Monday, September 12, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

“…I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:10) And, there is joy in our hearts as well as three precious souls have repented of their sins and have put Christ on in the watery grave of baptism. Please allow us to share this great news with you; we will start with the most recent conversion. After reading about these events, we are assured that you, too, will be rejoicing with us.

The most recent baptism happened yesterday morning, Sunday, September 11. His name is Gilmar Ruben Barrios Pulex and he came to us as a result of the World English Institute (WEI) classes that have been hosted here in Guatemala. Gilmar is a CPA and it is his third year to study English with WEI. However, it is his first year to express so much interest in God’s word and in his own spiritual welfare. We believe this interest was sparked due to Gilmar’s wife and children leaving the family’s denomination and going to another denomination. Since the family’s denomination had different beliefs from the one where his wife presently worships, Gilmar wanted to study more to “prove” his wife wrong. The WEI teachers and we gently told Gilmar that it is not simply about proving someone wrong but about searching the Scriptures to see how we can be pleasing to God. As a result, Gilmar not only found the truth, but he obeyed it. What a joy it is now to have him not only as a friend, but also as a brother.

Please keep Gilmar’s new walk with God in your prayers. Also, please keep his wife, Miriam, and their children in your prayers. We had our first Bible study with Gilmar and Miriam this past Saturday with the second one scheduled for this coming Saturday. Please pray that Miriam’s heart will be open to what God has to say in His word. Gilmar says his goal is to see himself and his family united once again in one church. Please pray that this will be her goal as well.

The second person, at least in this message, that has come to an obedient belief is Monica Tovar. Monica, who is 12 years of age, responded a few Sundays ago to the invitation after the morning sermon. Her response came as a surprise to everyone, even to her family. Not only was her response a surprise, but the response of her mother, Isabel, added a different dimension of surprise; she objected to Monica’s baptism. She remembers that one of Monica’s brothers was baptized at that age and had been “hit and miss” in his commitment to the Lord. She did not want that to happen to Monica.

After worship was over, we spoke with Isabel concerning her objection to her daughter’s baptism. We expressed that we definitely understood her concerns and that we and others in the Linda Vista family did not want Monica to enter this most important phase of her life without giving it the utmost thought. Thankfully, we had another brother of Monica’s to whom we could make reference. Her older brother was baptized at the same age and today he is still faithful to his commitment. Isabel and Monica had the entire afternoon to talk about the importance of becoming a child of God and the commitment that this means. Monica was immersed that evening. Please keep her in your prayers. She is attending the new convert’s class and we can see her knowledge of the Word increasing class by class. It may interest you to know that the other brother has since repented and recommitted his life to the Lord because of Monica’s decision.

The good news does not stop here because there was another young lady converted before Monica about whom we have not written. Her name is Ivania Arias. She is a young lady that began coming to worship with one of the members of Linda Vista named Dinora Aguilar. Dinora had been sharing God’s word with her. It is interesting that our relationship with Ivania goes back several years, when she was a little girl. We did not even recognize her after not seeing her for quite a long while. At that time, when we first met Ivania, we were studying the Bible with her mother, Sonya. Sadly, Sonya never made the decision to become a Christian. But, some years later we are grateful to God to see her daughter obey.

It is noteworthy that in Ivania’s situation her mother, too, was not eager for her to be baptized. However, her reason was not the same as Isabel Tovar’s. Sonya’s objection had more to do with Ivania’s change in lifestyle that could possible affect her. Please pray that Ivania will have an effect on Sonya’s life for the good. Pray that God will protect Ivania in her new life as a Christian. Also, please ask God to give her new family at Linda Vista the wisdom and knowledge to help her grow and mature in the faith.

Well, this concludes this report. We pray that you are rejoicing as we have already been rejoicing. It is always a joy to share such GREAT news with our family and friends. May God bless each one of you!!!

Con amor en Cristo,

Hawatthia
Byron

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”

Greetings from the south!

Once again this year we were blessed to host teams from World English Institute (WEI).

There were two teams, the first arriving on the same day that our July Mission Team departed. As in years past, these teachers arrived willing and ready to work in this special ministry.

Needless to say, we continue to be sold on WEI! Our brother Dick Ady has done a great job at developing this ministry that uses the Bible to teach English. For those who are new at receiving our reports, please allow us a few lines to tell you a little about WEI. The lessons, from beginner to advanced courses, are designed to lead the student through God’s plan of redemption, making the most of Biblical events to develop conversation and to create dialogue.

