The Dennetts Missionaries to Guatemala

Holiday Greetings from the Dennetts

2011-12-04T22:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Spring!

2011-04-14T18:18:00.007-04:00

Greetings from Guatemala! Since the holidays, we have been extremely busy and things in Guatemala have been challenging as usual! But blessed!

We began the year with a visit from my parents... what a joy to have them here! I never believed that they would finally come. My mother has never been on a jet and certainly has never travelled internationally, so what a blessing this was! They arrived with the Wilson Family, new missionaries, so it was a double blessing! We visited AMG projects so that they could better understand what we are doing here, they spent time with their own sponsored children here and even got to visit their homes and then we were able to get to several beautiful tourist locations like Monterico (the beach), Antigua (colonial city) and even up a volcano, Volcan Pacaya. What a time we had!

I travelled to Costa Rica with our missionary Chad Smith in order to learn more about how we could better help children in our projects who have been abused. Chad is working on an extensive program in order to provide new protective and restorative services to children who are suffering. With 8000 children here in Guatemala in our care, we feel a great responsibility to help the hundreds who are suffering at home. Please pray for our efforts and that God would give us wisdom in giving these children then love and support they need to advance spiritually and physically in their lives ahead.

God has richly blessed AMG Guatemala with people. When I look back at our staff a year ago, I cannot even believe where God has brought us! We now have a team of 9 directors, both nationals and missionaries, working together to lead us into the future. Each one is special, educated and an expert in their field! We had our very first Directors Meeting in January and each shared their plans in finance, administration, education, health, spiritual formation, human resources, results-monitoring, public relations and child protection. We all saw how we fit so nicely together and must work closely in order to acheive our mission... to lead many to Christ and help to alleviate suffering in Guatemala.

February was a month of teams! We had a wonderful group of adults and teenagers from Easton Baptist Church in Easton, Massachusetts, who painted our Las Vistas project. What a job they did. Our school looks like a brand new one! Please pray for future teams, as we have so much work to do and so little funds to do it! Teams are perfect for accomplishing the things that our budget just won´t allow. Later in the month our friends from Grand Rapids, Michigan came for their 15th or 16th time to build. We have outgrown our offices here in the city (Verbena) and they built a beautiful new building to connect to our existing office. We hope to move in mid-summer. This will also provide us with a conference room (something we´ve never had) in order to have meetings as a team.

In March, our good friends Dr. Kevin McVaney and his wonderful family came to visit for a week and we enjoyed visiting AMG projects, many beautiful Guatemalan spots and just hanging out together as families. They are such a special family and we enjoy them so much! We flew to our hospital in Cubulco, Guatemala and Kevin even consulted with a patient or two! The last day of our trip was the annual father-son campout at our kid´s school. The McVaney boys joined us for a night of sports, setting off paper hot-air balloons, movies and a campfire... such a nice male-bonding night! I am so blessed with my wonderful sons. The McVaneys flew out and so did I, for 11 days to Nicaragua in order to attend a conference with our largest donor, Word & Deed Holland. We met with our partner organizations from Haiti (AMG), Colombia, Peru and Nicaragua. This was a great blessing and we accomplished planning several joint efforts to support our ministries and shared many good ideas. I arrived back just last weekend and couldn´t have been happier to be home with my family!

The family has been very busy. Mary has an active bible study and enjoys her girlfriends so much... what a joy that she has such wonderful ladies to pass time with! Of course, life is busy with kids ages almost 2 to 15, so that also keeps her running! Abbie is emersed in her music, studying piano and voice and very active in school music programming and worship. Friday night she will perform with her class and has a leading role... even singing a solo from Les Mis, one of my favorites! Can´t wait! Jordan has been training all year for a very special opportunity to travel abroad with his baseball team. He plays first base and is pitcher, and I am very proud of his playing! Aaron loves school and his class and is excelling at piano and loves to play in the neighborhood with his friends. Brody is non-stop active until he hits the bed and has such a fun personality! Eve is all girl and quietly plays away with her dolls, babies and her best friend Jessie, a little blond like her! (what a cute pair!) Micah is growing right up and into everything... his personality is coming through and he´s quite a ham!

Here at the mission we are in the process of evaluating how we can better involve parents in their children´s education and are preparing to start even a school for parents. We have many who cannot read and will also work with literacy in several projects. We have been struggling financially, as the value of the dollar and the euro has dropped causing big reductions in our available funds here in Guatemala. Please pray for God to send resources our way to continue this vital ministry! We are also looking for ways to better deal with the violence here that is affecting everyone... to deal with the trauma that many of our urban children face everyday.

Well, I hope that catches us up a bit! Hopefully my next post will not be so far off! Blessings from our family to your´s!

Brian, Mary and Kiddos

Bundles of Love Team and Annual Christmas Party

2010-12-15T17:07:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas to all!! We enjoyed a simply wonderful time with the Bundles of Love Team from Chattanooga and the surrounding area. We visited projects, they did puppet shows, distributed gifts to the children, met with their own sponsored children and then helped us to celebrate the year as an organization with our annual Christmas party. Here are some photos of the trip. You can click on the slideshow to see individual photos or to view them at your own pace:

A Blessed Time in the States - Continuing Challenges in Guatemala

2010-08-25T13:33:00.001-04:00

Well, we just returned to Guatemala late last week, following a wonderful trip in Massachusetts, Maine and New Hampshire... spending quality time with both family and friends. I got to visit Spring Air (my former employer) and actually share with the workers in spanish! I also spent the day with Ed Bates, my former boss, and we had such a nice time visiting and catching up. We enjoyed time in our home-town, 2 family reunions (Dennett and Payne), time with our church family in Portland, some rest at Alton Bay and then a few nights at the beach (thanks to our insurance company) with both sides of our family.

We had a couple of challenges during our visit, Jordan (our 12 year-old) had a ruptured appendix and was very sick... spending nearly a week in the hospital recuperating from infection that was spread through his body. God is faithful and Jordan is fully recovered and better than before. We suspect he had wrestled with this sickness for months as he had complained of abdominal pain in the past.

Our last day in Alton Bay, Micah choked on part of a freezepop package (we believe) and went unconsious (incredibly frightening!) and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. A doctor was sent to meet the ambulance halfway and Micah was attended to very well in Huggins Hospital in Wolfboro. All ended well, with very joyous mom, dad and siblings glad to be loving on our little guy once again.

I enjoyed speaking in several churches, sharing our passion for the ministry God has called us to! Our church visits were so encouraging and we enjoyed seeing so many close friends in the process. We hosted a work team in April from Fellowship Bible Church in Chester, NH... these simply awesome people hosted a barbecue for us all and we got to spend an afternoon sharing. What a joyful afternoon... we really felt as though God used that time to prepare us for our return to Guatemala. I had begun feeling some aprehension and then left the barbecue excited to begin our work once again!

We arrived back in Guatemala to a wet country reeling from the destructive rains that have continued through what is now being described as the worst season ever.

We mobilized our teams throughout this time and have been distributing food, water and helping to rebuild homes of those affected. We are also planning several community projects, like the rebuilding of a bridge used by our students to attend on of our schools. This will benefit the entire community as well!

Please pray for a rapid end to the season and that we would have time to dry out!

Today I am enjoying visiting with Nico Kattenburg, a missionary with FRMI (Reformed Church of Canada) who will be joining our team and working with us on the planning and monitoring of our results. We also have all of our staff from our 8 city projects here for a day of general training... such a blessing!

We are so grateful for all of your prayers, support and encouragement! Many blessings to you all from Guatemala!!!

Vocan Pacaya and Prayer Request

2010-05-29T11:59:00.003-04:00

Greetings from a black sand covered, torrential rain-soaked Guatemala. The night before last, Volcan Pacaya (the we have climbed several times now) had its first major eruption in twelve years, shooting rocks, lava and volcanic sand 18 kilometers into the sky and literally blanketing most of the country in black sand. Many were evacuated from the area of the volcano and are now in shelters. Those living close had to live the night through large flying rocks and massive explosions.

