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Well Happy New Year to you all, It’s a new year and we are looking forward to all the things God has planned for us this year. Already we have had a team come and stay a week from First Baptist Church, Snyder,Tx. Such a great privilege to work with and along side our home church members.

After they arrived about noon on Saturday we went down to Antigua central park area and did some street witnessing, handed out bibles and tracks, and visited with people about their relationship with Jesus. Then on Sunday we went to our church here, “Iglesia del Camino”, that means Church of the Way. Then we had some lunch and took them to do a little souvenir shopping. After that we drove up to Charlie and Pat Reynolds place,  they had some nice cake and coffee ready for us. We all had a wonderful visit with the Reynolds. Monday we hit the ground running with building a house for a very poor family in Santa Maria de Jesus. This very young couple have 5 children and lived in a one room home. The house we built was 12×16 feet but made of metal and a cement floor, we also built a kitchen to the side and installed a stove in it. This family was so happy to get this new home. As we, the men of the team, were finishing up on the home the ladies went to Antigua and bought some house warming gifts for the family. Tuesday, and its time to take on a massive painting project at the new feeding center. The new feeding center has been completed and in use for about 2 months and ready for painting, so this team purchased paint and brushes and we borrowed a paint sprayer from Charlie Reynolds and painted the inside, one of the two colors. After getting the project going, my Dad and I along with Fred Cross went to a local home nearby and installed a stove, we also gave her a water filter bucket and a bible.  Later on we will go back and finish out with the darker color, that will be about 3 and a half feet up on the walls. Then on Wednesday we returned to Santa Maria de Jesus and before going to the feeding center we installed a stove in a little ladies home that is all cornstalk walls. We also gave her a water filter bucket, and a bible and prayed with her. Then at the feeding center we helped to set up tables and chairs, and get them all ready for the children. That day they fed about 250 hungry children. Thursday we had everything ready to build another home.  This home went to a husband and wife who have a daughter and son in law and all their children living there, 12 people in all. This home also received a kitchen and stove, 2 bibles and house warming gifts from the ladies. The family went to great effort to make us a wonderful lunch of pepian with chicken. Pepian is kind of a Guatemalan stew, served with corn tortillas. Then as we were getting ready to leave they gave us some beautiful  hand made bags, very detailed in design, then prayed with us and completed the day with some fireworks. On Friday morning very early we took them to the airport and said our goodbyes and farewells.  So until next time, First Baptist Church. Thank you so much for giving to the poor and needy of Guatemala.  As a side note, Fred and Ann Cross, along with Hannah Downing left our team early Thursday morning due to the illness of Dennis Downing, Hannah’s Father. We ask you to please be praying for the Downing and Cross families.

These are a list of some of the things that the team did while here in this country. There were some things they said that is always true. “We came to bless these people, but we are the ones that got blessed.”  ” I would have never thought that someone with so little could be so happy.” ” They work so very hard just to survive, but have great joy.”

Somethings we can all learn from the poor, is that you don’t have to have possessions to be happy with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart there is Joy that just comes out.

Next we have a friend from Knox city coming to stay a while and help with some of the same work here We will give updates as to how it goes with him.

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And now for our prayer request for this month. First please keep the upcoming teams as they come to serve the people of Guatemala. Please keep the Dennis Downing and the Cross family in your prayers. Please keep the children of the feeding center in Santa Maria de Jesus in your prayers.

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