We've moved...

This is the final post for this blogger address. I have moved the blog to a new name -

pastormikeinantigua.com

You are invited to go there to read the continued articles of an amazing life in Guatemala.

Team Visit - 727Warehouse...

We had some good friends come by for a visit this last week. A sister church to the IDC - 727Warehouse - made their first venture into the world of short term missions.

They did a lot of painting in the Colonia - El es El Camino and "The Club in San Lucas...

They took a roadtrip into rural Guatemala (Xesuguan, Rabanal, Baja Verapaz) and gave away water filters to a community that will now have better drinking water...

They help to facilitate a children's street event with Pastor Gabriel in Santa Maria de Jesus...

and they met many new friends. Yea God!

Christmas Eve in the IDC...

Christmas in the IDC - The reason for the season.

The light of the world - Jesus the Christ.
Merry Christmas!

Toys in Pastores...

With a little help from Florida Baptist Children's Home - Okay a lot of help! - Iglesia Del Camino was able to bring toys and school supplies to the community events of Christmas in Pastores.

On the 23rd of this month, the toys were given out (the school supplies will be handed out in January). It was wonderful to see the smiles in the spirit of Christmas.

Children's Christmas...

I love watching what God is doing. And as always I am in a front row seat. This year as we approached Christmas there was a group in the church that wanted to help others.

We had our first Angel Tree event helping others that would not otherwise had a Christmas. This was a wonderful event. Thank you to all who made this happen.

The Current Status...

This year has been incredible for the church and we are not even finished.

Here are some fun facts to brighten your day.

A link to download a before and after composite of our building renovations for the year - about 20megs.

Our cafe has been operating successfully.

We began the year with an attendance of 150 people - our average attendance for the year as of this month is 235 persons - that is a 27% growth in attendance from last years average.

We had 4 men in pastoral seminary training in the Seminário Bíblico de Guatemala.

We started the Jóvene Ministry (Youth Group) this year and they typically have 25 - 30 people in attendance on a Friday Night.

Our EFL classes have expanded to a satellite class in Pastores.

With the exception of Saturdays, there are activities and events that are teaching and/or demonstrating the love of God in this building every day of the week.

The ministry to the National Police of Guatemala has now expanded into 6 stations throughout the valley teaching biblical values in weekly meetings.

We have baptized 19 people this year. There have been numerous professions of faith in Jesus Christ and/or life re-commitments this year. Most recently, an officer of the national police, just this past week.

Feeding the Hungry...

These past three weeks, every Wednesday, we did something as a church. We fed the hungry. I know this sounds rather simple, but basically we sent vehicles into the streets of Antigua and brought homeless and hungry people to the church and fed them dinner.

The people in the for ground of the photo were the volunteers preparing plates of food for the guests at the tables in the background. We did end up feeding about 140 people plus volunteers that final night. This was not only with food, but with the Word of God as well. Putting it all into action... what a concept.

Hand Over the Keys...

This week we saw the culmination of months of work. If you have been reading this blog you have seen several articles for "El es El Camino" - a new neighborhood in Pastores, Sacatepèquez built to provide homes for 12 families that lost all or nearly everything in the Tropical Storm Agatha that hit Guatemala this past year.

Utilizing relief homes from Gulf Coast Supply via Hope Haven International - we also helped in matters of initial design and layout taking what was once overgrown land and converting that into a community.

We, Iglesia Del Camino (IDC), were blessed to have a hand in helping these families. In addition to IDC's part, there was the help of many others both national and international - Grace Community, Palm Coast Community, Eagle Baptist, South Tulsa Baptist, Calvary Baptist, The Ridge Association, Sharon Baptist - just to name a few.

This past Saturday December the 11th, the families received their keys to their new homes. Yea God!

PNC Breakfast...

Continued ministry expansion...

What a blessing it is to serve.

The Co-Op...

In September of this year we we given the opportunity to serve a group of home school students studying in co-op with other home school students. What seemed like a simple process of a couple students grew quickly to accommodate as many as 25 students studying a variety of classes, from sciences to the arts.

Every Thursday, the building is hopping with students in activities. What a joy it is to serve these students and their families.

The New Offices...

These past weeks have been rather busy. It has been the final push to move the church offices into the new and final location in the church building. We are now there.

Yea God!

Tour of things to come...

This week Bill Losasso came for a visit and he brought with him several men with agendas from seeing what was happening in the IDC to what products may be good to export. In the middle of this time were visits to the Pastores computer labs and leather shops - bringing National Baseball leagues paraphernalia to Guatemala - Tipico fabrication in Santiago Zamora - a church in Santa Maria de Jesus - just to name a few.

Time will tell how this investment will produce good things...

Going to Mexico...

So, every 6 months, we have to cross the border to get a passport stamp. Since Nancy has been to the states recently we were out of sync with our passport stamps. So off to the border I went for a 385 mile round trip run to Tapachula, Mexico. It was fun.

There was nothing out of the ordinary to mention other than I found a Home Depot. All of the signs were in Spanish - go figure.

EFL Graduation...

One of the foundations of this ministry has been English as a Foreign Language. April and her team have done a great job in this ministry. This week we ended our school year of classes giving certificates to 70 students and graduating 10 from our highest level.


It is wonderful to serve.

El Es El Camino Workday...

Just after services today, we (being 30 of our best friends from IDC) took a couple of hours to dig drainline trenches in the colonia for Pastores. While we always have welcomed the help from churches in the US on this project, it was fun to be a part of the construction as a church - Iglesia Del Camino.

Yea God!

Team Visit - Sacred Heart University

Thank you ladies for all you did...

El Es El Camino continued...

12 homes finished... and now to finish the infrastructure...

... this is the continued work to replace housing and lives taken during Tropical Storm Agatha.

Office Renovation Continues...

The new floors are going down...

PNC Breakfast...

Round three of an event that we are already seeing God use to open doors, breakfast with the National Police of Guatemala, Station 74. Yea God!

The great guys...

We have been blessed these past couple of months to get to know James and Seth. They put their lives on hold and came to Guatemala to see what God would show them here.

Wanting to be connected they plugged into the work of IDC. They are nothing short of amazing.


Of their less than glamorous work was building houses, digging ditches and sorting medicines.