How's the Ministry with RNV in Guatemala going?

 

Each month our global team made up of all the country coordinators meets to pray for one of our countries where we are working. They report on their work and we pray for that country. This month it was Guatemala and I was so encourage about what the Lord continues to do with Carlos Lopez and his team so I wanted to share it with you all. 

This is where the work is currently at. Keep in mind we started a small church in our apartment with 10 people. As RNV Guatemala, we are discipling 72 people across 7 different communities; we are training 13 individuals in local leadership; we have 2 students enrolled in the Bible Institute’s course on pastoral care and church leadership; we have planted 2 churches, with two more currently in progress; and we have one pioneer church. (Pioneer church is an existing church that enters the network)

Here are a few pictures of their discipleship groups.

Below is one of the churches in process of being planted in Santa Maria. They had a major earthquake last year and from the ministry and evangelism they did there a church has resulted.

This is their vision over the next 5 years:

To have 300 people active in discipleship groups. To plant 10 healthy churches in Guatemala by intentionally discipling their members through the Discipleship Route.

And 2 training centers:

A Bible Institute

A School of Missions

A Pastoral School

5 pioneer churches driven by a passion to make disciples who make disciples.

150 leaders undergoing training at the Bible Institute.

(Carlos has never lacked for vision ;-)

Here are some of the prayer requests he shared so you can join me in praying for them:

• Resources for the pastors and their families.
• Resources for transportation to reach the communities.
• That God would raise up a prayer leader to share with each of the pastors and community leaders.
• For the discipleship leaders, that they may attend to the needs of every discipler.

I hope this encourages you as it did me! May God be glorified and all of Guatemala discipled!

Visita de Carlos

 We have been enjoying Carlos visiting this week! We got to celebrate his birthday the night he got here and have been busy with meetings and him sharing at different churches and supporters.

We hit a park for some hiking too and enjoyed the remaining fall colors. We have had some great times of prayer and dreaming together about some future projects we want to work on together.

Hiking with an artist always brings out phrases like "that would make a great painting" ;-)

Here is Carlos sharing at one of the churches Ben serves.

Carlos preached at Indy Metro Church too.

Dinner time always a cultural experience for Carlos ;-)

Trip To Guatemala February 2025

 Ben had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala to serve alongside Carlos the new National Coordinator there. They held a pastor's conference, Ben was able to perform a wedding of couple he baptized and disicpled while living there. Love Guatemala also had a 10 year celebration of officially being a recognized ministry in Guatemala. And of course many visits with friends who are like family. 

Always fun to hang with the feeding center kids at Love Guatemala. The team continues to improve and disciple these kids.

The pastor's retreat which was held at our friend's ministry property.

Lots of time to share and worship together.

It's not a retreat without a campfire

10th anniversary of Love Guatemala

Prayer of thanks for 10 years and praying for many more faithful years serving the community of Magdalena and beyond.

Carlos and Telma the founders of LG

It was fun to hear many staff members share about their memories and experiences of working and serving at LG. This is Guicho our very first full time employee who is still working as Security.

The new staff at LG. They do a great job with Katy leading them.

Wedding time! This is Pedro and Silvia, Telma's brother and sister in law. The gospel continues to bring about restoration to their family. What a testimony to many there!

This was a special time of praying for them with their kids.

Ben enjoyed doing this wedding. Such a picture of the work of the gospel in a family. 

Getting some snuggles from Killian Caleb, Katy's son.

The best sunrises are in Guatemala!

Fun to hang out with the pastors one afternoon in Antigua!

Always hard to say goodbye!

New Life Network Annual Meetings

 Red Nueva Vida (New Life Network) Retreat

Part of Ben's time in Guatemala was spent in meetings with Red Nueva Vida. We meet every year in a different country to share, celebrate, plan, pray and strategize for the following year.

We started our time visiting and seeing the ministry in Guatemala. There are currently two churches and two generations of disciples and churches. There will hopefully be a third generation soon. The first service was an international service celebrating the work being done globally through New Life Network. Here are some pictures of that special time:

Disicpleship before service

Servicio Global

Our friend Yeison from Colombia was ordained as Pastor

Time and service in Santa Lucia the first daughter church in Guatemala.

We had meetings Monday through Wednesday in which we learned and shared together. Here are some of the pics from that time. We started by sharing prayer requests and praying for each other.

Praying for our first missionary being sent by Guatemala to help start a new work in Honduras.

Here are some of the things we celebrated as a network during last year of ministry:

• We planted 1 daughter church in Santa Lucia Milpas Altas
• National Convention Colombia 2023
• New Churches in Growth Cycle
• Refine creative work method

• Villa Mella Church (new group)

• Finances to hire full time coordinators  for Columbia, Chile, and Dominican Republic

• Coordinator for USA, Guatemala and Europe in place

• Discipleship DNA in 2 churches

• We have made 3 mission trips

• Completed local leadership training course

• Contact with new Pastor Elido entering the network

• We started prayer time with pastors

• New church starting

• Built relationships with pastors

• Spiritual Retreats

• Recorded and edited videos for Church Planting Certificate for Institute New Life Network

• We opened 2 new regions (Plantar CRNVC, Huasco-north, Chile Chico-South)

• Recorded Certificate for Pastoral Care lessons in New Life Institute

• We opened 2 Discipleship groups

• Introduced the network to 4 Pastors/Leaders

We set goals for the coming year as well. One big goal as a network is moving into at least one new country. Please pray for these efforts!

We of course took some time to have fun together. One evening we went to Antigua and our last day together we went to Lake Aititlan.