November and December 2023 Update

The team from New Creation Fellowship Exploring the Ruins

November and December flew by for us, and the Holidays were here so quickly! November was a fun month for several reasons, specifically at “Refuel” our English only gathering for missionaries. We had an American missionary and her Guatemalan boyfriend come to Refuel and the boyfriend started inviting his Guatemalan friends who have been consistently coming as well. They are learning English and get to hear and sing the gospel each week. We have invited them to church as well (none of them have a church they attend), so be praying they join us! 

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we had a team from New Creation Fellowship in Spokane join us for a scouting trip. They brought 7 adults, and they were SO MUCH FUN!! We loved having them here and were sad when they left. We are looking forward to having them come back with a youth team. Matt and Nick both preached at our church together, one in Spanish and one in English. We spent time with Luis visiting families, taking them baskets of food, sharing the gospel and praying for them. One family had two kids with birthdays coming up but they could not afford to buy cake, so after we prayed for them one team member asked their mom if he could give money to buy a cake and the boys just lit up. “We get cake?” Another family we visited were already following Christ. It's always such a gift to give food and pray for families who are trusting the Lord to provide for them in hard situations. We heard of their testimonies of past drunkenness, infidelity, and physical abuse but how the love and forgiveness of Christ taught one spouse to love and forgive the other. Because of that they remained married, leading to the salvation of the other spouse. I, Kadi, remember an impactful sermon where the pastor explained how the gospel is reflected in a marriage through leading, submitting, loving and forgiving. It is such an encouragement to me to see the gospel lived out in the marriages and testimonies of those we meet. 

Matt and Nick Preaching

We also spent some time just praying for Luis, on the side of a busy highway, as he and his family seek what the Lord has next for them. The area where we do home visits doesn’t have a solid church, and they are praying about starting one. We are praying alongside them and would ask you to do the same. It is a large commitment to start a church, and includes financial needs and would mean they couldn’t continue doing all the ministry they currently do. They are such a faithful family, have had a huge impact on us, and we are praying the Lord clearly leads them. 

December! December 8 was Dan’s LAST day of seminary! He worked diligently to finish and to finish well. We are so proud of him and also so thankful that he is done! Praise the Lord!

Dan Uploading his Last Seminary Paper

As most of you already know, we are on tourist visas while living in Guatemala. We have chosen not to become residents here because any income we have would require us to pay tax in Guatemala as well. Kadi would not be able to work for US companies, which is about 80% of our income. So, with us being on a tourist visa, we must leave the country every 6 months in order to renew them. Gary and Nancy, Dan’s parents, met us in Belize (just an hour away from us by air). They graciously gifted us a Christmas/Visa renewal trip where we spent 5 days playing in the warm, beautiful water with them. It was great for our kids to get time with their grandparents. It is very hard for them to be away from family and friends, so we are always thankful when we have the opportunity to spend time with people we love.

The Kids in Belize

Also, please enjoy this end of year video recap: