It is hard to believe that we are completing 10 years of serving the Lord in Guatemala. It has been an amazing ride and we are grateful the Lord has allowed us to be a part. I have been reflecting on this the past few weeks and want to share some ways we have seen God being faithful to our family and the ministries we have served with here since June of 2012.
One Scripture that stuck out to me in a recent reading was from 2 Samuel 7:18b. It is a pray of David in which he says, "Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" This is the same thought I have had recently. Who am I and who is the Kunkel family that you would call us and use us here in Guatemala. But we are grateful for his calling and using us. We are also grateful to so many people that the Lord has surrounded us with during these 10 years to pray, support, work with side by side.
Here are 10 ways we have seen God working in our family over the last 10 years. 10 ways we have seen God's faithfulness evidenced in our lives. (There are many more but had to narrow it down)
- Calling: You can read about this in our very first blog post here. This happened in 2010 and 2011 when God called our family to sell everything and move to Guatemala with our five boys. What a journey it has been! God is faithful!
- Financial Provision: God has faithfully provided for our family and ministry for over 10 years. We began raising funds for our family and then for Love Guatemala and we have never missed a meal or ever had to lay off an employee or close a program at LG because of financial issues alone. God is faithful!
- Safety: We live in a majority world country with a fair amount of crime and natural disasters etc. We knew our calling included risks for our family but God has kept us "safe". We have never had a major accident or health issue to deal with while living here in Guatemala. (Safety and security is not the goal nor should it be for all of us as believers, but we are grateful for God's protection) God is faithful!
- Direction: We have also seen the Lord faithfully guiding us in these 10 years. He guided us as we moved here, He guided as we expanded the ministry, He guided us as we looked for land to expand, He guided us as we built the LG facility. He has been faithfully guiding. God is faithful!
- Provided teams: God has brought just the right people into our lives and ministry over the past 10 years as well. Some have been brought into our lives in "ordinary" ways and others in "extraordinary" ways such as dreams and divine intervention. It is incredible to see how God has brought so many people around us and Lg and now New Life Network to do the work God is calling us to do. Teams both in the states and here in Guatemala. God is Faithful!
- Provided the Facility for LG: You can see the entire story here, but God miraculously provided for the current LG facility that houses our schools and ministry and a church.
- Expansion of Love Guatemala: With the new facility we were able to grow our programs and reach. We started a feeding center, English school and eventually, primary, middle and high school. Later in 2019 we were able to expand and build on some land we had bought a few years before. We built a multi-purpose facility that we are currently enclosing and expanding a little more. Little did we know how much this space would help us during the pandemic since it is open air and larger. God is faithful!
- New Life Church: Through one of those divine connections mentioned above, Carlos and I at the end of 2017 connected with a Pastor who was launching a Hispanic church planting network throughout Latin America which would become known as New Life Network. This led to us launching a church in early 2018 in Guatemala. This has now grown and is multiplying into various churches and works in the coming months and years. See one of the first posts about New Life Church here. God is faithful!
- Growing Family: In 2018 we were blessed to have our first girl, Grace Christina. See this story here. In 2020 we adopted Jimena Sofia. Her story is here. In 2021 God surprised us with another little girl, Emma Jane. (I guess I was too tired to write a blog about her birth) And what is even more amazing is that God has given us the energy most days to keep up with these three little ones. God is faithful!
- Changed Lives: The main reason God sent us to Guatemala was so "The whole earth would be filled with his glory." Ps. 72:19b And this happens as people encounter him through gospel proclamation. (Romans 10:17) We have had the great privilege to see the Lord transform many lives. Here are a few of the lives we have seen changed: Baptisms, Walter, Other baptisms, Julio and his transformed life, Eswin's Baptism.
Glory to God for all He has done in the last 10 years. He truly is faithful. Thanks to each of you who have been a part through encouragement, prayers and financial support!