The students know from the beginning that it is not just an English class. They know that they will have the chance to enhance their English while having a chance to enhance their Bible knowledge; thankfully, the use of the Bible is a drawing factor here in Guatemala. After the teachers depart, the students can also continue their studies on line. And, in addition to all of this, once the students complete the advanced courses they are able, if they wish, to take the exam (the TOEFL) required by most U.S. universities before accepting foreign students, which is also the exam that opens many job opportunities in Guatemala. Of course, the ultimate goal is to help lead the students to Christ.

Each year, most of our students here in Guatemala have been eager to register knowing these facts already mentioned. Another item of importance about WEI is that, in most cases, there is a one-on-one student to teacher ratio. We say in most cases because there are occasions in which the teachers have more than one student during a class time. In these situations an effort is made to match students with an English level that is similar.

We could write more about WEI but we believe this is enough to help you better understand why we are excited about this ministry and the importance of individuals and local congregations supporting it financially. Now, let us tell you a little about what took place with the two teams that visited us this year.

This year we had four teachers on each team. The teams were here for two weeks each, which gave each student a month of studies. We had about 40 students who registered for the program. The hotel where the teams stayed gave a meeting room each day for the studies, without additional cost. This was a significant savings. It was also a benefit to the hotel in that several of their employees were able to take these classes. We were able to make many positive contacts in the hotel.

The first group of WEI teachers consisted of Anna Pride, the team coordinator, Nancy Petrokansky, Emma Stallworth and Michelle Avalos. They came from the state of Connecticut. Each teacher taught at least seven students each day with their first class starting at 9 a.m. As we mentioned earlier, there were class times that had more than one student. Except for Anna, everyone enjoyed a three hour break in the middle of the day; Anna took on a returning student from 12:00 – 1:00. This extended break time was used for lunch, which meant exploring new restaurants in the area, etc, and for down time to prepare for the last four students. Their last student studied from 6 to 7 each evening.

For their full weekend off the team took a tour on Saturday to Antigua with a local tour agency. It was a day full of culture experiences, shopping and just relaxation. They returned to the hotel that evening where we joined them for dinner.

On Sunday, they had the opportunity to worship with the local church in Linda Vista. This year they did not teach at Linda Vista, even though they offered to do so. With our July team having just departed, it was decided that it was probably best to go ahead with our normal program for the church. They did, however, bring special care packages from the congregation to our children. You can see in the picture the team with the children. Like any group of children, ours thoroughly enjoyed receiving this gift.

Our second team was made up of two couples. Greg Weston, the team coordinator, and his wife, LaDon, came from Ashland, Oregon. Joining them were Pete and Amanda Shaw from Tulsa, Oklahoma. They maintained pretty much the same schedule as the first team and they, too, did a great job as they worked with the students.

On their full weekend off, they, also, made a trip to Antigua. Because we were scheduled to teach in the ITL Saturday program, only Hi was able to accompany them this year. While in Antigua, they started with a visit to a coffee farm. Unfortunately, there was not an English speaking tour guide available, so they had to read the signs and listen to taped information as they went through the farm. Since we are not coffee drinkers, Hi was not a lot of help in giving a tour; we do not know good coffee from bad coffee.

Something interesting happened while they were going through the farm; they met the owner. The group had just passed a picture of him on exhibit that was taken some 35+ years ago. He was a very interesting person and had a lot to say about his part of operating the farm now. Thankfully, he provided our guests with some up-to-date information about the farm. From there, the team went into the center of Antigua and to the market. After leaving Antigua, they traveled back to Guatemala City where Byron joined them for dinner.

On Sunday, this team also worshipped with the family at Linda Vista. Greg Weston preached and taught class. He did an excellent job. Byron served as his translator. After morning worship we ate in the home of Anna Maria Penado and her daughter, Johania. Johania is very familiar with the team because she served as their secretary/receptionist each day. Her regular job is that of secretary for ITL.

In addition to all the good that was already taking place, this team was able to see fruit born from the seed that had been planted through the labors of both teams (see 1 Corinthians 3:6). The first was Thelma Fabiola Chan Rodriguez, a new student for this year. Thelma, a student of Michelle Avalos on the first team and Amanda Shaw on the second, came to the conclusion that she needed to obey her Lord in baptism. We were asked to step in and to study with her in Spanish to make sure that she understood the commitment that she was making. After the study we talked with the person in charge of the private swimming pool area. We were allowed to use the pool to immerse Thelma, who then became our new sister in Christ. As a result of WEI, Thelma’s English is much better, but most important, her soul is saved. In the picture, Thelma is the one standing on the right with a white blouse. Please keep Thelma in your prayers. She has a good job, but the problem is that she works all day on Sunday. She stated that she is going to work on that because she understands the importance of assembling with the saints on the first day of the week.

