Sprucing Up the Church

Little by little we are sprucing up the church in San Pancho. Along with trying to improve our services and outreach each week, we though the building could use some work. 

{this is a "before" photo}

Two weeks ago we all got together and painted the main room and the front of the building. 

It is a lot of work because the owner had used "cal" which is chalk to paint the walls. That stuff just dusts off onto everything. You have to use a wire brush to scrape it off the walls completely and it goes everywhere. It is a cheap option that some people use to paint their houses. I think I would rather have bare concrete! The pink in the photo above is the same way, they just tinted it. I didn't bring Eden and the boys until the afternoon just so they wouldn't inhale all of it. There were piles and piles of it on the floor. 

Marta and Rebeca made us caldo for lunch. I have always wanted to learn how to make Kekchi caldo and this would have been a perfect opportunity, but I was worried about E around all that dust. I did do all the dishes afterwards. I keep rubber gloves for dishwashing at the church but I have never had the nerve to actually put them on. I'm probably the prissiest person to ever live in Petén, but I'm trying to keep it a secret! 

Everyone liked the logo, so Jimmy had two vinyl signs made. One for outside and a small one for inside.

The outside of the building could use another coat of paint, but we used oil based and it's pretty expensive, especially for a rental. We will see...

Lico has been coming on Sunday nights with us. We pick him up as we pass by NH. He asked off work that day (building our house) and wanted to help at the church for free. He built this little entry with travertine scraps.

Here is the other sign:

 

It says, "Welcome everyone!"

I asked what color curtains they wanted and they said blue. So this is what I came up with:

Eden helped! She loves to play in the fabrics when I am sewing.

Here in Petén churches have these traditional curtains that are hung from the ceiling in rows.  

Some are made out of fabric, some out of lace, and the poorer areas use plastic. They are always too low for Jimmy to see under! Here pastor Rick had the same problem:

I have seen all kinds over the years, but this one was my favorite:

 I love the mix of colors, it looks so happy... like a party! These are made out of plastic which would be a faux pas I guess in a city church. So this is my "city version":

{Hugo and Maybelin helping me clean up after a service!}

Ours are hung a little higher than normal for obvious reasons! 

So little by little we are sprucing up the church. I pray that this building will be a place that we can all grow closer to the Lord together in while we gather each week to worship Him!

Family Traditions #13: The 4th of July 2012

"Family traditions give identity and belonging to each member." - James Dobson

1. Decorations: 

Our wreath, American flag and stars were up all month long. Eden noticed them right away. I think she liked watching the stars move in the breeze from the kitchen fan. 

2. Fun in the Sun: This year the boys are still nervous about sprinklers for some reason. Thankfully Grandma Kiki sent a Bob water toy. As long as we have the water on low, the boys love it! 

They have asked me to get him out several times since then and if it's our water day then I do. 

3. Traditional American Fireworks: This is more difficult than it sounds. In a country where everything is legal, the dinky stuff is hard to find. Unfortunately the sparklers we got were almost all duds. That's why I only have one photo. 

I think the boys were almost as nervous as the dogs!

This is what E did during the fireworks:

Jimmy got some big ones for a finale. 

Can you tell what Silas is about to say in this photo?

"BOOM!"

That is all the family traditions we got to this year. The missions team we had visiting at that time changed their dates which put Jimmy spending the day with them instead of us. They were a great team and we really appreciated them, so no complaints here. Jimmy actually left them before supper so that he could get home in time to do the fireworks with the boys. I love that about him!

So during the day instead of our traditional 4th food, the boys and I made cookies!

Silas and Jonah did every single step!

They were very proud of themselves! They kept talking about how they were making them for Daddy!

They did great! 

The only challenge was keeping Silas from eating them all before we got them in the oven!

Their yummy works of art:

CUTE ITEM OF THE DAY: Patriotic E!

The Gift of Comfortable Seating!

The village of Esfuerzo 2 is very close to our hearts. Jimmy, Domingo and Lico went there for the very first outreach. Then Amy's team went there a year ago and the Clearwater team last month. Jimmy has been back a bunch of times in between, including once with Pastor Andy for a medical clinic. (I say all that because we have a lot of friends invested in this mission and I want them to see the fruit!) In the past we have helped them with the sheet metal for their building and this time we wanted to bring gifts... the gift of comfortable seating!  

The team kindly carried chairs on their backs during the hour long hike to the village. Well I think the one hour trip turned into two! It was extra muddy that day. 

Not sure if you can tell from this photo, but they were covered in mud almost to their knees. Several lost their shoes in bog pits. Some went after them and some didn't. If they were miserable they kept it to themselves and kept trucking along. We appreciate them carrying the chairs and making it to the village!

The team had a wordless skit, puppet show, and songs prepared. I never got to tell him, but Will can make a puppet speak Kekchi like nobody's business! He's the only person I've seen that can make a puppet's mouth move that fast! 

The Christians in the village that were in attendance sang a song for our team! 

The ones seated haven't placed their faith in Christ yet... but they heard the Good News again that day!

Please keep praying for the people of Esfuerzo 2!!!

Before they got all nice and muddy the team stopped off in Se' Tul to sing on the Kekchi Baptist radio station!

{Radio Station Berea}

Planting Trees

A youth team from Crossroads Baptist Church in Daytona Beach, FL got here Thursday afternoon. This is their second time coming down and they are our second team to fly into Belize City and then drive across the border. Sometimes that is a cheaper option. 

{Dinner at Capitan Tortuga}

Their first day here was a work day at the pastor's institute. They brought down money to purchase 457 lime and orange trees. They were able to get about 140 of them in the ground. 

