[Note: Visit these links for Part 1 and Part 2.]

For this third and final installment of our Guatemala report, we had the privilege of interviewing the country’s dynamic duo, Pastor Atilio Chávez and his wife, Dr. Gladys de Chávez, about their background, ministry, and goals.  Atilio, who has been involved in church-planting in Guatemala for thirty years, pastors a church in Guatemala City; but his greater role is that of a pastor’s pastor as he superintends about forty churches.  Matching her husband’s servant heart, Gladys (a medical doctor in her own right) works side by side with Atilio in many capacities.  She has served many visiting ministers and missions teams over the years as both translator and medical liason.

Album #7 with notes

On our next-to-last evening in Guatemala, we overnighted with Atilio and Gladys at Lake Atitlán. It was time much needed by Jim and enjoyed even more by Denise.  Important things can be shared during quiet walks, leisurely meals, and enjoying the peaceful environment.  Special times together like this one make friends close friends.

The picture-link to the right will take you to a Facebook album of photos, with descriptions. (No, you don’t need to be a Facebook member, or even register, to see it. The album is available to the general public.) The video below covers the same material, but includes our recorded commentary about each photo. As with our last two episodes, this video provides more information, as well as background stories we didn’t get to tell in the podcast.

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• Online donation links for the various Guatemalan projects still aren’t available.  When they are, we’ll update this section with the information and links, which we will also provide in a blog post.
  
• Although mentioned in the interview, we couldn’t find any links to The 700 Club and Operation Blessing operations in Guatemala, as they relate to the churches in which Atilio and Gladys minister.  However…
  
• We have more than enough links about the ministries in Latin America of  LendAHand Mission Teams, a group through which Jim ministers from time to time.  These include:
  
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  • The LendAHand webpage
    
  • The LendAHand Facebook page.  (No, you don’t have to be a Facebook member to drop in, read the posts, and see the photos from previous missions trips.)
    
  • The latest LendAHand newsletter, with information about their first trip to Cuba.
    
  
  
  

Thanks to those of you who have “Liked†the Finest of the Wheat Facebook page, we’ve reached our first goal.  Now we’ve set a new one — 100 “Likes” for the page by December 31st.  Please help our ministry to spread the word about these faithful pastors and leaders and what God is doing among them in Guatemala and elsewhere. Visit the page at Facebook.com/FinestOfTheWheat. (KernelsOfWheat.com/facebook will get you there, too.)

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