The next conversion involved Donna Suseth Alvarado Castillo. Donna is a returning student from the two previous years that WEI has been taught here in Guatemala. Her teachers were Anna Pride on the first team and Greg Weston on the second. Donna’s story is very interesting. After one of their studies, Donna told Greg that she was not a Christian and that she needed to be baptized. Greg let Donna know that he and the rest of us were there to help in any way that we could. But Donna told Greg that she could not be baptized because she and Giovanni were not married. They had, according to Donna, been living together for a long time. Thankfully, Donna understood the importance of her soul and the soul of Giovanni and she accepted the invitation of Greg to study with both of them. To make a longer story shorter, Greg then asked if we would step in to study with both of them in Spanish to make sure we could answer any questions that they might have. Of course, we agreed to help.

Marriage is not a topic in the WEI studies. However, repentance is. And, after talking about repentance before one is baptized, Donna came to the conclusion herself that two people cannot live in sin and expect God to forgive them of it if they continue in that sin, even though they had been baptized. We fully agree with her conclusion. But the interesting part of her story is that after talking with both her and Giovanni, we found out that they were married. They had been taught—and for many years felt they were living incorrectly—that they needed to have a church wedding and to be married by someone in the church (a teaching of the Catholic Church). Because they only had married as the law of the land required, they had been erroneously led to believe that God did not accept their marriage. You should have seen the look on their faces when they discovered that after all these years their marriage is acceptable in God’s eyes. They realized that they did not need to repent of and rectify a sin that they were not in. Now, it was time for them to answer a more important question: was their relationship with God acceptable? Both acknowledged that it was not. We went to the hotel swimming pool area where Greg immersed them into Christ!

Please keep Giovanni and Donna in your prayers. Pray that we will be able to help them grow in their new walk with the Lord. Also, pray that they will be a positive influence on their children and that they, too, will come to know and obey the saving grace of God.

How exciting it was to have both teams with us. They left us some good contacts. We are presently studying with Douglas Roberto Rivas Perez. He has some very different ideas about several religious topics. Hopefully, we can help him better understand what God’s will is for him and for everyone that seeks the Lord. Gilmar Ruben Barrios is another student that has shown much interest. With the exception of one Sunday since the WEI studies have stopped, Gilmar has been at Linda Vista each week for worship. Lord willing, we will travel to his home to study with him and his wife on Saturday, September 10. Gilmar’s desire is for him and his family to be united in the “things of the Lord.” Please pray that we, with God’s help, can help him achieve this goal.

We close by asking that you please keep Dick Ady, WEI, the WEI teachers and students, and us in your prayers. If you have a desire to come to Guatemala with one of the WEI teams or to go anywhere else in the world where WEI is, just let us know. We will put you in touch with the right people; you can also visit the WEI website at www.worldenglishinstitute.org.

May God continue to bless each of you with the knowledge of His presence! We love you and are thankful that you have an interest in how the Lord is working in the small country of Guatemala.

Because He First Loved Us,

Hawatthia “Hi” Jones                            Byron E. Benitez

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”

We hope and pray that all of you are doing well. We are doing fine.

The current report has the purpose of informing you of a recent mission team that came to work with us here in Guatemala. Their visit was a true blessing to us and we are thankful for their work, love and sacrifice.

The team of 20 arrived to Guatemala on Thursday, July 7, greeted at the airport by ITL students and Linda Vista members. The team was made up of five from Indiana, 11 from Florence, Alabama, two from Minnesota, and two from California. This year we had from Indiana Melvin Denny, Rashad Gold, Henry and Candace Shelton, and Lesha Colglazier, the team coordinator. From Alabama, there were Kerry Williams and his daughter, Reann, Joshua Wear, Buddy Baker, Raymond Voigt Jr, Ashley House, Austin Penter, and the Krieger family – Joey, Kelli, Luke and Brandon. This year, Hi’s sister, LaVaughn Booker came with the team. Her son, and Hi’s nephew, Joey was able to make his second visit in a row. They are the two that live in Minnesota. From California, Byron’s mother, Aralee Hernandez, and niece, Ashley Figueroa, came again this year. The evening of their arrival we met for dinner with the team to share information they would need to know about their time in Guatemala.

