"ALL IN"

From October 16-24, we had the privilege of hosting 12 individuals at our mission base as part of our Fall 2011 construction team. As the week went on, the motto "ALL IN" was quickly adopted by the group members. This phrase not only applied to the 12+ hour work days that they often put in, but also to their personal relationships with Christ. Through personal devotion time, group devotions, and village evangelism, all of the team members experienced God in big ways and were strengthened in their faith! What an amazing week it was!

On behalf of all of us at PBM, I want to say THANK YOU! It is safe to say that all of us were blessed - not only by the fruits of your labor but by the example of your daily walk with Christ!

Open Doors Orphanage Update!

This email was sent out by Dan Smith earlier this evening. What an amazing and awesome God we serve! Thank you so much for all of the prayers.

"Our Lord once again has answered the thousands of you who were praying today at noon for our PBM/Open Doors Orphanage certification! The meeting did NOT go as we expected with the C N A and there were times that I cried out to our Lord in my heart to raise up more of you to pray in that specific moment...HE heard all of our cries of this I am sure. Before our eyes we watched hearts melt away and we were soon 100% approved by the C N A!!! The actual C N A certificate, which we need to open our doors, is still a couple of weeks away due to processing, but we are approved!!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers in this raging battle for souls we are in!

HIS servants,

dan & heidi"

the piano man!

As our discipleship follow-up program continues to grow and expand in the village of La Reina, yet one more aspect has been added to the program...MUSIC LESSONS! For the past few months, we have been bringing our own equipment and musicians for the praise and worship portion of the services we hold on Thursday and Sunday afternoons. Although it works, it has become quite the task to coordinate the transportation of a keyboard, speaker, guitars, microphones, drums, up to 9 individuals, etc. In addition, many young people in La Reina have expressed the desire to learn how to play some type of muscial instrument. Therefore, the dream was formed within Dan Smith's heart to begin a musical group within the village so that they can participate more fully in their own services.


This past Thursday, September 29, marked the first day of these music lessons. Darwin, Hermano Jesus' son-in-law, leads worship at their church and also works as a music teacher. He brought his keyboard and willingly began to teach the first two eager students some basic music theory. Raul and Jorge, the two young men shown in the picture, seemed to pick up on the material quite quickly! Please continue to pray for these two brothers, as well as the other students, who will soon come to learn how to not only play a variety of musical instruments but how to glorify our Lord and Savior with their new-found talents!

QUINCE

Today, September 15, is Guatemalan Independence Day, a special holiday often referred to as QUINCE (or "fifteen" in Spanish). Even though it has been raining here quite steadily over the past few days, it hasn't stopped the Guatemalan people from carrying out their traditions of parades, fireworks, and carrying torches through the streets like it's the Olympics. This country seriously knows how to celebrate! Here are a couple of pictures from Emanuel and Debora's school program last week. Felicidades!

Becoming Fools

Hey everyone!
The following is an email passed on to all Paradise Bound Ministry supporters, but I thought it was worthy of being posted here as well. Check it out!

"Dear Intercessors,
We are called upon to touch the lives of the least, and often the least will never be seen by any of us in our chaotic and busy lives. There are 6,000 to 10,000 street children living in Guatemala alone, with little or no voice to the outside world. Though our Lord has taken us to the remote and abandoned villages in Guatemala, our hearts are also with the children "living" without our Lord and thus without hope within the big cities. The makers of Reparando are venturing out once again to tell the story of a street clown and the "lives" of children in the streets of Guatemala City. Please follow the link http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/306542054/becoming-fools-a-documentary to understand a little more about "Becoming Fools" and if our Lord leads to help support this project. This is not a Paradise Bound venture, but our hearts are with the children that we pray this film will touch.
HIS servant,
dan & heid"

the DUMP

last week tuesday, i had the opportunity to visit Colonia Manuel Colon Argueta with some friends from Michigan who were down here serving on a missions trip with Hope Renewed. this squatters town consists of 140 families who have settled into the largest of three dumps that are present in the capital of Guatemala City. most families here make a living by scrounging for plastic, cardboard, and other products that they can sell to local buyers for a small penny. the necessities are few and far between: dirty water is shipped in via truck by the government and electricity was only added recently. a sewage system is also non-existent, but the presence of 4-foot-deep trenches throughout the town imply that that should soon become a reality. i cannot begin to put into words the smells i smelt and the sights i saw, but i am hoping that the photos i have included below will give you a little taste of the DUMP.

La REINA

This past Sunday, August 21, we held our first inaugural Sunday service at the village of La Reina. The Sunday services will be held every other Sunday with the hope of reaching out to some of the working men in the village who are not able to join us for the discipleship program on Thursdays. In preparation for the service, we got permission to use a large building that belongs to the community. The shelter was much needed as it rained for most of the afternoon! We also purchased 50 chairs for the villagers to sit in, thinking that would be more than enough. However, the 50 chairs were filled up so quickly that we had to scrounge up 10 more...and that still left myself and a couple of the kids to sit on the floor. It was wonderful to see many familiar faces, and many new ones as well. Praise God!










The actual service went extremely well. Our pastor, Hermano Jesus, brought a few individuals from his church congregation to assist in leading worship and ministering to the people during times of prayer. Hermano himself also gave a powerful message that touched many lives within the village. We are hopeful that as the weeks and months go on, we will continue to see consistent or even increasing attendance, forcing us to hold the services every week! The children of La Reina have always had a special place in my heart, so we will prayerfully see where God leads in the direction of establishing a children's and/or youth program for them as well. Please join us in praying for the people of La Reina. I know many of them have touched your hearts in a special way, and this is a great opportunity for you to continue to come alongside of them as they eagerly pursue more of God's word and His love.