Jesus' Name lifted high in the slums

This morning Liberty Baptist flew back home to Virginia. We had an incredible week in the slums partnering with City of Refuge Community Church. We were blessed to be a part of what just may be the most difficult part of ministry: breaking ground and gaining trust of a community. Pastor Jorge Cerritos and his family are investing in a very rough area in the slums of Guatemala. We joined them in building a wall that will define a widowed woman's property and also protect her home from floods and mud slides. Mrs. Erica is a strong and faithful woman of the Lord. However, Pastor Jorge has not yet formed relationships with the families who surround her. We watched from our first day in this area when a simple "hola" sent families running back into their homes to the last day when the children showed up to help us work and the people all came out of their homes to tell us goodbye. These people desperately need to be loved. It was beautiful to be a part of breaking into this hard-hearted community. As we finished work yesterday, we prayed for God to continue to move in the hearts of these people and for Pastor Jorge and his church to reach them with their greatest need, the Gospel.

We moved big rocks out of our working area

..and carried them down the mountain

One of the largest slums in Central America

View from Erica's house

A skit about hearing from God in an elementary school

Kissy Kissy :)

My friend from school

The kids came out to help Josh shovel gravel for the wall

This little guy was so proud of himself

Mrs. Erica's home

Walking through the slums

The students wrote words of encouragement on their hands

Unloading 38,600 lbs of Christian literature to share

You can't come to Guatemala and not play soccer

Praying over a pregnant neighbor whose baby is due this week

The team and the neighbors all together! Praise God!

Praying with the kids in the shcool

Precious moment

Pastor Jorge Cerritos

Guatemala's favorite fast food..our team loved it

We found fair trade products in one of the markets!

So excited to buy slave free products!

The Hill of the Cross in Antigua, Guatemala 

Vulcan de Agua

Though it can be hard to see the fruit of trips like these, we praise God for allowing us along with Liberty Baptist to obey Him in serving and loving the people of Guatemala. He is faithful to complete His work. Josh and I have 3 more days here in Guatemala. Please pray for His will to be done in all we do. We've been so blessed by being here.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21