Sowing Seeds

Wow! This week has flown by and it is hard to believe I only have a few more days here in the Petén. Last Monday, I had the privilege to teach the Children’s Bible study in Santa Rita! I absolutely love teaching, even though I do not always feel adequate, especially when there is a huge language barrier. I chose to teach on the Fruit of the Spirit, since Shelley had just finished teaching the life of Christ and Salvation. The kids were very interactive and with Jimmy’s translating skills, we learned about the first three Fruits, Love, Joy, and Peace or Amor, Alegría, y Paz! For the craft we painted an apple, orange, and plum with colors and Kool-aid to give it a real fruit smell! I can’t wait to teach the rest of the fruit of the Spirit!

That night we went to one of the best restaurants, Maya International! I ordered the most delicious Hawaiian pork chops with green beans! This restaurant is right on Lake Itza, and it was absolutely beautiful! Jonah and I went and swung while star gazing! I am going to teach those boys everything I know about finding diamonds in the sky!

Tuesday, was the first day of the Kekchí Bible Institute Training for Jimmy and Jay. Kekchí National Pastors from all over the Petén come to Sayaxché for this training. Many of them leave their families for several days, walk for several hours in order to catch a bus to come and learn more about the Bible. This session Jimmy and Jay taught Cults and on the book of Judges. They put a lot of hard work, studying, and preparation into their lessons. We came up with all sorts of visuals and props! The guys found a donkey jaw, well, an animal close enough to a donkey, to use for their Samson lesson. We made a wig for Samson, an ox-goad for Shamgar, a tent spike for Jael and Sisera, and a lantern, water pitcher, and trumpet for Gideon! The men loved the interaction and learned so much! They ask a lot of questions, and it is such an amazing experience to see the light bulb go off when they actually understand!



While the guys were off teaching in the hottest building in Sayaxché, we stayed behind and helped Shelley with some stuff around the house. There were a lot of things she was able to accomplish with two extra hands around to help with the boys. Several times we lost power and water, and that does complicate things a little, but we always made the best of it! With all the time on our hands, I got to do some baking, well, making No Bake Cookies, isn’t really baking, but it was a lot of fun! So delicious!

Friday was absolutely incredible! The night before Jimmy and Jay were playing basketball with a friend here in El Chal. He told them about a place not too far from here where there are the most beautiful waterfalls! So we set out to find these beauties!! It took us about 40 minutes, but as soon as we pulled up we could see the cascading waterfalls! I was in absolute awe!! God and his handiwork are so amazing!! After a fun swim, we went to the top of the waterfalls and explored a little! Needless to say, I am a little clumsy when it comes to slippery rocks and fell a few times, but it was totally worth it! I have never experienced anything more beautiful! I believe that is going to be one of my favorite places in the Petén!



Yesterday was Adult Bible study, and Jay finished up the second part of Esther. He really has a heart for the people here in the Petén, and I can’t wait to see how God is going to use him here in the Petén one day! After the lesson, we just hung out and talked with several of the young people! It was really good!



Oh, quick story!! So I believe it was Thursday night, we were on our way back from Flores, and we saw the most humongous snake on the road! It was as big around as a baseball bat! Totally crazy! I wouldn’t want to come in contact with a live one!



I can’t thank you enough for all your prayers!!

The Silent Petén

My journey to the Silent Petén all started the summer of 2007. Our youth group had planned a mission’s trip to Guatemala in order to help the Dinsmores start a brand new ministry. That was the end of my senior year, which was a major crossroad in my life. Before that trip I had been on several trips and knew for sure that missions was what God wanted me to spend the rest of my life doing. I didn’t know where or in what capacity. We spent that whole week in a village that has never heard the truth about God and His love for them. The Sunday before we left, we had a small church service on the lake, and Jimmy challenged us to go BIG with our lives, and that stuck with me. At the end of the trip, I knew that God had made a small place in my heart for Guatemala, but little did I know that God would continue to grow that love.

A little over a year later, I made my second trip to the Petén. I was full of anticipation and excitement! I was able to go back into New Horizons and see all the people that we ministered to on the first trip! We then went into another village that had no gospel, and helped Jim and Shelley start their ministry there in Santa Rita. God’s light was starting to become a little brighter in both villages. It was on that trip that I inquired about the deaf population in Guatemala. Many of you know that my dad is deaf, as well as several other family members. My first language was sign-language and deaf culture was a major part of my life. After doing some research, we discovered that Guatemala has a population of over 700,000 deaf. That sparked an interest, and I immediately started to pray that God would bring a deaf person into my path. We did learn about two deaf people that lived in a neighboring ex-guerrilla village. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet them, but I didn’t soon forget about them. Thanksgiving night we had dinner at a friend’s restaurant on Lake Itza. While everyone was eating a delicious dinner, I snuck outside down to the small dock. All I could see was the moon’s reflection in the water and hundreds of stars in the clear dark sky. It was in the quietness of that moment, that I knew God wanted me to spend the rest of my life reaching the deaf people of the Petén.

