We boarded the VRC bus for the Detroit Airport at 12:30am, Sunday morning. A little over 15 hours later (or 16 … I’m not sure, I’m tired), we arrived at the new Paradise Bound base.
Prayers:
*That God would open our eyes to his presence in this foreign land.
*That God would make our team come together as one.
*That God would continue to lift any fears that remain (and there are definitely some remaining), and replace them with a Spirit of Courage and Faith.
*That God would use us to bless the people of Guatemala….and use them to bless us.
*That those we’ve left behind (you) may know we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
GRACE and PEACE,
Pastor Tim
p.s. So far, every one is healthy. Alvern has already been spotted climbing the high beams (almost monkey like in his grace). Sam Smith has a young Guatemalan boy that follows him around … it’s pretty sweet. I discovered that Matt Brouwer has been trained by like four different agencies to kill me (prayers please). Dane and Sarah …. still in love. Josh Beltman showed us all up in his pill sorting abilities … I’d be proud to Jim and Sue. Oh, and I have found a puppy out back … which I plan to befriend (even though he’s being raised as a new guard dog).
Would you say that I was a hired hit if I was down there with you guys? hahaha God bless you guys! Hope this trip makes your story a little more intresting. Take care.
Thanks for the message. Things are going great…and you’re right, I am blessed to be serving with such a great group of people!
I’ll do my best to blog all about it…but, I’m not gonna lie, sometimes the material’s just too good to leave on the web. Oh boy do we have an interesting congregation ….
Hey, would you mind filling me in on how Al’s surgery goes. I don’t get email (just this blog). Thank you!
GT is an exciting place to be! You will be amazed and awed at the working of GOD! Next time make Tim R. go….those little GT kids would love to see a giant of a man like him!! Take care and GOD bless you all!
Thus far, the Guatemala experience has been amazing. I have such respect for Dan Smith and Paradise Bound Ministries. The work being done in Guatemala truly is God-ordained.
Today was especially special — we dedicated the homes we’ve been building. And, in the process, we had several come to a relationship with Christ. It really has been a blessing working in the village. Their are SO MANY children…and all of them are absolutely gorgeous. It makes me want to take one home!!
Anyway, I encourage you all to read the daily updates for the full effect of what happened. I’ll fill you in on the stuff that isn’t reported there:
Rockstar of Tuesday: HAND’S DOWN, BRIAN SMITH. The man knows how to take charge of a drill. Seriously, motivated. Plus, he was often seen playing with the children — a plus in my book.
Rockstar of Wednesday: SAM SMITH. I hate to give it to a father-son combo, but, i will say, I watched Sam Smith accidentally ask a 13 year old mother (of a two year old) to dance. Which, by the way, priceless. The rest of the day, every little girl in the village tagged behind him repeating his name again and again. Truly Good Times.
Rockstar of Thursday: BEVERLY WATSON. Beverly brought it when it came to decorating the homes. AND, I watched through the window as an entire family was brought to a relationship with Christ Jesus…and Beverly’s face was truly compassionate. It was moving … and awesome.
Other notable mentions:
Dane Werkema … so many random jokes
Matt Brouwer … not only has he been trained to annihilate me (which he wouldn’t do, because we are bff’s), but he ran up and down a mountain five times the other day. I got winded just standing up.
Sarah VandenBosch … neatest penmanship ever.
Ron Walters … by far the handiest guy I’ve ever met. And, the dude loves nature.
Lori Walters … she loves Ron…
Alvern Poest … really, he deserves rockstar award everyday. I think he’s probably the hardest worker I’ve met … since Bill Zwyghuizen.
Mary Poest … for bringing the quilts. You give VRC a good name!
There are more…and I’ll share….but later.
Prayer Requests:
So far, we have no one seriously ill — PRAISE GOD!
*Pray for the team as we move from the village building houses to medical clinics tomorrow.
*Praise God for excellent team unity!
*Pray for the families who received homes and made a committment to Christ today — The evil one is working hard in this land, they need our prayers and support (as we need theirs!).
*Pray for each of us, as many of us are struggling to deal with what we are seeing/hearing — the poverty here is difficult to stomach. What does a follower of Christ do in this situation!?!