AMG Guatemala has a team that has been here all week from Chester, New Hampshire and they have certainly had quite the experience! Please pray for these dear people... they are tired and want to get home to their families... the airport has been closed now since the eruption and we are waiting for news of its opening. They were supposed to return early this morning but are now booked on a flight Monday morning. If the airport does not reopen we are considering taking them to El Salvador.

To further complicate matters, we are experiencing the effects of the first tropical storm of the year, Agathata... strong winds and heavy rains. The team and I visited several sponsored children's home this week in the ravine and fear for so many of them. The poor live in homes that simply cannot withstand the wind or rain of storms like this. Please pray for the safety of each of our sponsored children, their families and the many people living in extreme discomfort at this very moment.

Praise the Lord that our family is safe. There's a lot of cleanup to be done but we have endured no serious damages.

We will be travelling to the states in July and will look forward to seeing many of you during our visit. We are soooo ready to see our family and New England, following a very long and challenging year. And blessed of course!

Medical Team to Cubulco

2010-04-09T12:29:00.000-04:00

We have the pleasure of hosting a medical team each year that Dr. Michael Laberge coordinates. Here is a slideshow courtesy of Dr. David Mast a member of the team:

What a Month

2010-03-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

What a month it´s been. Forgive me for being so tardy in writing... I simply have not had the time to keep up with my blogging. It has been one whopper of a month or so. We were incredibly blessed in February to have a group of my friends from my home church come and work with us for a week.

These guys poured themselves into this ministry, sharing their love with our students and our workers... it will be a week that I will never forget. They accomplished numerous maintenance tasks (painting, installing cabinets in our new medical clinic, installing a new fence with razor wire, teaching english, doing wellness checks on the kids (thank you Dr. Paulding!) and even building library units to hold new books we´ve purchased for each of the projects. Our maintenance crew was deeply effected by the love shown by these men and they have established friendships that will last an eternity. What a blessing to see them working hand and hand together... without the ability to communicate well in language, but excellently in love! I guess love is indeed the perfect language!

We took them to the ravine to visit the homes of 2 of our sponsored kids and we were all touched by the need there. Poverty is hard...and yet the way these 2 families were coping was beautiful. One mother ran after us, following the visit, to give us duck eggs which she had collected. A precious gift that brought us all to tears.

We visited a rural project and the guys did alot of electrical odd jobs that we had not been able to do...they then played soccer and basketball with the kids and gave out some of the more than 100 balls they brought along to give away. What a blessing!

We ended our week with the most special communion I have experienced. Steve Morse led us through the Lord´s supper, coming to each of us one at a time and sharing thoughts and prayers for our lives. We continued as we felt led, sharing the cup one at a time with each of our brothers, offering our thoughts, encourgement and prayers for each one. A night I will never forget. Thank you Steve for this special time together.

Following the visit we experienced numerous challenges here at the ministry. We experienced a very dangerous threat when a gang called our El Limon project stating that we needed to begin paying extorsion or someone would be murdered. We immediately closed the school and changed our phone lines. This Tuesday we had a parent meeting and called on parents to help us with this situation. Many of the gang members may be siblings to our students and/or have relationships with AMG student families. So far we have not been bothered further. Please pray for protection for our workers in El Limon and specifically for our director there.

We have also had to deal with corruption and had to make hard choices in favor of doing things the way we best know God would be honored.

Yesterday we learned that our camp director Orfa had a brain aneurism and needs immediate surgery. We are praying for her and working to find the best solution to her medical needs and resources to pay for her surgery.

What a blessing to be in the midst of trouble! It is a priveledge to stand up straight and confide in our Lord and share the Truth! I consider it a beautiful confirmation that we are doing what is right... and that our adversary is not pleased! We have been working for several months on our multi-annual plan (2011-2015) and will be sharing it with both donors and our AMG Guatemala Board of Directors at a meeting in Chattanooga in May. We have many ideas to work towards implementing and a very solid structure for bringing about transformation here in Guatemala. Please pray for us as we seek to offer programming that will really make a difference!

On our family side, things are going well. The kids are very involved in school... music and sports and Mary is busy with the little ones and with serving at the school. (she substitute teaches among other things!) Abbie has her first high-school banquet this weekend and is very excited to attend this formal event with her friends. She found a lovely dress and looks just beautiful in it... I can´t stand that´s she´s growing up so fast!!! Our kids bring us such joy... we have a very full life!

Blessings to you from the Dennett Family!

Sports Day!

2010-02-03T12:15:00.001-05:00

This morning our weekly sports program was kicked-off in our elementary school with "El Día de Deporte" or Sports Day. 3 of the kids came in new soccer uniforms to our offices and took Ruth (Director of Education), Elisa (Child Sponsorship Supr.) and I out to the events. I cut the ribbon to start the day off and then we were asked to play sports against the kids! We had a great time and it was great to leave the pressures of the office for awhile!

One Year in Guatemala!

2010-01-13T11:30:00.003-05:00

We can´t believe we´re even saying it... but we´ve been here for an entire year already! What a year it´s been! Well, what are we up to and how are we feeling after a year here? Well, firstly we KNOW we are where God wants us and couldn´t be more impressed with the ministries of AMG here in Guatemala. The fruit we witness every day is such a blessing and keeps us going. 2009 was a very challenging year for us... so much to learn... so many new experiences. Living here is quite an adventure to say the least...not knowing what we will experience around every corner...literally. We have seen things that we wish we hadn´t seen and we´ve seen things that made us laugh our heads off. We´ve come to love a people whose warmth is difficult to compare...whose traditions are culturally rich and incredibly festive. There is so much need here and we are so pleased to be part of a vibrant ministry to provide for it!

Our children are back at school following their Christmas break. Abbie is working very hard rehearsing as part of the school´s february broadway show. She continues to study piano and voice and just loves music. The boys are never without anything to do and love playing with their friends, sports and just being outside. Eve is all girl, enjoying her new pretend kitchen...cooking up a storm! Micah is now creeping along furniture and will probably be walking in no time! He has such a fun personality and is a wonderful addition to our family. Mary is busy with a women´s bible study, many new friendships and caring for our family and home.

Things at AMG are extremely busy with our year-end finance, strategic planning (we are working on our 5 year plan) new ideas, new partnerships with other ministries and the new school-year kicking off yesterday! God has provided for many great changes here and we are looking forward to great fruit in this new year. We have made significant organizational changes that reinforce our "Theory of Change" which is our framework for working toward permanent transformation through Jesus Christ.

I am very much looking forward to the First Baptist Portland men´s missions team that is coming to help us on Feb. 20th. It will be such a joy to show our ministry to my good friends from our home church and to have them here working with us for a week. They will work on finishing our new medical clinic, painting our general assembly hall and other necessary projects. Buen Viaje guys!!

What have we learned this year? To trust in the Lord with all our heart, that there is such joy in having only HIM to rest in, that giving everything up for HIM is incredibly freeing, that working in the midst of poverty and pain brings you close to HIM, that working for HIM is so satisfying...

Merry Christmas and Thank You So Much!

2009-12-15T15:19:00.001-05:00

From our family to your´s... Merry Christmas! We are so greatful for your prayers, your encouragement and your financial support. This has been one of the most challenging years of our lives...but one of the most blessed as well. We have adjusted to life in Guatemala, learned many new traditions and have fallen in love with the people and ministries of AMG Guatemala. I cannot for the moment think of anything more gratifying that we could be doing. God is Great! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

Merry Christmas Everyone! We miss you all so much!

