Guatemala Preview Update

We are on day 3 of the preview trip here in Guatemala. It has already been an extremely valuable experience for us as we have developed a great relationship with our host missionaries. The ministries that we have seen here are in great need of short-term teams. I'll try to explain. Above is a picture of the squatters village called "paradise". It is basically built on an old garbage dump. We are told that digging footers for foundations in new construction projects is like doing an archeological dig as each shovel full has mysterious treasures of the past.

Today we were able to visit some of the homes of just a few of the people who GSM has been working with. Below is a picture of from inside a house that is currently under construction. This will replace a tin shack that several people are currently living in.

Here is Drew, pictured with 6 of the 15 people that live in this small house. I can't explain how small it actually is and didn't feel good about doing a photoshoot inside their living area. They were gracious enough to let us take this photo. What we saw was shocking.


Here we are pictured on one of the soon to be soccer fields located behind the Shalom Baptist Church. Some of the guys worked hard today, hacking weeds with macheties in order to clear this ground for a future field. GSM has plans to develop this property with several soccer fields and it will take the work of many to make it happen.


This is just the view east across the valley. It is always amazing to see these homes.


Here we are taking a tour of Hogar de Ninos in Vida Nueva (about an hour from Guatemala city). This is a childrens home/private school that educates about 400 students and is a residential care facility for approximately 40 children. They have amazing facilities with plans to continue improving and developing their ministry to also include a day care.


I cannot say how important this trip has been for Simply Missions. I am extremely excited about what God has in store for us as we continue to partner with these excellent ministries that are on the front lines in a country with tremendous need. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for us as we have lots of traveling ahead of us.
Peace,
joe

In Guatemala

I'm in Guatemala right now with four other guys who are exploring the ministry opportunities down here. Some of this team is looking to lead teams down in the future, others are along just to get a vision for what God is doing here in Guatemala. Our time here has already been extremely productive as we have had the chance to get an up close look at Global Soccer Ministries (an organization that Simply Missions plans to partner with long term for service opportunities in the future). We ask that you continue to pray for our safety and health as we travel and interact with other ministries and these wonderful people.
Thanks!
- joe

At retreat!

I'm up at Grace Adventures Camp this week. I'm teaching for a Jr. High retreat for a Christian High School from Lansing. The camp is absolutely amazing. This is one of the best Christian camps I've ever seen. They have awesome facilities, great staff, and an incredible location. Last night we walked over to Silver Lake Sand Dunes (about 1/2 mile). The view is so amazing it's hard to believe you are still in Michigan. I think I forget about how beautiful this state is since I live in the middle, not on the lakeshore. These kids are having lots of fun and listening well. I've got a talk tonight and then one more Friday morning, and I'm praying that God would use the scriptures and stories I share to help shape the hearts of these kids. Please pray with me!

September Prayer Calendar

September is a here and there is a lot happening for us. Last week Jackson Christian called me to see if I was willing to teach 11th grade Bible for the first semester because the teacher they had lined up was unable to fulfill that commitment for medical reasons. I accepted and will be teaching one hour of Bible each day at the school along with setting up the chapel services for the middle school and high school. The school is graciously working around my travel schedule as I quite a bit going on in the next few months.

Next week (Sept. 10-12) I am teaching and leading worship for the Lansing Christian Middle School retreat. I will be doing four talks during those three days and will also be serving as the MC.

On Sept. 18, I'll head to Guatemala with four other guys on a preview trip. We will be meeting with several ministries there who are potential host sites for short term teams. My hope is that at least a few of the guys going along with me will gather teams to head down to one of these sites next summer. That's the game plan anyway.

On top of all that, Austin starts first grade tomorrow!

We sincerely appreciate your prayers this month as we look for God's care and provision in all that we do.

Peace,
joe