DTS Outreach: Report on Outreach, Nov 5-13 in Huehuetenango

Sunday, we started early before the church service and walked the streets, inviting people to church. Not many were on foot, so we spent most of the time holding signs and yelling blessings while the dance team from the church danced on the sidewalk. In the service, we performed the Clincher drama and Josh gave his testimony. Then Vanessa preached about David and Goliath. We had children’s church in a house nearby and divided up the children into 2 age groups. William taught the younger kids, Simon the older ones. Afterward, while I brought the children back, William and some of the students ministered to the women of the house. We ministered and prayed with about 10 adults and 15 children.

Monday, we went to the Bus Terminal to give away the rest of the oatmeal we made the night before. We went through the market area and started giving it to children there. Josh took out his cards and did a few tricks and soon we had a small crowd of around 15 people, adults and children. After a few tricks, I talked about Jesus and the truth of His salvation and invited people to pray with us. A few of them were glad to be prayed for, but I am pretty sure they were already believers. We stopped and helped a lady set up her booth and she was very thankful. We prayed for her sick daughter and she cried and thanked us profusely. Then we prayed for two men from another tienda/booth who were both believers, but wanted prayer for healing. After praying, they said they felt much better. Then we gave out the rest of the oatmeal to children and went home. We talked to about 30 people total and 15 of them we prayed for.

In the afternoon, Karin, Delmys and Joe went to visit Bethany, who was volunteering at the Fuego Cafe and the orphanage, Fundación Salvación. Bethany and her husband, Uzi, are YwaMers and she needed some encouraging. She really appreciated our visit and prayer time.

In the evening, we held an evangelism workshop in the church. Andrea taught on the 1 Minute Witness and Lizz taught on friendship evangelism. We led the participants through preparing their testimonies and then praying and thinking about how to reach the people they see continually.

Afterward, we spent about a half an hour praying in the streets around the church, proclaiming God's kingdom would come to the neighborhood, families and the city.

Tuesday was our day off and we went to Ahuehuetl to just play around. The obstacle course was again a big hit and we had fun swinging in the net about 3 meters off the ground.

Wednesday, we had early morning prayer and intercession with the church and then went to pray for people in the park. We spoke with 6 people about Jesus and prayed for 16. That night, we went to church and Simon shared his testimony, while Andrea preached. Lizz and Delmys took care of the children. We prayed for about 26 people.

Thursday morning, we had drama practice for the dramas we were doing the next few days. After lunch, we went to pray for people who were waiting to get in to the outpatient clinic. We talked and prayed for about 20 people and had 4 conversations about Christ. That evening, we went again to the hospital, this time with the church. We prayed for about 70 people and had many conversations about Christ.

The next morning, we went early to give out bread and coffee to those waiting to go into the outpatient clinic. We parked next to a police car, greeting them and giving them some bread and coffee and we prayed for them. They told us we could go inside to the maternity house and pray for the pregnant/new mothers staying there. The nurses were glad to call the women into the seating area for us to serve and pray for them. They were very greatful and we had some good conversations. Then, we went out and around to the front gate and asked if we could go in and pray for people. They let us in to the outpatient clinic waiting room, and we started to pray for people sitting there. Many were touched and some felt better. Karin had the impression to go pray for the nurses. She talked to a nurse and she immediately gave Karin a list of all their names, doctors too, and asked us to keep praying for them. Then the head nurse asked Karin if she would like to pray for everyone in the room, using the PA system. Karin waved me over and I prayed for everyone. It was really neat. So we prayed for about 300 people altogether.

Afterward, we went again to Central Park. William had the idea to draw big circles with chalk and then write problems or areas for which we could pray. As we started, not many would stop or ask for prayer, but after a while, we got to talk to quite a few. I got to talk to a guy with Sirosis of the liver and pray for him. Afterward, I got to share quite a bit about the freedom God leads us into, when we really repent and ask for help. We prayed and it was a powerful time. Later, Simon shared that he was quite skeptical about the idea, thinking it was not going to work, nor did he like this kind of confrontative evangelism. But it turned out to be one of his best experiences in praying and talking to people, even in somewhat overcoming the language barrier by himself.

That afternoon, we went back to the Cafe Fuego, then to the home Bible study group, Casa del Reino Azul. We went door to door to invite poeple for the evening. Then in the evening, we had about 30 people come and 15 came forward for prayer. Delmys gave her testimony and Mary Jo preached. Pastor Jeremias gave an altar call and 1 man came forward to receive Jesus and salvation. About 15 people came for prayer.

On Saturday, we went to Fundacion Salvacion to play with the children. It was their free day, so we could not really get them together for the games we had prepared. But we had some good interactions and individual talks, around 5 were prayed for among a group of about 30 children.

That night, we went to an open air pavillion, a replica of a Greek temple called the Temple of Minerva, in the neighborhood of the same name. We spent an hour going door to door, inviting people. About 30 people came and 15 were prayed for. No conversions.

