On the Go in the USA

Hello,

We, angel and I have been from Philadelphia; Ohio; Silver Spring, Cambridge, Columbia and Chevy Chase, MD.; Virginia; Willmington, Southport and Raleigh North Carolina; and Loris, South Carolina. It has been exciting and hard. We were on the train over 15 hours going to and from Ohio. Angel loves the train and has traveled pretty well.

We have been blessed on every hand. The love, compassion, interest, generosity, friendship and love has been overwhelming.

We are well on the way to provide 163 pairs of shoes for shool children and one adult next year. The school year begins in Mid January.

Our hearts are full and overflowing with joy. God bless you all.

On the Go in the USA

Myra and Fellow Missionaries



Angel and His new friend



Angel and Myra at Mission display



Myra with First Lady Wanda Smith of Mt Moriah Baptist Church

Our second week in the states we attended a missions conference given by Mt. Moriah Baptist church. Melvin Green invited me and we are so glad he did. We saw some old friends and made new friends. The conference was excellent. The fellowship with my fellow missionaries was heartwarming for me. Angel was gone most of the time making friends with the children his age. Mt Moriah has the gift of hospitality. I went away refreshed and encouraged.

We, now have a new president. A man of color who needs our prayers and support. God put him there and the Bible says we must pray for those in authority. As I was watching the news coverage and seeing the expectant crowds before the results came out and saw and heard the uproar as President elect Obama was proclaimed victor, I could not help but think what if those crowds were expectantly waiting for Jesus and then when He was proclaimed Lord and King of all, their cheers were for Him! Only God Himself can bring forth the true ideal of America with those who will listen and obey His voice. I pray that the new leadership in the White House will be people whose hearts and minds and ears are inclined to His voice.

On the go in the USA

Angel lending a hand with pieces of the stove



Installing New Stove



Francisco and Men's Ministry





October Birthday celebration





Myra and Venus




Greetings from Baltimore. Angel and I arrived safely on the 24th of October. Buster picked us up from the airport.

Before leaving Guatemala I was invited out by friends to say goodbye and received phone calls and visits from others and even small gifts just to say I would be missed. The mothers attending the services and some who attend the feeding program with their small children stood up and recited words of farewell, rubbed on me, hugged me and a few even cried. The children said their goodbyes also with words of love and lots of hugs.

Before we left we celebrated the children's birthdays for October and gave out their birthday gifts. We also had another stove installed for a family of seven. Randy and Dottie Sizemore of Zion #3 church donated the money to purchase the stove. The family was very excited and thankful. It was a bit of an adventure getting the heavy pieces of the stove to their home. The road was impassable because of the rains. Angel, Gilma, her brother-in-law Hugo, two members of the recipient family and one small neighbor boy hauled in the heavy pieces a little less than a mile.

Francisco shared the word with the men at the men's meeting. Afterwards clothing was given out. Some new men showed up that had not attended before. Please pray for this work. Francisco and his wife Raquel are keeping the ministry going while I am gone. Please pray for them and for the families in Guatemala.

After arriving home I saw my parents the very next day and was pleasantly surprised at the improved health of my mom. She is still tiny (88lbs) but moving around on her own. Praise God. Angel hadn't seen them for almost 3 years and made a comment that my mom looked about 95 and my dad 70 although he said my dad had also aged. They are both 85.

We spoke the first Saturday at Huber Memorial Church's Women of the Word Bible study. As always we were glad to see them again. My good girlfriend Venus took me to the Bible study and out to lunch afterwards. We also went to visit her daughter Shamane and new grand baby Zoe who is a beauty. Sunday we attended both services at Huber Memorial and gave a report on how the ministry was doing. It is always good to be at Huber Memorial mainly because they spoil me so much. I am thankful for their support, prayers, and encouragement.

I will be blogging during this trip so please come along as we go from place to place.

Love, Myra

A Sign of Hope from a Missionary Point of View

This financial crisis has affected many people in the states and many missionaries, who live by faith, are also affected by your belief in "Gloom and Doom" or your desire to do what God wants you to do. I recommend this word from Chuck Colson to your hearts.



A Sign of Hope
The Witness of Faith in Tough Times
October 8, 2008

Like many of you, I don’t look forward to turning on the financial news these days. These are troubling times. If you’re anywhere near my age, or about to send your kids to college, you can’t be happy when you see your retirement plans or college funds seemingly going up in smoke.

