No. 4, July 2009
My First Trip as a Representative of CALMS
From July 15 – 28, I had the privilege to represent CALMS in Guatemala in my new position;
Missionary-At-Large.
It was very gratifying and enriching to be able to return to Guatemala, see
Making a database of the
my friends and the congregation where I served for
people who have received a
four years, and represent CALMS.
house in Guatemala through
CALMS
In this trip, I visited three congregations with
CALMS
maintains a partnership. This partnership
Helping Ramiro Peñate
happens through teamwork, intelligent projects that
(our coordinator in
Guatemala) make a contract
build dependence on God, creation of skills and
with each person that
relationships.
received a house
Basically, my trip consisted of meeting with Dr. Elry
Orozco (Elry is the Coordinator of the Medical
Uploading CALMS
website
that CALMS has in Guatemala), visiting the Holy Cross
Chepito, Lili, doña Olga & Pastor
Miguel in Olga’s home
Clinic (Clínica Santa Cruz) in Amatitlán, the Mighty
Exploring opportunities for
Fortress Lutheran Church (Iglesia Luterana Castillo Fuerte) in Guatemala City, the Divine Savior
each short-term team that
Lutheran Church (Iglesia Luterana El Divino Salvador) in Zacapa, meeting with Ramiro Peñate
wants to go to Guatemala
(Ramiro is the Coordinator of the Housing Program in
Working to help grow the
Guatemala), visiting The Resurrection Lutheran Church
Housing Program in
(Iglesia Luterana La Resurrección) in Gualán, and meeting
Guatemala
with Pastor Luis Jasinto.
Consulting with partners in
Being that I was in Zacapa and Gualán, I had the
the USA and Central
privilege of meeting with each of their Church Boards.
America
Another important reason for my visit was to meet
Making a database of our
with Attorney Reynaldo Corado to discuss the visas for
contacts
the missionaries, Miles and Elma Richmond, whom
Pastor Miguel, Marubeni (Ramiro’s
CALMS will be sending in September. Miles will be an
Helping Miles get his visa
wife) and Ramiro
advisor and trainer to Ramiro, being the he has
in Guatemala
experience in Africa with Habitat for Humanity for more than 10 years.
It is also important to inform you that I also went to La Unión. More than a year ago, La Unión suffered a major natural disaster
due to heavy rains. Neighborhoods and villages were destroyed by the landslides; people were buried ender the mud and died,
and families lost their crops and jobs. After one year, it was hard to see that not much
has changed, as the main entrance to the city is still blocked and many families still have
not recovered their homes or crops. We met with the vice mayor of the town while we
were there and discussed the future possibility of building homes for some of the people.
It gave us hope that we may be able to help these people when they need it most.
The best part about this trip was the visits we made to each of the families that
received homes. Up until now, we have built 20 houses in Guatemala and all of the
families are so grateful to God.
It was beautiful to see the gratitude of these people, as well as their praise to God.
Sue Dick, who accompanied me, in front of
These
homes are truly life-changing and terrific gifts. All of them deserve to receive these
a destroyed house
homes, as they are all children of God. If you want to read more detail, please go to my blog at www.calmsnews.blogspot.com.
Projects that I Am Doing
Connecting and Advancing Leaders in Mission and Service... to win the lost for Christ.
Guatemala, The Country of The Eternal Spring
Guatemala, the land of the eternal spring! Guatemala is known for being a country full of
diversity, not just by its people, but also by its fauna, flora and climate. This diversity allows this
country to share a lot of its customs and traditions and enjoy its exquisite of foods, colorful
traditional clothes. The short distances by bus or car make for
many interesting trips, and the people of Guatemala are typically
11906 Manchester Road
friendly, never hesitating to give a little help to someone who
Suite 110
needs it without expecting anything in return.
St. Louis, MO 63131
The climate is one of the things that I like most about
Guatemala. I agree with the locals who call this the land of eternal
Tel.: (314) 640-4830
spring because all year long, 365 days per year, one can find
E-mail: [email protected] beautiful local flowers in bloom in every region of the country.
Guatemala has 2 seasons; summer and winter, but they are
two seasons that, given the location in which God put Guatemala,
We’re on the web:
they simply help the agriculture and maintain the climate
www.calms.org
equilibrium of the country. Incredibly, in Guatemala, one can find
cold regions where the temperature reaches below 0º C (32º F)
like Xela and San Marcos, rainy regions like Las
Verapaces and Petén, arid or hot and dry regions like
A Guatemalan woman in Antigua
Guatemala, wearing typical clothing
Jalapa and Zacapa, hot and humid regions like Izabal,
And, of course, the year-long temperate regions found in the majority of the country. The
average temperature is 20º C (mid 70º F). Wonderful, right?
The flora is incredible, yielding all types of orchids, including the outstanding national
flower, the “Monja Blanca”. The climate allows for
flower plantations, whose flowers are sometimes
exported to other countries. The trees are very lush, with
A picture in Antigua Guatemala from Arch
Street, where you can see the volcano Agua
the most common being pines, cypresses, and Ceiba
trees (the national tree). Coffee beans are grown in each region and the coffee produced in
Guatemala is considered to be some of the best in the world; its exquisite aroma and unique taste
is something really special.
Monja Blanca - Guatemala's
The fauna is really varied and one can find all kinds of animals
national flower
Of all the birds, the Quetzal stands out as one the most beautiful. This bird is the symbol
of liberty and the national bird.
The geographic position of Guatemala, which is part of the bridge that unites North and South
America, makes it possible for animals from both sides to live
there. The majority of the wild fauna is concentrated in the
North, which is the Petén region, and the in mountain regions.
Ceiba - Guatemala’s national tree
That is what Guatemala is like. For those of you who will go
to Guatemala to enjoy a Mission Trip, know that you will serve in a country rich in culture and in
opportunity to serve and visit.
God bless Guatemala! God bless all of you that are giving opportunity for me to serve and to
share the God’s Word in Guatemala to win the lost for Christ. Thank you!
How You Can Help
Pray: for our partners in Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic.
Short-Term Teams: you can participate in a Mission Trip of 7 to 10 days in one of the countries
we mentioned before. Through these trips you can build relationships, share the Gospel, work as a Quetzal - Guatemala's national bird
partner and equip local leaders.
Support the ministry financially: you can provide scholarships for children, support special projects to plant new churches and
train national workers. You can also provide regular support for me and other workers through your loving gifts to CALMS’ Circle of
Friends. (See address above).
Connecting and Advancing Leaders in Mission and Service... to win the lost for Christ.