October 2024 Newsletter

 

Sunday morning worship with our mission team. Medical Team Update Thank you for praying for our recent medical team.  We had a fantastic week serving together!  They were able to see over 300 patients in three days.  The gospel was shared with many and contact information from several in the community was gathered for the pastor to follow up with. It was a very productive week of being on mission together combining not only our family, but a U.S. partner church and a Guatemala national church.  It was a wonderful picture of the body of Christ working together. If you would like to see more photos from the team, visit LifePark Medical Team. Independence Day On the 15th of September, we celebrated Guatemala's Independence Day by attending a parade, a civic program, and a fireworks show around our Central Park. Not only does Guatemala celebrate on the 15th, but it is also the Independence Day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  Mexico celebrates their Independence Day on September 16.  Needless to say, there was a lot of celebration taking place throughout Central America this past month. To see more photos and videos from the day visit Guatemala's Independence Day 2024.

Transition On September 19, we officially welcomed the English family to our IMB Guatemala mission family.  They finished language school and made the move here to begin full time ministry.  Each of our teammates are overjoyed to have them here to serve alongside us.  Thank you for praying for their transition.  They are settling in well and have done a fabulous job of getting their house set up.  Continue to pray for them in the weeks ahead as they begin to get out and learn their new area and start making contacts for future ministry. As excited as we are to have this new family, we are also a little sad that the Robertson family will be finishing their term later this month and returning to the U.S. to complete the turn around process.  They have been serving under the Macedonia program which means they are still completing steps to be appointed as full time missionaries.  They are on track to complete the requirements, and if all goes as planned, they will be appointed and return to Guatemala next June.  Pray for the Robertsons as they prepare to transition.  Pray for a much needed time of rest for them in the U.S.  During their first term on the field they have lived in three different countries (Mexico, Colombia, and Guatemala).  They have experienced a lot of transition in the last few years! Pray that the appointment process will be smooth for them, and they can return to the field as planned.

Team Guatemala We ended the month with a weekend trip to Quetzaltenango to visit all of our teammates.  While there we had our quarterly team meeting and each family gave an update. A highlight was hearing an update on the church plant that the Stones have been working on for many years.  They are seeing growth among the group and are looking to maybe have their first baptism soon. They are also mentoring a national to be the possible future leader. The group is called Second Chance, and they are reaching out to those who really need a "second chance" in life. Pray God's blessings over that work, and that they will see much fruit in the weeks and months ahead. It was our first in person meeting to include the English family and our last for a while with the Robertsons.  It was also our first and last as a whole team- Whites, Robertsons, Stones, and Englishes.  The Stones will retire next May before the Robertsons return.  The Robertsons plan to return next June, and we will begin our STAS next June.  Team Guatemala is facing much tranisition over the next year.  Please keep all of our families in your prayers. Your IMB Team Guatemala Lostness Lostness is growing every day. At the IMB we will not ignore it. We won’t be silent. We won’t stand still. We will reach the nations, no matter the cost. Over the next five years, the IMB is committed to find and know every people group on earth in pursuit of the Revelation 7:9 vision. Learn more about The Great Pursuit and see what part you can play in reaching the nations together. AMP Prayer Call On Tuesday, October 29, David will be hosting the monthly IMB AMP Prayer Call. One of the teams that will be highlighted this month is our Team Guatemala. This is a great opportunity to hear updates from several of your IMB field missionaries serving throughout the Americas and learn new ways that you can be praying for them. It is a live call and everyone is welcome to join.  Just scan the QR code above or click on this LINK to join.  The call will start at 8pm EST.  Mark your calendars! Did You Know? The breathtakingly beautiful Lake Atitlán is the deepest lake in Central America. It is located in southwest Guatemala, in the department of Sololá, which is about 2.5 hours from where we currently live. The lake is surrounded by three volcanoes:  Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro. It is one of the top tourist destinations in all of Guatemala.   Our family September 2024 www.imb.org

Life Lately September 2024

  We began the month by hosting a medical mission team from The Church at LifePark in Mt. Pleasant, SC.   We had a fantastic week serving together!