But as I got on my knees in my library yesterday morning in my devotional time, God really convicted me—in a way that was unmistakably from Him. As I started through my laundry list of thanking God for the blessings He’d given me, praying for my family and for my own, personal concerns, God stopped me short. I felt convicted this was no way to start my prayer time. No, I needed to start by offering myself to God, to be fully used by Him.

It was as if God told me that my priorities were wrong. He told me I shouldn’t be praying for myself. That my job was to carry out the responsibilities He’s given me. And if I did that, He’d take care of my needs. God raised me up, I realized, to speak to His Church. And that’s what I should be about doing. Encouragement in tough times.

Not two hours later, I arrived for an appointment at the hospital to get the results of a biopsy (which, happily, turned out well).

When I arrived at the reception desk, I was greeted by a nurse—a lovely woman—who had an enormous smile on her face. A fellow believer, she told me she had been waiting at the desk to meet me. As we talked, I asked her how she was handling things. She said her husband had been heavily invested in real estate. When the housing market melted down, they lost everything they had—their home, cars, retirement, everything. And she—she appeared to be her 40s—had to go back to work to support the family.

When she finished, she looked at me with a radiant smile and said, “It’s been tough, but I have no fear. The Lord has a plan for me. I am totally at peace.”

I was nearly speechless. This was no chance meeting. Here, right before my eyes, was living confirmation of what God convicted me of hours earlier. All I could do was thank her for telling me, and then pray with her for a moment. Scripture tells us we often meet angels unawares.

But I couldn’t help but be encouraged. Nobody who encounters this woman’s trust in God would ever deny the power of faith. While many are walking around wringing their hands, she is living with “unutterable and exalted joy.” That kind of faith changes a person, convinces the skeptic, and provides a stunning witness to God’s love in Christ—even in tough times.

That’s the kind of faith God calls us to. Complete and utter trust in Him. It’s easy to be a believer when everything is going well. The real test is when things fall apart.

I know how hard it is to have nothing: I remember the days of the Great Depression. I’ve been in prison. But in the end, and especially in times like this, I know that in Christ, I can be content in all things.

Sure, it hurts to see your life’s savings or your job threatened. It’s part and parcel of being human in a fallen world. But this is a time when Christians must be different and show it to the world. Maybe that’s what God intends to do with this crisis. Maybe He’ll use it to banish the “health and wealth gospel” and let the world see how the genuine faith of God’s people shines all the brighter in the darkness.

I pray that you might hear God’s word as I did yesterday morning. Be not afraid! And then live with the kind of faith that that nurse in the hospital showed me.




RECOMMENDED RESOURCE


Charles Colson on Politics and the Christian Faith (DVD)

August update

The Puppets and the Puppet Masters


Myra with Augusts' birthday children



Raquel (far right) and her literacy class




Esperanza with her new son

Dear Family and Friends,


Greetings from hot, wet, windy Guatemala. This truly is the land of perpetual sunshine but it also rains and when it does it rains hard.

Angel is doing well. We are anxiously awaiting his exam results for the 3rd semester. We really like his school because the teacher recognizes his strengths and is open to help work with his weakness, which is fear. He is doing better and we are looking forward to the end of the school year in mid-October. We will be coming home at the end of October and he is so excited because we will be there for Christmas and hopefully he'll see some snow. I'd rather not.

Many of the children did very well in the 2nd semester. The 2nd semester report cards were sent home late while they are now just finishing their 3rd semester exams. We sent 31 children-from pre-school to 8th grade - to school this year. The school year ends in late October. From the report card shown for this semester, 29 of the 31 will pass. Of the 31 children 9 of them had excellent grades of 80 and above in all of their classes!! One child, a student in the 1st grade, had grades of 90 and above in all of her classes and another child, who is in the 6th grade, also had grades of 90 and above in all of her classes!! Of the two students, who will not pass, one is in the 1st grade and is 9 years old but could not fully understand the work. That is not unusual for children who have never held a pencil before. That's a big step in itself for some. The other student is in preschool. Both will try again next year and we believe, with this years exposure to this new world of learning, next year they will succeed.

