PTL – Praise the Lord…we in Guatemala and the FOOD is Awesome!

First off, let us tell you how much you are missing out. Don’t worry about the fact that we are telling people about Jesus, or building relationships with the Chorti people. The breakfast here is out of the world AMAZING! Breakfast consisted of tortillas, black beans, eggs with peppers,onions, and ham, fresh cheese, plantains, and sausages…oh did we mention TORTILLAS…fresh, hot, and good!

On a more serious note, we spent the morning as a team walking around Chanco and Las Piletas. During this time we intentionally prayed for the homes we would be visiting, the people we saw, and just the village as a whole. We stopped and prayed at both schools, the Catholic church in Chanco and the site of the new one they are building in Las Piletas, the community center in Chanco, and at the original church plant in Chanco.

During lunchtime people retreat to their homes as the women prepare lunch. This leaves about three hours for us to eat and play with the kids. We hung out on a porch and enjoyed the beautiful weather and strong breeze. After a little nap we went to the soccer field by the school and did some story time and games with a few kids. We read the story of “Jonah and the Fish” to them from the Jesus Storybook Bible. Then we played sharks and minnows cause ya know…they are both about the ocean. Then the boys wanted to play jump the river which turned into jump rope which turned into limbo. After the team was thoroughly worn out it was time to do some house visits.

We split up into teams and went to some of the homes that were identified by the college team as “followup” homes. One team went to Teressea’s house and another to Fransisco’s house. Great conversation ensued and both homes welcomed us to come back later in the week to share more. If you don’t know Fransisco is the village leader, and so it is very important that we have a good relationship with him.

Even with this awesome day, some sad news was received.

One of our team members, Miguel (a translator, who lives in Chanco) found out that his oldest brother had passed away unexpectedly. This caught him very off guard and has brought a lot of sorrow to his family. We ask all of you to lift Miguel up in prayer and to also lift his family, brothers, sisters, and parents up in prayer.

Also, Chanco needs rain (none has fallen for a month). Their corn and bean crops are struggling. Please continue to keep the village in your prayers as these crops are needed for food to put on the table and monetary income.
Lastly, please also keep the general health of the team in your prayers.

And…it’s dinner time so the “David’s” have got to go!

Thanks for keeping all of us in your prayers!

-David Irvin and David Patrick