This month has been a busy one. I have been so busy running around and getting distracted that the work that has fallen off the most has been my communication with the supporters back home, which I believe to be a very important purpose of my time here. So I want to apologize for not spending much time writing and communicating. I want to say a deep-hearted thank you for all of those that have supported me. It has been an amazing experience to see my needs met while I have been down here. I came to Guatemala without having enough money to stay through the completion of my planned time. I thought numerous times about making an appeal for money, but after these thoughts I would receive word from my parents about another donation that had come in. God has truly provided for my needs here and I am extremely blessed to have so many people praying for and supporting me.
So what have I been up to? Besides my work here in Cotzal, I have been talking with a special friend daily who lives in Guatemala City. I have made two trips to the city in order to extend my passport visa. I have been able to visit some of the families of HOREB, been teaching classes in my home once a week, and have continued in my role as the Profe de Ingles in Colegio HOREB. We have just finished up a long week of exams where I tested all the children at the school in English. I have also been strengthening relationships with some of the teachers, particularly with 6th grade teacher Matias. I have been working closely with other missionaries that are working with the school, Enma from Guatemala City and Myrna from El Salvador. I am helping to prepare things on the ground for W.I.N.D. groups that will be coming down in June and July. We will be installing 20 new stoves in Cotzal homes, and a group of dentists will be coming to provide dental work to all the children of HOREB as well as 70 HOREB family members. There will be also be two groups of young people coming down to work with the children at the school.
I got good news at an HOREB board meeting recently. It has been a long process, but they are now an official non profit organization in Guatemala! Praise God for this development! This will make it much easier for them to raise funds for the school and was a necessary step before purchasing the land for their own school facility. They were expecting to have to pay taxes to the Government but to the surprise of all, they did not need to pay one cent.
I am planning to return to the states on August 4th to continue coaching High School swimming and I will explore my next options from there. I want to take a week long trip back to Cotzal in October to attend the graduation of the 6th graders. I think it is very likely I will return the next year as well, as the love I have for all the children and people here will likely not keep me away for long.
Stuff to pray for:
Praise God for new offical status of Colegio HOREB!
Praise Him for providing for all my personal needs while away from home
Thank the Lord for a gifted teacher named Tita who has committed to spend 3 months this year working with the teachers of HOREB and providing training!
Praise Him for all the support that W.I.N.D. of God has received to be able to help this school in substantial ways and provide hope for the future.
Pray for a grandmother of one of the HOREB children, who currently is taking care of her four grandchildren alone. She has pains throughout her body and feels tired most of the day. Their mother is dead and their father abandoned them.
Pray for the brothers of an HOREB child who do not know the Lord and live with their father in another part of town.