Because of the landslides near to our area and the hundreds of people living in shelters, the ministry that usually gives us beans, rice, corn and soya directed those items to those needy people. Thanks to your donations we were able to buy 300 lbs of beans and 200 lbs of corn. We gave small portions (2-3 lbs.) of beans and corn to 60 families that have 206 children. We are hoping to be able to do more of same or better next month,

School was closed for a week and we took the opportunity to have some special fun time with the kids. Suzy was given a theme of salvation for a child who was a bully and developed it into a puppet show. A few of the older children came by daily to rehearse. The puppet show was shown on the last day before they returned to school. It was a great success. Everyone, including the mothers, enjoyed the puppet show.We are thankful to the Park Valley group who were here in July for leaving us the theatre made of PVC pipe and covered with cloth.

We celebrated the women birthdays on Sunday and the children's birthdays on the last Friday of the month with small gifts and a cake.

We are continuing weekly with the literacy classes with Raquel as teacher. We have adults and children. The adults are all women. We have one man who does his work in his notebook at home. His grown daughter and two smaller children attend but he is timid to be in a class with all women. The children are ages 7 to 14 and will be attending school next year for the first time. We also have three high school students who are being tutored during this time. Yes, those little girls towards the front of the photo are seven and eight!

Another stove was purchased this month that was donated by Daisy Hudson of Zion #3 church. The stove was given to Esperanza's family just a few days before she gave birth to her sixth child. These small blessings are huge benefits for the families. These stoves are compact, uses less wood and each has a chimney that takes the smoke away from the houses and especially away from children who are the most vulnerable. We are committed to place a stove in one families home each month at a cost of $120, that's a bargain.

The Women on Sunday have just finished studying the first 5 books of the Bible. We applaud their interest and dedication to come every Sunday to hear the word and we know it will perform that which it is sent to do. We started in May 2007 in the book of Genesis.

Towards the end of the month things got very sad personally, but God used that time to strengthen Myra to war against the attack of the enemy. There came such a peace and a spirit of intercession that was and still is warming to her soul. As she finished the service on the last Sunday in August she felt led at the close of the teaching to go and pray a small prayer over every woman present. Only God knew why and how those individual prayers affected those women. Myra felt humbled and blessed that God would use her after being in such a sad state just a few days ago but He did and we rejoice in seeing His hand move so beautifully over this ministry. Being open to do the next thing is always the key.

These are some of the small steps that were made this month but each step touches one persons life and that can change a whole family. The faithfulness of God is being demonstrated by these little acts of kindness and deeds of mercy. Thank you all for holding us up in prayer during these very dry time financially but also its a very rich time in the spirit.

Love, Myra

Hanging in There

It's been a difficult two weeks..."feeling" down physically and emotionally. I had recently lost a dear friend in Christ to the Lord and was grieving over her...selfish of me, because I know she is happy and blessed in the presence of the Lord. I know when I come home in November she won't be there to chauffeur me around but more to bless me with her love. Then I was exhausted from three wonderful groups that came to bless me and felt lost when the last group left me alone and friendless. (joke)

I've been asking God what's going on and my answer was "Get up Myra and do the next thing", so that's what I've been doing. I preached two Sunday's ago and felt like dry grass was in my month and one of ladies came forward and accepted Christ!! My God did that because I was not really there. How wonderful He is when we are at our weakest he shows Himself strong.

We had our first two literacy classes in these days.We are thankful for Raquel who volunteered to teach the class. Many of those attending are children ages 8 through 14 who have never studied or have dropped out. They are eager to learn and to have an opportunity to study next year. We are praying that with help from supporters we will able to send those children to school.

An update on Marcos. He is doing better after his accident. He is more alert every time I see him. Thank God. His mother, Alicia is on the mend after being beaten on her back with a heavy barrel by her husband. Please pray for this family.

Heavy Rains and Mudslides in Chiquimula

Hello,

Below is an urgent request for prayer from my friend and fellow missionary Nancy Sheldon who lives only 40 minutes away from us.. The rain has been ongoing and has become life-threatening. In our area, thank God, everyone we know is okay. No one has lost their lives or homes. She is not in danger where she lives.

Our concern is the fault lines because we did have an earthquake here a few years ago and the epic-center was in the area of Jocotan/Camotan and we felt it right in our home. Thank God there was little or no damage in any the areas from the epic-center on out.

Thank you for your prayers.

