Erv, Sarah and I moved to a rental next to the land we purchased as we build our adobe home in the months to come. The young lady in the blog also moved next to us as we have become her family. Sarah has adjusted nicely to the busy life of teams and community work. She has gotten her hands dirty and bloody as dental/medical team and building team came and went. Her compassionate heart overflows unto the least of these with ease and much joy. We are very excited that she joined us now for over 4 months. She still awaits her knight and shinning armor but is no longer holding her breath for him...all in God's timing!

Our son Nicolas is serving our country as a "grunt" in the Army (as he puts it) in the country of Afghanistan. He is doing well and considering re enlisting. He is starting long distance learning while there. He works in a Communication's Office also making special missions in the mountains as he did recently. Please keep him in our prayers and you are welcomed to send a note or care package to him or have a Sunday School or School Class send him an encouraging note...let me know if you want his address as I cannot make it public.

Our Family back in Michigan is doing well. The grandchildren are growing fast and we treasure all the photos and videos our children posts on FB for us to see.

We are partnering still with Agape in Action with specific teams, mostly surgical/medical but most recent with World Racers from AIM...Seth Barnes founder and leader. These young men and woman (21-35, single or married couples) travel to 11 countries in 11 months, on a spiritual journey while doing mission work. We hosted 14 of a group of 60 and they painted our community center and taught English at the local elementary school for 3 weeks. We built new friendships and added them to our prayer roster for the next 10 months.

We also are partnering with Cati's Friends (find us in FB) and a couple from McAllen Texas building homes for abandoned and abuse women and their children. We build 2 homes this year and a team of college young men and women came to build letrines, paint and build furniture for the two families.

Pray America/Manos de Jesus also has become a place we share our gifts and talents with this Fall. Erv has joined a group of electricians and volunteers from Michigan that came for 2 weeks to wire a large Commons building to be used for young teen girls that come from high risk environments. He also has helped wiring 3 missionary homes in the Manos de Jesus complex besides upgrading our rental and my constant "honeydew list".

I am still working with midwives. The new community allows for immersing ourselves in an all Mayan World. In just month an a half we have learned a lot of their culture, the good, the bad and the ugly. I could tell stories to fill a book in just the recent weeks. We are praying more and reminding ourselves that we are just itty bitty in the scheme of God's plans for the Mayan people. God was very gracious and we are meeting our neighbors at a small clinic I (Sally) opened the first week we came. I see 30-40 patients on Tuesdays. I work with a young lady translator. So far I've seen a bit of everything even diagnosing diabetes and hypertension. I am limited on medications so I do referred to a close larger clinic with 2 doctors working for Agape in Action. I am very fortunate to have developed good relationships with other clinics far and near so when I am "stumped" I can call. Sometimes I take photos of a skin condition and send it to the USA for doc friends to try and help me long distance. I love to touch the lives of people even with a bottle of antibiotic.

As you see we are still busy as always. We now have a PayPal account attached to "In the Highlands" blog. We are always open to donations and those can be sent directly to the ministry account in Michigan.

We have no immediate plans to go to Michigan this holiday season. Please remember us in your prayers as this is a difficult time of the year to be away from our loved ones. We must conserve funds so we can build the adobe home we are hoping to be in mid next year.

Here are our prayer requests:

For fast understanding of the new culture we moved into so we can be effective and not make mistakes that would cost setbacks.

For wisdom, discernment and courage as we deal with the huge amount of sin and lack of respect towards women and children around us.

For divine appointments to those that God wants us to minister to, as a whole is too big and could be "goose chasing"

For a godly life partner for Sarah, and safety for Nicolas while in the military abroad.

For spiritual protection for the three of us, this area has a lot of witchcraft and false teachings even in the Church.

For financial provision to build the house and take care of vehicle maintanance that arise from time to time. We have our home for sale in Michigan. We need to sale it.
We also have a ministry piece of land we would love to sell.

Lastly for finances to make a visit to my 84 year old father who lives in Puerto Rico and I have not seen in over 3 years.

As always, we would love to hear from you, your family and what is going on in your neck of the woods...Missionaries love letters!


Thanks for praying for us and for reading this long newsletter!

Serving in His Kingdom in the Highlands of Guatemala,

Erv, Sally and Sarah

New Year and perhaps...just perhaps...

Thought I give this blog another chance...well, maybe I can give myself another chance at it...let me see if I can figure it out again.
Today Erv and I began doing preliminary work on an new mission's adventure. Jorge and Lorena Rojas from McAllen Texas, have fallen in love with the Highlands like we have. We believe we are kindred spirits and thus began this relationship/ministry today. Their heart is to help others live better lives, not richer lives but better conditions physically and spiritually. We are going to build adobe homes for single mothers with children that have been abandoned or widowed and have no place of their own. This past summer they brought a team that built 2 wooden humble homes for 2 very deserved families. We visited with one of them today and their smiles at their better quality of lives, still shine through. Erv and I have decided to move back to Chichicastenago, 30 minutes away through a mountain ride only covering 10 miles. We plan (if God so wills)to purchase a bit of land, build an adobe home and have a mini farm where we can become a bit self sufficient in the future. We will also be working with Pray America/Manos de Jesus where Hannah Scott along with hubby Andrew serve as missionaries and have asked us to join them in efforts to equip the local midwives. Hannah and I are studying midwifery together and have the same passion for women and birth. After 2 years working with Agape in Action and Adonai International, we think we've found our purpose here. We appreciate the experience we gained and the wonderful wisdom these two wonderful ministries allowed us to acquiered while under their leadership. As we move closer to what we feel is our "destiny" here, we thank our Lord Jesus Christ for two wonderful years of safety, provision and a wealth of new people in our lives.