July 2022 Newsletter

On June 3, we welcomed our two Summer Sojourner students. Katelyn and Emily are spending six weeks of their summer here serving with us.  They have hit the ground running!  They served as camp counselors at an MK summer camp, spent a week studying Spanish, worked in a local school, started a weekly Bible study for preteens, and took a trip to Chiquimula to see our work area there.  They are hard workers, very flexible, and such a joy to have around!  I am not sure I will be able to let them go when the time comes.  They have a little over two weeks left.  During that time we will be taking them to the beach to celebrate the 4th of July, hosting a volunteer team, and ending our time together with a visit to Lake Atitlan.  Pray for them to finish strong.  Pray that God would use this time in their lives to draw closer to Him and have a better understanding of the great plans that He has for their lives.  If you know of a college age student who would be interested in serving next summer with the Summer Sojourner program visit  www.gosummersojourner.com. We have already submitted our request for 2023 students.  Maybe they could serve with us! During the month of June we made two trips to the Chiquimula area.  The first trip David made was with Dr. Steve Chastain from Tropical Farms Baptist Church in Florida.  Dr. Steve worked with us on medical teams during our Kekchi days in Coban. It was great to host him again and show him around a new area.  They made several home visits and he was able to do health check-ups in each home.  This trip started out as a larger group but got down to just Dr. Steve.  A mission team doesn't have to be a big group.  God can use a single, a family, or even a couple to minister just as well.  Come see us!  We would love to be on mission with you.

Our second trip was with our students.  It was good to show them another side of Guatemala. We visited in several villages making home visits.  The girls were able to share words of encouragement and pray for the believers there.  It gave them a great opportunity to see how many in this country live and a new perspective on how to pray for them. Continue to lift up the work in the Chiquimula area.  Pray specifically for the villages of Nearar, Porto Suelo, Muyurco, Chanco, Churischan, and Lagunetas.  Pray for the gospel to advance in these areas.  Pray for the believers to be bold in their witness and intentional in sharing their faith. The work in Muyurco is going well.  They are almost finished with the construction of their new church building.  It is built on the piece of land where we used to do our weekly children's Bible study.  It is hard to not be there with them on a weekly basis anymore but getting to return and see progress blesses our hearts greatly!  The boys had an amazing time at Camp Guamiski.  It is an annual camp for Guatemala missionary kids.  They are already looking forward to summer 2023 so they can return.  Thank you for praying for the students and workers.  Camp was a great success.  This is a wonderful ministry to the MK's.  I hope my boys have many more years to experience it. As you may have heard, IMB now has a new logo.  Here is an explanation of what the new logo represents. The greatest problem in the world is lostness. The only solution to this problem is the gospel. Together, Southern Baptists send IMB missionaries to be steadfastly present among people and places where Jesus is not named or known. IMB missionary presence cultivates gospel access, gospel belief, and church planting and multiplication.  In 2021, 582,408 people heard the gospel. There were 176,795 new believers, and 22,744 new churches.  Thank you for giving!  Because you give, lives are being changed and the gospel is advancing around the world.  You do not have to wait until Lottie Moon time to give.  Visit www.imb.org/generosity to make a donation today.    New IMB brand video.  Watch closely and you will see a few familiar faces. As always, we appreciate your prayers for our family and ministry. You have a vital part in all we do because you pray.  Thank you for being on this journey with us! www.imb.org