Love, Myra


Hi everyone,
I wrote a prayer request that was going to appear in the webpage changes for August but those won't be posted until next week and I wanted to get some prayer action going as our situation is escalating here.

We have a crisis in this part of Guatemala. The fault lines are very unstable and are moving. This is further complicated by the fact that we are having excessive rain. I have never in 20 years wrote to ask for the rains to be calmed; we have always prayed for more rain. But the ground in saturated, the river is overflowing and there is no place for the water to go. A "crater" has opened up in Jocotan and they can't even determine the depth because it seems to be a bottomless pit. Water continues to fall in it and so is looking for tunnels and outlets, further weakening the ground.

86 families had to be evacuated from Jocotan yesterday. I spent the afternoon helping my secretary's family (Lidia) who was one family and a number of other families to go to new housing locations. Lidia found a house to rent although the owners put it at double the rent, taking advantage of the situation.....knowing that someone would take it. People are being housed in 2 evangelical churches, the catholic church and the theater in town.

In Camotan we received 1300 refugees yesterday. 800 people from La Union are here, a town about an hour or a little more away. Houses have been buried and some have fallen into holes where the earth has opened up. They were blocked off from 2 out of the 3 routes to leave. One route has 120 landslides in a 38 kilometer stretch. We have 400 people in the gymnasium in Camotan. That was as of last night and more could have arrived during the night. They were supposed to evacuate another 500 people from Caparja, which is the border town crossing over into Honduras. We also have people at the catholic church, an evangelical school and a public school in Camotan. The president is supposed to arrive at 10am this morning. We are trying to help with the immediate need, knowing that it will take a few days to get organized and wait for help to arrive. One of our church ladies started making tortillas at 5am this morning and we hope to have 400-500 to pass out by lunch time. We are also making a rice drink to hand out. We have 12 people staying at my sister's house from La Union, that I know.

At first it was a temporary measure to have the families leave their homes in Jocotan but now they are saying that they cannot return.....ever! People are having to walk away from their homes. The government is talking about doing a housing project for those affected, but I am not real confident about that. I went through this 11 years ago with Hurricane Mitch. The people were promised to be relocated into nice block homes and eventually received a 12 foot square cement slab with a weak tin roof over it....hardly what they had been promised!

Late last night they were supposed to open up the flood gates to a dam in Honduras. This is what caused our problem with Mitch in 1997. A piece of the dam broke and brought us a "wall of water" on Jocotan washing 86 homes down the river. This time, thankfully, they decided to release the excess water in a controlled way, before it broke. It will still send us more water but in a controlled way and it doesn't appear to have caused any more damage for us last night.

By later this morning they are supposed to have a census of exactly who is here and have them registered. We will then have more accurate information. We want to do what we can to try to help in this crisis. We ask for your prayers.

Blessings,
Nancy

IF WE DO NOT LOSE HEART

I have been a bit weary lately and I remembered this article a friend sent me that really blessed me. Today's post is the article from me to you with love.
Myra

If We Do Not Lose Heart
Francis Frangipane

“He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” Daniel 7:25

The prophet Daniel warns of a time when Satan, through the Antichrist, will seek to wear down the strength of God’s saints. How this occurs in the final hours of the age remains to be seen, but on one level this battle already is going on today: Satan seeks to wear us out through delays (“alterations in times”) and in compromise of God’s Word (“alterations in law”).

The final effect of what seems like never-ending delays is that believers are worn out. Do you know anyone who is weary with his or her battle? Are you yourself weary? I know many who seem trapped in situations that should have been remedied months and even years ago but the battle continues against them. Situations and people, often empowered by demonic resistance, stand in opposition to the forward progress of God’s people. As a result of satanic spiritual resistance, many Christians incrementally accept this resistance until a quiet, but weighty, oppression rests on their souls.

This battle to wear out the saints may be rooted in conflicts with children or spouses; perhaps it is some unresolved issue or division within their churches. It may be a work conflict or health battle, yet on and on it goes. Like a skilled and masterful thief, the enemy daily steals the joy, strength and passion of Christians, and many do not even realize what they have lost or how much.

The scale is actually larger than our personal struggles. Consider the various conflicts in the world. Some have continued for generations. We can understand why, even in the midst of great worship and praise by the redeemed, there is a place under the altar in heaven where the saints continue to ask, “How long, O Lord?” (Revelation 6:10). Fifty-eight times in the Bible, from beginning to end, the phrase how long is echoed by those who grew weary with waiting.

