September and October 2023 Update

Kaylee Serving at Field of Dreams Feeding Center

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Seth Serving with a Tree Ministries Missions Team

September started with returning to school for the kids. We are praising the Lord that this year has gone so much smoother for us. Each of our kids has done exceptionally well adjusting to being back in school mode. They all wish they could actually attend school, but we have made a greater effort to spend time with families who have kids their same ages to make up for what they are lacking. When Melanie, with Tree Ministries, hosts a team she usually invites 1-2 of our kids along to help. This provides some social interaction which is incredibly helpful and encouraging to our kids. In September, Melanie had a team from Ohio here and Seth spent a day helping translate as they took water filters and food baskets to families in need, explaining how to use them. Our whole family went one evening to help with an outreach event for a local community. It rained the whole night, but the turnout was great. Families heard the gospel, were invited to church, and given a Bible.

Kids Playing at the Carnival the Tree Ministries Missions Team Put On

The teen girls started a new book called, “This Changes Everything, How the Gospel Transforms the Teenage Years” and it is excellent if you are looking for something to read with teenagers. The author really challenges the girls to live for Christ as teenagers and reject the norm of rebellion.

Dan Buying Bibles, Kaylee & Jasmine Handing Them Out

Dan and Juan Carlos finished their first elder training book with Andreé and it was the first book he had ever finished. The majority of Guatemalans do not read for pleasure or growth, so this was a huge accomplishment. They also made a trip to Guatemala City to buy Bibles for graduates from Light of the World School with money donated for Bibles. They continue to meet weekly and are all super encouraged after the meetings. Dan has also been helping design a website for the school and church and is excited to continue using his multimedia skills in this new stage of life. We have also started having “family dinners” once a month, where our three families eat a meal, worship, and pray together as well as play a game or do something fun.

Playing a Game Together with Our Phones & the TV after a Family Dinner

We have had some political unrest which started Oct 1st. The current AG tried to disqualify the newly elected president and refused to back down and let him peacefully transition over the next few months. Indigenous people took to the streets and blocked traffic to over 130 main roads so people were unable to get to/from work, hospitals, grocery stores, etc. The first week was the worst because of some PTSD from COVID-19 where most grocery stores were cleaned out of food and supplies which caused a panic. Roads were blocked from our house to our church and to the town where most people from the church live. Thankfully, that was short-lived. We are continuing to have “civil unrest” but it has mainly remained very peaceful and even festive parties have happened in the middle of the blocked streets. The election cycle ends today, Oct 31 so we are expecting more uprisings from Guatemalans as the current administration is not backing down. The US applied sanctions to several Guatemalan officials, but it is predicted to only make things worse.

Church Game Night

We are looking for ways to have more fun and fellowship with our church members, especially during this time of blockades, so we set up a game night. Nearly all the church families came. We ate together and played games for hours.

Ladies’ Lunch

We also had a ladies' lunch at our house where we made an American meal and dessert together and then attempted to make cake pops to take to our neighbors and invite them to church. They turned out more like sad little fails, but we had a lot of fun and are planning a Christmas Cookie event to which our female neighbors will be invited.

Scroll down for more photos from the last two months.