Guatemala 2013 Support Letter

Dear family and friends,                               

During the first three months of this year, I taught English at a Christian elementary school called Colegio HOREB in a rural region in Guatemala called the Ixil triangle.  Near the end of 2011, HOREB was seriously considering closing its doors due to dwindling support, while Tabita, the Director of the school was growing weary with the struggle to keep them open.  She prayed for help; God answered and continues to answer.  Shortly after earnestly praying, Tabita received an email from my parents promising her support in the upcoming year and offering for me to come teach English at her school.    Initially, the main purpose of my trip was to gather stories of indigenous pastors, but instead I found myself teaching English to the wonderful students at HOREB and building deep, meaningful relationships with Tabita and the teachers working at the school.  It was somewhere near the middle of my time there that I realized God would call me back.  Three months felt painfully short, and I knew my walk with the school and the community of Cotzal wasn’t done yet.  

I worked as a missionary through W.I.N.D. of God, a nonprofit organization co-founded by my parents.  W.I.N.D. supports two indigenous pastor training programs in the area and just this year began supporting and working alongside HOREB.  After returning from my journey, I fulfilled my swim coaching obligations in Seattle while planning another trip to the Ixil triangle.  Since then, many short-term teams have gone down to help the school through W.I.N.D., and support for the school has increased immensely.  God has chosen to work through us to answer prayer, and it is an extremely humbling experience.   I plan on returning this January, spending at least six months with the people of Cotzal building relationships and teaching at HOREB, acting as an on-the-ground liaison and serving in communications for W.I.N.D., and growing stronger in my personal relationship with the Lord. 

Through my role as an English teacher at HOREB, I hope to deepen existing relationships with the students, the teachers, and Tabita as well as establish relationships with the students’ families by visiting their homes and praying with them.  As a W.I.N.D. liaison, I hope to seek out relationships with workers from other nonprofit organizations working in the region, with other Christian and private schools, and with pastors and church leaders thereby helping W.I.N.D. to better understand the holistic needs of the community.   Some additional projects I hope to undertake include:  joining and helping with short-term W.I.N.D. teams while providing logistical and translation support; developing a record of the families of HOREB and preparing to launch a sponsorship-type program for them; providing ongoing reports of happenings at HOREB and in the community which will keep W.I.N.D. board members and supporters informed and connected to the dynamics which impact its programs;  providing leadership for and meeting regularly with a potential W.I.N.D. local indigenous missionary.  In my spare time I hope to trek to some outlying villages in order to plant new relationships and assess needs in these communities.   Personally, I hope to increase my reliance on the Lord in my daily life as I am forced out of my comfort zone.  Embracing the change of pace and Guatemalan lifestyle will provide me with focused time spent in prayer, discerning God’s will for my future direction and deepening my relationship with Him. 

I would love for you to join me in this project through prayer and financial support.  It is estimated that living expenses while staying in Guatemala will be about $400/month.  Any money I raise for my trip that I do not use will go toward supporting Colegio HOREB.  Thank you for partnering with me in this outreach to the people of the Ixil Triangle.  You can follow my journey on my blog: http://jordanrichardrice.blogspot.com

 For Him,

Jordan Rice

Donating and Praying

Your donations are tax deductible and you can donate monthly or as a one time payment:

Checks should be sent to: W.I.N.D. of God - 259 Coyote Lane - Lopez Island, WA

You may also donate via PayPal on the W.I.N.D. website: www.windofgod.org

If you want to be included in my prayer emails, send your email address to: jordanrrice@gmail.com