Sunday, church service and William gave his testimony, then Lizz preached. Mary Jo did the children, but this time the group was so small, we just kept them in one group. We prayed for about 20 people in the service.

That afternoon, we had a youth rally with about 40 people from the church (we thought it would be all youth, but everyone decided to come who wanted to). We broke into 2 groups, guys and girls, and talked about friendships, dating and sexual purity. Simon and Vanessa talked about friendship, Joe and Karin about dating and William and Delmys talked about sexual purity. It was really good, for teenies and adults. Mary Jo and Josh had the thankless job of taking care of the younger kids. We had a snack afterward and then went home.

Discipleship training School Outreach to Huehuetenango, Guatemala

DTS Outreach Fall 2017   Report for the Week of 29 Oct – 4 Nov 2017

We have had a good start this week and have had many good experiences.

We arrived on Sunday and met Pastor Jeremias and some of the church members in the church. After a snack, we went to the Retreat Center El Refugio and set up our stuff.

Monday was our day off, but we actually spent half of the day buying groceries and some other things for ministry.  We went to the ruins of Zaculeu, but they were almost closing, so we just drove around and then went back to the Refugio. Some of us took a hike up the hill behind the house and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Tuesday, we went to the park and had a time of intercession and talked and prayed with people. We shared Christ with 9 people, prayed for 7. Karin and Andrea led a man to Christ.

Wednesday:

We split up the group. Some stayed to prepare for the evening service and Simon was sick. The rest of us went to the park. We used the Soularium cards to start conversations and shared our one minute witness.  We prayed We talked to about 11 people and prayed with 7 of them. Again, one gave his life to Christ.

That night, we lead the church service. Vanessa gave her testimony and William preached about Gideon. We prayed with about 19 people that they, like Gideon, be used by God now, with whatever gifts they have to offer (“Go in the strength that you have!” said the angel to Gideon.) Andrea and Josh lead the children’s ministry.

Thursday, we went again to the park for intercession and evangelism. We had singing and worshipping, when William told us that he had talked to the person in charge of the Salon Municipal (municipal theater). He had been looking up at the concert shell on the second floor that overlooked the central park, thinking it would be great to worship from there, when he got the impression to go ask. Incredibly, the man simply let us go up there and we spent about a half an hour praising and worshipping and praying, using our portable speaker to fill the park with praise. We spent time proclaiming God’s Kingdom over the park, the city and the country. We really felt a change in atmosphere after that. We went back down into the park and did skit and Andrea spoke to the people who had gathered. We talked to 10 people and prayed for 9 of them. William and Vane talked to some Jehovah Witness missionaries, who were very nice, but not very open.

That night, Mary Jo taught the cell group leaders and Sunday School teachers on children’s ministries. The cell groups here have a children’s program during the cell group meetings, so the cell group leaders came with the people in charge of doing the program. It was a good message, especially encouraging the teachers to lead the children to hear from God and minister to others. Mary Jo also emphasized developing and realizing a vision for the children’s ministry, as a church and also individually. Afterward, William taught about using puppets and demonstrated with a short skit. Vane and Josh taught on object lessons. We then prayed for and prophesied over about 20 leaders. 

On Friday, we went to the “Vino” cell group at 4pm. We went out in the neighborhood to invite people to the cell group that evening. We started at 7pm and there were about 4 people besides the normal members who came. We did the “Clincher” skit and Mary Jo gave her testimony. Simon preached about freedom from the law and freedom to live and grow in Christ. About 6 people wanted prayer to follow Christ whole heartedly. Vane and Andrea lead the children’s ministry with 7 children.

Saturday, we woke up early to move to the hotel we stayed at until Monday. Then we went with many from the church to Cuchumatanes, a outlook above the city, to intercede for the church and Huehuetenanago. It was a powerful time of prayer, where we proclaimed God’s reign over the families, churches and the city. Our DTS prayed as representatives of the believers from our native countries for Huehue. Many had prophetic words. As we were finishing, Pastor Jeremias told me a church member who had stayed behind in Huehue had called and told him that many had felt a tremor, while we had felt nothing on the mountain.

When we got back, we were pretty exhausted after that and we stayed at the hotel.

Sunday morning, we went early to the church and danced and sang outside the church to invite people to come. We met some Christians in the neighborhood and blessed them as they went to their church.

We did the “Clincher” skit and Josh gave his testimony. Then Vane preached on David and Goliath. Since the church had only a children’s church for small children due to space limitations, we arranged to go to a house to minister and split the children in 2 groups. William and Simon led age appropriate lessons, craft and games.

Sunday night, we made oatmeal to bless the homeless at the bus terminal. Pastor Jeremias with some church members joined us. Unfortunately, there were hardly any homeless there that night. We did share with about 15 people and prayed for 10.

We have had a time of worship and intercession almost every day and that has been a real blessing.