Sometimes the delays are God-ordained to perfect faith; as we seek Him He helps us grow. On the other hand, there is a vicious attack against us to oppose and delay the fulfillment of God’s plans for us until we grow weary and quit. Satan is the dragon whose goal is to “drag-on” the battle with draining, wearying delays. He persists until we wear out, give up and quit praying.

Additionally, as situations stretch beyond reasonably expected conclusions, weariness of soul can also exacerbate the original situation, leading to fleshly reactions or just overreactions, which also need resolution. We lose patience, eventually seeking relief rather than victory. This compromises the standards of God and conscience.

Perseverance
There is a reason the book of Revelation mentions the word perseverance seven times. Over and over again we see those who persevered and overcame. It is one thing to have vision, another to have godly motives, but neither will carry us to our objectives by itself. We must also persevere.

The root of the word persevere is the word severe. We must face the fact that en route to victory our trials may get severe. Likewise, it is with severe faith - severe or extreme steadfastness - that we inherit the promises of God (see Hebrews 10:36). James tells us: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Endurance. Perseverance. Steadfastness. These are the qualities that breed character, that transform the doctrine of Christlikeness into a way of life. “Let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect.” The key to perfection, to a life “lacking in nothing” is perseverance.

Weariness of the Mind
Have you grown weary? You are not alone. Part of the weariness we feel comes from faulty thinking. If we had known the battle was going to take as long as it has, we would have prepared for it more realistically. Every building plan will probably take twice as long as we assume; every virtue will take a year, not a weekend, to be truly worked in us. It may take a generation for some of our loved ones to be saved. If things happen sooner, we can rejoice. But we must guard ourselves lest we prepare only for the easiest of breakthroughs; some things will not manifest without time and tears.

You may think that it sounds like unbelief to expect difficulties. I don’t think so. I think it is wisdom. Wisdom is not the enemy of faith. I have found that if I don’t trust God and relax, I become anxious, fretful and distracted. I have also found that the Holy Spirit will not descend and rest in power upon a man who is fearful and controlled by his external circumstances. Jesus’ spirit stayed in abiding peace, yet still He accommodated delays as part of life’s package. He was often delayed by the huge crowds or urgent needs of the people around Him. People died waiting for Jesus to show up. Did He become anxious? No, He stayed focused on the Father and without losing His trust in God, simply raised the dead.

At some point we must come to the conclusion that God knows when we are growing weary in battle - be it praying for the salvation of a loved one or one more frustrating delay in reaching our vision. We must trust that He knows our battle and that He has a miracle conclusion waiting us. I know a dear pastor who labored long and hard with a new building project, but it was constantly being delayed. It was first scheduled for completion in September, then rescheduled for December, then January and then February. Finally, with weariness in his voice, he called and asked if I could join him for their dedication. It was set for the first week of March.

“When exactly do you need me?” I asked.

He answered, “March fourth.”

Suddenly the Holy Spirit illuminated my heart. I told him that God had chosen this date prophetically. The Lord wanted that church, as an army, to “march forth” into their destiny. In a flash, the weariness weighing upon him was gone; joy and a sense of destiny swept his soul. The delay wore him out, but the delay in the hands of God became inspirational.

Dear ones, let us persevere. We just do not know what the victory will look like when we finally break through. Consider Joseph. Betrayed, enslaved, slandered and forgotten, he had to endure to reach his destiny. But the time finally arrived, and never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that the outcome would be so wonderful.

What we become is more important to God than what we do for Him. Our struggle, though we may have been delayed time and again, deepens our character. Maintaining our standards when pressed, finding grace when stretched, makes us true men and women of God. The Almighty One is in control. He knows how to take what was meant for evil and transform it into something good, even using the devil’s own devices to bring him down. God has something marvelous in store for us otherwise the enemy would not be fighting so intensely. Indeed, Scripture tells us that Satan rages worst when he knows his time is short (see Revelation 12:12).

Character Before Breakthrough
We mentioned Daniel earlier as a prophet who warned about Satan’s ploy to wear down the saints. God gave him a vision of the end of the age. Here is what he wrote: “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them” (Daniel 7:21). This is the nature of the battle. There are times we feel war storming against our souls, overpowering us. But the prophet said the sense of overpowering continued only “until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22).

