We spent a few hours last night with the team packing our supplies. We will pack our personal items today, and then we’re off! Tuesday is the day we’ve been praying and preparing for. Please join us in praying for this mission. Pray for those for whom we serve. Pray that their hearts may be softened to the gospel. Pray for the group serving. Pray for safety and unity, for strength and compassion, pray that we might be a good witness and that God will use us well. Pray for our families that remain at home. We are very thankful for Hillcrest. We are thankful for Paradise Bound. We are thankful for you. Thank you for your generous financial support. Thank you for the prayers. Thank you for the good conversations we’ve already had about this eternal opportunity.
By His Grace and For His Glory!
Brenda,
I am so glad that you are on this trip. Thank you for your help this morning at the airport. Praying that you have an incredible time with the team and with the people you meet down there. Have fun with the kids and with the team. Praying for safety and health for you.
Wow – great 24 hours so far! After a delayed flight in Atlanta due to a thunderstorm, we arrived in Guatemala . . . in a thunderstorm. We were thankful for an overhead to keep us mostly dry while we loaded up 60 large bags. All the bags arrived! We got to skip the x-ray machine upon entering Guatemala and breezed right out of the airport. Got to bed around 3:00 a.m. Up and at ’em this morning. Beautiful day here . . . no rain, gentle breeze. We got the frame built, the inside and outside walls installed, the inside drywall mudded with two coats and the porch installed. We had a nice spot, top of the mountain, cool look out, shade available when needed. Tomorrow we’ll work on the roof and the stucco for the outside. We are building a house for a widow. I was proud of Tony today. He did well figuring out the building process, did great including one of the men from the family and allowing him to drill, and speaking Spanish (he did well, I guess he has been learning lots these last four years . . . thank you, UCHS). Now time for supper, small group and then bed. We should sleep well tonight after such a short night last night.. So far all is going well staying healthy with keeping clean hands, clean water bottle etc. Have seen only flys, no other insects. The roads here are crazy. You get banged around while riding. Going well. Praying that it is going well at home. Thank you for your prayers!
Additional note: We felt a small tremor this morning before we headed out, shook the building a little (pocco) bit. Apparently Guatemala has volcanic activity.
Brenda, so glad it went so well! It is such a powerful week and you have only just begun! Can’t wait to see what God brings next for you and the team. Thank you for being His hands and feet. The beauty of Guatemala is simply stunning and the people are so very special. Praying for health and strength.
Good night of rest, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast this morning. We are praying against rain so that we can successfully stucco the houses today. The sun over the mountains this morning is very bonita.
Dear Brenda, hope your day has been full – wonder, excitement, praise, challenge, and more. I think about what you may be dealing with on a minute to minute basis and all the planning and supervision you are responsible for, so I pray that you will be able to receive the guidance you need. God be with you. Audrey V
No rain – stucco accomplished – I even painted today and Doug, I was complemented on how steady my hand was while cutting in – you must have rubbed off on me. It is amazing to think how two days ago there was nothing and now there are five houses. I thought Dominga (the widow for whom we are building the house) was a very good sport when she agreed to paint her hand and leave her handprint on the wall with the rest of us. Having Dominoes pizza for dinner, doesn’t feel like a third world country at the base tonight. I saw a beautiful picture of abundance today. There was an abundance of stucco (most of a wheelbarrow full) left over after stuccoing the last home. The male of the house was able to use the abundance to stucco his stick and mud house and make it a place of more protection for his family. I serve a God who gives to me abundantly as well. Love and miss you Doug, Jeff and Paul.
So good to hear of all the blessings you, the team, and Guatemalans have received already!! Praying you have a great day when you dedicate the houses and the gospel,is presented. Thanks for going, Brenda!
