Serving Those Who Serve

As I began to reflect on the past month, the above phrase came to mind which describes the ministry I was honored to be asked to be part of. From serving pastors wives at the National Assemblies of God conference, traveling with the missions ministry from my church and serving the pastors of Section Pinula and their families, it was a whirlwind of activity from one side of Guatemala to the other but God was faithful and many lives were blessed.

Every two years, the Assemblies of God invites the wives of all the pastors in Guatemala to a three day conference at the Tabernacle in Villa Nueva. Each time, the number of women increases and this year, nearly 1,000 were in attendance. On the first day of the conference, I served in the medical where general physicians, gynecologists and pediatricians provided free medical consultations and exams. Medications and eyeglasses were also available. Days 2 and 3 found me in assisting in the kitchen - preparing and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, washing dishes between meal times and repeating for the next one. Although exhausted at the end of the conference, to hear the words of gratitude was worth it.

Vida A Huehuetenango

Just five short days after, the women's conference, I boarded a bus with 35 other individuals from Iglesia Vida for Buenos Aires (no, we did not make a wrong turn to Argentina)! We were approximately 30-45 minutes from the Mexico border) in the department of Huehuetenango - a 6-7 hour bus ride from Guatemala City. The pastor in Buenos Aires also has two outreaches in El Naranjal and El Mirador. Each of these villages are heavily Catholic and indigenous (Maya Mam) with no evangelical church in either village. The pastor from Buenos Aires needs to walk approximately one hour each way to reach these villages. At the end of the week, we were able to bless him with a motorcycle. Each day, we hosted children's programs including piñatas!, ministered to the women, distributed clothing, shoes and toys and concluded each day with a service. Many made a decision for Christ or reconciled. Here's a few photos - way too many to include them all!

Section Pinula Family Retreat

I was honored to be invited by Section Presbyter Eliu Morales to accompany the section pastors and their families to the first ever family retreat at the Valle Dorado resort in Zacapa and have a small program for the children. Grateful the resort had a water park as it was as hot as one would imagine a city located in the "Corredor Seco" (Dry Corridor) would be. The retreat was a rare event as the pastors usually do not often have an opportunity to relax with their families