The mission team has arrived safely!  Please check their new blog at:   www.fbcdfsmissions.wordpress.com.

Thank you for your support

It has been a year since a mission team has been to Guatemala. The 2013 team will be departing early Friday morning for Guatemala. The team wants to express thanks for your generosity the past few months. Due to your kindness of heart, our team will be able to build a home and install stoves for five homes. Continue to pray for us as we wrap up our packing and say our goodbyes to family and friends. We would love to hear from you each day. To leave a comment, click comment at bottom of post. You may need a google account. Again, thanks for your support!

Day Six- Rio Bravo

What does Guatemala look like at 4:00 a.m.? You guessed it! Guatemala at 4:00 a.m. is dark. Our team departed in the early morning hours in order to be available to serve breakfast for 200 children at Rio Bravo Feeding Center. After breakfast, the children were given socks and a copy of John's Gospel as they departed for school. The pictures you see below are from Rio Bravo feeding center and a government-runned elementary school.

William and Thomas working together to serve a nutritional meal. The feeding center of Rio Bravo feeds breakfast Monday through Saturday. This meal is probably the only meal the children receive in a day.

Group picture with pastor Mario. After seven children from Mario's church died of starvation he decided to take it upon himself to feed the children. Bob and Georgette's ministry provide large portion of food for the feeding center. Bob travels once a month to deliver a truck load of food.

A future project that is taking place is the construction of a chicken house. The chicken house will give the feeding center 2000 eggs per day. Bob and Georgette have been instrumental in the construction of the chicken house.

Pastor Freddie and his wife adopted this young girl at birth. The young girl's mother was killed while she was seven months pregnant with her. Pastor Freddie heard of the situation and was able to adopt her. They are pursuing more children to adopt in the future. Please pray for them and the ministry God has called them to.

After our visit to the feeding center, we traveled to a local school. What a vast difference in this school and yesterday's school, Colegio Gerizim. The children in this picture are first grade and about to learn numbers and letters.

A church that Pastor Freddie has planted. Bob's ministry installed a water purification system that serves thousands of people.

Pastor Otto and family are grateful for the water purification system. God is working among the peopel of his church.

Our team was able to stop at Pastor Gabriel's church, another church plant of Pastor Freddie, and see the water purification system FBC DeFuniak Springs was able to provide last summer. To God be the Glory, this system provides clean water for close to a 1,000 people. Thanks Bob!

A funnel cloud in the midst of sugar can fields! Pretty cool!!

As we traveled the roads home today we were reminded that we worship the one who created this beautiful country.

Thank you all for your prayers concerning our safety and the various ministries we were able to experience this week. As spoken of earlier this evening at devotion, words and pictures cannot capture the true essence of this week. A trip to Guatemala is needed. For planning purposes, we have reserved the lodge for February 16-23, 2013 We love you all. Pray for us as we travel tomorrow. God Bless and Good night!



Day Five- True Worship

In the book, The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul writes, "His touch on the common makes the common suddenly uncommon. Again we say that nothing in this world is holy in itself. Only God can make something holy. Only God can consecrate. When we call things holy that are not holy, we commit the sin of idolatry. This is the grievous error of idolatry, giving to common things the respect, awe, worship, and adoration that belong only to God. To worship the creature instead of the Creator is the essence of idolatry."

This morning our team traveled down the hill from our lodge to join in memorable worship experience. Pat and Charlie Reynolds, our hosts for the week, invited us to their Christian school. Gerizim Christian School is a private Christian school that was founded in January 2005. On the first day of school 28 three and four year old boys and girls entered the doors. Since their opening the school has grown to over 220 students and now features grades K-6th. Each week the children study God's word and seek God in corporate worship. Our team was able to capture some terrific photos.

One of several classrooms at the school.

More information about school at hisappointedtime.com

If you desire information about sponsoring a child, check the above website.

After a our stop at the school, we traveled over an hour to a region called Panabajal. Panabajal is a community of indigenous people known as the Mayan Indians. Charlie has built relationships with numerous families. Several times of month Charlie travels to this area to deliver food bags, medicine, and other needed items for families. Our team was introduced to the real meaning of poor.

Many of the homes were adobe homes.