Bundles of Love Missions Team

2009-12-15T15:14:00.000-05:00

We had the great pleasure of hosting the Bundles of Love team from the U.S. and Canada...here to distribute new backpacks, shoes and supplies to several thousand of our sponsored children. The team consisted of Ken, Dee and Harrison Ivins from Chattanooga, Megan Reese from Delaware, Ruth Reed and Linda Ivins from Pennsylvania, Fedde (Fred) and Grieta (Grace) Wielinga from Canada (originally from Holland), and Phil, Jen and Megan Wilson from New Hampshire (and working hard to get here to join us in ministry!)

The team had a wonderful experience interacting with the children and their parents and then helping us treat our teachers and employees to a wonderful Christmas Party on Friday. They brought along many gifts for our employees, did facials with all our female workers and joined us in celebrating a fruitful year of ministry.

We also had the joy of visiting with our sponsored kids and giving them Christmas Gifts...always a blessed time.

Thanksgiving Trip to Baja Verapaz - Cubulco

2009-11-28T21:28:00.001-05:00

We headed out on Thursday morning for Cubulco, Baja Verapaz about 4 hours north of Guatemala City in the mountains. This is where AMG operates a hospital and we have friends that are missionaries with FRMI, Ken and Jen VanMinnen. We were excited to celebrate Thanksgiving in a very new and different way! We brought along a turkey and enjoyed the amazing views on the trip up. The road through the mountains was amazing...sometimes with sheer dropoffs and no guardrails...a bit hairy!

We arrived and I introduced Mary to Julio and Veronica, the directors of our hospital. We stayed in the hospital guest house and our boys stayed at the VanMinnens. Friday morning the plan was to head deep into the mountains and hike across a suspended bridge over a river then visit a remote village where Ken ministers to the Mayan people. We arrived at the bridge only to find many Mayans there...Ken was very surprised telling us that normally noone was around! We soon learned that the President of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom was going to soon make a historic visit to this small village in order to pledge his support of the people and a new bridge for them... we were about to witness something no President had ever done!!!

We crossed the bridge, at 300 meter long and 70' high (above the river) this was quite the frightening experience. Many other Mayans were attempting to cross along with us and at one point the bridge twisted to one side and gave us quite a shock! We made it across and then turned around to head back... about halfway across a helicopter came right down beside us and landed in a field. We basically ran across and arrived just in time to see the President. We listened to him a moment and then went down through the woods and visited with his security team. We warmed up to them and they allowed us to cross the security line and get right up close so that we could meet the President when he returned to his helicopter. The kids talked with the soldiers protecting him and one even gave Jordan a bullet from his automatic rifle. We got to greet the President on the way out and thought the whole experience was just incredibly cool. Afterwards we returned to Kens pickup truck only to find it full of Mayan people wanting a ride to town. We obliged and had a nice ride back through the mountains.

We are incredibly thankful this year for our family, friends our ministry here in Guate and Gods goodness. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

New Playgrounds

2009-11-20T17:56:00.005-05:00

We were all so excited to see a beautiful new playground installed today at our Verbena school. We are trying to improve the quality of our playground equipment and have been soliciting donations to do so. If you would like to help us purchase another one like this for one of our other 28 schools please click on the DONATE tab above and indicate that you would like to have your gift go towards the purchase of a playground. There is also information, after clicking, on how to call or mail in a donation to AMG.

We are all so excited for Monday, when our daycare children arrive (our regular students are on vacation) they will be so excited with this!!!! They are not used to playing on something so nice (a fact many of us would take for granted!) and it will be a very exciting morning for them. Thank you to those who helped to purchase this!!

Visit to Cubulco Projects

2009-11-09T12:14:00.002-05:00

We travelled last week to Cubulco, Guatemala (North of Guatemala City) a large rural city of mostly indigenous mayans where we have our hospital, dental clinic, radio program and agicultural center. Our visit was part of an ongoing objective we have had to expose each of our different ministries to each other in order to interchange ideas and understand how all the work AMG is doing in Guatemala relates. Our group consisted all of our area supervisors, our Director of Education, Coordinator of Child Sponsorship and our camp directors. It is simply amazing to me how much fruit we are enjoying from this vital group of ministries in Cubulco.

We are the only hospital within hours of this area and we treat more than 15,000 patients each year. The hospital offers complete services with emergency room, labor & delivery, operating rooms, dental clinic, ultra-sound, xray and our own laboratory. Our radio program reaches much of the population and is used as a vehicle to evangelize and teach on a variety of important health topics.

Thank you so much Julio and Veronica (Cubulco Directors) for your excellent management, your creative ideas and your love for this community! What a blessing!

GHO Medical Team

2009-10-28T18:08:00.000-04:00

I had had the great pleasure of hosting the GHO Global Health Outreach missions team led by Mark and Joy Moores at AMG´s hospital in Cubulco Guatemala. They brought with them surgeons, doctors, nurses and a dentist. While here they perfomed many specialized operations and did medical outreach in the villages surrounding Cubulco. We are so grateful for their love of Guatemala, their many years of serving us in this way and their friendship as brothers and sisters in Christ!

It is always a wonderful opportunity for our staff to work alongside these professionals and minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the community. We loaned our entire english department to them for the week as translators and they made it possible to communicate well with our hospital staff there. Thank you so much team! We can´t wait for you all to come back!

Lives Transformed

2009-10-27T16:07:00.004-04:00

Our purpose here at AMG Guatemala is to transform lives... not just here on earth but forever... the man I am speaking with in the photo above is the tailoring teacher in our Nahuala project in the department of Sololá in the west of Guatemala. We visited there recently and he shared with us how he was a former sponsored child in our program, became a Christ-follower while attending, graduated, attended our vocational tailoring program and went on to become the local tailor in his community. He earns a good wage working as the local tailor and also works with us teaching because he "wanted to give back that which he received from the Lord, through AMG". He had such a passion for leading these children to the Lord and to independence through their hard work and learning a useful trade.

This man filled me with joy! I was so excited after talking with him, seeing such wonderful fruit from our ministry here. This is what we are all about! Thank you so much to all you child sponsors out there... you are literally tranforming lives!

AMG International´s New Website

2009-09-28T14:47:00.001-04:00

I invite you all to visit AMG International´s new website They have done a nice job reorganizing, adding new features and sharing all pertinent information about our many very exciting and interesting ministries worldwide.

I was very excited to see that a girl from our Verbena School, attached here to our central office (where I work!) was on the front page of this global website! I just sent our Education Director out to the project to get her and show her this beautiful picture. She is now famous!

Visit from the States

2009-09-21T16:55:00.002-04:00

While living in Costa studying spanish we met the McVaney family. Dr. Kevin, Colleen and their four children. They were the first family we met and they handed us a ziplock bag of spagetti and sauce on our first night there! We quickly became friends and enjoyed several trips with them and of course being their neighbors!

Kevin surprised us last week with a visit to Guatemala to see our ministry and we enjoyed showing him around and having him in our home. We visited the home of a sponsored child in a very bad neighborhood near our central office and were deeply touched by the experience. Later that day we visited one of our schools, a stark contrast from the terrible and dangerous neighborhood that it operates in. Our director Elsa gave us a tour and we were all so impressed with her organizational skills, the condition of the project and visiting with the children. Thank you Elsa!

Thank you Kevin for your visit! We miss you guys! Below are some photos of our time. Click on the slideshow for a larger presentation or to see the photos individually.

La Niña Independencía

2009-09-03T16:42:00.006-04:00

Here in Guatemala we are preparing to celebrate Independence Day. No, not the 4th of July, but the 15th of September! Each year prior to the holiday, the younger students compete for the title of La Niña Independencía or kinda-like the Independence Day Queen. I had the priveledge this year of being one of the judges. The kids were so cute! They were rated on presentation, expression, dance and dress. Each student was dressed in traditional Guatemalan dress and also had to give a small talk on various themes. The slide show below can be clicked on if you would like to view it larger or slower.