Upon arriving home, I immediately started doing research and discovered very little about the deaf population in Guatemala. I did learn that there is a Guatemalan Sign-Language as well as several variations of that Sign-Language throughout the different regions of Guatemala. The capital city has several schools for the deaf as well a few other neighboring cities. However in the Petén there is no school for deaf children. I was astounded when I learned there is a population of 53,000 deaf living in the Petén, yet there is no mode of communication or way of education for them. After a year of research, praying, and many sleepless nights, I was on my way back to the Petén for an extended trip! Everywhere we went we would ask if they knew of any deaf people, and it wasn’t too long we were off to meet some! Jaime and Maria Jose, cousins, are both deaf and live in San Juan, a small town about 10 minutes from where I stay in El Chal! They do not use the Guatemalan Sign Language, but instead their own homemade signs. Maria Jose’s mom is a teacher here in a local school, and she really embraced my passion for reaching the deaf here in the Petén. We spent a whole day traveling from town to town, school to school, meeting principals and teachers, and discussing the need for a school for the deaf here in the Petén.

My heart broke when I met my first deaf little girl. Her teachers told me that every day on her way to school; she gets sticks and rocks thrown at her because she is “different.” She had no language and no way to communicate with her family and friends. When she is scared, no one can tell her it will be all right. When she is sick, no one can console her. When she is happy, no understands why. How will she ever know that she is loved? How will she ever know how to read or write? But even more importantly, how will she ever know there is a God who made her, who loves her, and who sent His only son to be her Savior?

If someone would be willing to teach the deaf of Petén a language, then they could one day know and experience the truth of God’s Word. I can’t even fathom why God would choose me to take on this overwhelming challenge and am certain that of myself I could do nothing. Starting a school for the deaf here in the Petén is just the beginning, and I know God has something so much bigger planned than I could ever hope or ask for! I want to see Him flex His muscles and perfect strength through my weaknesses. I want to see Maria Jose, Jaime, and Yenifer one day accept Jesus as their Savior and become my brother and sisters in Christ!

These next three years are going to be packed full of Deaf Education classes, Spanish lessons, grant writing, raising support, and growing more and more everyday! God has already provided land in the Petén for a school, which is the first of many steps in getting the gospel to these unreached people! Please pray with me that God will supply all the needs for this school, and you can stay up to date on how God’s answers by reading about the Time in Between!

Some More Adventures with God in Guatemala

Hello, my friends and family! I know I haven’t been as diligent about posting blogs this trip as I was last year, and for that I am very sorry! In this blog I am going to try to get you caught up on the highlights of the past week!

First of all, it is so good to be back in the Petén! I don’t know if I can call it home yet, but there is an amazing peace that I have every time I am here. It was also so good to see Jimmy, Shelley and the boys! I can’t believe how much they have grown! So I might as well get started on our week or this is going to be a long night.

After spending all day in three different airports, we finally landed in Flores early Monday evening. The anticipation had built up, and I was no longer exhausted from traveling! Needless to say the excitement didn’t allow me to get much sleep! Tuesday was our first whole day in Guatemala! We immediately started planning several of our activities that are lined up for this month. Racheal (a lovely young lady from Crossroads Baptist Church in Daytona Beach) and I spent pretty much all day cutting out 40 yards of fleece! What fun!! Oh, and I squeezed in some time singing and playing with Jonah and Silas! Love them!

Wednesday was an adventure in itself! A family in Santa Rita had lost their son a few months ago, and they were finally being allowed to go and pick up the body in order to have him properly buried. We started out our morning by going to pick up 30 relatives of the family, and then heading to Sayache, which is a town about 40 minutes away to pick up his body. Their son’s name was Lucas, and he was only 18 years old. Pretty much he got caught up with the wrong crowd. He was invited to go out and drink one night, which ended up being his last night here on earth. We don’t know if he was saved or not, but his dad and several other family members have been attending the Bible study in Santa Rita. We went with the family to the cemetery and waited with them while they had their son’s body dug up. It was heart wrenching, and I wish more than anything that I could have brought some sort of comfort to them. The song, “Just Love them Like Jesus” by Casting Crowns was all I could think about. Jesus is the answer to all their heartache and grief. I pray that someday soon that family will come to know Christ as their personal Savior, so they too can enjoy the riches of His amazing love! We then took the body back with us to Santa Rita, where the family had a small funeral service. After that we walked behind the truck to the cemetery, where they buried him. As sad as this day was, I was really thankful for the reminder that life is short, and there are people that are dying every day without knowing about the hope of eternal life. It definitely challenged me to more aware of the lost people that God has in my life right now, as well as flame the passion I have to reach the lost souls in Guatemala!