There is a principle here that, once understood, will lead to victory in our battles. There will be a time, inevitably, when we feel overpowered. Yet if we endure, if we climb higher into God, if we refuse to lose our trust in God, a time will come when the Ancient of Days enters our circumstances. Looking at our newly developed character, which has grown strong through perseverance, He will pass judgment in favor of our cause. God looks at our character, forged in the fire of overpowering delays and battle, and says, “Good, this is what I was waiting for.”

Whatever your battle, whether you are praying for your country or standing for your children, whether your cry is for the lost or for the end of some local or personal conflict, remember the words of Paul: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9).

Master, I ask that You work in me the character that perseveres until the end. Forgive me for being such a wimp. Help me to grow up, to stand up until the harvest I have sown spiritually bears fruit. Thank You for not giving up on me! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Used by permission of Chosen Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, copyright (c) 2005. All rights to this material are reserved. Materials are not to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other media, or mirrored at other sites without written permission from Baker Publishing Group.

Families at Risk update and more

This afternoon the father, mother and the two girls who had accused their father of foundling them came to my house. The father came to assure me that he was not doing anything. He said he is an affectionate man who loves his family. The younger girl was visibly shaken while he was talking.

I had talked to Robert, director of Songs of Joy Home, and he said if the parents signed the daughter in for economic reasons he would accept the girl more at risk to live at the Home. The father said it was the girls decision. She lowered her head and with tears in her eyes said she would stay with her father.

My prayer is that with the father's awareness that I am watching and am interested in his girls that he will not continue with any abuse. He seemed very concerned about his image and did not want any problems with the police. Please continue to pray for this man to come to repentance and for protection for the girls.

Later in the evening my bell rang and a young girl came asking if I would call the police because the men of her older sisters were beating up both women. I called the police and waited with her until they arrived.

I'm tired emotionally so please pray for a quieter day tomorrow and for this family also.

Love, Myra

Families at Risk

Yesterday was a hard day. Two of the girls attending the comedor revealed that their father was abusing them. He threatens the mother when he is drunk and makes the girls lie with him. He is foundling them. The one girl spoke up first because her sister has started her menstrual cycle and she is concerned that she might get pregnant if this situation escalates. The older sister who is grown and married was sexually abused by the father starting at age 13! The girls are 12 and 13.

I talked to the mother and she denied everything. I sense that she fears he would hurt her physically and also is concerned for who would care for her family if he is gone. We cannot call the police because there is no forensic evidence because he has not sexually abused them as yet and the mother will not testify against him. Please pray for this family, especially for the father to be delivered from his sin. Pray for protection for the girls and strength for the mother to believe God to provide for her needs.

Later that night I heard another poor neighbor screaming in pain. This was Alicia, Marco's mother, another victim of physical abuse. She was taken to the hospital and returned this morning. Her husband also drinks and hit her across her back with a heavy object. She has 11 boys and is recently pregnant. The doctor says she will probably loose this baby. Please pray for this family, especially for the husbands deliverance from his alcoholism and for Alicia's strength in the Lord. She is a strong Christian women who has endured much. She has fasted and prayed for her husband and her boys.

What can I do ? As I was reading my devotions this morning I was in Matthew 5:43-48 and 1 John 3:14-4:21. These words really helped me to get a good perspective on these situations. I am not to judge the people but to love them. Did not Jesus come to save those who were lost. I sorrow for their sin that not only destroys them but others. I have hope in God that he will deliver and set free those who are in bondage to sin.

Practically my desire is to build a shelter for women and their children with a working project so that they can make a living while there. In this country there are not many or any resources available for women especially the poor.

Please stand with me as I go forth in love to bring the Word through teaching and demonstrating His love for every one of these people be they sinner or saved.

Love, Myra

Park Valley Church Visitors and My Ministry

A new day and a new message. Yesterday we had our first literacy class. It was a blustery, rainy day and only a few showed up but it was a good beginning. Today, at our church service, many said they would come to the class next Saturday for sure.

I want you to meet a new addition to the ministry. Francisco and Raquel are a young couple who are youth pastors at a local church. They had been in Chiquimula for about 3 months and wanted to help in a ministry. A friend brought them to me and they have been a blessing and a delight. Raquel teaches the literacy class as well as tutor my son Angel. Francisco shares the Word with the men once a month. Today at our monthly Men's meeting 27 men showed up. Praise God!

