Simple Pleasures

In September Michael and I celebrated 6 wonderful years of marriage. We took a long weekend in the slow moving Amish country of Illinois. We had a wonderful time of rest and enjoyed each other. 

This weekend was planned by Michael and was a complete surprise to me. Michael booked a bed and breakfast for us, which is a little out of the ordinary because we have such great discounts with Marriott. As it turns out, in Amish country, there are no Marriott's! So Michael opted for a little B&B in the middle of a corn field called Simple Pleasures. When we arrived our hosts, Bob & Bernice, were more than gracious in welcoming us.  As they gave us a tour of their lovely home, I immediately began to spy Bob's copy of Breakfast with Jesus laying on the coffee table. I was set at ease knowing we would be staying with a Christian couple and supporting their business. We connected with Bob and Bernice as they shared their story of retirement and how they began the proprietors of Simple Pleasures. We began sharing with them our story about Guatemala and how we would be leaving the comforts of home to minister to the children of Guatemala that so desperately need to know Jesus. The also share a mission field at the Bed and Breakfast where the get the opportunity to minister rest to many weary individuals, mostly couples. Each morning Bernice set a beautiful table for us with three courses including pie for dessert! At the breakfast table, we relaxed and had wonderful conversation with Bob, Bernice and the other patrons. It was very nice to not be in a hurry and just rest in good company. At the end of our two nights stay at Simple Pleasures, Bob and Bernice blessed us greatly. When it was time to pay, they decided to donate one nights stay to our missions trip. The said they just wanted to bless us and be a part of what was happening in Guatemala. I was so encouraged. Here we are on our anniversary and God is providing for our needs even through a vacation. What a great God we serve. Our God is so big and yet so interested in the small moments of our lives. He was working while we were resting! How awesome!

Has there been a time when God surprised you with a blessing that you were not expecting? Share in the comments section.

Psa 68:35

You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

Finish Line Kids

As you may know, while we are Guatemala, we will be working primarily with kids. The organization, One Way Guatemala, focuses on outreach to young children in the schools, streets and neighborhoods.
It has been a while since Michael and I have done full time ministry with children so we thought we should blow the dust off our kid skills and put them to work right where we are. So we have started volunteering in our children's church at Lakeview Church. It is called Finish Line Kids. We have been assigned to work with the 5th grade class. Fifth graders are an adventure! Last weeks lesson was focused on love. One activity the lesson suggested was for the students to write a letter to a loved one to tell them how much they cared for them. I learned a very quick lesson: use the word LOVE loosely when talking to fifth grade boys! Out of ten boys, ten boys wrote love letters to their girlfriends! Yep, its good to get back in the practice! Yesterday, we got to lead the class by ourselves and had a really good time. Our lesson was on Surrender and the kids did a really good job understanding the concept. We are excited to get to know this group of kids and be able to pour into their lives. It will be neat to share the next six months with them until we leave. Kids are kids, in the US or in Guatemala!
An update on fundraising: we are currently at 36% and still holding. Our goal was to be at 40% by the end of July so we are just a little behind. We are hoping to have an outstanding month in August. We have several large donors that have committed to give but we are waiting to hear an amount back this month. We are also working on meeting with a couple churches this month as well which could be a great addition to the support team. Pray with us. We are hoping to be at 60% by the end of August. All things are possible with Christ Jesus!

A Community of Prayer

Since I have started documenting our experience via the web, I have been posting for prayer requests. I have been amazed at the responses I have received. Often, as I read over Facebook profiles, I only see happy pictures and life going along as normal. Then, when Pray Day comes, people will start posting that they need a job or they are dealing with some pain in their bodies. It reminds me, all of us have our every day struggles and those things God is able and willing to touch. I have been honored as people have shared their prayers with us and allowed us to lift them up to the Lord. I plan on continuing to ask if anyone needs prayer because we are all encouraged to bare one another's burdens. Galatians 6:2 says,  Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. A simple way we can do this is by praying for each other. 

When we tell people about our ministry to Guatemala, one thing we promise to do is pray for them and we ask that they pray for us and the children of Guatemala. This way, we are creating a community of prayer. 

I have listed below some of the prayers that have been shared with us. Will you join our community of prayer by praying for one of these needs? 

Angel - Back pain

Becky - family issues

Tina - needing guidance for future

Aerial - asking for favor in finances

Mary Jo - chest pains

Andy - fundraising for ministry

Ciera - family health 

How can we pray for you today?

Books, Makeup & Tea time, Oh My!

Have you every been to a purse auction? I went to my first one a couple of years ago and I was hooked! Ladies donate purses filled with various items and then they are auctioned off to raise money for a given cause. I had so much fun that it was the first fundraising idea that came to mind for our trip to Guatemala. I have been asking everyone to donate their purses filled with any type of items to the auction. So far, I have collected purses filled with christian books, jewelry, beach gear, assorted teas, scrapbooking items, etc. There are some really creative ones in there! I have had a hard time not going through every single one. We will be holding our auction in the fall, the date is still to be determined. I am still, however, collecting purses, and wallets as well. The men do not have to feel left out. I need about 25 more purses to be donated. If you are a lady who does not carry a purse or carries them til they fall apart, you can help by filling a purse. I have several purses that have been donated but are empty.  If you  have a purse or item you would like to donate, just let me know. 

