I love doing children's ministry!

I really have a pretty amazing job here in Guatemala. I get to hang out with teams and do children's ministry at least 3 days a week. Last week, I got to sit with a group of moms who were watching their older children play games with the team. We visited back and forth and talked about being a mom and raising children. It was so much fun! You know, although our lifestyles and living conditions are pretty different, our concern for our kids is the same.

Yesterday, I had the chance to help out the team with their face painting. It was so much fun! There is something so special about the one-on-one contact and touch involved in face painting. It is like in the few minutes it takes to paint a fish or bird, you build a relationship with a child. It is quite beautiful.

Today, I got to colour with a little boy who had never coloured before. I sat beside him and asked him why he wasn't colouring and he said, "no puedo" "I can't." I helped him hold his crayon and colour his picture. The smile on his face when he picked each new colour was priceless. Then, when we looked at his finished picture, he said, "yo puedo" "I can!" How can you beat moments like that?

What a joy it is to serve the Lord! It is what He desires for us all, you know -to be filled with joy! Not just every now and then, but always. I love the scripture that says the joy of the Lord is our strength. It is His joy in us that gives us strength to reach out and touch lives for the Kingdom. It is that same joy that draws others to us and enables us to share the love of Christ with them.

Bless you, and may the Lord fill you with His abundant and extravagant joy!

Karren

On Monday morning at 4am, we said goodbye to our first team of 2011. It was a sad day, as we had really enjoyed our time with this fun loving group. They certainly were an amazing team to start the year with - so well prepared and so sincere in their desire to grow in the Lord. What a pleasure to work with a group like this.
We didn't land up having a moment of downtime, although, because we had already picked up the next team the night before these guys left. So after dropping off the team from Prince Edward Island, we had breakfast with our new group from New Brunswick and took off to tour the capital and drive out to Tactic.

It has been so good to be back in Tactic. We are completely honoured and blessed to be called by the Lord to participate in His Kingdom work here. We know that it is only by His grace that we are able to do the things He asks us to do, and we are so thankful that His mercies are new every morning. We serve such a faithful God.

The team that is here right now is doing children's ministry at our Chicoy school. When they arrived, they had no idea they would be even doing children's ministry, and they had to put together a program, literally, overnight. They had the most amazing attitudes, although. It was such a blessing. Yesterday, I was sitting in the back with a few boys who were busy talking while the team was telling a story. I asked them to be quiet and the boy showed me a tract he had received. You know when God gives you those "moments" that are divine? Well, this was one of those. I asked him if he could read and he shrugged his shoulders. So, I asked him if he'd like to know what the tract said, and he nodded yes. The tract was one that was meant to go along with a beaded bracelet that tells the salvation story through coloured beads. Right there, in the back of the room, I was able to outline the entire Gospel to these three boys and they received it with such joy. What an honour. I have been asking the Lord to increase my language capacity for exactly these kinds of situations, and yesterday, I was able, all in Spanish, to do it - PTL!!!

This afternoon, I will be looking for those boys.
I want to follow-up and see how they are doing. The Lord willing, I will have a chance share with them how to accept Him as their Lord and Saviour.

The work that we do here is pretty unique, in that we have the opportunity to work with the Guatemalans and minister to them, but we also have the opportunity to work with and minister to North Americans. The Lord is allowing us to speak into the lives of both those living here and those who come on short term teams. It really is quite amazing.

Please continue to pray for us, as Les has now left for Canada for a month, which means we really have little or no time off. Pray that the Lord will protect our health and provide time for us to meet with Him in the midst of our business. As we pour out to those we are working with, we need to be re-filled if we desire to be effective in His Kingdom.

Bless you all, and thank you for your continued support. We love you all a bunch!
Karren and Rocky

A Great Light!

This morning we went with the PEI team to the sink hole at Chicoy. For quite some time this location has been used as a site for Mayan worship; however, we really haven't seen much activity this past year. Today was a different story.

There were two large groups in the cave performing Mayan rituals while we were there. This isn't the first time we have witnessed these rituals, but for many in our group it was definitely a first.

As we stood in a circle and proclaimed the truth of God's Word and worshipped the one true God, both groups of Mayans stood still and silent and watched us. Our prayer before we descended into the cave was that they would see the light of Jesus eminating from us and be drawn into His presence. It happened! Usually the shawman is shouting and chanting and there is a great deal of noise, but today they said nothing and just watched us kneel and worship.

God has called each one of us to shine His light wherever we go and proclaim His truth in love. The rest is really up to Him.

Today, we did our part, and the darkness saw a great light.

Thank you, Lord.

Bienvenidos a Guatemala!

We are here! We arrived in Tactic on Sunday afternoon and have been getting settled into our house. We had meetings most of yesterday to discuss the upcoming year and get ready for the business to come. Rocky is out this morning with Les and Walter, going over all of the properties and discussing the work that needs to get done this year - and there is a lot!
The weather here is amazing! Between 25 - 30 and sunny! What a nice change from winter. We leave for the capital tomorrow to pick up our first team and we are excited to be a part of what the Lord is going to do here in Tactic this year. In church on Sunday, Rocky shared that what the Lord has begun in us, He will bring to completion. Boy, what an awesome promise. As most of you know, our life has had its fair share of challenges, but it is so encouraging to know that God is taking all of our experiences and using them to form us into the people He wants us to be. Nothing is without purpose and nothing is out of His hands. Thank you, Lord!
Please continue to pray for us; it gives us great comfort to know family and friends are keeping us in their prayers.
Blessings,
Karren

In Seattle Tonight.

This morning we said our final goodbyes and left Kamloops for Seattle. Ellery and Marlene Peters offered to drive us to Seattle and we had a safe, enjoyable trip down. Tomorrow morning we fly out of Seattle for Guatemala not to return for 10 months. We will be meeting up with Harm & Linda and Walter & Cathie in Houston. Harm & Linda will be in Guatemala for 3 months, working in the guest house as hosts for teams. Walter and Cathie will be working out of the medical clinic for a couple of weeks. We had the opportunity to meet and get to know both of these amazing couples last year and are excited to see them again.
Although we are on our way to Guatemala and are excited to once again serve the Lord by working with North American short term missions teams, our departure was not without its challenges. We continue to face opposition as the enemy simply is not happy that we are saying yes to the Lord. We know that at the end of the day, God has already secured the victory for us, but in the middle of the battle, it is easy to get bogged down. I need to remember my New Year's resolution - to look to the future with anticipation and hope. This will not only change my perspective, but also my attitude.
We are so thankful to all of you who pray for us and support us. We know that we would not be able to do what we are doing alone. All of you who love us, share with us in this journey.
Before we dig in and begin what looks to be a very busy, crazy year, we want to say thank you again. We know we will never be able to repay you for what you are doing, but we know that Lord will bless you.
We will miss you all over the next 10 months, but we'll catch up in November!
Blessings,
Karren

New Beginnings!

Happy New Year, everyone! Last night at midnight people all around the world committed to a new beginning - a new year's resolution. Many will have promised to quit smoking, lose weight, start exercising, etc. Sadly, at the moment when they falter, they feel like a failure and give up.

As a believer, my circumstances are completely different. I am given the opportunity of a new beginning every morning.

Lamentations 3: 22, 23 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness."

What an amazing gift - the chance to try again; start over; re-do, every day. This is the kind of Heavenly Father I have. One who loves me, even when I stumble and fall, and picks me up and sets me back on my feet so I can continue on my way.

My New Year's Resolution for 2011 is to begin each day with my Father, leaving the challenges of yesterday in the past, and facing the future with hope and anticipation.

Bless you and Happy New Year!

Karren