Thursday was another prep day! Jay, Rachel, and I were kind of itchy from our trek through the Guatemalan jungle the day before to the cemetery. But we sucked it up, put some anti-itch cream on, and got to work! We finally finished cutting out all the fleece for our teen girl’s activity! The plan is to make heart pillows, which I am super excited about! Please pray for me as I prepare the devotional for that day! I am excited to share with these precious girls what God has placed on my heart! It was a great day though getting caught up with Jim and Shelley! I have missed them so! God is doing some great things through them, and it is so exciting to be a part of it!

Friday we took the day and headed to Belize! Jimmy and Shelley needed to renew their visas and get new tires for the truck. Jay and Rachel were excited about getting another stamp in their passport, and the twins were all about going to a new place! Last year when Brittany and I went, we saw the Cayo Deaf Institute that is outside of Spanish Lookout, the Mennonite Civilization in Belize. I was hoping to spend some time there again this year, but was sad to find out that all the deaf students had gone home for the summer. Instead I went with everyone else on the hunt for tires! We had lunch with our friends from last year! We talked a lot about starting a deaf school in the Petén, and they even learned some new signs! After a delicious lunch and some amazing mango, we set out buy some goodies from the bookstore and grocery store. We indeed found some tires and at a great price! We finished up the day with some great Belizean food and ice-cream!

Saturday Jim and Jay, who by the way is an intern from Appalachian Bible College that is staying the month in the Petén as well, had a list of errands to get accomplished. We girls spent the day keeping the boys entertained while Shelley worked on her Sunday School lesson. I also worked some on my Fruits of the Spirit Lesson! It is coming along....but still working on some minor details! That night we enjoyed Shelley’s amazing spaghetti. After dinner we headed back to the hotel, not expecting all the action that was waiting for us! We took a quick swim in the pool, and then started an intense game of phase ten under the tiki hut! About mid game the lights suddenly went out! Talk about being in complete darkness! We stupid gringos only had my camera for a light; needless to say we all were freaked out although Jay tried to play it cool. We formed this awkward chain, and eventually made it back to our rooms. The electricity played games with us all night; I think it was just their way of welcoming us to the Petén! It was quite humorous!

I think today was my favorite day yet!! I woke up to the sound of lovely birds singing praise to God...I just wished it wasn’t as early as 5! At about 10 though, the three of us took a trip over to the gas station to talk with a deaf guy we had heard about. I was a little bit nervous, but a lot excited! I brought my worn out Guatemalan Sign Language (LSG) book, and we did our best to cross two language barriers! His name is Gildardo, and I was surprisingly was able to understand more than I expected to! He knew his Alphabet in LSG, as well as a few other signs. We mainly used gestures and paper and pen! I was very thankful for Jay, who helped write several things back and forth in Spanish. We are going to try and meet a few times a week and learn some signs together! Maybe by the end of the month, Gildardo and I will be able to actually hold a whole conversation in LSG! He also told us about 6 other deaf that live in the area. I hope to be able to cross paths with them as well! I was on such a high!! We spent the rest of the afternoon watching Spain barely beat Holland in the World Cup, and I even sneaked in a little nap! I was so excited to go back to Santa Rita for Bible study. It has continued to grow, and it was good to see all my friends! We sang “He Knows My Name” and I still have goose bumps! What a thought! The maker of the universe knows my name, and not just my name, but the name of every Guatemalan living throughout the jungle of the Petén! We ended the night with Pollo Campero, or skinny chicken, which I have to say, is better than Chik-fila!

Tomorrow is our children’s Bible study in Santa Rita, and that is just the start to a week full of outreaches and ministry activities! Hope you feel a little bit caught up on all the action, and I will try to do better with future postings!! Please continue to pray!! Lots of love from Guatemala!

Guatemala or Bust!

Today is the day!! I leave for Guatemala this afternoon! I look back over the last six months and am amazed at how God provided abundantly for this trip! Many of you know, there has been bumps along the way, but God always wins in the end! He has met every financial need, every physical need, every transportation need! Our God is definitely greater, stronger, and higher than anything else!

I leave this afternoon for Daytona Beach, and then I will meet up with Rachel from Crossroads. From there we will make the long gruelsome trip to Miami. Then we fly out of Miami at 5 a.m. tomorrow! We will not land in Guatemala till 7:30 p.m. Please pray with us for safety, clear understanding despite the language barrier, and for opportunities to share God and His love!

This next month will be full of many adventures! I will also get to see many old friends who have since last summer have accepted Christ! It will be a wonderful experience to hug my now brothers and sisters in Christ! We will be making trips to the Deaf School in Belize and to several Kekchi villages that have no churches. There is also several women's and teen girl activities planned, as well as outreaches for the kids! I will try my best to keep yall updated on all that God is doing there in Guatemala and in my heart!
We cherish all your prayers!

Love,
Becca