Guatemala Food Crisis

2009-08-26T15:33:00.009-04:00

With many parts of the country reporting no rain since May, Guatemala is facing a food crisis. Several of our projects are in communities that are hardest hit by this. Many important crops have been lost by the drought and people who were struggling to survive are now left without sufficient food to feed their families. I have asked our regional directors for an update on how communities surrounding our projects are being affected and what we might be able to do to help. More information to follow.

Testimonies from the Field

2009-08-11T17:23:00.009-04:00

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.

In the Garden

2009-08-10T18:42:00.006-04:00

Through our Life Skills Program, we have been working this year to teach our sponsored students gardening and planting concepts that they can share with their families, creating opportunities for them to grow their own food and/or sell to their communities. The students have been given plots of land near their classrooms to grow many different vegetables that they can bring home and enjoy. They have been so excited about this new program and were thrilled with the results shown below: (we recently had our first harvest! They were all so proud of their work!!

We´re Back in the Saddle

2009-08-07T12:40:00.010-04:00

Greetings to all from Guatemala! We are remiss at providing an update, due to our travel to the U.S., and want to provide this with all intentions of returning to regular posts now that we´re back in action!

June 17th we departed Guatemala for Boston (All 8 of us) and began our 6-week visit. The reason for our visit was to 1. Present Micah Nathaniel to our family and friends. 2. Visit several churches and share our progress/find child sponsors. 3. Meet with my former company and solicit their support of our child sponsorship program. 4. Attend various meetings regarding the loss of our small home in Alton Bay to fire/handle insurance obligations and plans for reconstruction if possible. 5. Rest and prepare to assume the Directors position at AMG Guatemala upon our return, as Bob Hastings and family return to the USA on furlough.

Our trip was con-sponsored by State Farm insurance, thank you Lord! We had a provision for "loss of use" in our policy, and therefore were given a budget for lodging and some meals. This was an amazing blessing, as we were able to travel some to visit friends, family and various churches...without any cost for lodging! While we were in hotels they even covered our food bills. We spent several nights in Boston, 2 weeks in Maine, 3 in Alton Bay in a rented cottage and then several nights south of Boston at our former church, Easton Baptist. I don´t know how we would have done it without this provision! Thank you State Farm!

We arrived in Boston and I prepared to speak at the launch of the NEW Spring Air International (my former company). I shared AMG´s work with the new management team and they have agreed to include our organization in their new "Spring Air Cares" program, by helping children in our programs. This was very exciting and indeed an interesting combination of my two worlds!

We then were loaned a Suburban from Rob and Holly Groom (from our church First Baptist in Portland) THANK YOU SO MUCH GROOMS!!!! This vechicle was such a blessing as we travelled without problem around New England. We headed from Boston to Augusta and spent a wonderful week with our families; catching up, enjoying little Micah and loving on each other! We had a wonderful time presenting AMG and then fellowshipping at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Farmingdale (both Mary´s Mom´s and my parent´s church) Thank you Pastor Kline! From Augusta we headed for a visit to First Baptist to share an update and visit with our church family...what a blessing! Next we headed to York Beach with family and enjoyed a week of rain and cold on one of New England´s nicest beaches (that we never really saw). Despite the weather and poor choice of location during rain, we had a wonderful time swimming and playing games with the family.

From York we travelled to Alton Bay where we enjoyed spending time with our many friends and family there. We enjoyed the blessing of having our parents there with us and visits from many friends (Reeses, Ulmers and more) and family members. I shared a presentation in the chapel one night, soliciting child sponsors and giving an update on our past year and a half. Many agreed to spons children and we enjoyed answering many questions about our life here. We ended up enjoying several good weather days and got out on Lake Winnepesaukee with the Turners (Thank you Steve and Beth!) and also the Paulls (We love you Jimmy and Karen!)

From NH we headed for the last days of our trip to the Easton, Mass. area. We were so warmly welcomed by our former church, Easton Baptist and shared in both services. Steve and Becky Lundberg invited us for a wonderful dinner with the Richards and then Sunday we were deeply touched by Vinnie and Nancy Marturano´s invitation to a barbecue, which turned out to include almost everyone we knew from the area!!! You are the best hosts Marturanos!!!

We spent a restful night in Boston and then with many mixed emotions, departed on July 28th. As we walked into the airport in Guatemala that night, we all agreed as a family that we felt like we had arrived home and were excited to move forward with our life here... what a blessing. We swiftly and uneventfully passed through customs and then collected our luggage to leave. An employee of the airport stacked our 10 bags on a cart, lifted 3 of my children up on top of them to ride and took us out to the curb, where Bob Hastings was waiting to bring us home.

We have spent the last 2 weeks readjusting to life here, settling back into our home and me rapidly trying to learn everything I need to know before Bob leaves. We celebrated Aaron´s birthday on Aug 1st with many friends and had a wonderful time. I will be travelling soon to Holland for meetings with Word and Deed (our partner organization) and have also been preparing for that, reading many documents about their relief work and plans for the next five years.

Please pray for our next year here...that I have the wisdom to lead our organization forward, demonstrating the love of Christ and transforming many lives. Pray that our children re-integrate nicely into school later this month and that our family can be a light to those around us. We love you all and will keep in touch!

Visit to El Barranco (The Ravine)

2009-06-11T16:41:00.004-04:00

Several of us headed out this morning to do 2 home visits of 2 of our sponsored kids from Verbena school, attached to our office here in Guatemala City. The ravines of Guatemala are home to many squatters who have nowhere else to live. Thousands of Guatemalans live this way in absolute squalor.

The children were so excited to show us their homes and so proud of where they lived. The father in the second home thanked us profusely and said that he was "blessed by God with so much... He has given us this home and so many things to live with...it might not be much, but it´s everything to us"... I was very humbled by this and would have burst into tears had it not been for fear of offending him.

He told us all about life there...including the fact that during rainy season, all the run-off and water from the neighborhoods above end up in his livingroom and they have to live with mud and constant messes to clean up. He was so proud of the work he had done digging out around his house so that the mud and rocks would not land directly on his roof.
Below are some photos of our morning there. If you wish to view them larger, simply click on the slideshow.

Welcome Micah Nathaniel May 21

2009-05-27T01:15:00.001-04:00

Micah Nathaniel Dennett was born on May the 21st weighing 7 lbs 7 oz. Both Mom and baby are now home recuperating and doing well! When he arrived we immediately recognized him as one of ours! They all have looked so familiar as babies! Here are some pictures of our other children visiting the hospital:

Visit to Antigua with Orlando

2009-04-29T01:12:00.002-04:00

We had the wonderful joy of having our good friend Orlando from Costa Rica visit us the end of April. We visited many of AMG projects together and he is considering how he might be involved with our ministry. The photos below are mostly of our visit (Mary, Orlando and I) to Antigua, Guatemala a wonderful colonial city just 30 minutes from our home.

Make-A-Wish Foundation

2009-04-28T13:48:00.003-04:00

Sometimes it´s hard to explain the full range of emotions I often experience in the course of a day here on the mission field. I drove home last night from the mission office thinking, wow! what more could I have experienced today????!!

I began my day listening to the results of an audit of our organization by the Guatemala taxing authority, which we had labored over for a week. Thank you Lord, all was good! I then spent an hour or so on the phone discussing the legal requirements for our residency here, which made my head spin with bureaucratic dizziness!! The process is absolutely amazing and is going to require many trips to the immigration office here, other offices with purposes unknown to me, photocopies of things, authentications from embassies here and in the U.S., seals from various courts here and the list goes on! Well, I am going to seek out some help from an attorney friend and deal with that after the birth of number 6!

