Finally!

I believe it was in the year 2005/6 when Pastor Everts and I started asking questions as to whether we were doing things in Guatemala according to the law. We knew that the laws where changing and we wanted to make sure that we would not get into any hot water for not having the mission complying with local laws. We spoke with AMG and they offered to lend us someone within their organization who could help us. We soon found out that the new laws required non profit organizations to declare their income and expenses in country. Many of these new laws came into place to combat money laundering and other illegal activities. This prompted us not only to organize our bookkeeping locally, but also to look at the assets the mission had in Guatemala like land and buildings. 

During this process we were shocked to discover that the land that the Cubulco church was on had never been registered. The solution at the time appeared fairly simple which was to draw up new papers and have the owner who had sold the land to the mission years earlier sign it for us. However, it ended up not being that simple since the owner had died and the land had been sold to his wife. We approached the lawyer who had apparently handled the original sale, but he was not very cooperative until we threatened to file a complaint against him. He finally agreed to meet with us  and agreed to handle the rest. After many months of inactivity, he finally phoned us one day to tell us that the lady was willing to sign the papers, but that we needed to do it at her house. She was no longer living in Cubulco, but in Zone 18 of Guatemala City. We did not realize at that time that Zone 18 was and is today one of the most dangerous parts of Guatemala City. We went to the lady's house thinking that she was aware of our visit, but it became pretty clear that this was not the case. I think she felt threatened by our visit, and so she called her sons who both came quickly armed with pistols in their belts. It would be an understatement to say that I did not feel very comfortable or safe being there. The lady refused to sign the papers and we left empty handed, but alive. Years went by trying to negotiate with the lady through her lawyer, but nothing came of it. I am pretty sure the lawyer was trying to get her pay off. Finally, in January of 2012 we were able to convince the lady with the help of a "signing bonus" to sign the land transfer title. This was the quickest and least costly route to go, even though it irked me to have to do so. The end of this 6 year ordeal appeared to finally be in sight, but in the land of "tomorrow" this was not the case. It took almost another full year to finally get everything registered. The biggest problem was one of the workers for municipality in Cubulco who kept making mistakes on the documents. After about four tries he finally got it right and in December of 2012 I finally was given the legal title to the church in Cubulco which is a huge relief for me. 

When I studied missions and cross-cultural studies I was never taught about this aspect of the work. It is a part of the work that is necessary although time consuming and cumbersome. I am grateful to those who helped us along the way and I feel that we finally have everything up to par. I am also grateful to the Lord who answered our prayers because for a long time it looked like we would have to pursue this case in court which would have been costly and time consuming.    

In Memory of Victoriano Ajualip

Victoriano (left)

Victoriano on the left

On Wednesday, January 16, one of our translators Victoriano passed away to be with the Lord. For several months he had been struggling with a blood clot in his leg that did not seem to go away. He had been told by the doctors to stay off his feet as much as possible which he did. However, his leg which was badly swollen, would look better for a few days only to get worse again. Last week he went to the city for some more tests and they found that he had cancer and that it was terminal. Less than a week later he was gone. It took all of us by surprise although now looking back it explains the reason why he had lost a lot of weight in the past few months. He was a shadow of his former self as the cancer had taken its toll on his body. It is a loss for all of us, especially the family. He leaves behind a wife and several daughters, but thankfully no young children. His death is also a loss to the translation project as he was instrumental in getting the work done ahead of schedule. He had a passion for the translation of the Bible and we hope his passion lives on through others. The funeral was today and although I was not able to be present I was able to write a letter which was read at the funeral. We ask that you pray for his wife Maria and for his daughters.

First Fruits of the Learning Center

 

In a recent trip to Cubulco at the end of November I had the privilege of being at the closing of the education center in Cubulco. The teachers had organized a special day to end the year and end VBS that ran during the month of November. There where a variety of activities from races and games to Bible memory contests. At the end the winners received a variety of small prizes. There were also some awards for those who excelled during the year in different areas. There were some 45-50 children present of which most of them attending the learning center during the year. 

In closing Pastor Edgar shared from the Bible and the children were asked if any where interested in going to church. More than 20 children showed interest some of whom already attend church, but there were a number that do not. This was neat to see and we can see fruit from the work that the education center is doing, which is not only to help students better their grades, but also direct them to the Saviour.

This brings me to the purpose of this post which is to share with you the story of a brother and sister (whom I will call Juan and Juanita) who shared their desire in coming to church at the end of the 2011 school year. "Juan" is around 12 years old while "Juanita" is around 8 years old. Both started attending the center a couple of years ago, as they needed help with their homework and also were looking for other things that they do not receive at home. Their situation like many children in Guatemala is not the easiest. The home is in many ways dysfunctional. They have different fathers one of whom does not want to recognize one of them as his child and therefore does not provide any support to the family. The other father, whom they are "living" with, is often out of work and struggles with his health. The mother works most days to provide for the family although it is often not enough to get by. As a result Juan and Juanita live with their grandmother in another "house" next to their parents house. The grandmother works long hours in order to provide for herself and her grandchildren. Her desire is to be able to put these children through school in order that they might have a better life. Juan also works with his grandmother in a "comedor" (small "restaurant") and gets paid a little for his work. Often on the weekends he works till 10-11:00 at night. 

When Juan and Juanita expressed their desire to come to church Vilma (center director) and Pastor Edgar and his wife took a special interest in them and started inviting them to church and "discipling" them. It was not long after, that Juan and Juanita expressed that they would like to be baptized. Although they were both still young, pastor Edgar and the church agreed and started formal classes with them to prepare them for their baptism. The baptism service was scheduled for December 22 in order that I could be there to witness this event.

I had the privilege not only to witness the baptism of these children, but also to assist in the administration of the sacrament. It was a joyous event and my prayer is that these children continue to grow in the love and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. The only disappointing thing for me was that none of the family members where there to witness it. The father is a believer but did not show up. The mother and grandmother are not believers and went to work instead. Having said that Juan and Juanita were surrounded by a family of believers who could witness this step in their walk with Christ. 

After the service Juan had to leave to help at home, but Juanita went with Pastor Edgar and his wife and Vilma to their home. Since Pastor Edgar and his wife live on the compound our children spent the afternoon playing with Juanita. The following day our children told us how much they enjoyed playing with Juanita and found her very nice. Jesse asked "was she this nice before she was baptized"? At this moment were able to share the story of Juan and Juanita. Our kids were impressed and said they wanted to do some thing for them. We talked with Vilma about what to get them and Vilma shared how both Juan and Juanita had wanted to buy a nice outfit for their baptism but that they did not have enough money to do so. As a result, Ellen went with Lia to a local "paca" (new and used clothing "store" which are a dime a dozen in Guatemala) to buy a dress for Juanita with her own money. Little Nico gave money to Juan and Vilma later on went with Juan to buy a new shirt for him at a local store. 

Juan and Juanita do not have an easy life, but their life is easier with the Saviour at their side. Please pray for them that they will "increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52). Also pray for the center and the teachers that they will be a beacon of light to the community of Cubulco and that through their witness more children and their families will come to know the Saviour. The main reason why the center exists is to reach children like Juan and Juanita who live in difficult situations. It is not only to help them with their homework, but also provide them with a safe and caring Christian environment where they can grow and develop not only into "successful" academic children, but into children who know the Lord.