Update on our Home in Magdalena, Guatemala! Almost Done. I Think :)

I wanted to post a quick update of the progress on our new home being built in Magdalena.  So enjoy some photos.  We are excited to be moving closer to all our friends in Magdalena very soon.  It is difficult being were we are currently at because of the distance even though it is only about 4-5 miles away it is a different world.  Living in Magdalena will bring about many more oppurtunities for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  It will also be nice to have a lot more space.  So please pray with us for our home to be done soon.

The color of the exterior.

 

The main living area downstairs.

The view from the roof.

 

This picture was taken from the roof. Jennifer and the boys are trying to look up at me but the sun was pretty bright!  They are standing on the patio off the second floor, what I think will be my favorite part of the house.

This is the upstairs loft area and of course Levi trying to block my photo.

 

Our home will have 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms so we will have plenty of space for everybody to come visit :)

 

Thanks everyone for your continue prayers and support! Much love from the Kunkel Family.

 

 

Cooking School Graduation

We have been here for almost 2 months and we are continuing to learn a lot and enjoy building relationships with many new friends here.  A lot of the friends we're making are connected to the Cooking School.  Jennifer has been attending the cooking school at least once per week and teaching them different dishes and mainly building relationships with them.  We have also been visiting many of the homes of these ladies.

One of the homes we visit lately was a lady named Iris.  Iris had a mother who was very sick with cancer.  Her arm was nearly 4 times the normal size.  We were able to visit and pray with her.  And just a couple days later unfortunately her mother passed away. 

Many of these ladies have similar difficult stories where they have mothers, kids or husbands that are sick and they are responsible to take care of them.  They have many needs and many stuggles they face every day.

This opportunity they have been given to attend the Cooking School is a huge opportunity for them to learn a skill and trade to help provide for their families.  They not only have been attending cooking school but also are using what they know already to make and sell food to provide for their families. 

There are 6 ladies that will be graduating from this 2 year cooking school program this fall.  Our church, Indy Metro Church, will be here in September to help them celebrate this huge accomplishment.  We want to help them celebrate in a big way. 

We have rented out the main building here in town and we are throwing them a big party!  We not only want to throw them a big party but we also want to be able to provide them with a small start up loan to help them launch their own businesses.

We need your help to make this happen.  Would you be willing to help support these ladies who are starting businesses and make a difference in their families and for generations to come.  Click here to help and under Giving Reason select Love Guatemala - General Support and mark for Cooking School Graduation.

Here is an update on all the ways God is using the cooking school and how it is making an impact.  Thank you for all your support!

New Adventures in Guatemala...

We are enjoying life here in Guatemala!  We are adjusting each day and it seems like we are learning more and more about the culture and the language here.  We are hard at work learning Spanish which some days seems like we are making progress and other days is somewhat frustrating J  This is a picture of our Spanish Teacher Julio.  He is a very good teacher and we are getting to know him and share our lives with him.

We had a wonderful time with our friends Jerry and Ben from Piedmont Church in Georgia.  Jerry was the pastor of our church in Texas where we lived when we first married.  We introduced them to the kids and ladies from the art and cooking schools, visited some families, delivered food baskets, and led a precious lady to Christ!  It was a packed couple of days.  We are looking forward to our partnership with Piedmont Church and how God will use them to further His kingdom here in Guatemala.

The boys are enjoying making new friends and playing outside.  Levi is doing well learning Spanish.  Luke’s vocabulary still consists of “no bueno” and “gracias”.  Our good friend Carl Bunso has been trying to teach him useful things like “lo que sea” – whatever!  Luke hasn’t caught on yet.  The other boys are enjoying making new friends and playing with each other (most of the time J).

Jennifer is adjusting to everything well and learning to cook different recipes that work with the available ingredients here and with the higher altitude.  Ben is busying studying Spanish and building relationships with some of the men and families here.

Jennifer is attending the cooking school on Wednesdays and teaching every other week.  They made sugar cookies yesterday and had a lot of fun!  The ladies were excited to try a new recipe and are looking forward to selling this type of cookie at Christmas-time to help meet their families’ needs.  We are getting to know them a little more each time we are together, but we are looking forward to the day that we are fluent in Spanish and can have more in-depth conversations with them!

