Guatemala - San Pedro Necta 2005

Guatemala – San Pedro Necta 2005

Guatemala | San Pedro Necta November 2005

This was another landmark trip in the involvement of the Cambridge Vineyard in short term missions to Guatemala.

This time the whole congregation was given an invitation to participate in this trip as early as March 2005. The response was so great that it looked like the whole team of 30 might be filled by Cambridge Vineyarder’s alone.

However, it gradually narrowed down to the following with Len $ Debbie Runstedler being aboard as usual with Martin Foster as overall leader. Len and Debbie’s daughter Megen now a medical Doctor (resident) signed up with her husband Luke Brunskill and a late addition was Selah, their daughter born in June 2005.

Other team members:

Nancy Bricker, who had previously gone with the youth team to Nicaragua

Spencer Black, Brad Crawford, Donna Jeffrey, Bill Kenny, Jess Lacoursiere, Genevieve Pylypiw, Doug Smith and Tom Vogel ( as team photographer – see slide show below )

The team of 32, all from South Western Ontario, continued building “el Eden” near San Pedro Necta and we sent out ministry teams into the surrounding mountains to do home visits.

A Vision for the Ministry Team

The ministry team will combine with medical team members and minister together through home visits.

We will mainly be traveling through the mountains on foot and pickup, going house to house. ( I use the term house loosely, but they are definitely homes! )

To do this responsibly, we have to continually partner with the indigenous church leadership.

We encourage everyone on the team ( including construction ) to experience at least half a day on this team and for those on the Ministry/Medical team to also help on the construction project as well.

Modus Operandi

First and foremost we will be listening to the people we visit and what they have to share.

We will be bringing the Good News of the Kingdom by sharing God’s Word and His love and an offer to pray with them.

We will assess their needs through revelation, observation and relationship with local leaders.

At this point we may be able to offer practical help which may require a return visit or visits.

A basic gift would be food which we will carry (staples such as beans, rice, sugar) — $1,000 needed — (our spending last year)

We could then assess the families need for clothes ( sizes, number of members etc) — (maybe require a return visit to complete)

We would see what their health needs were — ( may require return visit or teaching or even a referral)

Assessment of needs for eyeglasses or eye problems within the family – ( may require additional visit)

Additional possibilities

We could assess educational needs (need for school sponsorship- again with consultation with local leadership)

This could include interviews with prospective children and parents/guardians. ( $1,000 would sponsor about 8 children for a year)

We could assess financial needs, We maybe help improve their daily income by partnering with them to start a business or help enhance a business they already have.

It costs $120 to send a child to Christian School for a year and about $150 a year to get beyond Grade 6 in any school

Sometimes a business can be started or enhanced for as little as $50 to $100 …

Examples from previous years

1/ Would be a man who lost the use of his right arm that he needed to work the fields – we bought him a bale of use clothes which come from the USA for resale … he then buys another bale with profits from the proceeds etc)

2/ A woman earning $2 a day washing cloths at the river … buy her a cement sink and scrubbing board and she might be able to double her family income)

This team by its nature will not only build relationships (return visits) it will build trust, it will demonstrate to the people that God does miracles ( trying convincing a guy that gets glasses at age 50 so he can read his bible from the front of the church to the whole congregation that it is not a miracle! ) It will build the local church, it will help provide future leaders through education.

As we move around we will ask about others in the area in need so that on our return visits we can also visit them — (snowball effect)

What is unique about this is that we are being responsible. We are not providing band-aid solutions. We will have medications, food, many skills etc. but this will not be our focus.

Hopefully we will be expressing God’s love in practical ways that will encourage and build faith amongst the people so that they will trust and give their lives to Jesus .