Next, Bob and I drove to the Radisson Hotel and picked up the De Witt family from Holland. Their 15 year-old daughter is suffering with bone cancer and was granted any wish by the Make-A-Wish foundation. Her choice... not Disney World, not a Safari, not a home makeover... her wish was to fly to a third-world country (Guatemala) and meet the child her family has sponsored from AMG. That alone threw us into deep emotion...and the fact that we were so privileged to be taking part in such a wish! They arrived at our offices here in the city, had a complete tour of the school and administration and then we piled into a van and headed to their sponsored child´s home. Miriam (the child) was ill with hepatitis, but still anxiously awaiting the visit from her sponsor.

The story of Miriam´s family is like many we find here... father a drunk and missing for along time, mother trying desperately to raise her 3 children in the 2 dirt-floored rooms offered her by her grandfather. Their living quarters consisted of a room approximately 10 x 10 with 2 beds and a few personal items and a room for cooking and eating. The ¨kitchen¨had a concrete platform with a camp-fire going...on top was a kettle of black beans, their coming meal. I saw little else in the way of food in the house. Thank the Lord the children eat in our project each day and receive supplements and nutritional drinks!

The family from Holland brought gifts for Miriam and her siblings. While she was opening them we were standing in the doorway to the bedroom. A man asked me if I wouldn´t mind moving into the room a bit so as to not ¨get hurt¨. I agreed somewhat questioningly. A few moments later I was shocked to see him wrestling a large bull (roped around the mouth and head) through the house and out into the street!! A bull in their home! This was certainly something you don´t see every day! The bull struggled, knocking things over on his way through and then hitting his head against the door. I thought for a moment that he would run into the room, injuring us all!

Leo from Holland is a pastor. He shared with Miriam´s mother that it must be difficult living this way, however, if she knew Jesus then all this would be temporary and that she would have an eternity without struggles. Miriam´s mother said in a very sweet and humble way that she had ¨learned to live with what God had given them in this short life¨. I wanted to burst into tears. I was reminded of a story Meredith Kerr (Good friends from First Baptist Church in Portland) wrote in a note regarding the loss of our home Easter Sunday to a fire... she said a women stood watching her home burn and said, ¨Oh the blessedness of nothing!¨ We could all stand to learn to live with what God has given us, huh??? Leo and his family had prepared a little dutch hymn to sing for the family and did so...so sweet. We then continued visiting and ultimately left.

Back at our office, Leo shared with our entire staff the great blessing for them of the trip... his daughter shared that her #1 desire had been fulfilled. Nidia in our accounting dept. (a student here since 3 years-old and now senior accountant) shared that without sponsors like them, we could not do what we do for these more than 7,000 children. What sweet moments.

I asked myself if I have learned yet to live with what God has given me... and what my final desire would be if faced with such a thing? I ended my day with a devotional surrounding these thoughts and others with my kids... I am so grateful for the experiences God is bringing my way.

Below is a video of our visit to Miriam´s home in Colonia Verbena, Guatemala City.

Trip to Nairobi, Kenya Africa

2009-04-21T12:05:00.003-04:00

I had the amazing opportunity to attend a conference by our partners Word and Deed, from Holland, in Nairobi, Africa for 2 weeks the end of March and into April. I learned so much about world development and relief and had the opportunity to contribute to their planning for the future. What a blessing to share fellowship, ideas and our minsitries with Christians from all over the world. I feel better informed and have many ideas on how to improve our ministry here in Guatemala..serving the poorest of the poor of Guatemala with life-changing opportunities in education, health and of course, the gift of salvation through our Lord! These pictures are of our stops in Amsterdam and some of my time in Africa. If you wish to view them more slowly just click anywhere on the slideshow.

Goodbye 45 Beacon Avenue

2009-04-13T13:58:00.003-04:00

We lost our sweet little cottage in Alton Bay to a horrible fire yesterday. You can read all about the fire at:

http://www.wmur.com/news/19161844/detail.html

We will post more as we have time.

Abbie's 8th Grade Banquet - A Special Night

2009-03-15T15:00:00.002-04:00

The Christian Academy of Guatemala is such a purposeful school! We are continuously amazed at how they encourage our children and minister to them. Last night was no exception. Each year CAG has an 8th grade banquet to honor the students about to enter High School...it is completely organized by the 7th grade. They plan, decorate and then manage the entire night of events. Each child is recognized with a slide show with funny stories, a little history of their life and then awards them based on their talents. Afterwards they had a party at the home of fellow missionaries here and had a beautiful time! Click on the slideshow below in order to enlarge it, or watch it right here from our blog:

Trip to Las Vistas

2009-02-26T14:59:00.004-05:00

My daughter Abbie and I visited Las Vistas, one of our city projects which sits high above Guatemala City in a very poor part of the city. The great joy of this trip was the fact that 2 of our sponsored children (we have sponsored 3 AMG kids for 3 plus years now) attend Las Vistas and we finally got to meet them. We had only seen them thus far through letters and photos.

Elvis is 6 and Andrew Alexander is 9. Elvis´s brothers and sisters also attend the project. His eldest sister is a graduate of AMG and has now returned as a teacher. It was an amazing thing to see how AMG has changed an entire family´s life! They seemed so happy at the school, their second home. We visited Andrew´s home and met his mother, who was very humble and kept asking forgiveness for not allowing us in her home. It is customary in Latin America that if you are to have someone in your home, you must offer them something to drink or a small bite to eat. She had neither to offer.

We concluded our trip by visiting the classrooms and talking with the children in each grade. When I walked in to Elvis´s room, he shouted 'mi padrino!' 'mi padrino!' which translate to my sponsor/God-father. He was so proud that he walked around the class announcing to many of his classmates, 'my padrino came to see me!' Several children came up and asked (seeking to confirm his claims) 'are you REALLY??? his padrino?' I was sad for several that said, 'who's my padrino? Can they visit me?' Earlier I had explained to Elvis and Andrew that Mary and I and the kids now lived in Guatemala and work for AMG and we want to be part of their lives. I am going to be praying about ways we could help. If you too are interested in sponsoring a child...and maybe one day coming to visit us and them, click on the child sponsorship button to teh right of our blog. I hope you enjoy the video below as much as we enjoyed our day there:

Trip to Matochos

2009-02-26T13:04:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday of this week we visited Matochos, Guatemala, southeast of Guatemala City. We have a rural school there, serving the poorest of poor. We visited 2 different homes and it was very humbling. The squalor that so many are living in is hard to see. The first home we visited was the home of a boy named Jonathan, who is sponsored by our friend and coworker, Steve Hodges. He brought gifts for both the children and their Mom, along with huge bags of rice and beans to help out with food. The home was small with dirt floors. Tim Peloquin from New Hampshire was along with us. Last year, Tim actually purchased a home and land for the family of his sponsored child, Lester. Lester and his family were living in horrible conditions...small, wet and unhealthy. Thanks to the love and concern of Tim, the family now lives in a newer home with a concrete floor. We had the pleasure of joining him to see the home he purchased for the first time! This trip was so humbling and made me cringe at the times I complain about anything in my life.

Trip to Volcano Pacaya

2009-02-19T17:19:00.003-05:00

We set off on Saturday for a trip to Volcan Pacaya one of the many active volcanos here in Guatemala. It was an amazing trip...my first time experiencing lava up close! Once we got to the top we were surrounded by lava fields...so hot that we cooked marshmallows over them! Thank you Jenny for brining them along! My friend Froilán Mazariegos led the way through a small town and then up the trails to the cone. On the way down we encountered an elderly woman warming some children by a fire in the woods, beside the trail. We ended up chatting with her and then gave her a gift in order to help the children. Here is a video of our trip:

Happy 33rd Anniversary AMG Guatemala!