One of the main things we are doing and will continue to do more is visit families and build relationships and meet their physical needs as we are able.  It can be very overwhelming at times as the needs are great.  This was the case in a home we visited yesterday.  It was a typical situation here in Magdalena.  There were many needs. The family we visited was a young widow who has three children, ages 8, 10, and 12.  They are currently living with her brother in a corner of the house.  There are about 8 people living in this home. She and her 3 kids live in the small space of what would amount to most peoples closet. The smoke in this home was horrible, it was filling the home making it hard to breathe!  They had no food in their home and we were able to provide some food for them.  This is only a temporary living situation.  She desperately needs an affordable place for her and her precious children!   Her husband passed away five years ago when he was hit by a bus on his way to work.  She is working selling vegetables in Magdalena but is barely making enough to cover school and food for them.  Her children have offered to work, but she really wants them to stay in school and get an education.  She has no idea where they will live come August.  Please pray with us for wisdom and direction on how we can encourage her and help with their physical needs. 

The Lord continues to remind us why we are here.  In our devotions together as a family tonight we were reminded why God has brought us to Guatemala.  Romans 10:14 – 15 “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?  That is why the Scriptures say, how beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news.”  It is easy to get consumed with all we have going on whether that be in Guatemala or the United States or wherever we are and forget why we are here.  We are not here to have fun, but rather as carriers and messengers of the greatest news ever told!  The good news that Jesus offers is salvation through His death, burial and resurrection!  I Corinthians 15:3-4

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support for us to be here!  We are honored to serve the Lord here and we are very excited to be able to be more involved here as we learn the language and culture better.

Our First Week in Guatemala

We had a great trip here – the boys did well traveling!  We are so thankful that our friend Kimberly traveled with us and helped us get unpacked and get the freezer stocked, along with many other things.  Thanks to the Bunso’s for taking us to the store and showing us around.  Ben is already driving here and knows where things are at.  I, on the other hand, am still clueless and have no desire to drive yet!

Our home in San Lucas is very nice, but we are looking forward to living in Magdalena!  We had a special dinner with Carlos and Telma and the Bunso family on Saturday night.  Being with them feels like we are with family!  Sunday evening we had dinner with the Steed family and got to know them and their boys.  The Bunso’s and the Steed’s have been so hospitable and helpful with our transition to Guatemala! 

Today we visited a man named Cesar who has a disease that causes him to be in constant pain.  We are praying that God will ease his suffering.  We also visited an orphanage and played with the precious kids there. 

We are settling in well and trying to get into a routine.  We have been going a little stir crazy with everyone being at home together, ALL the time.  J  Ben has made a schedule to try to make things run a little smoother around here.  We are starting Spanish lessons with Julio tomorrow afternoon and are going to begin visiting families this week in Magdalena to work on building relationships with them. 

We are so thankful for your support and prayer during this time of transition!  It is going well, but is also challenging.  It’s been a little overwhelming for me, just the reality of being in another country and not being fluent in Spanish, juggling five rambunctious, (always hungry!) boys, missing family, getting used to cooking with a gas stove and different ingredients, no dishwasher, and having to be conscientious about using clean water, etc., you get the idea.  Although, surprisingly, I am kind of enjoying washing dishes by hand!  Thank you for your love and support!  We will do our best to keep you updated on the happenings here in Guatemala!

Let's Connect Before our Move!

We are only 8 days away from our departure to move our family of seven to Guatemala!  We are excited, overwhelmed, encouraged, happy and sad all at the same time!  It is a big time for our family and we have much yet to accomplish in the next 8 days, but what is more important is that we want to make sure we get to see as many people as possible before we leave.

One of the ways for us to be able to see you is to come out to our church, Indy Metro Church, this Sunday, June 17th at 10:30 where part of the service will be our commisioning as missionaries to Guatemala.  The Church meets at 401 E. Michigan St, Indpls in downtown Indy at the corner of Michigan and New Jersey Sts. We will also be having a gathering at a restuarant downtown at the Noodle Company at 903 Indiana Ave after the service at around 12:30pm. 