 

 

Our family enjoying an afternoon coffee break after a day of working in the medical clinic with our team. 

 

Fall is my favorite season for decorating.  I was eager to get all of my stuff out and on display.  We do not have seasons here like we do in the States, but I decorate for them anyway.  Those beautiful fall colors just make me feel all warm and cozy.  I love fall most of all!

 

Ben attended a paintball birthday party for his friend Josue. We are very thankful for their sweet friendship.

 

Dressed and ready for battle!

 

 

We celebrated Guatemala's Independence Day on the fifteenth.

 

 

We officially welcomed the English family to our IMB Guatemala mission family on the nineteenth. They finished language school in Mexico and made the transition here to begin full time ministry.  Our whole team is overjoyed to have them here to serve alongside us.  Continue to pray for their adjustment to Guatemalan life and culture. So far they seem to be doing very well.

 

Our IMB Team Guatemala 

(minus David who was taking the photo)

 

 

After many months and phone calls, I finally got my dad's veteran plaque placed at the cemetery. His birth date is coming up in October and the one year anniversary of his death will be in November. I am happy to have this completed before those two events.   It was a huge relief and another big step towards closure for me.  

 

“When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure” – Unknown

 

I sure do miss my dad!

 

Homeschool is keeping me busy these days.  High School is not for the faint at heart. lol I do not take near as many school photos as I did in the past, and I miss having those photo memories.   Here are a few I quickly snapped of Cruz doing science experiments.

 

He is enjoying his biology class.  He will usually say it is his favorite subject this year. He loves hands on learning and has done several fun experiments so far.  In this experiment he was testing two different antacids to see which one was more effective at neutralizing acid.

 

In another experiment one of his steps was to add baking soda to vinegar to help understand carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect. 

 

 

Lastly, we ended the month with a weekend trip to Quetzaltenango to visit our Team Guatemala families. We went out to eat with the Stones on Friday night.

 

On Saturday we had our quarterly team meeting.  We met at a local restaurant that had an amazing outdoor space for the kids to run and play.  It was our first meeting with the English family joining us live. We had a great time of discussion and fellowship around the table.  Here is a photo of our whole group. 

 

Our IMB Team Guatemala

 

 

Our family in Quetzaltenango

 

 

That evening we enjoyed delivery pizza, homemade cookies, and some really great college football games.  

 

 

  

Guatemala's Independence Day 2024

Guatemala's Independence Day is September 15.  It is also the Independence Day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.  Mexico celebrates their Independence Day on September 16. 

In Guatemala the celebration begins many days ahead and includes parades, colorful costumes, music, traditional dance, bands, fireworks, torch runs, and displays of Mayan dress and crafts.  Guatemalans are very patriotic!  You will see flags flying everywhere. It is a beautiful time to be here and help celebrate a country that we deeply love.

 

Our family on Independence Day 2024.  We take a similar photo every year.

 

 

This year the fifteenth fell on a Sunday.  We went into town that evening for the closing parade and fireworks.

 

 

 

 

In the background you can see two volcanoes- Fuego and Acatenango.

 

The flag of Antigua and the Guatemalan flag.

 

Fuego erupting in the distance.

 

 

The flags flying above Antigua's City Hall.

 

This year Guatemala was celebrating 203 years of independence.

 

David and the boys watching the parade of bands around the Central Park.

 

View of Agua volcano from the Central Park.

 

 

 

Here is a video collage I made from the band performances.

 

The finale of the evening was fireworks shot above the City Hall.

 

 

 

 

a video collage of the fireworks

 

 

It was such a fun, festive evening!!

 

A beautiful evening view of Agua Volcano.

 

our family at the Central Park of Antigua

 

We 💙 Guatemala!!

 

We ended the night at San Martin enjoying warm bowls of potato soup and fun drinks like a mango smoothie and vanilla milkshake with sprinkles.

 

One last photo taken by the City Hall that shows the closing celebration.  If you look close, you might just spot us in the crowd.