk) or fresca (a fruit and water mix).  Manuel thanks God for the day and opens us in prayer.  We then have Bible study with the 3 families that attend, and close in prayer.  These are always wonderful meetings and the experience is one that... let's just say you'd have to be there.  

I do want to share something about this particular meeting that I feel is important for you to know to pray for the situation.  After our Bible time, one of the ladies started crying.  She is a single mother of five children.  She currently has no home.  Her home was washed away one year ago by a mudslide that was produced from the tropical storm Agatha.  She and her children currently live with her brother and his family in a one-room home.  As she was crying, she was telling of the past 3 days.  The past 3 days her and her children had nothing to eat.  They only had water.  That means her children hadn't eat since we took breakfast up to San Cristobal on Saturday morning.  She was telling how she had worked cleaning some clothes for some people, but they didn't pay her.  This is very common amongst the Guatemalan people in this area.  Through her tears you could see the desperation for her to feed and care for her children.  Her five kids are from 2-10 years of age.  Manuel, Janet, and myself was able to leave her a few dollars for some food for her family.  Kim and I plan to talk with the pastor today about how we can best help this family.  

Please continue to pray for the Guatemalan ministry.  This is just one of many stories we face each day with the people God has called us to serve.  

In Christ,

Danny 

 

 This is the youngest of the 5 children mentioned in the story above.  His name is Alen.

The is Norma.  The single mother of 5 children mentioned in the story above.

New People in Our Lives

A few weeks back one evening Danny and I went on the roof to check to see if the clothes were dry enough to take off the line.  We were chatting about the day and Danny noticed the neighbors moving a lot of wood.  He and Brayden walked around the block so they could help.  He was able to meet our neighbors that lived two houses over behind ours.  There are nine people that live in the tiny “house” built of tin and wood.  Only one elderly male lives there among the rest of the females and a baby boy.  Danny and Brayden helped with a massive amount of old rotting wood that they were moving from the street into their yard.  When Danny and Brayden came back home, twelve year old, Guadelupe, brought over a glass of juice with fruit in it for a thank you.  Danny invited Guadelupe and her sister Madelin over to play the next day.  They are very sweet girls that are workers.  We taught them how to play the card game of “Uno.”  Then they had dinner with us.  On Friday evening Guadeloupe brought two of her older sisters with her to our youth meeting.  This family is Catholic and does not attend church currently.  Please pray for their salvation.  We need to know much more Spanish to share with them about the love of our Savior.  However, we can invite them to church with us.  They have been in attendance at our last three youth meetings so far.

Our last few youth meetings we have had close to thirty people.   That is quite a crowd for our house.  We had to rearrange the furniture to fit everyone.  Our neighbor, Carlos, has been fabulous to translate for us each week.  Please continue to pray for these meetings.  Last night, Manuel, a member from our church gave the lesson.  These meetings are such a fun time.  Last nights meeting was quite a different picture from that first meeting where everyone was so quiet and nervous.  Last night I enjoyed hearing them talk amongst themselves before we got started and the laughter was so loud the neighbors might kick us out.  They are still very cautious about helping themselves to the food.  They are very respectful of things and would never just take without something being offered to them first.  It is difficult to serve the way we used to serve food by telling them to just help themselves.  We are basically having to put the food on their plates and pour their drinks so they know it is ok to eat and drink what is in front of them.  It is very cultural to ask permission before entering a room or eating a meal.

I would like to tell everyone thank you so much for your continued prayers for all the different things that God has us doing here.  Your emails and comments on facebook continue to encourage us as well.  We welcome all of your feedback.  There are several that write to us on a regular basis and to those we are truly grateful to read your messages.  We love you all very much and are so blessed to have so many prayer warriors among our friends.  One friend told me she would pray especially for me to have lots of close friends here.  God has been faithful to this dear lady’s prayers.  I have met so many people, but yesterday I was able to meet a single missionary lady that serves close by.  She also introduced me to a missionary couple that live very near us.  We have not met them before because they have been in the states since before we arrived.  I have also begun walking twice a week in the mornings with my neighbor.  God is so good!  

Kim