The villagers went to a great deal of effort to create a festiva for us as we arrived. They decorated the new houses with streamers, balloons and fragrant pine boughs covering the floor. They set off fire crackers (noise and smoke type) as we walked up. We are very thankful that God held off the rain today. It was thundering and threatening to rain before we were able to get to house #4 and #5. There were a few drops, but we were able to stay dry as we surrounded the house. It is downpouring now that we are back at the base. It was great to hear the pastor ask if they wanted to accept Christo and to hear the villagers reply “si!” It was personally moving to pray God’s word back to him for hours today, new experience for me. Thinking of and praying for you, Doug, Jeff and Paul at home.
So glad to hear that dedicating the houses went well yesterday. What an awesome thing to hear the “yes” of the new homeowners to fill their lives with Christ! I am praying that you stay healthy and for a good day today as you travel to the coast. May God be your protector!
Brenda,
It’s great to see you in the pictures! I saw the one with your Bible…curious if it’s Spanish or English :). God bless you with energy to finish strong.
Hot and humid!!!! We went to a new village . . . 3 hours away . . . to a group of people who have no church . . . . served by providing medicine and fun . . . praying that our actions are showing Jesus to the villagers in a concrete way. Our “muchachos” connected with the village “muchachos” over a hot intense game of soccer. When they first met it was awkward, after several hours of intense playing they were circled up talking, laughing, and taking photos. Amazing to see how quickly connections and smiles were showing up. We are heading to a different village today to do the same thing. Happy Father’s Day, Doug. Happy Father’s Day, Dad and Dad-in-law. Anxious to hear about your week Jeff and Paul when we see you soon. Love, Mom.
I played Perro Perro Gato (Duck Duck Goose) yesterday. I haven’t done that in a long time, but it was fun for me and fun for the large group of kids we had playing. Tony played soccer and frisbee. We both got to go forward with villagers who said “Si” to Christo. Praying for strength today for our last day and for a long night of travel.
Team Hillcrest 2016 
We spent a few hours last night with the team packing our supplies. We will pack our personal items today, and then we’re off! Tuesday is the day we’ve been praying and preparing for. Please join us in praying for this mission. Pray for those for whom we serve. Pray that their hearts may be softened to the gospel. Pray for the group serving. Pray for safety and unity, for strength and compassion, pray that we might be a good witness and that God will use us well. Pray for our families that remain at home. We are very thankful for Hillcrest. We are thankful for Paradise Bound. We are thankful for you. Thank you for your generous financial support. Thank you for the prayers. Thank you for the good conversations we’ve already had about this eternal opportunity.
By His Grace and For His Glory!
LikeLike
Brenda,
I am so glad that you are on this trip. Thank you for your help this morning at the airport. Praying that you have an incredible time with the team and with the people you meet down there. Have fun with the kids and with the team. Praying for safety and health for you.
LikeLike
Wow – great 24 hours so far! After a delayed flight in Atlanta due to a thunderstorm, we arrived in Guatemala . . . in a thunderstorm. We were thankful for an overhead to keep us mostly dry while we loaded up 60 large bags. All the bags arrived! We got to skip the x-ray machine upon entering Guatemala and breezed right out of the airport. Got to bed around 3:00 a.m. Up and at ’em this morning. Beautiful day here . . . no rain, gentle breeze. We got the frame built, the inside and outside walls installed, the inside drywall mudded with two coats and the porch installed. We had a nice spot, top of the mountain, cool look out, shade available when needed. Tomorrow we’ll work on the roof and the stucco for the outside. We are building a house for a widow. I was proud of Tony today. He did well figuring out the building process, did great including one of the men from the family and allowing him to drill, and speaking Spanish (he did well, I guess he has been learning lots these last four years . . . thank you, UCHS). Now time for supper, small group and then bed. We should sleep well tonight after such a short night last night.. So far all is going well staying healthy with keeping clean hands, clean water bottle etc. Have seen only flys, no other insects. The roads here are crazy. You get banged around while riding. Going well. Praying that it is going well at home. Thank you for your prayers!
LikeLike
Additional note: We felt a small tremor this morning before we headed out, shook the building a little (pocco) bit. Apparently Guatemala has volcanic activity.
