What a month!

We just finished what may have been our busiest month ever! But, wow, was it great!

We started March 1 with a couple arriving from Alaska to stay until the 27th of March! 

Blaine & Becky Anders.

They had felt led to spend some time serving in Guatemala and Blaine actually googled "Guatemala Missionary". It took quite a bit of bouncing around the web, but eventually he connected with us,    and...praise the Lord, it was a divine connection!

Blaine & Becky Anders

Blaine's experience and skills/talents are almost exactly the same as mine, and he is just a tad crazy, like me, so it was like we had known each other for years! 

He and Becky jumped right in to serving, and started right off doing painting and laying concrete at Las Aldeas Children's Home. Now everyone will not have to run through the mud during the rainy season!

New sidewalk at Las Aldeas children's home

Blaine worked alongside Jorge y Manuel, the maintenance workers at Las Aldeas and, in spite of the language barrier, they became fast friends!

Blaine with Manuel y Jorge

A week after Blaine & Becky arrived, Tim Sloma came to help until the 27th also. Tim had spent 5 weeks with us a year ago and had been looking forward to returning. Well, he hit the ground running because we had stuff going in every direction! 

Tim Sloma

 Not only did we have Anders here, but March 1st we also took possesion of a house to use for La Luz Brilla, the transition home for young women! There was work to be done on it to prepare it for ministry. We also had projects committed to do at Las Aldeas, and I was preparing for a team from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Denton, Texas. 

New roof over the pila at La Luz Brilla!

I was so busy trying to keep all things covered, that I didn't get to do much actual work. I guess most people wouldn't mind that, but I don't get to do much construction type work anymore and was really looking forward to it. But, thank the Lord for the Anders and Tim, we got a lot of projects covered that I would not have been able to get done soon by myself.

The team from St. Andrew Presbyterian Church 2012!

Then March 18, the team of 14 from St. Andrew arrived! As always it was so encouraging to have them here with us. They come every Spring and feel like family!

They were able to paint ceilings in two houses at Las Aldeas (very badly needed) and had activities for the kids in the afternoon.

Painting ceilings at Las Aldeas

 Then we all went to Puerto San José down on the Pacific coast to work at Iglesia Monte Sión.

This is a very poor rural church whose roof was ready to fall in on the church, and was filled with holes. The group from St. Andrew raised enough funds to put a completely new roof on the church! So we spent a  few days there beginning the project. They painted the steel beams and roofing with anti-corrisive paint, and began some of the welding the beams and trusses together.

The members of the church and sister churches will complete the project over the next few weeks!

I missed the first day in Puerto San José, due to an emergency with one of our youth, I spent 2 nights and day with her in the hospital, but was able to get her home and then join the team on the coast.

It was a crazy month, but a TON was accomplished and we were greatly encouraged by all who came!