Another way for us to see you and for you to support our move is by coming to our massive moving sale this Saturday, June 16th at our home at 8216 Brambleberry Dr, Indpls, IN 46239.  We are going to literally be selling every item we own that won't fit into the 15 or so suitcases we are taking.  We have also had people donate quite a bit of stuff to sell as well.  We have a lot of great stuff including but not limited to: clothes, home decor, furniture, baskets, blankets, toys, a play grocery cart, huge geo trax train set, sand/water table, metal bunk beds, Mary Kay, Premier Designs Jewelry, tons of books, purses, kitchen items, Christmas decor, office supplies, scrapbooking supplies, and baby items.

We are grateful to all who have prayed, supported, gave, served and so much more over the last 9 months to get us to this point.  The best is yet to come :)

3 Weeks!

We are so excited to be leaving in just 3 weeks!  I can't believe it is coming so soon!  We are busy getting ready to move.  We are also preparing for a wedding this weekend.  My older brother Matt is getting married this weekend.  We are excited for him and his fiancee Emily and can't wait to see all God has in store for them!  We are surely going to miss them while they are gone!

We have been trying to take advantage of the time we have left here to not only prepare for our move but spend as much time as we can with family and friends.  We will be having  a few more gatherings and we would love to see each of you who are located here locally.  Our next big gathering will our send off service at our church Indy Metro Church at 401 E. Michigan St, in downtown Indy on June 17th the Sunday before we leave.  We will have a gathering after the service as well at a local restuarant.

Prayer Requests
2 Thessalonians 3:1
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.

Please pray with us as we spend these next few weeks preparing to move and finalizing all logistical things.  We have a lot left to do.  Here are a few of the things you could be praying with us about:

1. We will get all the necesarry paperwork finished.
2. We will get our insurance finished and lined up.
3. Be able to find a reliable vehicle in Guatemala.
4. We will be able to sell our van here.
5. We will be able to finish raising the last $200 per month in monthly support we need. Click here if you want to commit and begin to support us monthly.
6. Safety and no issues as we travel.
7. That we can continue to learn Spanish quickly so we can share the Love of Jesus with the people of Guatemala.
8. That God will give us favor with our relationships there in Guatemala.

Praises:

1. We are at nearly 100% of our onetime expenses! Praise Jesus!
2. We have a friend who is going to travel down with us to Guatemala to help us with the kids!
3. We have housing lined up when we get there!

Thank You
Thank you so much to each of you who have overwhelmed us with your prayers, love and support!  We have been blown away by how God's people have come along side us during this journey.  Many of you have been so sacrificial in how you have given of your time, money and resources to help us!We look forward as we continue to partner with each of you in Loving Guatemala!

Article Written About Us:
A small local paper here in Indy wrote an article about us if you are interested you can read it here.

Grateful!

Psalm 118:29 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

We have the privilege of being a part of something big.  All of us do.  Each and everyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus has the privilege of being a part of something that is so much bigger than we are!  Our God is a big God!  He with His breath spoke all we see around us into existence. He is at work all around the globe. 

His Kingdom is expanding here in your neighborhood, your workplace, your church and in neighborhoods and churches across the globe.  Our role is to find out where He is at work and get invovled where He is leading us.  That is what we are doing.  We have seen the work that God is doing in a small village in a third world country in Central America.  We have seen God at work in the lives of the precious people of Magdalena, Guatemala and know without doubt that He has called us to be a part of it.

We have seen what He has done, what He is doing and all that still can and will be done.  And God has called us to play a small role in that.  We are honored and grateful to be a part of a movement of God in Magdalena, Guatemala!

We are grateful first of all for Jesus! We are grateful that He made salvation possible through the cross and His resurrection from the dead.  We are grateful that we can be carriers of this Good News!  We are grateful that we have so many friends who have chosen to come along side us and help us in this journey.  We feel like we are along for the ride.  We feel as if we are being carried along by Jesus through His people who have prayed, given, fasted, and supported us in so many different ways.

We are grateful and we do give thanks to the Lord!  He is faithful and His love does endure forever!