2009-02-17T16:30:00.010-05:00

On Friday the 14th we had the pleasure of celebrating 33 years of serving Christ here in Guatemala. Hundreds of thousands of young lives have been touched for Christ over these 33 years...how amazing. The children all put on presentations thanking the ministry and some shared how their lives had been changed forever by AMG. What an exciting day! The fifth grade surprised us here in the office by singing a song recognizing what AMG does for them...it was so special! We asked them to perform it again this morning outside so I could video it. Here are some pictures from our celebrations and then the video:

Thoughts this Afternoon

2009-02-06T22:40:00.009-05:00

I see the strangest things every day coming to and from work. I work in a very poor part of the city, so I generally have the feeling that I have arrived in the Wild West...it seems like anything goes here. Cars seem to completely disregard any laws and are driving every which-way. There are tuc-tucs bringing people here and there, people pushing wooden carts full of cabbage (today), indigenous ladies with enormous loads on their heads and this week the Guatemalan military patrolling the streets with nasty-looking automatic weapons. We were stopped one afternoon and they went all through our van and even matched our serial numbers on the motor and registration... it was a bit intimidating.

The most disturbing thing I saw this week was a poor elderly woman's body laying covered in newspaper on the side of the road. There were several plastic cones keeping cars away and a few police officers standing guard. She had most likely stepped off the curb to cross and was hit. In Guatemala, a death must be verified by a Judge, and sometimes takes hours. I hurt deeply for her family, probably yet to know. Or would they even be able to tell who whe was, if she had no identification? It was not a good start to my day.

This afternoon I saw an old Datsun pickup..very small pickup, headed up the highway. The bed of the pickup was surrounded by a metal frame and in the bed was somewhere around 40 men. It looked like the truck was going to tip over any moment! You would think that this would be a strange site, however it isn´t. Everyday I see people riding in pickup beds...women, children, groups... so scary!

I love the Guatemala ´chicken´buses. They are all over the country...older but beautiful american school buses...decorated elaborately.

Filedelfia Project

2009-02-04T21:56:00.002-05:00

I visited our camp in rural Guatemala today and then our Filedelfia School in a poor neighborhood not too far from the camp. After leaving the city, I was struck by how undeveloped it was... I enjoyed meeting our camp directors...such Godly people. Jose Luis and his wife, Orpha, have dedicated 30 years to AMG... 22 of which has been sharing the love of Christ with all of our students as they visit our beautiful camp.

A team from a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan is here for 2 weeks building new classrooms for a school in the area. It was such a blessing to see how much progress they had made in just a day and a half. Here are some pictures with captions from my day: (Feel free to click on the slideshow to open up picassa web to see it larger.)

Video of Kids at Recess

2009-01-26T13:18:00.002-05:00

Here is a video from the morning I was out at recess with the kids from La Verbena School, here at my office.

Pile of Desks

2009-01-21T16:22:00.004-05:00

This ugly pile of desks sitting in front of our central office (waiting to be taken away) is the result of what some of you may remember seeing in AMG´s monthly newsletter. ( I hope you´re reading it!!!) I remember month after month, in the section called ¨partnership opportunities¨, seeing the request for donations to purchase desks in Guatemala. Well, we have now replaced the terribly worn old desks in 8 of our schools across the country...It was kindof exciting to see this pile as I walked around our property here, after having seen that little ad each month for so long! I noticed that some that were still useable had been pulled to the side and given a nice fresh coat of paint... in pursuit of using all of our resources with the very best of stewardship!

Thank you to everyone who sent in money to provide new desks for our children here! We still have hundreds more to replace, so I look forward to seeing many more piles of old desks in the future!

Some pictures from this week.

2009-01-21T09:38:00.004-05:00

I went out and visited with some our kids at recess the other day and Bob took some pictures. The children are so precious and are just hungry for attention... I think especially from Men, as many of these children have no fathers in their home. I was so impressed with how are teachers relate with the children, play with them and seem to really enjoy being with them...such blessings!

Being able to walk out my office door and see the fruit of this ministry is truly special.

Child Sponsorship

2009-01-21T09:35:00.002-05:00

I am truly amazed at what we provide here at AMG for a mere $28 per month sponsorship. I think if you could experience how souls are saved, lives changed and needs provided, you too would join me in sponsoring a child...or maybe more than 1!

$28 per month provides a child from the poorest of poor neighborhoods here in Guatemala an education, daily food, clothing and love. More importantly than all these vital physical needs we share the truth of Christ and train them through God´s word.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of our kids, please visit my website www.thedennetts.org and click on ¨Child Sponsorship¨ at the top. You will be redirected to AMG´s website and given information on how to sponsor a child in Guatemala.

One day you might even be able to come visit us and your sponsored child! It is one of the great pleasures we get to experience in our work...introducing sponsors to their children...face to face!

Please consider it!

Life in Guatemala

2009-01-13T11:33:00.003-05:00

So sorry to be so long in posting! As you can imagine we have had our hands full getting settled, fighting a terrible virus, the kids starting school and me starting at the AMG office...so much new! We have been trying to take one step at a time so as to not get too overwhelmed by it all!

We are here! After so much work and preparations we cannot believe we are actually living and working in Guatemala. The Hastings family has been such a wonderful blessing to us...they prepared our home for us, took us shopping for basics and made what could have been a very difficult transition such a pleasure. Thank you so much Bob, Robin and Family!!!! God has blessed us so much with our home here, our children´s quick adjustment to their school and my transition into work. Our house is in the suburbs of Guatemala City and only about 20 minutes from Antigua...a beautiful colonial city that will be perfect for short escapes from the city. We are surrounded by mountains and volcanoes so the landscape is so enjoyable. The children are attending the Christian Academy of Guatemala which is only 1 block from our house...another incredible blessing! They love the school and have made great friends already with both Guatemalan and other missionary kids.

We are really enjoying finally being settled somewhere. This is the first time in several years we felt like we were laying some roots and could call someplace home. I have worked 7 days now at the office and am beginning to get a feel for this complicated ministry! I am amazed at what we do here with such limited funding, small staff and so many children! The team in our office is amazing...the majority of them could be earning more in the private sector but choose to come here every day in order to serve the Lord here. I can´t wait to share the fruit of the ministry with you all as I experience it each day. Yesterday I was introduced and got to welcome 500 primary aged students to their first day of school... it was great seeing them in their new uniforms, shoes and backpacks (provided by AMG) and their incredible excitement at being back at school... I think many of them would rather be here than anywhere else! It was also nice seeing many improvements since I was last here...fresh paint in some classrooms, a new computer lab for the kids to learn computation and a fully functioning dental clinic with a dentist. (on my first visit here they were just building the clinic.)

We still have much to learn, so much to experience here and more settling to do...but we´re here! Many many thanks to all those who have helped us to get here...supporting us with your prayers, your finances and so much encouragement... you are such blessings to us.

Christmas at My Sisters

2008-12-26T11:29:00.006-05:00

We have had a wonderful time here at my sister Bridget's in Maine! We prayed for snow and we got plenty. The kids have had a ball playing in it. Thank you Troy and Bridget for making us feel so at home! The video is a short clip of Christmas morning with all 10 kids and the four of us. What a special Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:44:00.001-05:00

Abbie with her Christmas Gift... a new guitar! She was so excited.

The gang playing outside...

We need to pick out a boy name.

2008-12-13T10:45:00.001-05:00

We're Done!

2008-12-13T07:40:00.003-05:00

This has indeed been an emotional month for our family. A year of hard work, solid friendships and lots of learning has come to a close. We are so grateful that we had the opportunity to come here, to learn spanish (and alot of other things too!) and to meet people that will be serving the Lord all over the world! Mary and I each had 900 hours of class time! We want to thank everyone who helped us to be here this year... without your support and prayers this could have never happened! Glory to God! The pictures below are from this last month...our graduation and some of the kids activities as well.

