Breakfast Program

Early this month we received a large donation of cereal. We have organized a plan to start doing a breakfast feeding program in our neighborhood in Zacapa, where the church is. Our idea is to invite the whole neighborhood to breakfast three days a week, for three months. It might take a week or two for the people to hear about it, and see it's "no strings attached", but I think it's going to be a blessing for all! Along with breakfast, we will be having time for prayer, and a Bible reading/story, to send the kids and whoever else comes, to school or work with Christ's love on their minds!

We are looking for people interested in sponsoring this program. We will need money for milk, and if possible a fruit to go along with their cereal. So if you are interested in helping out in any way, please contact me! May God bless and guide us in this activity, to bless others, and to share His love with our neighborhood in Zacapa!

Update on Church Construction in Juan Ponce

We are slowly advancing on the construction in Juan Ponce, praise God! We have been into the project for more than two years now, and have been building in phases, as the money is raised. SPECIAL THANKS to those who are helping with that, and have donated towards this project! This church will be a blessing to the village of Juan Ponce!

We decided to go with a concrete roof, so as to be able to build a second story in the future, whether of wood or block, we will see.. but it was worth it, because the money difference between doing sheet metal with a false ceiling (those of you who have been to Zacapa, understand the NEED for a false ceiling with a tin roof!! ITs HOT!), and doing a concrete roof/second floor wasnt all that much.. and it beat buying another piece of property by a long shot. The second floor (in some future) will provide sunday school rooms, and office, possible pastors quarters. SO, the process has been long, but the project is coming together nice now!

This week we started putting on the final coat of stucco, the really thin, white layer that leaves the wall finished and ready to paint. We are trying to push this stage (it is a slow process), and also trying to get the bathrooms done by the middle of April, as our annual church "convention" is in this church, on April 30th, and May 1st (all invited!), so the bathrooms are a must. It would be awesome to have the floor pad in too, so as not to be in the dirt, but that all depends on funds.. and time! After stucco is done, bathrooms are done, and floor is in, all that is left is to put the windows and doors in, the stairs up to the second floor, and electrical, and we are good to go!

Again, I praise GOD first of all, and thank all of you donors and supporters for your help during this long, but blessed process! Lives are being changed in Juan Ponce by God's power and Word through your prayers and support! Update on the spiritual portion of the church coming up...

I'm Back!

Hello all!

For those of you who are/where following this blog, I want to inform you that I hope to start doing frequent updates again! Sorry for the silent spell, I am pretty bad about doing things like this! But I will try my best to keep posting regularly! So, be looking for updates! God bless you!

Video - Missions

Video - Working - By Jay Wirkkala

Break-In

Yesterday I went to Guatemala City to drop off a friend at the airport. I stayed the night there, because it had been a long week and I didn't feel up to driving another 3 hours. So I figured I would just settle in at a friend's house, and do some work I needed to catch up on, on my computer. So this morning at about 10, I got a phone call from a friend of mine, who lives up the road from my house, saying that he passed by twice this morning and my front door was open. "Hm, weird" I thought. I thought that it might be the owners doing some work at the house or something, so I called her and asked her if she knew if someone was working there. She said no, but that she would go and check it out. About 15 minutes later I got a call from her saying that my house had been broken into, and that the door to my bedroom had been pried open with a crowbar. So, I immediately packed up and headed back to Zacapa.

At about 1 p.m. I arrived home, and slowly checked out the damage. They had taken almost everything of worth out of my bedroom.. a camera, an iPod, two cell phones, the church's projector, memory sticks, a usb port, some cash, about $250 in change I had been saving for about 3 years, some Audio Bibles (I hope they use them!), and other things that I am slowly realizing is no longer here. They also took other things, that I'm not sure WHY.. about 5 bars of soap, my half used stick of deodorant, half a tube of toothpaste, some medicine, some tools, ect. The weirdest thing is that they even went downstairs to eat some bread, and dig around in the fridge, leaving it open. They even used the bathroom (number 2!) and left it there! So it almost seems like it was a couple of them.

They also either took my dog, a German Shephard, or they let him out, so as not to bother them when they were here. So I need to find a new guard dog!

Well, the only thing that can be done now, is pray for the theif(ves) and pray that this was their last job. May God touch their hearts, through the Audio Bibles, or someway, so that they can realize that the road they are on leads to suffering, but that there is a better road, one that leads to eternal life! There is hope, even for them. For the sinners came Christ!

I want to ask all of you for your prayers. Things are getting worse and worse, and each day is getting more dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the Word of God has to stop being spread. God can protect His own, and with your prayers, He will protect us! Pray for peace in my heart, that I can always remember the verse Matthew 10:28 - Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. God is my strong tower, and even if they take my things, I pray for strength to keep on keeping on. Christ suffered a lot more than I will ever suffer! So pray for strength to hold my head up high, and keep putting one foot in front of the other, in His love and care!! Thanks so much!

Start of Juan Ponce Church Construction

On the week of April the 13th we took the first steps on the construction of the church in Juan Ponce, Zacapa. Praise God!! We have had a great couple weeks working out there! I love learning different ways to build and I love working alongside the locals! It's awesome. And a little sunshine is always good (even though I can't go 10 seconds without sweating when it's 100+ outside!). Thank God for the time, money, and stength to start the construction! We plan on building this church in phases, as the money comes in. The church members will be starting some fundraising and collections to get the local community helping with the cost of constuction as well.

Our church has been visiting this village for many years now, but there as not been a building to gather in. Over all these years, all of the services have been held in a variety of homes. The people in this village are very down-to-earth and level-headed people. So it will be a joy to work with and help to organize the founding of an actual church organization and body, and be a part of what God has started, and is continuing to do here in this village.

Please pray for this church, this community, for the unity amonst the village people, that God provides funds and working hands to raise up this building as a place to worship, and to bring Christ to this community! I will post again on this when there are changes.

You can see pictures from the construction so far, by clicking HERE.

There is a youth group coming down in June, mostly from NC, MN, and WA (lead by Scott Niemitalo and Jay Wirkkala). They will spend a couple days working on the construction of this church as well, so that will be fun! I will update ya'll on this as things advance.