Saleebys on Mission : Getting settled in Guatemala

So, here we are in Central America! The last few months have been a huge blur. We are in our third week living in Guatemala and the Lord has shown Himself faithful in all the many tiny little details. We have been cared for by our brothers and sisters of Vida Nueva Guatemala (VNG) in so many ways. The minute we landed we had a beautiful welcoming party and they even brought coffee! They took us home, carried all our trunks and luggage in the house and we prayed together. They even made a special late-night trip to get us toilet paper. TP is kind of a necessity for a home with 4 ladies. (Thank you Lefties!)

The VNG family that greeted us

The new gospel whip

The following days were no different. We had our Guatemalan family show up to help us as we needed to stock the pantry, fridge and freezer. We also needed a vehicle and a few guys took me out car shopping. This was quite an experience which you can ask me about sometime. When we finally settled on a 12-passenger van, we had a mechanic from VNG volunteer to drive the van and look it over thoroughly. The Lord provided the funds to purchase the vehicle, the people to vet the vehicle and the right vehicle for personal and ministry use. Interesting note, here they refer to our 12-passenger van as a microbus. We are so thankful to have a vehicle that will not only work well for our family, but will also be a help to the ministry here.

So what’s next? I will start language school and the girls will start homeschool this coming Monday, September 4^th. I am meeting with a few men in VNG each Thursday afternoon to cast vision for NingunLugarSinAlcanzar (NoPlaceLeft) in Guatemala. I am seeking persons of peace anywhere and everywhere who are willing to listen to the gospel or to be trained to take the gospel to their households and beyond. At this time, we have identified and are praying for 4 prospective locations for NPL training to take place: San Lucas, Mixco, Zona 9 in the city at VNG and Chimaltenango.

Gospeling Update: During the purchase of the vehicle, I met Indira. She is the manager of the company where we purchased the van. She speaks great English and this gave an opportunity to share the gospel using the 3 circles conversational tool in this culture. Edwin from VNG was with me so I was blessed with the opportunity to share the gospel with Indira and to model this tool for Edwin. Indira is like many people in Guatemala. She has a lot of head knowledge about God but she admits she is far from God. She wants to be close to God but she wants to hear more before committing to follow Jesus. Please pray that she remains sincere and does accept the opportunity to meet again.

While I was in town and in between meetings I found a pupuseria that also has coffee. I strolled in looking like a total gringo and with my poor Spanish asked for pupusas. The English-speaking owner, Xavier, asked if he could help with my order. We got into a conversation where he also pegged me for a missionary and told me he had a few thoughts he’d like to share with me regarding the approach that missionaries typically take here in Guatemala. Xavier is Guatemalan, around 60 years old, and an established business man. Here is a great opportunity. He invited me back for FREE coffee and he wants to discuss my plans. From this conversation, I learned that he is not a believer. As he tears up in our conversation, I see that he cares a great deal for people in this country. Please pray that Xavier hears the gospel and responds to it with obedience to take the gospel to his household and the nations. I will go see him again… and not just for the free coffee.

This is Christy… I wanted to add a quick note myself. This has been no small adjustment to say the least. We find ourselves completely out of our element and in unfamiliar territory. But we are most definitely where we are supposed to be. We are figuring out how to do life here little by little. Everything is different, but our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I am so thankful for His presence, His peace, His guidance and His joy – all of which we have experienced in deeper, more tangible ways than ever before. Hannah, Jordyn, and Layla are doing amazingly well. They are happy and content, and we are blown away at the ability God has given them to adapt to such a huge life change. Thank you for all of you that continue to pray for and encourage us. We love you all!

Some specific prayer requests:

1) Wise use of time in the harvest and in training new workers to be in the harvest

2) Language

3) More workers in the harvest and for us to remain faithful to spread Gospel seeds

4) Nationals to see the Father's heart for church planting

5) For Christy and the girls as they start homeschool next week

I attempted to ask for turkey sausage at the grocery store (for cabbage and sausage) but these are most definitely hot dogs! My family was gracious and seemed to enjoy it anyway lol but I do not recommend it! -Christy