Blessings Abound

2008-12-08T19:57:00.002-05:00

Saturday night Abbie and I walked down the main drag to Mega Super, our local grocery store. We purchased a few things and I paid for them. My wallet snaps onto my belt and then flips inside my pants in order to conceal it. I apparently failed to flip it back in...leaving it hanging on my waist. We left the store and then walked down a dark street to drop Abbie off at youth group at an area ministry called the AMCA house. I then walked home and then discovered that my wallet was missing!!! I was just sick over it! I immediately retraced my steps with a flashlight...several times, with no luck. I returned home and cancelled my credit cards and then contemplated how I would handle replacing my drivers license, when I no longer live in Maine, my scuba license, various membership club cards, ect... aghghgh! I was very mad at myself and in a bit of a panic until I remembered a visiting pastor here telling us to NEVER PANIC... God's will is perfect. I thought "how ridiculous of me to panic and worry!" I then prayed that God would deliver my wallet into the hands of a christian... honestly thinking that the chances of that were quite slim and that God must have had a different plan in all this.

Well, last night we had the Diems, the Wilson's and a few neighbors over for a litte party and who called but the Director of our school. She informed me that a wonderful Christian woman had called her, from her church, after having found a wallet which contained among many things, my student i.d. card with a number to the institute. I called their cell phone and they are returning it to me tomorrow night after a bible study. God is so good! I need to learn never to panic...God is in control and has always been so good to me.

AMG November Newsletter

2008-11-20T07:01:00.002-05:00

For those of you who might not receive AMG's monthly newsletter, there is a great article on 2 boys from our "Las Vistas" project (one of our Guatemala City projects).

Huelepega (Glue Sniffers)

2008-11-14T06:58:00.002-05:00

I went running one morning this week and got caught in the rain. I walked up the hill from the track to a small building with an overhanging roof in order to escape the rain. A few minutes later a man (probably in his late 20's) joined me. I greeted him and we exchanged typical small talk. He then lifted a filthy plastic bottle with a sticky yellow substance in the bottom of it to his mouth and inhaled deeply. I was surprised at how "un-surprised" I am becoming with experiences like this. Here I was standing alongside a drug-addict...using his drug alongside me. I said a prayer and then decided to talk with him. I asked him what he had and what he was doing with it. He explained that he lived there at the "polideportivo" (sports complex) and spent his days looking for more "cemento or pega" (glue) to put in his bottle and inhale. I asked him why he would want to live this way and he shared some of his life with me... abandoned by parents early in life, relatives that wanted nothing to do with him, life in the streets... he told me there was no love in this life. I was deeply sad talking with this man.

When you ask many youth (or adults) why they started using drugs or alcohol they generally respond with something like "I just wanted to try it" or "I was curious as to what it felt like"... the answer you get from men like I met is a little different. Glue/adhesive inhaling is a serious problem wherever there is extreme poverty or hopelessness. These people use glue, not because they wondered what it was like, but because from day 1 they wanted to "feel nothing" or "stop the bad feelings". My friend at the track, Jorge, uses glue in order to "leave this world for a bit". What Jorge and the millions of other users don't necessarily realize (or maybe they do) is that sniffing glue causes irreversible brain, liver and kidney damage and is extremely difficult to stop using.

I spent an hour with Jorge and even prayed with him. He seemed genuinely touched that this "gringo" would take the time to be with him. I talked with him about God and the Joy that comes from living in His service. He told me that he knew of God, having visited several churches in the past, but then got a bit irritated with me and said 3 times "Dios no existe!" I calmly but firmly told him that yes indeed God exists and would like to help him change his life and experience true love... there are two words in spanish for our word "to know" conocer and saber. Saber is to know information... conocer is TO KNOW a person, area,ect... I explained that many people know of God (saber) but KNOWING him (conocer) is about having a relationship with him...accepting his direction...spending time in prayer...following his commands...that life with God is different and holds the hope of an eternity of pleasure in his presence.

I will look for Jorge each time I go to the track and pray for God's direction in how I could help him. Having little experience with drug-addiction and homelessness, I am going to seek some advice on what might be available for this poor soul. Pray for Jorge and others trying desperately to escape the pain of a lifetime of rejection and poverty.

Halloween Costa Rica Style

2008-11-06T23:55:00.000-05:00

With our limited supply of "costumes" we were able to dress up Eve as a ballerina, Jordan as Pocohontas, Jordan as Batman and Brody as Batman's assistant. They do not trick or treat in C.R. so we all got together, had pizza and then had a campfire in my friend's garage. People looked at us like we were nuts as they passed by and saw us sitting around a fire in the garage. We had a wonderful night with several other missionary families.

Fun at Home

2008-11-06T23:46:00.000-05:00

Brody loves to build forts in the living room using the sofa and his blankets. Eve was reading to Brody in the middle picture (in their fort). She was speaking her unique blend of gibberish, spanish and english... giblish?

Question of the day:

2008-10-28T08:31:00.001-04:00

When God looks at you, how much of himself does He see in you?

November News Update - Prayer Letter

2008-10-27T14:48:00.006-04:00

For those who may not have received my email today, here is our November Update Letter:

November Update Letter

If you do not receive our emails and would like to please sign our mailing list at:

Mailing List

Another "Coincidence"? Of course not!

2008-10-17T08:28:00.003-04:00

We have been praying for the last year + that God would find a safe home for us in Guatemala that we could move into in January when we arrive. Bob Hastings and his family have been living in Guatemala for over four years now in a home that's in a safe neighborhood just down the street from The Christian Academy of Guatemala (where our 3 oldest are already enrolled). Last summer Bob and his wife Robin bought a condominium nearby and planned to move in when it was completed in February of this year. The condo was delayed in construction by a month and I joked that if only it could be delayed 10 more months than we could rent their house! Bob laughed, ha ha. Well, month after month it was delayed and month after month I said gee only " x " more months! Well, here we are in mid-October and Bob just received his closing date and I have worked out a contract with his landlord and we will be moving into their house January 1 ! This is an amazing blessing as we know this house, are very comfortable there and our kids will be safe behind the walls of this safe neighborhood. There are several other missionary families living there, so Mary will have company during the day and our children will have other kids to play with! Why do we ever worry, when we have a provider like we do? Thank you for those who have been praying for this along with us!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Jordan! Happy Birthday!

2008-10-05T14:57:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Jordan's 10th birthday yesterday with 14 of his friends from the neighborhood and school. He had a "spy birthday" complete with fingerprinting, clue-detection and interrogations. Everyone had a great time and we were thrilled to celebrate our oldest son. Here are some photos from the party:

2008-10-05T14:56:00.001-04:00

Aaron, Jackson & Jordan - Ready for Church!

Just about ready for church.

Misc Pix from September

2008-10-05T14:26:00.000-04:00

Travel Plans

2008-10-04T08:28:00.004-04:00

I will be travelling this month to Guatemala for a few days in order to help Bob Hastings with a number of changes taking place with our accounting process and to be presented to our office.

Our central office is located in a challenging zone of Guatemala City and oversees the entire staff of hundreds of Guatemalan employees who dedicate themselves every day to the nearly 8,000 children in our programs throughout Guatemala. Our office is attached to one of our largest schools...which will be a great reminder for me each day of why I am there.

Please pray that my time is fruitful and that Mary and the kids have a peaceful and safe few days here in Costa Rica.

Guatemala Poverty Rate

2008-10-04T08:25:00.002-04:00

I was very disturbed to see the following article this morning:

A United Nations report says rising food prices have pushed half a million Guatemalans into poverty.
A report from the U.N's World Food Program says another half of million of Guatemala's poor are now living in extreme poverty due to increased prices for the country's basic food staples.
Guatemalan have seen corn, rice and bean prices rise by more than 40 percent in the last two years.
The report's author Nicholas Virzi of Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala City said another 200,000 Guatemalans who are not living under the poverty line are also struggling to purchase food.
More than half of Guatemala's 12 million people live on less than US$2 a day.

Please pray for these and the many others all over the globe who are struggling to put food on the table.

Eve & Toby

2008-09-28T12:54:00.002-04:00

Here's some cute video Mary took yesterday of our little sweetie, Eve. She just loves our cat Toby!

