October & November 2023

Greetings from a Christmassy Guatemala!  Temperatures may still be in the 20sC here but the Christmas Lights are up in many places.  Buddy was quite taken aback on an evening walk when he first heard the lights in a local park playing music, various sets all on different rhythms but playing at the same time…needless to say he´s gotten used to them now!

During November I was able to get out for a hike with some friends.  It was an early start but definitely worth it – check out the photos above and below! Unfortunately as it was a long bus ride away, Buddy didn´t make this one.  I hope to get a volcano hike in before the year ends – pray it works out timing wise!
Thank you for continuing to pray and for asking about the current situation here.  I had sent a brief prayer request email in October mentioning the current political unrest happening within the country. Road blocks were in place in certain areas for a few weeks, while the capital came to an almost standstill for a few days.  It was strange to not hear traffic noise and an eerie silence as shops were closed, there was no transport and many products were out of stock.  We had the water cut off for around 1 week here but most things are back to normal now.  Although the reasons behind the unrest remain unresolved, the country is operating mostly as ‘normal’ again.  During the road blocks, the cost of basic food items rose as demand exceeded supply.  Unfortunately many items have remained at a higher price even as the country opened up again.

The political situation remains complicated.  Do pray for the country as the new president is set to assume his position on 20th January 2024.  Its unclear how the situation will be then.

Keep reading to find out about the last 2 months here!

Juventud Para Cristo (JPC), Guatemala
New Life Programme
We have continued weekly visits at 2 adolescent children’s homes (1 for boys and 1 for girls) working with an average of 40 young people per visit.  We have been teaching from the story of Gideon exploring how sometimes our faith doesn’t seem to make sense humanly but God is at work.  Most recently we have been exploring the theme of influences and considering the impact good and bad influences have on our lives.  This has created much discussion with one young person commenting to me that although he knows right from wrong, he can’t resist when ´friends´ convince him to do something that he knows is wrong. Pray for us as we explore these challenging topics with this group of young people who have experienced a lot of trauma in their young lives.

We can´t take many photos in these homes, but here are a few of the activities over the last 2 months.  Included are photos of our childrens day celebrations where we taught them how to make crepes, played games, shared the gospel and of course had a piñata!

Its been really encouraging to continue discipling some of the girls who have come to faith in the girls home.  We meet for a period of time at the end of the weekly program. Most recently we have been exploring some of the challenges in reading and understanding the Bible. Over the last 3 weeks we have used the first two chapters of James to explore what putting our faith into practice looks like, the importance of it, the challenges around it and practical things they can do in the walls of the home to live this out.  I set them a challenge each week and it was a joy that one week the majority carried out the challenge to read James 1 in small groups or pairs!

We would love to do more for these young people but there are many limiting factors. Pray for wisdom to know how God wants to grow this ministry.  Pray too for the young people that leave these homes. Their situation in these places is temporary, so there can be a lot of turnover.  Pray that we would be providing some sort of lasting impact that serves them to live differently wherever they end up next.

Discipleship & Mentoring
I have continued with mentoring and discipleship of the female leaders at JPC.  We meet once a month as a group to study Gods word together and individual mentoring sessions continue on a monthly basis.  We also celebrated a number of birthdays together these last 2 months!  This type of investment in peoples lives isn´t common here, yet there is a lot of need to have someone walk alongside them.
Once a month all 6 girls come to my house for dinner and Bible Study.  and the rest of the month we use Whatsapp or Zoom to meet.  We´re continuing to use Crazy Love by Francis Chan as the basis for our studies and it has been great to see how they (and I) have been challenged through the book so far yet also recognise Gods amazing grace for us. One of the group members recently shared with me the impact this group has on her life:

“The impact of mentoring and discipleship on my life has been remarkable. Now I have someone to study the bible with (other than the church), I’m sure that focuses on the friendship we all have in Christ. And with mentoring, now I can talk about things that I previously faced alone, I feel accompanied and also supported.”

Since the end of September, 4 members of this group have been leading small groups/trios in studying Gods word.  Their group members are made up of volunteers who assist in our weekly or monthly programs but are not involved in the main leadership team.  They have been using the One and Other material, which we previously studied together.  Its been encouraging to see these 4 young women grow in leadership and passion for sharing Gods word with others but also to hear from some of the volunteers the benefits of this process in their lives.  We are currently running it as a pilot until the end of the year, when we will review the process and define next steps.