Praying for you this week, Tim! And praying that the group is seeing God in new ways each day….
I’m so looking forward to hearing your stories…..although I’m sure they are sometimes difficult to put into words. What an awesome group! I pray that you all come home with a special bond……with each other, and with Christ:)
Enjoy being out of your comfort zone for a few more days…..it is something to be treasured:)
Pastor Tim,
Praying for you and the whole Guatemale Team. What a blessing that you are about to share your faith with these humble people. Enjoy your time there, it goes so fast. Don’t miss an opportunity, before you know it you will be home.
Be safe
Sherry Vanden Bosch
Tim, what a great guy. Full of endless energy and excitement. One can easy see the great impact you will have on all the people you come in contact with. You truely have the love of Jesus shinning thru you. Its exciting to think about all the lives Christ will save thru you.
God bless you.
Brian
We are on our way home! It’s hard to believe it’s almost done. I really do love everyone from this trip. Thank you ALL for your inspiration. Your faith…passion…and love are truly revolutionary!
Please keep us in your prayers tonight. We have a long day of travel ahead of us. I’m confident God will deliver us safely home to you … sometime around 8:30pm tomorrow. Until then…God Bless!! And thank you all so much for lifting and sustaining us through your prayers this last week. It has been incredible.
And Now…one last round of devotions….I’m going to soak in every minute of them!
God has blessed you with great insight and knowledge… I apprceciate your input in everything this week.. not just devotions You really get me thinking! Your Vriesland crew is awesome! I had a wonderful and blessed time!
We made it! Thus far, God has been very good.
We boarded the VRC bus for the Detroit Airport at 12:30am, Sunday morning. A little over 15 hours later (or 16 … I’m not sure, I’m tired), we arrived at the new Paradise Bound base.
Prayers:
*That God would open our eyes to his presence in this foreign land.
*That God would make our team come together as one.
*That God would continue to lift any fears that remain (and there are definitely some remaining), and replace them with a Spirit of Courage and Faith.
*That God would use us to bless the people of Guatemala….and use them to bless us.
*That those we’ve left behind (you) may know we are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.
GRACE and PEACE,
Pastor Tim
p.s. So far, every one is healthy. Alvern has already been spotted climbing the high beams (almost monkey like in his grace). Sam Smith has a young Guatemalan boy that follows him around … it’s pretty sweet. I discovered that Matt Brouwer has been trained by like four different agencies to kill me (prayers please). Dane and Sarah …. still in love. Josh Beltman showed us all up in his pill sorting abilities … I’d be proud to Jim and Sue. Oh, and I have found a puppy out back … which I plan to befriend (even though he’s being raised as a new guard dog).
TODAY’S ROCKSTAR: ALVERN POEST
Would you say that I was a hired hit if I was down there with you guys? hahaha God bless you guys! Hope this trip makes your story a little more intresting. Take care.
Blessings,
Ben
Thanks for the update! You are in our prayers, and I’m glad to hear things are going well so far.
I’m so looking forward to hearing the stories. This blog thing is so cool! Such a great group of people you are with this week… enjoy them!
Tim R.
Tim,
Thanks for the message. Things are going great…and you’re right, I am blessed to be serving with such a great group of people!
I’ll do my best to blog all about it…but, I’m not gonna lie, sometimes the material’s just too good to leave on the web. Oh boy do we have an interesting congregation ….
Hey, would you mind filling me in on how Al’s surgery goes. I don’t get email (just this blog). Thank you!
Tim
Tim W.
GT is an exciting place to be! You will be amazed and awed at the working of GOD! Next time make Tim R. go….those little GT kids would love to see a giant of a man like him!! Take care and GOD bless you all!
Jan Rotman(yep–Tim’s favorite sister-in-law)
Hola ya’ll,
Thus far, the Guatemala experience has been amazing. I have such respect for Dan Smith and Paradise Bound Ministries. The work being done in Guatemala truly is God-ordained.
Today was especially special — we dedicated the homes we’ve been building. And, in the process, we had several come to a relationship with Christ. It really has been a blessing working in the village. Their are SO MANY children…and all of them are absolutely gorgeous. It makes me want to take one home!!