I am looking very forward to the auction. Mr. Michael Skyles is going to fulfill his dream of being an auctioneer for the evening. We are going to serve snacks and it will be a great time of fun and fellowship as we let the bidding wars begin for a great cause. 

Have you ever won an item at an auction? Or have you ever been outbid on something you really wanted? Share your story.

Where will the Skyles' be living?

In Guatemala, many many people live in poverty. Guatemala is one of the top countries in Central American that suffers from malnutrition due to poor living conditions, lack of education and resources. Pictured to the left is a common home for a family of 8 who experience a life of poverty. As you can see, its a one room home. The roof is made of tin and the walls are typically made with corn stalks. This house does have a "stove", you can see the chimney coming out the top. A "stove" is usually a stone  setup that uses firewood to cook with. And obviously, the floors are just dirt. There is no running water, there is no bathroom. Likely the family has one mattress that everyone shares or they have hammocks that tie up at night. The Guatemalans are industrious people who creatively use the resources that they do have at their disposal. However, those resources are usually limited.
When we were in Guatemala in 2010, our host family lived in a house like this.

This is taken from the back yard looking into the house. It is very common to have an open construction type dwelling. To the left, behind the clothes is the kitchen, open to the air. Next to the kitchen, on the left, is a small bathroom and then two bedrooms. There is a small living room area straight ahead of the open porch. All the floors are tile and there is a tin roof covering the entire house. The house is constructed entirely of cement block. This is a nice home in Guatemala and we were privileged to stay at such a place.


If you are wealthy, you have some more options. Like this lovely colonial house is near Antigua, Guatemala. It's selling price is a mere $270,000 USD. This is for rich American retirees.

Back to the original question, where will we be staying? We will be living in a home somewhere between these two. We do not know our housing exactly yet. We will be staying Guatemala City, Guatemala. Guatemala City is more developed than the rural areas of Guatemala. We will not be living on dirt floors and we will have running water. I cannot be sure of having a hot water heater, but I do know there will be indoor plumbing. The Assemblies of God prefers we live in a gated community where there are armed guards. This is for our safety. Guatemala can be a dangerous place and have a gated community helps slow down unwanted visitors to the neighborhood. We are praying even now that God will prepare the perfect home, situated exactly in the perfect location so that we may do his will. 

Have you ever lodged in an interesting place? Share with us your experience. 

Love your enemies

When Michael and I returned from Guatemala in 2010, we did not know what direction God was leading us. However, we did have a strong feeling that we needed to stay flexible in our employment in order to be available for whatever God had for the future. In that vain, we found ourselves working in the Italian restaurant in downtown Indianapolis. Delicious.  


It has proven to be a good job for us. The schedule is indeed flexible and the money is sufficient to meet our needs.  We understood that becoming servers would not be glorious. "What do you do?" someone asks innocently at a gathering. My response, "I make $2.50 an hour delivering eggs and bacon every morning at 6 am to people that have not had their first cup of coffee". I repeat, not glorious.  


The real difficult part of the job is being managed by inexperienced youngsters that have no regard for you as a person. Whomever is managing you on a given day gets to decide your fate for the day. Will you be standing around for an extra two hours when there are no guests in the restaurant? Maybe, depends on the mood of your manager. Will you be put in the worst possible section where no guests ever come to sit? Maybe, depends on the manager. 


Yesterday, Michael and I had a difficult day because we were stuck in one of those situations where you are helpless and only the manager can make a difference. In yesterday's case, the manager chose to disregard our needs. It was very difficult. We were being clearly mistreated. I was so very angry. It was a simple fix. The manager only had to make a simple logical change and she chose not to do it. At the end of the day, Michael had only earned $11 when everyone else had made over $100. So frustrating. I will tell you, I did not handle the situation like a christian should. I was angry. I was mad that she cared so little about Michael. When Michael tried to make his case, she stared blankly at him and then walked away. How could she treat someone this way? Why would she not make the necessary changes to help Michael increase his earnings? It would have been simple, but she chose not to. So, I did the thing I should not have done. I went to my coworkers and complained about what a jerk our manager is. I only instigated the situation for the entire staff. 


So, this is a lesson about how to NOT respond when being mistreated. I failed. I did not even ask God for help in the situation. After leaving work, I was talking to God about how he should smite our supervisor. I decided to read my bible. It "ironically" fell open to Luke 6: 27. 


"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 


No, God, I do not want to hear this. I want you to smite her, SMITE her. The Lord began to talk to me. The situation was more than what it appeared in the natural. It was a supernatural attack by the enemy to upset us. And unfortunately, I walked right into his trap. At our job, everyone knows that we are going to be going to the missions field next year. During this situation, we were not giving God glory. The Lord spoke to me about how we will face many more of the types of attacks. The purpose will be to discredit our christian name. We cannot fall prey into these simple attacks. We need to be ready for the battle and with the mindset that the enemy will attack again. 


