God is good!

Thank you all for your prayers. The hurricane went north of us, and we only experienced a little breeze, a slight drizzle.

The storm did hit north of us, so we are waiting to hear what the damages are. My dear friend was by herself with her children (her husband is a policemen and was on duty), and a small section of roof came off where they were, but they just got wet, nothing worse. We have heard reports of housed being blown down up there. That is about three hours north. Please continue to lift people there up in your prayers.

Hurricane Richard

Please pray for Belize as a hurricane threatens within the next 36 hours!!

Busy Days

Things have been busy here, as we have worked to get the new place setup up for Sandra and I, as well as the office. Shelves have been built, a loft put in, shower and sink... it has been a project! There are still a few things to finish up, but for the most part we are settled in and getting used to the place.

Tonight we will have Bible study in San Jose. They moved it to the Wednesday night service, so that will be different. We are looking forward to it, and hope that the Lord uses the changes in schedule to help others hear the truths of His word! Please pray for safe travels and the Lord's presence in the service/study tonight!

Moving!

Greetings once again, everyone!

Sorry again for the long delay in posts! Things have been busy since the break-in: there was a pastor training seminar here, so that took some time, but also a decision was made for me to move. This has not been an easy decision. The Nazarene campground has been my home for the last eight years and holds many wonderful memories for me. The Teck family was staying here when I first came, and helped me adjust to so many things. Of course I have many memories from the students at the school I used to run, but also from teams and pastors and other local people who come in for seminars. My family built my apartment for me, and I have been very comfortable and happy here. However, I have been praying about being more involved in a village, so I guess this will be a good change, albeit rather unexpected and sudden. Also, not quite the direction I had planned on moving, but God knows what He is up to!

I will be living in a K'ekchi community, so that will be a new challenge for me, since I speak Maya, and not K'ekchi. However, we have been praying for a K'ekchi co-worker, so this may be God's way of bringing that about.

I am partially moved, and hope to complete the process in the next couple of days. I'll be back with an update soon! Thank you for your continued prayers!

Great is His faithfulness!

Greetings everyone!

I am sure some of you have been wondering about the absence of a new update. This week has been an interesting one, and makes me stand back and thank God for His great faithfulness. He never fails us.

Monday and Tuesday were spent up in the capital checking on some details for the pig project. We came back Tuesday night to no electricity, making the place very dark. Sandra and I lit some candles and made the best of it. Electricity was still off Wednesday, so in the evening, we went to Big Falls to recharge computers and phones, and let Sandra iron her school uniform. We enjoyed Wednesday evening service there, as well as a cup of coffee and good conversation with Pastor Andres after service.

When Sandra and I arrived back home, we discovered my apartment had been broken into. In fact, the robbers must have been inside when we arrived, as they left many of their things behind, including the tools they had used to enter. A long night followed, I went to get the police and Clifford, and they searched unsuccessfully for the suspects.

The only things found missing were my lighters (for my gas stove), an envelope with a small amount of Guatemalan currency, and several pieces of chicken out of the pot on the stove. They had just been in the middle of searching my things when I arrived, minimizing the loss.

The next day, Clifford and Sabastian, the caretaker, followed the footprints to a house not far away. Once again they retrieved the police, and he detained a young man for questioning. That is the last information we have heard.

Sandra and I have spent the last few nights away from the Center, just to be on the safe side. However, most of all we are thankful for God's wonderful hand of protection... that we were gone when they came, but came back in time to scare them away. That they didn't take much, and we were even able to bless them with chicken!

Thank you so much for your prayers on our behalf. God is faithful to answer them. Please continue to lift us up before the throne of grace.

TS Matthew

Thank you for your prayers regarding Tropical Storm Matthew. According to forecasts, it was headed directly toward us with lots of rain. Even until noon Saturday, local news was issuing warnings, and we prepared accordingly. However, around two in the afternoon the rain stopped, the sun came out, and the storm was gone! We were thankful for God's mercy!

There was some flooding, but not more than we have had at other times with lots of heavy rain. The junction for the road that passes by the Nazarene Center where I stay was flooded, and we had the opportunity to pull a stranded vehicle out of the water. Otherwise, TS Matthew was pretty much a non-event here, and we are blessed!

Tropical Storm Matthew

Good Morning everyone! TS Matthew is supposed to be arriving here later today. It looks like a fairly mild storm, but carrying a lot of rain. Please pray that it does little damage and for everyone's safety. Rice harvest is under way here, so farmers stand to lose a lot.