Friday, July 8, the team got a touch of the local culture by touring Guatemala City and shopping at Central Market, which is underground. Most of the team did very well at haggling. Be careful if they try to buy something from you! That evening Byron and Hawatthia hosted the team and others from Linda Vista for dinner in their home. The evening was filled with fellowship, singing and the annual Jenga game. We are sad to report that the men lost to the women this year!

As in years past, Saturday is the day we have a seminar at Linda Vista. Each year we have the blessing of having other congregations in attendance. This year’s theme was “Don’t Worry – Trust in God!” All the lessons for the week looked at this theme from various aspects. The seminar began with a lesson from us to a combined audience. After this initial lesson, the audience was divided into different groups: children, teens, ladies and men. Several members of the mission team presented lessons at this time. We were especially impressed to see the teenagers who came from the Sherrod Ave. congregation and from Minnesota teach and assist in teaching. Arelee, Ashley, Byron, Benjamin Montejo and Johania Reyes served as translators.

The Lord’s Day was special with a bi-lingual worship service for both the morning and evening times. Kerry William, the full-time evangelist for the Sherrod Avenue church of Christ in Florence, Alabama, spoke for the morning service. Joey Krieger, also from Sherrod Avenue, led songs in English. Rashad Gold spoke for the evening service and Henry Shelton led the songs in English. Both are from the Kingsley Terrace church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana. Other young men on the team helped with other parts of worship in English. After the morning worship, Bible classes were taught by Raymond Voigt, youth minister at Sherrod Avenue, for the teens, Kelli Krieger coordinated the classes for the children, being assisted by Reann Williams and Ashley House. We were given the adult class.

We had lunch at the home of Adela Ramos again this year. It was wonderful. This is our usual stop on our way to visit the Amatitlan National Hospital on Sunday afternoon. The team and Linda Vista members were able to deliver care packages to the patients and were able pray with them. So, as you can see, the Lord’s Day was a full day of worship, service and blessings.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the team had the opportunity to work on 3 families’ homes to make much needed improvements. Cesar Tovar, a member at Linda Vista, served as our foreman on these projects. It was great to see him able to work after having suffered a serious illness that almost took his life. On Monday, we worked at the home of Siria Reyes for our first project. She is an older member of Linda Vista that really needed work on her home. We replaced half of the house’s tin roof because it was leaking severely. In addition, most of the rooms in the house were painted a nice light blue, to match the color Siria already had in her home. With many hands that were available and ready to work, most of the work was done by the time we went to lunch. Each afternoon, all of us ate lunch at the church building, where Isabel Tovar and her helpers served delicious meals. As a result of finishing most of the work in the morning, the team was able to go back to the hotel early to rest after having been in the strong sun during the morning.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the team worked in two other homes. These belong to Maritza and Lorena Garcia, sisters in the flesh and sisters in the Lord. At Maritza’s house, we were able to place new tin roof over one of her rooms and we laid concrete where dirt had previously served as the floor. At Lorena’s house, we worked in her kitchen, replacing the tin roof and also laying a concrete floor over the dirt. These two sisters and their families were grateful for the efforts done on their behalf.

On Monday and Tuesday evenings, Joey Krieger, a song leader and music teacher, worked with the Linda Vista congregation to teach four-part harmony. It was a treat to see the members singing their parts proudly. By the end of the seminar, the Christians who attended these two nights sounded great! Although we understand that God is interested in the heart more than the harmony, it sure was nice to hear how the church improved in harmony in just a short time. Thanks Joey for your help!

On Wednesday evening, we were blessed to have Melvin Denny give our devotional. It was especially encouraging to see him before the church because this was Melvin’s first time to give a lesson. Great job, Melvin! After the devotional, Kelli, Reann, and Ashley taught the children, Lesha taught the ladies, and Kerry taught the men.

On Thursday, all of us went in the rented bus to the city of Chichicastenango. Market days are Thursdays and Sundays, so the group was ready to haggle once again. We contracted a tour guide on this occasion, who gave us good insight on Guatemala’s history and the places we passed on the way to Chichi (what the locals call the city). We were able to see the variety of the country’s landscape—volcanoes, mountains, farmland, and various towns. Because we are in the rainy season, there is always a chance that the rain will catch you while you are out and about. Well, the rain did catch us on this day, but it did not stop us! :-) It was interesting to see all the creative solutions that were made to try to stay dry.

