Missions in Guatemala – God’s timing and provision are miraculous

Pastor Kerry Rainey (Seneca & Walhalla) has a heart for missions, and Guatemala in particular.  While attending the Wesleyan Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and while pastoring in Oregon, Pastor Kerry made several trips to Guatemala.  When Pastor Kerry came to SC, his passion for Guatemala came with him.  He began talking about a trip shortly after his arrival.  This past winter (09-10) Pastor Kerry asked the members of his two congregations if they would like to go.  Ten people signed up, a date was set and plane tickets were reserved and fund raising began.  One member of the Seneca church, Faith Rosenberger (my daughter) wanted to go, but couldn’t because the June trip conflicted with her July 4 wedding plans.  As our fundraising progressed, I began to be concerned, because I was a long way from my goal.  Pastor Kerry encouraged all of us saying that God would provide.  He told us to send out letters to our friends and family telling them about our trip and our needs. I had sent my letters, but had only received a few hundred dollars of my goal of approximately $1500 when one Wednesday night Pastor Kerry came up to me with a big smile on his face and handed me an envelope.  Inside was a check for over $1000 from a couple who had attended our church several years ago with whom I had stayed in touch.   I was amazed.  I emailed them to thank them for this support, and they told me another check for the same amount would be coming the following month.  Not only did God meet my need, he exceeded my need and provided additional support for the team.  Another example of God’s provision was the shoes we wanted to take.  Pastor Kerry contacted Soles4Soles.  They said they had about 200 pairs of sneakers for us, but they were in Alabama.  What a coincidence, Pastor Kerry was going to Alabama to visit family and was able to pick them up, thus avoiding shipping costs. Everything was going along smoothly, but Pastor Kerry started having pains in his shoulders and shortness of breath.  He went to the doctor and was diagnosed with major artery blockage.  About the same time another team member went to the doctor and was told he needed open heart surgery.  Both were told they couldn’t travel.  About the same time, a volcano erupted in Guatemala, they had major rain storms and mudslides blocked many of the roads.  We had to postpone the trip, originally planned for June until August 7^th.  In the meantime, Pastor Kerry had several stents inserted into his clogged arteries and was given a clean bill of health.  Also Faith Rosenberger got married (now Faith Castillo), had enough points to get a free roundtrip ticket to Guatemala, was between jobs,  and was encouraged by her new husband, Nexsi, to go.  Did I mention that Faith is the only one in the group who is fluent in Spanish?

We ended up with 7 on the team.   They are: Pastor Kerry Rainey, Todd, Kathi & Katie Owens, Jane Smith, Faith Castillo and Jeff Rosenberger.  The member who needed open heart surgery had several bypasses and is recovering well.  He and his wife hope to go to Guatemala in November to help with VBS.  One couple could not go do to scheduling conflicts.

But you ask, “What about the trip?” Read on to find out

It was amazing.  We got to the airport and one of our suitcases was too big.  It was going to cost us an extra $175.  The airline representative worked with us and we were able to move some things around and shrink the size of the suit case (: to where it was ok.  When we landed in Guatemala, Customs wanted us to pay $300 for import duty on the tennis shoes.  Pastor Kerry went and talked with them and we ended up paying $30.  The roads were rough and winding. I normally get car sick.  Others on the team indicated that they get car sick too, however, none of us lost our groceries while we were there.  God is good! While the rainy season had begun, and they were forecasting heavy rain while we were there, it only rained at night, and was overcast some during the day. (I am extremely hot natured)  The clouds were great while we were constructing the house.  It was cooler in Guatemala than in SC. God is great!

The people in Guatemala were such a blessing.  We were able to attend the dedication of an infant in San Juan La Laguna.  As part of the culture, we joined the congregation for hot chocolate and sweet bread after the dedication service.

We began working on a house for a large family Monday morning.  After completing our work on the house, we had a dedication with Pastor Luis, Pastor Lucas, and Pastor Diega.  What a blessing to see the family as they prepared to move into their new home.  We held VBS’ in 3 churches and distributed shoes at 2 of those churches.  One of the churches was way up in the mountains. When we arrived, we were literally in the clouds.  It was cold (40s) and windy.  There is no heat in the church, and many of the children did not have jackets or hats. Many of them had the sniffles.  You know what else they had?  Smiles.  We had our craft, VBS and then distributed shoes.  None of the children were wearing socks.  Many of their shoes were worn out, sized wrong or inappropriate for the weather.  We washed their feet and fitted them with new socks and shoes.  It was such a blessing to warm their cold feet as we put their socks on.  It was also a blessing to share the love of Christ with them and see their faces light up.  Due to the generosity of those who contributed towards our trip we were able to provide a basket of groceries and some financial support for six of the local pastors who receive no salary.

We had four wonderful helpers during the week, Pastor Luis, Antonio, Fredy, and Pedro.  They helped with our transportation, ministry, and were our guides.  We also had an opportunity to visit and eat with Pastor Carlos and Delmi from the church in Guatemala City.  Delmi coordinated our wonderful meals.  We also want to thank Pastor Francisco and his church in San Juan for hosting us for our meals.  I don’t know about the rest of the team, but Pastor Luis’s staff fed us better than I eat at home.

I’m ready to go back.  Don’t let your fears or responsibilities keep you from an opportunity for mission service.  The benefits are much greater than the cost.   – Jeff Rosenburger