Pray for marriages

Last week when we announced the beginning of a study for marriages, only one couple attended.  We were a little discouraged, but kept praying and Praise God!  This week five couples came and we had a really good meeting, ending up with pie and coffee.
 I think this type of study is really new to Guatemalans here in Mayan country, so we will see how they do, but judging from their first reaction, I think they will like it.  Whether they open up or not is yet to be seen, but God's Word is powerful, so we can leave the results up to our Marvelous Saviour!  We are excited and pray for the Holy Spirit to reach deep into the marriages represented at this study, heal hurts and renew lost loves.

Las Buenas Nuevas

Las Buenas Nuevas

A ministry of CAM International, with a breathtaking view of Lake Atitlan,is located in Panajachel, Guatemala.

Our guests, (missionaries, mission teams, national churches and families) can stay, rest, recharge, or play in a beautiful, quiet place away from the stress of everyday ministry.

We have three comfortable houses complete with kitchens and the ability at the current time to house up to 30 people.  

Our Mission

To partner in reaching the lost for Christ throughout Central America by providing a guest facility for missionaries primarily, aiding in their need for rest and refreshment so that they are physically, spiritually, and emotionally better able to minister to the needs of others.

Providing a secure parking area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the near future, we will also have four efficiency units and an apartment with three bedrooms in the second level of our new construction.

Hoping to serve you soon!

Dinner for Couples - 2

Playing the "heart" game using Scriptures with their mate.

Dinner for Couples

God is so, so faithful to always glorify His name through his Word!  We experienced such joy this past Saturday night as we saw how focusing on what He says in his Word about marriage brought tears to the eyes of the couples who attended the dinner especially made for them!
Let me explain...  Twenty couples attended our second "Cena para Parejas".  The purpose of this dinner was to emphasize how important our marriages are to our Lord because he has ordained them to be a picture of Christ and the body of Christ, or believers.  Not much is said here about this subject and most marriages here present the opposite picture.   A young couple who are also ministering in our church produced some professional booklets to give to each couple who attended, with 7 challenges from the "Fireproof" book, in Spanish and written appropriately for this culture.  We took photos of each couple, then gave them a word game to work on as the other couples arrived using verses of Scripture that were written on hearts and placed all around the room.  Our precious Marta, from Las Buenas Nuevas, because of how this particular dinner positively affected her marriage last year, prepared "pepian", a tipical chicken and rice dish which was delicious!  We had a special message, and played Newlywed type of games.  All in all, God made this dinner a wonderful success and we are praying that He will continue to use the concepts from the booklets to speak to the hearts of every couple who attended. 

discipleship groups

Last night was the kick-off for the new year with our respective men's and senorita's groups.
 We invited all of them together to share some hotdogs and fixins, then separated for the evening.  Niel started with games from "Minute to win it", which the guys loved, then talked about the steps of a Christian life.  10 guys committed once again to meet once a week with a partner for prayer, Bible study, and accountability! Encouraging men here to be vulnerable with each other is a very long process, but we are praying that the Holy Spirit will use these guys to spread that enthusiasm to the rest.

The girls from the youth group meet at our house about once every 5-6 weeks for a Bible study and usually some kind of craft.  Last night our study title was how the Christian life is like a race.  One of the girls volunteered to model all kinds of extra clothing representing sin in our life that we need to throw off if we want to run the "race" well (I wish I had a picture of that).  After the study, two of our women taught the girls how to make earrings.  They really enjoyed that!

All in all, we trust that God was glorified in the evening and our "hermanos in Cristo" were encouraged in their walk with Christ!

Vacation Bible School

VBS!  We invited some students from the Biblical SEminary in Chimaltenango and Guatemala City to come and help us since we have no pastor at this time.  They were awesome and great examples to the teenage helpers from our own church.

The theme of the week was "Cambio de Rumbo" which means Change of Course, which spoke to unbelievers and believers alike. On Thurs. the story was of Phillip and the Ethiopian where Phillip tells him the story of Jesus and he responds by trusting Christ as Savior.  So, that day, we emphasized the need for salvation and gave the kids an opportunity to trust Christ. These are the kids who responded to our invitation.  We are praying that some of these 60 kids were sincere in their desire and will continue to grow.  We got all their addresses and hope to visit all of their families in the next 3 months.   We gave each of them a wordless book bracelet to help them remember

 

 their decision.  We spent some time with this group explaining what salvation means.

Can't forget snack time!

 Our 9-11 yr. olds made pinatas.  They were very excited and many showed some great creativity!  The large group was divided into 5 groups.  Each group had the task to paint their pinatas with the theme of one of the Bible stories.

 

 Usually each VBS has a small "store" where the kids can buy small snacks, but each day one of the groups from the church also gives a substantial snack.  So this year we decided to give the kids an alternative to put their money.  We made a styrofoam church bank and encouraged them to give their small change to a missionary.  Made about $15 to send to a Guatemalan family who are serving in Spain.  Not a lot, but it's a start of getting them to think about missions.  We also had a mission story every day.

What a great week!  Started with 150 and had 200 by the end of the week.   

 

Making pinatas!  Very messy, but extremely gratifying.

 These were our 3-5 yr. olds.  In the space of 10 X 20 feet, there were 45 little ones.  We had one teacher and 3 helpers for this group, which we really needed!  But as you can see, they had a wonderful time!

 

All in all, it was a wonderful week and we praise our Father in heaven for the opportunity to  minister to so many children in the community and plant seeds of the gospel in their hearts. Thanks to everyone who donated crafts and finances to help with this year's VBS!

Finding room for so many kids in our small sanctuary was a challenge.

health returns!

Just a few lines to thank everyone for praying for our health.  Diana is well again from this last very strong virus, without the continuing problems that she had last year after a similar virus, so we are very thankful!  Also, Niel is struggling with his second kidney infection in a month, so he plans to see a specialist in the city before we leave for the states in a couple of weeks.
This week is Vacation Bible School at our church here in Panajachel.  Had 200 kids today!  Ran out of supplies and chairs, but everyone enjoyed themselves!  We're all tired, but happy that God's Word and His precious Gospel is going out to so many in our community.  Will write again when it is over and post photos.