This is a small kitchen in need of a stove. Charlie and Pat are planning to deliver a new stove in the future. A new stove cost close to $110.

Our team was treated to time of worship with these young ladies. They shared songs of God's amazing love and freedom we have in Jesus Christ. It amazes us to hear from people who literally have nothing, but actually have everything because they have Christo!

Words cannot express what we experienced and seen with our own eyes today. Worship, true worship, is recognizing our need for a holy God and responding to Him. What we experienced was holiness among the school and the people of Panabajal.  May God continue to bless the work of the Reynold's and Kornegay's. We are thankful to have taken part in what God is doing in Chimaltenago and the mountains of Panabajal. 

Day Four

"And whoever gives on of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  Mark 10:42

As disciples of Jesus Christ, there are simple acts of kindness that are to be fulfilled. Why are we to fulfill these acts of kindness such as giving a cup of cold water? People are in need. True, but look at the end of Mark 10:42. There is a reward! It may be sound selfish, but there is truth to Jesus' words. There is a reward when we give of ourselves. Our team experienced a great reward because of the simple acts of kindness today. May the photos help tell of the rewards we experienced.

Fuel for the day! Breakfast prepared by Guatemalan women each day. We also ask God to bless our food, but to give us strength to glorify His name and to seek souls in need of salvation.

The pictures above give a glimpse of our time spent with children at the foot of Volcano Agua. Our team shared a children's story, The Three Trees, and Pastor Mario presented the Gospel. Eight children responded to the Gospel!!! A reward from God. New souls for His Kingdom!

God has opened a huge door for the ministry of Santa Maria de Jesus. The Gospel is going forth throughout this school through the leadership of Pastors Gabriel and Mario. The school is located a quarter of a mile from the new location of Santa Maria de Jesus Feeding Center. Two specific needs is a larger stage for the school and new site for the feeding center. Any men and women interested in building projects????    The pictures below show the future site of Santa Maria de Jesus.

Lunchtime at the feeding center. The workers were treated to a delicious meal prepared by the ladies of Santa Maria de Jesus Feeding Center. The feeding center serves over 120 children per day. Santa Maria de Jesus is classified as an indigenous section of Guatemala, which means that 80% of children are malnourished.

Children receiviing socks and gifts! Thank you church!!! A reward.....God being glorified as children flip through their coloring books.

After our time with children at Santa Maria de Jesus, our team traveled to Pastores for a follow-up visit with the Gonzalez family. In February 2011, our team from DFS built a home for the Gonzalez. In June of 2011, we visited with the family and were able to provide some supplies for them. Today, this was our third visit. What a blessing from God to visit with this family. We were able to give them some cooking items. They were extremely appreciative and shared with us their difficulties as of late. Please pray for them. By the way, Carla is doing marvelous and her great-grandmother now lives with them.

The Gonzalez Family! For Glory of God!

What we have observed so far on this trip is the dependency upon God among His people. People pray and expect God to work. Our team leaders realize that without God and the need for God, their work would be useless. The work that is being done by His Appointed Time Ministries and Servant Hearts Ministries could not be go forth without God's Hand. Why do this seem to be lacking in the States, especially the churches? When our pastors call us to pray, why do we flippantly respond or even respond at all? May God revive our hearts to call on Him. We need Him.



Day Three Cont.

Our local vet in DeFuniak Springs specializes in window installation.

Friendships made Pastores, Guatemala.

A view of our lodge from the main road. What a sight to see after a long day of work.







Day Three- The House

The pictures that follow are a progression of the house-building mission project. This home was for Mrs. Carlita, a grandmother who suffers with severe arthritis and a knee deformity that limits her mobility.

A Concrete Slab for 12 x 16 Home

Two Site Coordinators Reviewing the Process

Where the women hung out while the men worked! Just kidding!

The ladies spent quality time with Mrs. Carlita and her daughter in their current home.

David and Richard taking quick break with Esuardo, the grandson.

The boys enjoying a competitive game of futbol!

Almost Done!!!!

Window Treatments!



 A happy and blessed family! Thank you, FBC Church and Lattimore Baptist Church for your generosity. We were able to present this home and housing supplies for the family. May God be glorified!!!!