The trip is not complete without a visit to Antigua Guatemala for sight-seeing, shopping and lunch at the restaurant Fonda de Calle Real. Our first stop was to a coffee plantation just outside the city limits, where we got a tour of the facilities and of their music museum. Next, we ate lunch at the restaurant mentioned. Finally, the essential shopping stop was made so that our U.S. brethren could contribute to the Guatemalan economy. As the sun set in the west, we loaded onto the bus and made our way to Linda Vista for a going-away celebration. If we had to summarize the tone of the event, it would be with the words “mutual appreciation.” The mission team had many kind words of gratitude to express to the church for hosting them, and the church likewise expressed many thanks for the team’s decision to come to share ten days with them. The night ended with lots of hugs, plenty of Spanglish, loads of pictures, and a good deal of love.

There were a few challenges during the week, but the team was able to accomplish what it had planned. The new ones learned on more than one occasion the key words for the trip: be flexible. Lesha, the team coordinator, said that she knows that each of the team members were grateful for the time they were able to spend in Guatemala and have a better appreciation for their brothers and sisters here! A sincere thank you goes out to each team member for all your efforts and a special thanks to the team nurse, Candace Shelton, for your extra efforts to keep everyone moving. Much to our sadness, the team members boarded their plane on Saturday to fly back to the United States.

Thanks again to Lesha for a superb job in directing once again our July team. Your expertise helps to make everything go much smoother. Also, thanks to the team for coming to Guatemala to share your faith and your love. You all made a BIG difference in the lives of your spiritual (and physical) family here. We must also mention that Lesha helped us this year to write this newsletter. Thank you! The idea was to get it out sooner, but in spite of her efforts, we still managed to get this newsletter later than we had hoped. Sorry!We will close for now. However, we cannot close without saying thank you to all our supporters, family and friends who read our reports. If possible, why not make a visit yourself to see the work first hand. Our July team, Lord willing, will return next year July 5-14. Hope to see you on that team!

¡Que Dios los bendiga! (May God bless you all!)

Hawatthia
Byron

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE in CENTRAL AMERICA!”

On Wednesday, April 6^th, we sent out a message titled “A lectureship, a graduation AND THREE BAPTISMS.” One of the three that was baptized was named Katherine Ramirez. As we mentioned in the report, Katherine, also known at Katy (pronounced Kathy in English), is the daughter of Byron’s cousin, Norma Patricia (his mom’s niece). In addition, we told you that Katy was 15 years old and suffering with cancer. Allow us to share with you briefly her struggle against this disease.

In December of 2010, the doctors gave Katy’s mom the bad news that what Katy had was an aggressive cancer. Among the efforts to try to fight this disease, the doctors saw it necessary to amputate Katy’s left arm. For those of you who saw the pictures of her baptism, you were able to see this. In addition, the doctors used chemotherapy to see if they could arrest the cancer’s advancement. That is why Katy also had lost most of her hair. Sadly, shortly after her baptism, the doctors decided there was nothing else they could do, and that the therapy was causing Katy more harm than good, so they send her home.

After several weeks at home, Patricia was able to place Katy in a Hospice called Valle de la Esperanza (Valley of Hope). This hospice provides free of charge care to children and teenagers who are in their last stage of life. Katy spent her last several weeks of life in this home. The people there were very gracious and kind. During most of the time that Katy was in this home, many of those who visited her found it hard to believe that she was sick because she smiled often and looked strong and healthy, except that the tumor on her left shoulder where her arm once was located was growing more and more. It was not until this past week that the disease really took a toll on Katy. Finally, this past Friday morning, July 22, Katy’s fight with cancer ended. We were blessed to be able to spend time with her and to see her faith cling to her Lord. Even to the end as the pain increased, she still smiled; she even sang songs with us.

Even though we know this is sad news, there is a brighter side for those of us that are Christians. One is that Katherine’s fight with cancer ended. She is no longer suffering—a suffering that caused great agony in her family, but especially in her mother, Patricia, who never left her side (This experience really caused Patricia’s faith to grow. Patricia is a Christian). The other is that her new life on the other side with God her Father has begun. She has claimed the victory over death that Jesus gives to all who choose to follow Him. We rejoice, therefore, not because we have lost her or because she suffered, but because we are told:

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” (Revelation 14:13)

Thank you for praying for Katy. Please continue to pray for her parents, Raul and Norma Patricia, for her siblings and for the rest of the family. Also, pray that this experience will serve as an opportunity to bring others to the Lord Jesus Christ, especially her father Raul and her siblings.

For Him,

Hawatthia
Byron

“Teaching the CENTRAL MESSAGE inCENTRAL AMERICA!”