Today was one of the busier days. We did not stop since we woke up at 6 am. It was definitely physically, mentally and extremely emotionally draining. But soooooo worth it! We had a morning devotional that Becky shared at. Luke 5:1-9…Powerful word that ministered to me in my life. Verse 4 says, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” This basically describes what we have been doing for the past 5 days and what we will continue to do for the next few days. We have all had to leave our comfort zones, forget about dipping our feet just a tad at the shoreline, and literally dive into the deep here in Guatemala. Seeing the things we have seen, and doing the things we have done can definitely be described as launching into the deep.

After breakfast, we went to see the garbage dump from a cemetery that was positioned higher up on the mountain. We did this due to safety concerns, we were advised that going inside wouldn’t be wise. As you can see in the pictures, this was something beyond what the human mind can comprehend. As we stood there and looked down at the surrounding villages’ livelihood, we couldn’t help but feel crushed in spirit. Knowing that over 11,000 people depend on garbage picking, 7,000 being innocent children, just destroyed us. I can speak on behalf of the team and say that we all left with a hole in our hearts. We gathered in a circle and claimed Jesus over that land! Our prayer was that this impacting moment would cause us to never forget how blessed we are, and how we must continue to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Our next destination was The Potter’s House Ministry where we set up a medical and dental clinic, as well as clothes distribution. The clinic went well and overall had the opportunity to see over 200 patients. In the meantime, another group went out to do construction. We were able to help a whole lot! The villagers were so grateful! After lunch, we setup some groceries we purchased to distribute amongst the poorest of the poor. We setup an assembly line and prepared bags for each family to be fed for 6 days. We then went to what they call a “prayer walk” and gave out these bags to specific families that were known to have the greatest need. As I stood in these peoples so called “houses” which are really just tin shacks, I remember looking around and thinking that I was so fortunate to be able to partake in such a life changing experience for these people. God knows if some of these people have been crying out for someone to come and help them. Like the book of Acts states in chapter 10.:31, “your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.” We didn’t just help them physically, but most importantly deposited spiritually. We broke up into groups of 4 and ministered to each of these families in their homes, then prayed for any prayer petitions they had. Each group has amazing stories to tell. God was definitely with us as I remember hearing about how there wasn’t a concern of a language barrier. I myself can say that I had never prayed for someone out loud in Spanish and was able to do so time and time again from house to house. Thank you all for your continuous prayers, we know that this is definitely going so smoothly and perfectly due to them.

After the prayer walk, we returned home to have dinner and then left for an intense street evangelism in the heart of the downtown area. We encountered teenage prostitutes, drug addicts and countless of people bound by so much. We witnessed firsthand what it is to step into the enemy’s camp. These people were sitting on street corners and benches literally sniffing glue right before our eyes as we spoke to them about the love of Christ. We told them about a God that breaks chains and frees us from addictions, about a God who made them to be so much more. Many were broken, about 3 or 4 gave up their drugs and handed them over to those praying for them at the time. Words cannot describe what we saw today! We gave out flyers that had the contact information for Chris Allende’s drug rehab center, and 3 of them were going to call in the morning to turn themselves in. As we have seen so far, God has been using us as a tool to get people off the streets. Our prayer petition for you is to join us in prayer for those that said they would turn themselves in tomorrow. We serve a mighty and powerful God that ultimately wants to restore His people, and have a relationship with them! I am truly humbled!

Ephesians 3:8- To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

We love you!

Janette