Mission Guatemala » Featured

We Need Mission Teams

Tom — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:27:36 +0000

As we begin our work in San Andrés this fall, we are now accepting mission teams for 2011! There are many needs in the community, so please let us know the kind of work you would like to do and we will work with you to create a wonderful experience where you can “Do all the good you can.”

We have created an online inquiry form you can use to start the process the form can be found by clicking MISSION TRIPS on our website menu.

Also, to help in planning for a mission trip, we have put together our Mission Trip Planning Guide which you can download from our website under Team Resources.

Please help us spread the word that we are accepting teams and let us know if you have any questions. In the meantime, DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN!

Hurricane Agatha blasts Guatemala

Tom — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:35:04 +0000

Only a few short hours after Pacaya Volcano erupted near Guatemala City, the entire country of Guatemala was devastated by Pacific Cyclone Agatha. The storm dropped nearly 20 inches of water throughout the country causes rivers to flood and mudslides and flooding everywhere.

The people hurt the most by this are the poorest of the indigenous people who had little in the first place. Now all they have has been totally destroyed by the storm.

Roads to San Andrés have been cut off by mudslides and bridges being washed out. It will take many months and even years for some to recover… if they ever do.

Click on any picture below to enlarge it.

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Lease Signing

Tom — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:40:43 +0000

With the help of my friends at Mayan Families, Mission Guatemala now has a lease on property to open the new clinic and create a new ministry site.

The women of the weaving cooperative which own the property are very happy that we are using the property to help the community. We are equally thrilled to be able to help the women’s weaving group which does good work in the community as well.

We will begin to have use of the property beginning September 1 of this year. We will be able to use the property for at least ten years. It is very exciting. Again, hold us in your prayers and continue to ask yourself what God may be calling you to do to help make a difference in Guatemala.

San Andrés Women’s Cooperative

Tom — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:38:17 +0000

The property that we are hoping to use for our clinic and ministry site in San Andrés Semetabaj is owned by the women’s weaving cooperative.

With the help of my friend Sharon from an organization called Mayan Families, I met with them today and worked out an agreement that would give Mission Guatemala the opportunity to use the property for the next 10 years. The women were reluctant at first to enter into a 10 year agreement, but they soon realized that the work we will be doing will benefit the community. They are excited about being able to help the community in this way.

I want to add that the women are such a delightful group. It will be great fun partnering with them to “do all the good we can” and improve this Mayan Community.

As you pray for the work we hope to do there, offer a prayer for this wonderful group of women. They have been a blessing to so many!

Exciting New Project in San Andrés!

Tom — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:10:52 +0000

Take a tour of the property [intlink id="257" type="page"]here[/intlink].

We want to share with you some exciting news! Mission Guatemala will soon be starting a new project in San Andrés Semetabaj.

Motivated by John Wesley’s directive, “Do all the good you can,” we believe we have been called to bring God’s healing, hope and love to this small Mayan town located in the highlands of Guatemala overlooking Lake Atitlan.

Our first step in carrying out Wesley’s directive is to open a clinic in this overlooked and underserved community. We believe that by caring for people’s health requirements, we can also discern the other problems and needs in the community. We want to partner with the people in the community and deliberately do all the good we can.

We believe with God’s grace, love and guidance, the quality of life in this Kaqchikel speaking town will be improved and changed forever by putting John Wesley’s words to work and doing all the good we can.

This is no small challenge. It will take support in many ways. It will require people’s prayers, financial gifts and personal time. So, we are asking you now to please pray for this project. Please pray for God’s guidance and direction.

Also, please consider supporting this effort with a personal donation or spearheading a fundraising effort in your community, school or church.

We hope in late 2010 or early 2011 to begin accepting teams to help us renovate the building we will be using for a clinic. We could possibly even be ready to receive a small medical team sometime next year. Please, pray about whether God may be calling you to help us in this way.

Personally, we are feeling excited, fearful and blessed by the opportunity to serve God in this way.

Will you join us?

The Turning Pointe Builds Playground

Tom — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 03:18:24 +0000

(See a set of photos under our PHOTO heading on the website menu)

The Turning Pointe UMC from Evansville, Indiana was in Guatemala to help build a new playground for the Salud y Paz Preschool and to put on a Vacation Bible School.

The children at the preschool were thrilled with their new playground!

To the amazement of the team they were also blessed with over 80 children attending their daily Bible School. It was quite a crowd!

The team transformed the face of the clinic in just one week. Thanks be to God!

Nery Get’s Eye Surgery

Tom — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:51:29 +0000

Nery is a student at the Susanna Wesley Preschool at Salud y Paz. One day the teachers noticed that because his eyes are crossed he could not read or write properly.

Fortunately, there was an eye surgery team visiting Salud y Paz and the eye surgeon said he could help Nery.

Nery’s mom, Ester, said he was so excited about surgery that he woke up at 1 a.m. for the big day. Esther said that night he prayed, “Please God give me good eyes, and please help the surgeons operate on me.” His mom was super nervous.

The operation was fairly short but very intense. Here’s what they did: the surgeons shortened the muscles on one side of his eye in order to stop it from “wandering” to the other side …and after just one short hour, both of Nery’s eyes are fixed!

He loved that we were calling him Spider Man. He came in the next day with a huge smile and his mom, with tears in her eyes, thanked the surgeons.

Meet Bartola

Tom — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:24:35 +0000

Let me introduce you to Bartola. Bartola is a 25 year old woman who lives in the Department of Quiche.

One of the pastors of the church here in Guatemala told us about her. She was born with a birth defect and her family had to carry her everywhere they went. Working in partnership with an agency in Antigua Guatemala we were able to help the family obtain a wheelchair for her. Heather Nielsen of the Salud y Paz staff is pictured above with Bartola and her mother.

Bartola was so thrilled to have her new chair and we were blessed by God to help her obtain it.

Feliz Navidad at Hogar Feliz

Tom — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 03:38:40 +0000

What a great time I had attending the Christmas party at Hogar Feliz in San Andres, Guatemala. Hogar Feliz is an orphanage located about 4 km. straight uphill from Panajachel.

The Christmas party was put on for the children by Mayan Families, a great organization here in Panajachel. The students at Atitlan Multicultural Academy, the English speaking school, also helped put on the party.

There were fun games led by the students from AMA. Then a fun clown who had the children laughing and cutting up as they won prizes for participating. Finally, it was time for Santa to arrive and lots of presents for everyone. It was a really fun morning and the children had a great time. For more pictures, look in our photo album.

New socks! New Shoes!

Tom — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:58:15 +0000

There was a lot of excitement and fun recently at the Susanna Wesley Preschool in Camanchaj. New socks! New Shoes! As the school year neared an end, each child at the school received a new pair of socks and a new pair of shoes. These were provided through generous donors and supporters.

The Susanna Wesley Preschool has recently completed its first year. The school provides a jump start for children who will soon be entering the public school system. Many of the children that attend the school only speak K’iché. However, the public schools are all taught in Spanish. The preschool has teachers that speak both Spanish and K’iché. Project Salud y Paz is hopeful that students from the preschool will be some of the best and brightest as they enter the public school system. Hopefully, this will translate into children staying in school longer and raising themselves up out of poverty.