serving those who serve

Each year our Pastor from the US comes to visit us here in Canilla. He doesn't stay long but his trips always bless our family and many Guatemaltecans. This year was no exception. Yesterday we were honored to have in our home not only Pastor Phil, Kent Henry (an amazing worship leader), and Joel (an amazing videographer) but 30 of the local pastors as well. The local people are always so good to serve and help us and it was a privilege to be able to serve them yesterday. We prepared a lunch for all of our visitors (which turned out to be more than 50), and afterwards Kent Henry led an awesome time of worship - some English and some Spanish. He is so gifted and able to get people beyond their inhibitions to really worship our Lord. Then Pastor Phil spoke with the pastors from Isaiah 54 about expanding their visions, and for some, how to begin to walk in the vision that God has already given them. In the evening we all went to 2 different church services in San Andres where Kent and Phil were able to minister there as well.

Early this morning, we received a call from the community leader in San Pedro. He said they had two children who were very ill and asked if we could come. We had wanted to take the pastors out anyway, so it was a perfect time for them to meet some of our friends there. We saw not only the 2 very sick children but several others as well. Please pray for little Henri who has had vomiting and bloody diarrhea for 7 days. He was very dehydrated (dehydration is the leading cause of death in children here). We will give him 24 hours to respond to the re hydration fluids and medications but if he is not better by tomorrow, we will fly out to take him into the hospital. While I worked, Duane and the pastors spent time praying and sharing a little bit of their faith with the people. We arrived home in time to eat a little lunch and send them off to the City for flights out early in the morning. It was a very fast, busy time but we are so grateful for their input and encouragement into our lives - and for their willingness to share with our Guatemalan friends as well. The pastors here work very hard with very little and we love to be able to encourage them.

Duane and I are counting down the days until next Thursday when we will take a mini-vacation to the Peten. We were contacted a few weeks ago by a pastor from Dallas who had heard about us from a mutual friend. He offered us a 3 day, all expense paid trip. Who does that?!!! It came at the perfect time and we know that it is a gift to us from God.

As always, I am amazed at how God works all things in our lives for our good. My children have heard me say a thousand times that when our lives are totally surrendered to Him, there are no accidents. I have to admit that there are times when I look at the steady stream of visitors in our home, the work in the clinics that grows each day, the added responsibility and challenge of two toddlers, and I think, "I cannot do this." And then I realize that He has surrounded me with people who have come to help, who want to help - from Katie and Aaron, to the Allison's, to our Guatemalan friends. And then He hands us a vacation too! May you have time to reflect on His goodness today in your own lives.