OGES Report Two

What an unbelievable three days of ministry we have had in Jutiapa, Guatemala. This is a community that has seen a rise in Satanism and the occult in the past several years. Two years ago, while doing ministry in this same area we had to leave 1/3 of our team behind because they had become sick. This year, God has been so good regarding our team health. Every day of ministry here involved seeing God´s hand directly involved in drawing people to Him.

One of the areas that amazed me the most was the medical clinic. It was here that over 350 patients were seen in two days. That is an extraordinary number. I found out yesterday that almost 20 people have prayed to receive Christ while seeing the doctor! How cool is that?

Our service team spent the past two days cutting wood for a camp so that they could build twenty bunk beds. By the time yesterday was through, the wood was all done being cut, and the first three bunk beds had been assembled.

Our Children´s team has been at a large number of schools, plus they volunteered to help out at the medical clinic yesterday, due to the large number of children that were waiting outside for hours at a time. By the way, if you read my last entry you know that our medicine didn´t get into El Salvador, so we had to send it to Jutiapa. Do you think God knew what He was doing? There is no way that we could have anticipated the large number of patients that we saw here. We saw as many here as Campur and Sonsonate combined, and needed that medicine right where God put it.

God also provided another doctor and his American wife to work with us an interpret for patients. That enabled us to see more patients and work more efficiently. God is good, all the time.

Our basketball and mime team had a tremendous ministry as well. Our mime team was even asked by schools that didn´t have basketball courts if they would come and perform, since the people had heard such wonderful reports of this American mime. Our team said, "Yes," and more people were added to God´s family. The basketball team even let their old youth pastor play with them in their last game. My Guatemala stats? 24 points, 18 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, 3 steals, 5 assists, 5 technical fouls. Oh, by the way, we played fifth graders. Now, I know what Shaq feels like.

Our time in Jutiapa ended with a wonderful worship service that the women of the church put on for us. The doctor´s wife also happens to be an accomplished singer. Her first CD comes out soon. She sang songs in Spanish and English for us. The kids loved it. Then the church presented Wooddale Church with a beautiful leather scroll with writing thanking us for our ministry here. Once again, I feel like we should be most grateful.

There are so many more stories about our time here. God is good, and we´ll share them at length upon our return.

"But God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."

John 3:17