Prayer partners, please include this when you pray for us. We need help when we encounter the tricks of the enemy. Pray that we are standing strong. We will not only be attacked at our job. The enemy will not limit himself. He will attack every area in an attempt to keep us off the field. Our enemy is sneaky. 
But Jesus has already overcome. 


And dont forget to pray for our supervisor. I know I will be. 


Has there ever been a time that you were clearly mistreated? How did you handle it?

Our missionaries, David & Debbie Amsler

I want to introduce you to our missionaries, David and Debbie Amsler. We met David and Debbie in 2010 when we first went to Guatemala. On our first trip to Guate, we were not looking to become missionaries. Our primary purpose on that trip was just to increase our Spanish language skills. God had other plans. While we were working on Spanish, we thought we would simply see if there were any AG missionaries close to us. We figured it would be cool to see how God was moving, in Spanish. So, before we left I sent David an email and told him that we were two kids from Indiana who wanted to see what God was up to in Guatemala. David received our request with open arms. In fact, he and Debbie went the extra mile and invited us to come stay at their house for the weekend and see what they do first hand. Which is pretty crazy. We could have been ax murderers! Nevertheless, the showed up at our doorstep in Guatemala took us to their place. We spent that first weekend with them soaking it all in. We had never seen real missionaries in action. We got the opportunity to go to church with them, do children's church on a Sunday morning and do a kids outreach with them. From the first weekend, we knew that we had a unique connection with both David and Debbie. The four of us felt like God was up to something but we did not know exactly what it was.
After we felt God tugging on our heart to return to Guatemala, the first thing we did was call David and Debbie and ask them to pray with us. Immediately, we all started seeking the Lord for our futures. What we did not know was that David and Debbie had been praying for helpers. See, the Lord opened many ministry doors for David and Debbie while they were in Guatemala. So much so, that the two of them could not do it all themselves. They needed assistants. Here enters Michael and Shannon.
So, while we are in Guatemala, we will be working directly with David and Debbie in their ministry, One Way Guatemala. David and Debbie were District Youth Directors for 14 years in Kentucky before God called them to the missions field. After being called, they spent one year in Costa Rica in language school and then began their term in Guatemala. During their first term, they launched One Way Guatemala which has affected thousands of children and families. They have participated in construction projects and disaster relief. They have partnered with their local church, Vida Cristiana and become leaders in their children and youth ministries. David and Debbie have vision to start a youth camp in Guatemala similar to the camps we have here in the states. They need many resources to make that possible but God is opening doors and providing greatly. We hope to be a major help in getting the camp off the ground.
Currently, David and Debbie are home doing fundraising just like us. The will be returning for another four year assignment in January of 2013.
We are grateful for David and Debbie and are looking forward to serving under these wonderful people. We are honored to be invited to work in their ministry.  They have so much to pour into us. We look to them as a great example of a couple in ministry.
Do you have any examples of great people in the faith that you admire?

God will meet your needs

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19
You know this verse, right? If you have been in church very much, it's one we like to quote a lot. It's a good staple verse to keep in our christian pocket to keep us encouraged. Today, I was going to share this verse with you and tell you about how God is faithful and he is supplying our needs. But, I wanted to make sure I was getting it all right, so I started reading the context of this verse. I was really surprised and encouraged by what I found. In this verse, Paul is writing to the church about their giving to his missions work. He is applauding them for being the only ones who gave to him when no one else would. He says in verse 16, "for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need." Then, he says in verse 18, "I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent." Because his supporters were faithful, Paul had all he needed. But here comes our verse in 19. " And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Paul is telling them, because they have given, God will meet all THEIR needs. The supporters will have all their needs met. How exciting is that? So, I thought this verse was for me today, but it's not. Its for you. I am excited to share with you, like Paul shared with his supporters, My God will meet all your needs. Thank you so much to those of you who continue to encourage us through prayer and support. This journey truly is a team effort. Together, we are going to impact children and their families in Guatemala for Christ. Changing the nations for Generations

Getting Back to Blogging

Many of you have followed along with Michael and I as we have have followed after God concerning Guatemala. Last year, this blog was all about our adventures in learning Spanish and living with a family that spoke no English...at all. After we returned home, we realized that we had done more than pick up the local language, we had fallen in love with Guatemala. Now, I know Guatemala is not the place you think of falling in love, that is until you see this little girl. Now, you are falling in love too, huh? God beckoned us back to Guatemala with the opportunity to serve in children's ministry with David and Debbie Amsler. In Jan/Feb of 2013, we will, once more, get on a plane to go to a land, no so foreign anymore. While we are there we will be participating primarily in children's outreach. Our hope is to impact Guatemala for generations through the hearts of these young people. Join us as we follow God's sense of adventure, sense of humor and most of all, his sense of urgency.