Testimonies from the Field

Many of our more than 500 workers here at AMG Guatemala are former students of our various projects around the country. We recently began asking some of our former students to share their stories with us. I would like to share one each month or so with you all. I have been so encouraged by these stories and hope that you are as well.


The following is the testimony of Gilberto Castillo Valenzuela the director of our Oratorio project. (Those of you from First Baptist in Portland...this is the project your children just bought desks for!)

My Life as a Sponsored Student:

Since I was a little boy my family suffered from poverty. My father was unfaithful to our family. He had other women and homes and that always hurt us. He abandoned us when I was 10 years old. Thank God there was an AMG daycare center in our village and I had the opportunity to enter as a sponsored child since I was 4 years old. I remember that it was a great blessing and benefit for my family and for me to attend the project. I adapted to the program very well. I liked to play and have fun with the games. Maybe I was not always a calm boy in the classroom and I was a playful boy, but I always tried to behave well. I had many classmates and friends and I learned a lot about the bible and praised God with songs. I met many teachers at the childcare center, and many people and sponsors from AMG International, and if I would see them again I would recognize them and my heart would still be full of joy. As I was growing up I continued with my studies and thank God I finished high school and I graduated with a high school degree in marketing in the year 2000.

I want to thank AMG International and my sponsor Marilyn Calpist from Canadá, who I hope is still alive and reads this testimony. I am sure she will be proud to know about the sponsored child that she helped for 16 years and to see that I did not let her down but I valued this gift and tried to make the best use of the help that she sent me.

On January 12th 2002, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I got baptized in July 14th of that same year. I then got married on November 3rd of that year with Patricia, my wife. Since I accepted Jesus I have been working a lot at my church. I have two daughters Mariana and Kimberly. Actually I am the treasurer of my church, I am the director of the music group and I love to play the keyboard. I am also a deacon of my church, Macedonia.

The most special thing in my life is that now I have been working at AMG’s Oratorio project for the past 5 years…the same place where I received the help when I was a student! I worked two years as a teacher and now three years as the Director. The truth is that I feel a great joy in my heart and so much gratitude because God allows me to work at AMG and accomplish the mission to preach the gospel and motivate and support the children and youth to serve God. Many of them take full advantage of the help that AMG International gives them and they value it very much.

Dear sponsors and those who make possible this wonder help for our children, I want to tell you that you have a kind heart are are full of love for many needy children, and you help people not only from Guatemala but also from many countries of the world. I pray that God blesses you, and that He protects you and prospers you for what you are doing in His work and for so many families. I say good-bye now with a bible verses of Proverbs 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done”. God bless you today and always.