LikeLike
Brenda, so glad it went so well! It is such a powerful week and you have only just begun! Can’t wait to see what God brings next for you and the team. Thank you for being His hands and feet. The beauty of Guatemala is simply stunning and the people are so very special. Praying for health and strength.
LikeLike
Good night of rest, chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast this morning. We are praying against rain so that we can successfully stucco the houses today. The sun over the mountains this morning is very bonita.
LikeLike
Dear Brenda, hope your day has been full – wonder, excitement, praise, challenge, and more. I think about what you may be dealing with on a minute to minute basis and all the planning and supervision you are responsible for, so I pray that you will be able to receive the guidance you need. God be with you. Audrey V
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for all you are doing, Brenda! It all looks like you are accomplishing a lot:) Keeping you in prayer. Don’t drink the water 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
No rain – stucco accomplished – I even painted today and Doug, I was complemented on how steady my hand was while cutting in – you must have rubbed off on me. It is amazing to think how two days ago there was nothing and now there are five houses. I thought Dominga (the widow for whom we are building the house) was a very good sport when she agreed to paint her hand and leave her handprint on the wall with the rest of us. Having Dominoes pizza for dinner, doesn’t feel like a third world country at the base tonight. I saw a beautiful picture of abundance today. There was an abundance of stucco (most of a wheelbarrow full) left over after stuccoing the last home. The male of the house was able to use the abundance to stucco his stick and mud house and make it a place of more protection for his family. I serve a God who gives to me abundantly as well. Love and miss you Doug, Jeff and Paul.
LikeLike
So good to hear of all the blessings you, the team, and Guatemalans have received already!! Praying you have a great day when you dedicate the houses and the gospel,is presented. Thanks for going, Brenda!
LikeLike
The villagers went to a great deal of effort to create a festiva for us as we arrived. They decorated the new houses with streamers, balloons and fragrant pine boughs covering the floor. They set off fire crackers (noise and smoke type) as we walked up. We are very thankful that God held off the rain today. It was thundering and threatening to rain before we were able to get to house #4 and #5. There were a few drops, but we were able to stay dry as we surrounded the house. It is downpouring now that we are back at the base. It was great to hear the pastor ask if they wanted to accept Christo and to hear the villagers reply “si!” It was personally moving to pray God’s word back to him for hours today, new experience for me. Thinking of and praying for you, Doug, Jeff and Paul at home.
LikeLike
Hi Brenda!
So glad to hear that dedicating the houses went well yesterday. What an awesome thing to hear the “yes” of the new homeowners to fill their lives with Christ! I am praying that you stay healthy and for a good day today as you travel to the coast. May God be your protector!
Blessings,
Sandy Holtrop
LikeLike
Brenda,
It’s great to see you in the pictures! I saw the one with your Bible…curious if it’s Spanish or English :). God bless you with energy to finish strong.
LikeLike
Hot and humid!!!! We went to a new village . . . 3 hours away . . . to a group of people who have no church . . . . served by providing medicine and fun . . . praying that our actions are showing Jesus to the villagers in a concrete way. Our “muchachos” connected with the village “muchachos” over a hot intense game of soccer. When they first met it was awkward, after several hours of intense playing they were circled up talking, laughing, and taking photos. Amazing to see how quickly connections and smiles were showing up. We are heading to a different village today to do the same thing. Happy Father’s Day, Doug. Happy Father’s Day, Dad and Dad-in-law. Anxious to hear about your week Jeff and Paul when we see you soon. Love, Mom.
LikeLike
Hey Brenda so great to read of your experiences! Thanks for serving!
LikeLike
Thank you for your updates, Brenda! What a blessing you are to the group! Praying for your refreshment today 🙂
LikeLike
I played Perro Perro Gato (Duck Duck Goose) yesterday. I haven’t done that in a long time, but it was fun for me and fun for the large group of kids we had playing. Tony played soccer and frisbee. We both got to go forward with villagers who said “Si” to Christo. Praying for strength today for our last day and for a long night of travel.
LikeLike