Pray for this process, the leaders and the participants.  Pray for me for wisdom as I lead the process and consider how this could grow and be sustainable in the future.

Policies and Practice
I continue to work on the development of the Child Protection Policy for the organisation as well as supporting in the development of communication with supporters and donors.  Give thanks for Andrea and Ximena who are helping in this process!  Having more regular communication updates to YFC supporters has helped the team develop skills in reporting and evaluating their regular programs.
Click here for JPC Latin America website
What else has been happening and what is coming up…
Church – I’ve continued to support the local church I attend in their youth group.  We are a small group but I give thanks for their heart to reach teenagers in the local area. During October I lead a session where we reflected on our relationship with God and how we can grow in Him.

Member care and team leadership – I’ve continued supporting our members here in Guatemala and Mexico, which can be more intentional for some than others.  We meet on a monthly basis for pray and time asa community.  In November it was lovely to spend time together in person and finish our time with lunch.  One of the joys over the past year has been seeing team members involve and develop local volunteers into different roles within the Latin Link team. As a leadership team we are currently planning our team conference which will take place 11th – 15th January 2024.  Do pray for this time together, that it would be a good time of community, building relationships and learning and growing together.  Pray for us as a leadership team as we organise the logistics of the conference.

Youth Camp – In October I was invited to speak at a Youth Camp for a local church from the capital city.  Just last weekend I spent time with an energetic bunch of 13-30 year old’s (yes that is typical of many youth groups here!) from Zone 18.  A number  of the young people live in an area of the city with strong gang influences and the church is working to support teenagers to make good choices and get involved in positive activities.  I was asked to teach around making decisions that honor God.  Over 5 interactive and highly participative sessions (their acting skills in drama of David and Goliath were second to none!) we explored overcoming past choices to move forward in the future, decisions around friendships, relationships and living a lifestyle both following and serving God.  It was great to connect with this group and hope that the themes we reflected on throughout the weekend, God will use in their lives. The photos below show some of the camp activities.

Points for prayer
Thank you for supporting me in prayer, it means so much!  Here are some things that would be really helpful to pray for this month:

·  Serving with JPC – for wisdom and discernment to be able to fulfil the role they have asked of me and support them in their ministry.  For clear communication when developing their policies.  Pray for me as I disciple and mentor these 6 female leaders of faith and as we walk through life together here.

·  New Life Programme – pray for the young people in these homes.  Pray that their lives would be changed for the better and they could know Gods love for them in a world where they are often treated otherwise.

·  Counselling Course – the last few months I have been studying an online Christian Counselling introduction course (in Spanish).  It has been really useful based on my role in the homes, in mentoring and member care.  Pray that I would be able to put the time aside to study and make the most out of this opportunity.

·  Team GuateMex – for our team of Latin Link members here in Guatemala and Mexico, for the situations that each of them live and work in and for their emotional, physical and spiritual health.  Pray for the team conference in January.

·  Local Church – Pray that God would open up opportunities for leading training sessions around working with young people.  Pray for connections with people in the church. Pray for youth group to connect with young people in the local are who are not associated with the church.

·  Bus De La Vida – TOMORROW (1st December) we will travel to Izabal, in the south-east of the country, with around 90 volunteers (I don´t have the exact numbers!).  There we will be serving in 8 rural communities working with children, teenagers, families and women for 5 days.  This is a short term mission trip mobilising local Guatemalans to serve their neighbour.  Our prayer is that what they learn over the week they will bring back to their local communities and serve more actively there.  I will be co-leading a team in one of the communities.  Pray for safety as we will travel by bus, boat, pickup truck and on foot.  Pray that God would work in and through us and that it will be a blessing and not a burden to the local community.  Pray too for the volunteers on our team that they would take steps in their faith and be moved to action where they live locally.  Below is a photo of some of the group we are taking.

Thank you!

Thank you as always for your prayers and support – As always its great to hear from you and how things are in your part of the world!  Buddy sends his greetings too!

Blessings, Rose

It is wonderful to be at home and with family. We are thankful and know this is a great blessing. However, we also miss so much about Nepal. The final days of October are the festival of Tihar when Nepali homes are brightly decorated with lights and families come together in celebration. Our prayer is that the light of the world will shine through the lives of Christians so that all may find fullness of life.

Prayer Points
• For wonderful friends and faithful servants in UMN, KISC and far beyond
• For the ongoing work of UMN and KISC and God’s help in every challenge
• That we will be guided in the right path in the days ahead.