Home Improvement for Jose and Flor

Last week I was able to purchase lamina (corrugated metal panels) for a family in need that I wrote about in the previous blog. I also bought wood posts and nails so they could secure the roofing material. Today I went with Pastor Efrain from San Pablo La Laguna to dedicate the home and see the home improvements they made. Flor was home with her three children and was very happy to have new lamina on the home. They made an extension to the front of the home which they will use for a cooking area, which is much better for their health as many families cook inside the home with wood and the smoke causes lots of respiratory problems for the children as well as adults. The city is bringing water to the families and hopefully beginning next year they will have electricity. Their home is still very meager but the family is happy to have a home that does not leak water. It was raining very hard when we visited today but their home was perfectly dry. They still need many things like a cement floor, pila to wash their clothes and dishes, stove, and beds for the children. Thanks to the generous donations of friends this family has a better home to live in than what they had previously.

A Family in Need

A few weeks ago I received a call from a lady named Flor who lives in Pastores asking for help to build a home for her family. I have know her for several years as she washed cars by Higher Grounds Coffee House until the city put a ban on it. Flor is married with 3 children. Her husband is a block layer but has not been able to find much work. This week I received a donation from a friend who supports our ministry and I felt that I should use the donation to help Flor. Yesterday I went to visit her home to make sure there truly was a need and as you can see from the pictures their home is not in a very liveable condition. The roof does have the corrugate metal but some of it has holes and it is held down by rocks not nails. The side walls are made of canvas or plastic. She said the home gets very hot in the day and cold at night. The floor is dirt and the family has one bed to share. They have no running water or electricity and lack a pila to be able to wash their dishes and clothes so they use a wheelbarrow. After seeing their living conditions it did not take much more convincing to want to help them. Today I purchased the metal roofing pieces along with some posts and nails. The material will be delivered tomorrow and Flor said they would have the home constructed by Sunday so I plan to visit the family to pray for their humble home. They still have many needs and I ask for your prayers for them.

Precious in the sight of God

Last Saturday a brother in Christ, Paul Bathurst, from England went on to meet the Lord. Paul died suddenly and it was a surprise to me when I found out on Monday morning. His health never was very good while he was in Guatemala but he truly felt that Guatemala was his home. He was 69 years old but was active in his service to the Lord. He spent many hours volunteering at local orphanages and took a special interest in helping a shoe shine boy and his family whom he met over 10 years ago. My last conversation with Paul was after our Thursday night meeting which he regularly attended. He talked to me about doing a sketch board drawing in the Central Park of Antigua to attract people and be able to share the gospel message. Paul loved the Lord and actively sought opportunities to share his faith. I will miss "Pablo" as we called him but he is in a pain free, sickness free place worshipping the Lord he served.
He was buried at the cemetery in Antigua, Guatemala today. They wheeled his casket to a common grave area where he was placed in the ground. It rained hard as we waited and I think they were Paul's tears of joy being in the presence of the Lord.

DTS Week 4

We have just finished our 4th week of the DTS. So far we have had instruction on:
week 1 Intimacy with God
Week 2 The Character and Nature of God
Week 3 The father heart of God and his family
Week 4 Intercession
The students are great and are learning many principles that they are applying to their lives. Today we went to visit Ana, who was in and accident 7 months ago in which she suffered a severaly fractured hip. Surgery has been ruled out at this time since it is too risky. She has 5 children and her husband Manuel has recently lost his job. The students went to the mercado and bought food for them and we delivered to their home. We prayed for Ana and are believing God for a miracle.