On a recent home visit I trekked with a team through a beautiful valley path in the village of Chicua Primero to a small collection of houses where Tomasa Saquic stood waiting to meet us with two of her four boys. We greeted Tomasa and started talking with her. She told us how she is trying …
José Mario’s House
José Mario was 12 years old when we met him. He shows up at our house every Saturday to shine Michael’s shoes, turning the worn leather into a glossy sheen. We often gave him a snack and something to drink and Michael would sit and talk with him. Sometimes, José Mario works with Michael on …
Seeds in the Soil
A team of high school students from Resurrection Life Church in Grandville, Michigan, visited us in June and helped us with several outreaches and projects along with a team from a local church in the village of Chicua Primero. This church, led by a young pastor is growing rapidly as Pastor Carlos and his team …
A New Life — Our Daughter
Saturday morning, June 14, we were blessed with the birth of our third child, a little girl named Israela Victoria. She was born at 6:46 a.m., in the town of San Cristobal on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Guatemala. She weighed in at 7 pounds 1 ounce and she’s 19.5 inches long. See more photos …
Milk Program: Little Walter
Please pray for a little boy in the ASELSI Milk Program named Walter Alejandro. He is 1 year and 1 month old and only weighs 11 pounds and 12 ounces. He drinks watered down milk and other oatmeal type drinks throughout the day because his mom is trying to stretch the powered milk that ASELSI …
A Mourning Mother
Please pray for a mourning mom that I (Chrisi) talked to today at the ASELSI Milk Program. She gave birth a month ago to a 4 pound 11 ounce baby boy. He was born 1 month early. She stayed at the hospital for a couple days and then was sent home. He nursed well for …
Milk Program: Too weak to play
Angelina, is 1 year and 3 months old (shown here, held by her mom, at left). She only weighs 15 pounds — that’s the normal weight for babies less than half her age–and she was showing signs of malnutrition — weakness and docility. Chrisi recently met with Angelina and her mom, Josefina, at the ASELSI …
Not every mommy gets to hold her baby
In mid-January our friend, Juana, who helps Chrisi and is teaching Hudson to speak K’iche’ called us to tell us her 25-year-old cousin, Sebastiana, died after giving birth to her second child — a healthy baby boy. We were heartbroken at this loss that is more common that it should be here in the mountains …
Discipleship: Luis the Intern
Discipleship in Action Luis is studying in our intern program learning how to minister and grow in Christ. Luis was orphaned as a child. As a young teen he joined a gang and learned to steal and survive on the streets of Guatemala City. About three years ago, he was invited to church. That night …
Preparing a short-term mission team
I received an email the other day from California asking what my recommendations are for preparing a group of teenagers to go on a two week mission trip to Guatemala. Here’s what I told them: Glad to hear that a group is coming to serve here in Guatemala! Your question about preparing this team is …
