PRAYERS FOR US FROM GUATEMALA
For years we have prayed for the people of Los Laureles, Los Pinos, El Terero, and the mountain communities. They have expressed appreciation to us again and again for the two clinics, for the dump ministry, and for our support of the mission churches there. At this troubled time in our country, they now want to send their prayers to us. Be aware that Guatemalan Christians are on their knees this very day in our behalf.
CORONAVIRUS AND GUATEMALA
FOOD MINISTRY to LOS LAURELES, LOS PINOS, EL TERERO, and the MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES
A MESSAGE FROM NURSE LILIAN
Here is a message I received today from Nurse Lilian at Los Laureles, translated into English:
"May God bless each one who makes it possible for the two clinics to keep working here in Guatemala. We do not know the names of all who contribute to the ministry of Four Friends International, but we do know that you have a great heart full of love for your neighbor. It is in these difficult times, with many countries facing the Coronavirus, that we have to unite more as brothers and sisters and pray for each other. Psalm 34 speaks to us about divine protection. These are difficult moments in which we live, and it is not easy as humans to accept the current situation. But the promise of God for His children is that He always takes care of us and guards us when danger arises. Let us trust God and pray that no harm will come to us. We ourselves pray for each one of you, and we also ask for your prayers for us. God bless you."
A MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD
“Why are you afraid?”
This 12-minute sermonette from Max Lucado addresses fear in the midst of life’s storms. Click the link below to listen to it; then share it with those around you who are afraid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c1FVpVFb8c
Randy
For years we have prayed for the people of Los Laureles, Los Pinos, El Terero, and the mountain communities. They have expressed appreciation to us again and again for the two clinics, for the dump ministry, and for our support of the mission churches there. At this troubled time in our country, they now want to send their prayers to us. Be aware that Guatemalan Christians are on their knees this very day in our behalf.
CORONAVIRUS AND GUATEMALA
- The good news: The country has been relatively spared: only 61 total cases thus far. Hopefully it will remain this way and the virus will not spread in Guatemala City. The outcome would be disastrous in that scenario, since people are so tightly packed there.
- More good news: The clinics at Los Laureles and Los Pinos are still treating patients Mondays-Fridays and a half-day on Saturdays. I will defer the latest financials and patient numbers until May’s update. Hopefully by then our lives here will have begun to move toward normal.
- The bad news: To try to limit the spread of the virus in Guatemala, government-mandated business shutdowns and social distancing began two weeks ago and will probably continue through April. This includes a 4pm-to-4am curfew daily. Unfortunately, this applies to the Jalapa area, where many businesses have closed and others are open just a couple of hours daily. Unemployment there, as here, is rampant. Public transportation is no longer available to the mountain people, whose sustenance depends on traveling to the market to sell their goods. As a result, many have been unable to purchase food, and families in the poorer areas are hungry.
FOOD MINISTRY to LOS LAURELES, LOS PINOS, EL TERERO, and the MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES
- The downtown church in Jalapa is taking up an offering among its members to feed needy families who live near the mission churches. Each $15 they collect allows them to give enough food (rice, beans, spaghetti, instant soup, eggs, etc.) to feed a whole family for one week.
- In all, there are probably 400 families that are in need of basic nourishment.
- I am sending a personal donation to the church in Jalapa on Wednesday (April 8) to assist with this outreach effort.
- Our needs here in the United States are enormous at this time. Jobs have been lost, investments have devalued, and many around us are hurting. And you—yes, all of you— have been more than faithful in giving to keep the clinics open. Therefore, I am not making a public appeal here for donations toward the food ministry in Jalapa. Instead, I want you to know about it so we can join together in prayer for the hungry there. Of course, I can include more donations Wednesday, and you can contact me if you feel compelled by God to do so. But establishing a prayer network is the primary goal of this update.
A MESSAGE FROM NURSE LILIAN
Here is a message I received today from Nurse Lilian at Los Laureles, translated into English:
"May God bless each one who makes it possible for the two clinics to keep working here in Guatemala. We do not know the names of all who contribute to the ministry of Four Friends International, but we do know that you have a great heart full of love for your neighbor. It is in these difficult times, with many countries facing the Coronavirus, that we have to unite more as brothers and sisters and pray for each other. Psalm 34 speaks to us about divine protection. These are difficult moments in which we live, and it is not easy as humans to accept the current situation. But the promise of God for His children is that He always takes care of us and guards us when danger arises. Let us trust God and pray that no harm will come to us. We ourselves pray for each one of you, and we also ask for your prayers for us. God bless you."
A MESSAGE FROM GOD’S WORD
“Why are you afraid?”
This 12-minute sermonette from Max Lucado addresses fear in the midst of life’s storms. Click the link below to listen to it; then share it with those around you who are afraid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c1FVpVFb8c
Randy
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