2013 Guatemala Report – Part 1
The reason we go—to serve the pastors and leaders and their people

We have all sorts of testimonies to the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness from our Guatemala trip, and we wanted to share them with you.  Some of you gave, many of you prayed, and so an accounting and a recounting are in order.

Jim Kerwin was in Guatemala from 15 April to 22 May, and Denise Kerwin arrived on 10 May to participate in the pastors’ and leaders’ conferences the week of 13 May. In the podcast, we recount the overall story…

…but in the belief that “a picture is worth a thousand words,†we have included many photos — and two ways to enjoy them. Below you will find:

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• Links to four picture albums we’ve posted on Facebook.  (No, you don’t need to be a Facebook member, or even register, to see them.  They are “tagged†so that they can be seen by the general public.)  These you can go through at your own pace.  OR…
  
• Embedded YouTube videos of the same albums, with our recorded commentary about each photo.  In these we provide more information, as well as background stories we didn’t get to tell in the podcast.
  

May we ask a favor?

Do you have a Facebook account?  A simple “Like†on the Finest of the Wheat Facebook page would help our ministry by spreading the word about these faithful pastors and leaders and what God is doing among them in Guatemala. Visit the page at Facebook.com/FinestOfTheWheat.  (KernelsOfWheat.com/facebook will get you there, too.)

Album #1: Language School… in a Garden?!
Link: Album #1 with notes

Jim spent a month in immersion Spanish language school prior to the teaching and ministry part of his trip (although God arranged ministry during his study time as well). Click the thumbnail link to the right for the album with notes, or click on the video below for the narrated, video version of the album.

Album #2: A Weekend in Guatemala City
Link: Album #2 with notes

Denise joined Jim in Guatemala on Friday, May 10. We stayed with our friends, Atilio and Gladys Chávez, leaders of their denomination in Guatemala, and pastors of a church in Guatemala City, where Jim ministered on Sunday. Click the thumbnail link to the right for the album with notes, or click on the video below for the narrated, video version of the album.

Album #3: First Pastors’ Conference: Colonia Maya
Link: Album #3 with notes

Pastors and leaders from the first region gathered in Colonia Maya on Monday and Tuesday, May 13 and 14. Jim finished a multi-year teaching on hermeneutics (how to teach and preach the Scriptures in context) begun in 2008, by using numerous examples from his teaching series Woman in the Kingdom of God. Denise spoke as well, sharing the testimony of how she learned to trust God as an “M.K.” (Missionary Kid) while growing up in West Africa. Click the thumbnail link to the right for the album with notes, or click on the video below for the narrated, video version of the album.

Album #4: Second Pastors’ Conference: Betania (“Bethany”)
Link: Album #4 with notes

We traveled on Wednesday to Coatepeque, where we stayed during the conference in nearby Betania (“Bethany”). In this second region, we covered the same material taught in Colonia Maya. Pastores, pastoras, and líderes (leaders) came from all around the area for the two-day conference on Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17. We experienced the same warm fellowship — and the same hot temperatures and high humidity! Click the thumbnail link to the right for the album with notes, or click on the video below for the narrated, video version of the album.

Continue with Part 2 of the Guatemala report — The Coatepeque Kitchen Interview.

Other links mentioned in the podcast: LendAHandMissionTeams

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Podcast theme music: “Steam Train” from the John Williams album Dusty Porch, under license from Magnatune.com.