Hello Everyone,

We are back safe and sound in Guatemala.  The trip went well and we sailed through all the check points.  The hard part was the nearly 600 pounds that we were carrying, rolling, pushing and dragging.  In Mexico, we had to get all our bags, go through customs and then recheck everything.  In Guatemala, they had the suitcase x-ray machine at the exit to check all the bags.  We never had to open our suitcases or do any explaining as to why we had all this stuff.  Isn't God good?  Praise the Lord, thank you all for praying.

Tomorrow we are going to rest, unpack and then go to the grocery store.  Good night, sweet dreams and we'll say more later.

Blessings,

Greg and Jeanette

Hello Everyone,

As we said in an earlier email, God is good, and we had a wonderful and productive time in the states.  Guatemala Deaf Ministries Inc. is official, legal and up-n-running.  As a reminder, all donations and support should now be sent to GDM at P.O. Box 809, Twin Peaks, CA  92391.  Greg's sister Julie is keeping track of all incoming funds and Greg's mom is the bank runner.  Thank you Julie and Mom.  We have a wonderful and supportive Board of Directors.  And of course we could not do anything without you, our prayer and support team members.

In the beginning of December we sent out a Christmas letter, photo prayer card and a vision letter (see attachments).  The vision letter explains the long term goals, short term goals, accomplishments in 2011 and prayer needs.  The needs list included things from a refrigerator to a cordless drill.  Praise the Lord enough funds came in over and above the regular monthly contributions to cover nearly everything.  There is still the need for a video camera but we don't have the expertise to know what to even ask for.  The car that we wanted to buy was donated and we sold our '99 Expedition.  We are still in the process of looking for a larger home to rent or a large ministry center to open up for our use.

There is much to do and already our schedule is filling up with speaking and preaching.  In our next email update we will list some specific prayer needs.  As always, thank you for your prayers and financial support.

Looking forward to a great 2012.

Greg and Jeanette

Hello Everyone,

Just a short note to say that tomorrow in the afternoon both Jeanette and I will be teaching at a Deaf Family Conference.  This is a great opportunity to teach the Deaf in another part of the city.  Please pray for a good attendance and for changed hearts and that the messages will not be hampered or hindered in any way.  The devil has been working overtime lately to destroy families and marriages among the Deaf here in Guatemala.  Please stand with us in prayer for the Deaf of this country.  Romans 8:37 says we are more than conquerors through Jesus.  Thanks for standing with us.

Blessings,

Greg and Jeanette

Hello Everyone,

La Familia Conferencia de Sordos was a great success.  There were about 40 deaf adults who attended.  The food was delicious.  The teaching was powerful.  For the last session we divided the men and the women.  Jeanette, Myra Price and Jaimie Donate taught the women.  Myself, Roy Price and Carlos Donate taught the men.  There was lots of time for questions and answers which meant lots of "Ok Lord, how do I answer this one?"  But God was good and everyone was encouraged.  Thank you for your prayers.

It has been particularly difficult for us this past week as we have learned about some of the bad things that are going on among the deaf here in Guatemala.  Your prayers and the conference have encouraged us and again, we thank you.  Good sound Bible teaching and counseling are needed here more than we can imagine and we have just barely scratched the surface.  We would covet your prayers for the following.

1.  Gustavo's new life with his wife is off to a difficult start.  His mother-in-law is very sick which requires him and Ingrid to have to travel to Santa Rosa quite a lot.  This and some other personal issues are putting a strain on their marriage. 

2.  Please pray for the Deaf as a whole here in Guatemala and for us as we try to minister to a culture within a culture.  It appears at times that basic "right and wrong" is something that they have just not learned.  Our prayer every day is "Lord, how do we teach them what You want them to learn?"

3.  More and more every day we see the need for a larger home or a training center so we can start teaching on a regular basis.  Please pray for wisdom and discernment and for finances.  We need a huge miracle, but Hallelujah, we serve a miracle working God.

4.  Friday, we are driving to Jutiapa to visit Jonathan and Aura.  They have several things that they want to talk to us about and one of them is a school for the Deaf in Jutiapa.  Jonathan's aunt works for the Department of Education and it sounds like they may have a plan.

You don't know how encouraging it is to be able to share with you these prayer requests knowing that you will indeed pray.  Being here sometimes is very difficult and sometimes it is pure pleasure but all the time we know that it is where God wants us.  Thank you again for standing with us in prayer.

The picture is from yesterday's conference.

Blessings,

Greg and Jeanette

Hello Everyone,

We are back from Jutiapa and our visit with Jonathan and Aura Pappa.  Last Wednesday was the orientation day of their new school which doesn't even have a name yet.  For now, they will be teaching the children 5 years old to 15 years old on Thursday and on Friday the young adults.  They are waiting for approval from the government to have school all week long.  There were 20 to 25 kids that came on Thursday and on Friday we had around 30 students, mostly young adults, with several absent.  The school right now is in a house that Jonathan's dad Mario owns.  He is the pastor of Principe de Paz church in Jutiapa and is helping out by providing a home for the school.  There are still a lot of unknowns.  They have Luis who is a retired school teacher willing to help.  But that's a lot of kids for three people to teach and Aura is having her baby in about two months.  They have no chairs, no tables, no books, no supplies and they are borrowing the white board from the church.  The chairs that they sat on were rented.  We are praying and seeking God for ways to meet their needs.

We had a great time and I (Greg) taught the class on Friday morning.  Julia did some interpreting (see picture) and also interpreted at church this morning. She did a wonderful job.  One of the hearing ladies of the church, Mirna, stood up to give a testimony (in Spanish) and Julia interpreted.  Well, she tried to interpret but it was difficult because Mirna talks faster than even the best interpreters can translate.  Julia signed to the Deaf that it was just too fast for her and everyone started laughing because they all know that Mirna talks very fast.

On Friday night we were able to see a good friend of ours, Roberto, who is deaf.  He told us that he has a new job and we were excited for him.  Well, we were excited until he told us about his job.  He works 12 hours a day, seven days a week, starting at 3:00 a.m. milking cows and then makes crema and cheese for the rest of the day and finishes by milking the cows again.  He makes a whopping 32 cents per hour.  The exploitation of the Deaf is sometimes hard to believe.  He is one of the hardest workers I know in Guatemala.

Please continue to pray for us as we listen to the voice of God in helping the Deaf of this country.  God has a marvelous plan and we are grateful to be a part of His work here in Guatemala.

Blessings,

Greg and Jeanette

Hello Everyone,

Greg's step-dad David Daly was driving down the hill going to work last night at 11:20 and was hit by a drunk driver coming up the hill.  He rolled and totaled the car.  He was released this morning from the hospital and is home resting.  He is sore all over with cuts and bruises.  The Highway Patrol and hospital staff say it was a miracle that he was not killed or injured more seriously.

Please pray for a quick recovery.  Pray also for quick resolution of all the legal hassle now of dealing with insurance companies and the loss of their car.

Blessings,

Greg and Jeanette