San Cristobal Sacatepequez

January 8,2011

Our family made our first visit today to the village of San Cristobal Sacatepequez in the mountains near our home in San Pedro las Huertas.  Pastor Israel, his wife, Manuel, Carlos, and other leaders from the local church (Iglesia Vid Verdadera) here in San Pedro took our family to visit one of the local ministries of the church.  We took breakfast to feed around 30 children, sang songs, and had Bible study with them.  This was an amazing experience for our family to serve alongside our local church.  The church feeds the children breakfast on Saturday's, twice per month.  One of the leaders of the church, Manuel, goes to San Cristobal every Saturday evening to have Bible study with the adults in a small home.  Manuel also makes house visits in this village every Tuesday and Thursday evening to have prayer with families.  This is one of the many extremely poor villages in Guatemala.  Many of the families harvest coffee beans in near by plantations.  Depending on the season, they make around $3-$5 per day.  I met a young boy named Douglas that has 2 brothers and 1 sister.  He recently had a younger sister die from sickness.  His mother left the family, and he and his siblings live with their father.  The father works every day and leaves the 4 kids alone at the home.  Douglas is 13 years old and the oldest.  They search the trash at the bottom of the mountain and the end of the road for food and toys.  Douglas is very sick, and has a hard time breathing.  I could hear his chest rattling every breath he took.  His father doesn't believe in medicine and gives him caterpillars soaked in alcohol for his medicine.  Douglas' sister has been taken from the home and put in a hospital.  She is extremely sick and they took her because of the recent death of her sister from illness.  In the U.S., we rely on doctors and medicine for most of the time when we feel sick.  Here, we must trust that God will heal Douglas and his siblings.  Please pray for Douglas and this family.  Please pray for this impoverished and diseased village of San Cristobal Sacatepequez.  Please pray that through the local church they will come to know Christ as their Savior. 

God Bless,

Danny