Last but not least, I'd like to share about the last group of visitors. They came mid-July and their impact on this ministry and with the poor community is still resonating. The group was led by good friend Kelly Schaeffer, who is a dynamic and dedicated personality. She brought the same caliber of people with her.

They wasted no time from painting my kitchen, doing activities with the kids, recovering plastic covered huts with new plastic, cooking and serving meals for the comedor (feeding program), killing mildew off of cement walls, baking cakes for a 15th Birthday party for one of the girls, to helping me with my newly donated computer. They even took time to visit Songs of Joy Children's Home to share play time with 60 children. I was tired just watching them.

Two of the most exciting times of their visit was when we took about 70 kids to the pool. They set up a fair day with fun stations for the children to visit and to enjoy. They also provided the clothing, ring and gifts for Carla's 15th birthday celebration. In this culture this is a special event that poor children never celebrate. Carla cried as she told them she never could imagine in her entire life that she would celebrate her 15th birthday in this special way.

They became attached to a number of the children. One in particular was Marco Tulio (14) who is one of my favorites. Marcos comes from a very abusive family. His father drinks and beats the mom. He has beaten Marcos so bad he's had bloody whelps on his arms and back. With this life style he had become a very angry young man. His house is up a hill on the back side of my house. When he is angry he has thrown rocks and has broken my windows. It's nothing personal...the windows are there in front of him and in his hand is a rock waiting to vent his anger. I talk to him and tell him I am not angry and always smile at him and over time he is doing better.

Marco was hit by a car and was unconscious for a day but thank God he revived and is on the mend. The visitors really took to him and loved on him. I pray this attention will inspire him to return to school and continue to study. He is a very bright young man with a winning smile.

That's all for today.

Love, Myra

Al, Natalie & Team

Another day and more info about visitors. My second group of eight people was led by Al and Natalie. They sent ahead SEVEN large boxes filled with women, children and men's clothing as well as shoes and purses. WOW!!

After a rough first day in Guatemala for Natalie ( serious upset stomach) everything ran smoothly. There were four young people in the group ranging in ages from 16 to 23 and an older woman of 68. All pitched in sorting and giving out clothing every day of the comedor (feeding program). The people were amazed and blessed and my garage was overflowing with very happy people.

We also visited the homes of the poor so the visitors, especially the younger ones, could appreciate how blessed they are in the states.

Al and Natalie did a great job organizing the activities. Al also was the chef for the group and did an excellent job. They really served me while they were here. I hardly did anything.

We are looking forward to more visits from Al and Natalie in the future. They are making plans to come again.

Closing for now.

Love, Myra

Jack and Jennifer Visit

angeldaniel@wmotw.com

Ministry visitors

Hello,

This is my first blog experience and it is exciting and a bit scary. Who's gonna read it anyway? If you do, you are special!

This year has been my busiest as far as visitors coming to the ministry. From late May until yesterday, its been none stop.

Where do I begin? Each group has blessed me in different ways. More importantly they have blessed God by their service.

I will begin with May when Jack and Jennifer came. They were so easy and laid back. Jack fixed anything in sight plus taught my son Angel how to do some handy man things too. Jen, who is a nurse, checked out the mothers and children. She was very good with them too. She also participated in a sleepover with 20 odd girls. No. they were not odd, just the number. She brought t-shirts and paint to make decorative shirts. It was great time. I took them visiting to see how the poor live. Jack has been involved with this ministry many years with his church. He has been an advocate for this ministry. He plans to come back in a year or two with more people and Jennifer plans to bring some nurses to do a medical clinic.

Jack also bought a plaque that will be placed in the building as a memorial to Susie Saltsman. In her memory we will build the Susie Saltsman library and multipurpose center. This will be an entire floor of the building and will serve as the church, daycare, computer lab, library and a place to hold Bible, hygiene, and literacy classes.

To make donations to this project please make checks out to WMOTW 3415 Fallstaff Rd Baltimore, MD 21215. Please put Susie Saltsman in the memo line.

I will share more tomorrow about my second group. If you are interested in serving the poor in a foreign land. Come on down!

Contact me at Angeldaniel@wmotw.com.

Love, Myra