 The heat will zap your energy quick. The field had been cleared of grass, but there were some large limbs that still needed to be cleared. 

 There was a lot of dirt to be hauled. Even Luis helped!

They had to measure, mark, and then dig the holes. They needed to be far enough apart to have chicken tractors fit down the rows. 

Some trees had to be dug up and replanted, but they eventually got a rhythm.

{Their first row of trees}

 And then it started pouring rain... a lot of rain!!! They might spend another day at the institute before they leave, we will see. They really wanted to finish. We appreciate all of their hard work! The purpose of these trees is to help the institute eventually become self-sustaining. Jimmy explained the trees here. These will be one of many agricultural projects at the institute. 

Jonah Asked Me For Something

Nowadays the boys take about a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. One of them wakes up before the other one and quietly comes and finds me. About 95% of the time it is Silas, but the other day it was Jonah who opened the door to my room and peeked in. I was snuggling on the bed with Eden looking at free sewing patterns online. Jonah looked at my open laptop and said, "Owl!" There was a owl plush toy pattern on my screen among a bunch of dress patterns. I didn't even know that he knew what an owl was. He then said, "Owl, Mama, Me!" Ever since Eden was born the boys know that I make her bows. They know that we made Daddy's Father's Day present and they know Jimmy made me something for my birthday (future post). They are starting to understand stuff like that. Every morning they point to Eden's hair bow and say, "Mama!" because I made it. I love that they look at things and think about creating them.

 I didn't think he would find a plush toy entertaining for long and assumed he would just forget about the whole thing anyway... but he didn't. For days he talked about the owl he wanted me to make him and he was very specific about wanting it blue. 

So since he wasn't dropping it I went to the market last week to my favorite little shop to buy some corduroy. When I got there they told me that some man bought all their bolts of corduroy to make shoes... great! There wasn't any plush fabric in blue to me found. Then I saw the sample pack sitting on the table.

I asked if they would sell me that and the owner did! For 25Q too! (about $3) It had 1/4 yard of every shade they use to offer. That is a 75Q value. And it had the exact shade of blue in it that I knew Jonah was wanting. Perfect!

Well my little boy was so happy the next day when I handed him his blue owl! The photo above catches only part of the pure delight. Silas had asked me for a red one, once he caught on to what his brother was talking about! So I guess they are at the age now where they can voice exactly what they want. I like that! I will cherish their reactions forever!

These little owls have earned a place on their beds. They sleep with them at night along with the monkeys Becca gave them.

{Jonah wakes up last because he goes to sleep last}

And we figured out that he learned what an owl was from the new Winnie the Pooh video his MaG sent.

I love my little boys so much!

Juan is Moving to Petén!

Juan is going to be here in a month! We first met him in language school in Xela. He attended the same church we did, was involved in ministry with us, and attended Jimmy's class at the Seminary there. It's hard to believe it's been over 5 years since we were there! Last year he came with several other guys from Xela on a mission trip to Petén led by some of our friends from KS. It was then he felt God calling him to come and work with the Kekchi people. 

{July 2011}

In addition to his degree from the Baptist Seminary in Xela, he is also a computer technician, computer teacher, and a motorcycle mechanic. All of these are practical skills that he can share with the men in the seminary here. With these skills we are praying that God brings him a part-time job to supplement his monthly missions support. He is currently raising his support from the churches in the mountains. 

{Juan's prayer Card}

While he was here 2 weeks ago helping us with the OH team, we were able to help him put together a presentation and a prayer card. Please pray for him as he is presenting his call in churches. Deputation can be tough. He is hoping to be here by mid-August. He will first get started learning Kekchi while he helps us in the new church plant in San Pancho. 

{July 2012}

His heart is really drawn to the villages that have missions, but no pastors, and a large part of his ministry will be teaching in the seminary to train new pastors, and then personally preaching in those villages on the weekends to encourage the new works as they wait for our graduates. 

It is almost as much of a change for him as it was for us! He has to learn a new language, a new culture, a new climate... and it is an 18 hour travel day from his home to Petén by bus. Please pray for him as he raises support and then as he acclimates to the different world that is Petén. Pray that we will be encouraging to him and that we will work well together. We are excited that our team is growing! 

The Birth of a Church

Jimmy is in Se Tul today checking on Domingo's tilapia pond. (Have I even posted about that project for the institute yet?) Anyway I was messing around with logo ideas today while my children napped, so this probably isn't the final product because Jimmy hasn't seen it yet.

We have been praying for direction for the church plant in San Pancho. We believe that God would have us start a Spanish work there for now and then have a Kekchi ministry out of that church in the future. We have 2 Kekchi families from SR that are sticking with the church plant. The dads and children speak pretty good Spanish. We have 1 Spanish family plus a teen who comes by herself from San Pancho plus several Spanish speaking families from SR who used to attend our Spanish Bible studies who want to start coming. So that is what we are starting with... pretty much from scratch.

{Eden pulled her bow down and was chewing on it!}

These are the people who were there this past Sunday morning... I'm telling you it wasn't a lot. 2 of the men in the photo above actually said they had not put their faith in Christ yet. So we have a little bit of everything, strong in their faith Christians, brand new Christians, non Christians, and people I'm keeping my eyes on because I don't know what they are (haha). We have representatives from every group that a church should be ministering to. It's a perfect blend.

Jimmy and I are so excited. The group there Sunday was excited too. We are building the church together from the ground up! This thursday we are all meeting there at 7am to fix up the church. We are sprucing the place up a little bit by painting, deep cleaning, hanging more lights, and making it more functional and inviting. 

Thank you everyone who has been praying and please don't stop! We have more help coming in a couple weeks. I will post about him soon!