Anyway, I encourage you all to read the daily updates for the full effect of what happened. I’ll fill you in on the stuff that isn’t reported there:
Rockstar of Tuesday: HAND’S DOWN, BRIAN SMITH. The man knows how to take charge of a drill. Seriously, motivated. Plus, he was often seen playing with the children — a plus in my book.
Rockstar of Wednesday: SAM SMITH. I hate to give it to a father-son combo, but, i will say, I watched Sam Smith accidentally ask a 13 year old mother (of a two year old) to dance. Which, by the way, priceless. The rest of the day, every little girl in the village tagged behind him repeating his name again and again. Truly Good Times.
Rockstar of Thursday: BEVERLY WATSON. Beverly brought it when it came to decorating the homes. AND, I watched through the window as an entire family was brought to a relationship with Christ Jesus…and Beverly’s face was truly compassionate. It was moving … and awesome.
Other notable mentions:
Dane Werkema … so many random jokes
Matt Brouwer … not only has he been trained to annihilate me (which he wouldn’t do, because we are bff’s), but he ran up and down a mountain five times the other day. I got winded just standing up.
Sarah VandenBosch … neatest penmanship ever.
Ron Walters … by far the handiest guy I’ve ever met. And, the dude loves nature.
Lori Walters … she loves Ron…
Alvern Poest … really, he deserves rockstar award everyday. I think he’s probably the hardest worker I’ve met … since Bill Zwyghuizen.
Mary Poest … for bringing the quilts. You give VRC a good name!
There are more…and I’ll share….but later.
Prayer Requests:
So far, we have no one seriously ill — PRAISE GOD!
*Pray for the team as we move from the village building houses to medical clinics tomorrow.
*Praise God for excellent team unity!
*Pray for the families who received homes and made a committment to Christ today — The evil one is working hard in this land, they need our prayers and support (as we need theirs!).
*Pray for each of us, as many of us are struggling to deal with what we are seeing/hearing — the poverty here is difficult to stomach. What does a follower of Christ do in this situation!?!
I love you all!
GRACE,
Tim
Praying for you this week, Tim! And praying that the group is seeing God in new ways each day….
I’m so looking forward to hearing your stories…..although I’m sure they are sometimes difficult to put into words. What an awesome group! I pray that you all come home with a special bond……with each other, and with Christ:)
Enjoy being out of your comfort zone for a few more days…..it is something to be treasured:)
God Bless!
Andrea
Samwell….. y Timoteo. TI-MO-TEO
mas quapo… samwell, o timoteo…
samwell es mucho mas guapo
Pastor Tim,
Praying for you and the whole Guatemale Team. What a blessing that you are about to share your faith with these humble people. Enjoy your time there, it goes so fast. Don’t miss an opportunity, before you know it you will be home.
Be safe
Sherry Vanden Bosch
I forgot…THANKS FOR THE AWESOME UPDATES!
again – Sherry Vanden Bosch
wish i was there with ya, see told ya so, many more blessings and give them to. thinking of all of you praying for you to.
Tim, what a great guy. Full of endless energy and excitement. One can easy see the great impact you will have on all the people you come in contact with. You truely have the love of Jesus shinning thru you. Its exciting to think about all the lives Christ will save thru you.
God bless you.
Brian
We are on our way home! It’s hard to believe it’s almost done. I really do love everyone from this trip. Thank you ALL for your inspiration. Your faith…passion…and love are truly revolutionary!
Please keep us in your prayers tonight. We have a long day of travel ahead of us. I’m confident God will deliver us safely home to you … sometime around 8:30pm tomorrow. Until then…God Bless!! And thank you all so much for lifting and sustaining us through your prayers this last week. It has been incredible.
And Now…one last round of devotions….I’m going to soak in every minute of them!
GRACE,
Pastor Tim
store owner: 50 quetzal!
timoteo: 25 quetzal, no mas!
store owner: 45 quetzal!
timoteo: 15 quetzal!
store owner: fine
God has blessed you with great insight and knowledge… I apprceciate your input in everything this week.. not just devotions
You really get me thinking! Your Vriesland crew is awesome! I had a wonderful and blessed time!