El Dia de Independencia en Costa Rica

2008-09-20T13:47:00.004-04:00

Our family and several others from the school left early Monday morning and attended ceremonies that included the President of Costa Rica and ambassadors from all over the world. We were surprised how close we were able to get to the President without any frisking or checking of any kind. We spoke with several ambassadors and left a note for Peter Ciancette (Costa Rica's new ambassador from the USA and from Maine) inside the event program on his deputy abasador's chair. We were told that "Peter" was standing right over there...so went to him and said "wait, you're not Peter!" He answered, "actually I am Peter but obviously not the one your looking for. The Deputy Ambassador is Peter Brennan and was number 2 in the embassy here. Afterwards, we walked around San Jose and enjoyed some of the MANY parades they have all over the city...all day long and into the night! They really know how to celebrate!

My Dad & Mom

2008-09-18T08:09:00.002-04:00

My sister posted this picture of my Dad and Mom, Barry and Judy Dennett, on her blog regarding the sale of their camp in Maine. They created the most special childhood that anyone could dream of at this special place that my grandfather and great-grandfather built in 1928. We will miss it greatly. Visit my sisters blog to read about it and see some great pictures she took.... a peak into a bit of my childhood! I love you Dad and Mom!

La Fraternidad de Los Hombres de Negocios

2008-09-07T01:37:00.001-04:00

A few people have asked how my meetings have been going with the Costa Rican Businessmen's group, so I thought I would share a few brief clips of one of my most recent meetings... a chance to see me speak a bit of spanish!

Eat Your Heart Out, John Deere

2008-09-06T22:48:00.004-04:00

I had to mow the lawn this Saturday and my neighbor kindly offered their "lawnmower". It actually did an amazingly good job and helped me get the yard done much quicker than the normal "machete-cut" that most use. My family thought I looked very funny cutting with this in place of the John Deere rider I used to have (complete with cup holders) so took these pictures. I've traded in my John Deere for a Fisher Price!

In the Final Stretch

2008-09-03T14:22:00.007-04:00

Thank you Bridget (My Sis) for sending along the pictures, as we had no camera with us.

We have returned from 2+ marvelous weeks of vacation in New Hampshire (a last minute surprise trip), a visit to our home-church (First Baptist of Portland, Maine) and simply a wonderful time at Alton Bay with our parents, siblings and friends. What a blessing! My parents Barry & Judy stayed for a week in the motel and my sister Bridget and her family stayed in a cottage along with my neice Haley and her 2 beautiful children, just up the street from us. We also enjoyed time with Mary's mom and sister, Debra. Mary struggled with a stomach bug and then bronchitus during our trip and the kids and I also enjoyed stomach problems. (How interesting given that we have been perfectly healthy here in the 3rd world for the last 7 + months) On our way to New Hampshire I prayed for opportunities to speak spanish while on vacation and we were surprised to find a group of people from Honduras and Puerto Rico at the Conference Center when we arrived. One asked for directions in very bad english and I surprised him by answering him in spanish. They then invited me to join in their worship service....must have been a coincidence. :)

The weather could not have been more perfect with sun every day and plenty of time to swim, boat and share our adventures. Ed Bates, my former boss and great friend, visited us for a day and hired another friend of ours, Jim Paull to take 22 of us on a boat ride to Wolfboro. He then took us all to lunch. Thank you soooo much Ed! Our children enjoyed the freedom to run around and play with friends and we all were thrilled to speak english in public and be understood. We really needed the break and are so thankful for it!

We left Boston Monday morning early and had many travel blessings. The first came as Continental Airlines disregarded the fact that we had too many check-in bags and did not charge us for the overweight ones. (This is our 3rd trip with such a blessing...God is so good) Next we went to get coffee at Dunkin Donuts and the only other 4 people there (at 3:45 in the morning) were 4 human rights activists from Guatemala. I got to speak spanish after 2 weeks with very little and met some potential future allies and friends in Guatemala.... this must have been a coincidence too. :)

Our flights back to Costa Rica were on-time, without incident and very comfortable. We arrived and our bags were of the first to come off, we breezed through customs with no bags checked, had our passports stamped, and then our friend Eduardo was right there waiting for us. How easy could it get? Thank you Lord.

We are now back and settled and actually felt like we were coming home. We had our second day of classes and we all like our teachers (kids included) and are anxious to wrap things up and head to Guatemala in January.

AMG Guatemala - The Hastings

2008-09-03T13:59:00.003-04:00

Bob Hastings, my ministry partner in Guatemala, has an excellent blog post that shows off some of the wonderful children and part of what we do at AMG. Simply click the link to see it:

http://hastingsinguatemala.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-news.html Enjoy!

Seguridad en Casa

2008-08-10T17:23:00.001-04:00

We are so grateful to our landlord, Gaston, for hiring out the construction of our new security wall in front of the house. Our house was the only house in the area without such security and we felt that in order to rent to future students they should build one. It is almost finished and will have lighting and a video intercom/doorbell. The kids will now be able to play in the front yard and I will not have anymore solicitors knocking on my bedroom window. (this actually happened a month ago)

The builders compared living here in San Jose as living in prison only you have the key... he was joking, however it does take some getting used to. We call it living in bird cages, as all the houses are caged in. In addition to the new wall in front, we have bars on all our windows, iron gates with padlocks in front of every door and a high wall surrounding our back yard. And to think that just 8 months ago I left the keys in my car in my driveway each night!

3 Crosses

2008-08-10T10:13:00.004-04:00

Sorry we've not posted in a while... we have been extremely busy with the end of our 2nd trimester (exams, studying, etc...) Last weekend Abbie, Jordan, Aaron and I went with some fellow students on a hike to the 3 crosses... it was a challenging hike (great elevation gain!) with incredible views from the 3 summits... each with a different cross. Leave it to Jordan to enter and try to climb the tallest cross...apparently the razor wire and security fence made him feel welcome! Enjoy the pictures:

Happy Birthday Aaron!

2008-08-10T09:59:00.002-04:00

Aaron celebrated his 7th birthday last week with breakfast in bed and a fiesta with his schoolmates. They all made their own pizzas and then had a treasure hunt and other games. We are so proud of our little man and enjoyed celebrating him!!!

Batman

2008-08-10T09:55:00.000-04:00

ILE has a student sale as trimesters are ending and we get to buy each others stuff. We got this great batman costume for Aaron for $2. ($1000 colones) ... And to think I had to use a tee-shirt with a hand-drawn bat and my blanket with a clothspin.

Los Hombres de Negocios

2008-07-22T21:36:00.003-04:00

I have now had the amazing opportunity to share my testimony in spanish with an ever increasing number of Costa Ricans through the Fraternidad de Los Hombres de Negocios (Costa Rica Businessmen's Fraternity). A gentleman on my FARO route, Francisco Hernandez just happened to be the National President of the Organization and asked me to speak at a meeting after hearing my story. It took me weeks to prepare my 30 minute talk in spanish and to prepare to present it. That meeting turned into 8 meetings and now will present even more opportunities in September! What a priveledge! Last night was my largest meeting at the College of Architects here in San Jose.

Central America is a 3rd world territory that has been recently touched by a strong dose of consumerism/materialism. I believe that this condition has created 2 types of discontentment. There are the few here that can partake in all these new luxuries and find themselves unsatisfied and wanting more and more. Then there are the "most everyone else" that cannot partake but see all these wonderful things and are discontent in their inability to buy. I believe that this is one factor that has fueled the increasing crime-rate in the region.

My testimony unveils a life of pursuing material success and the opportunity that God gave me to give all that up and serve Him... a specific call for sure! I think my story resonates with businessmen here as they find themselves caught up in the same frenzy of ever-increasing home-size, pursuit of luxuries and spending more and more money every day! (only to discover that money and things never provide any lasting satisfaction) I also think it is somewhat of a relief to those who are trying to keep up and can't... knowing that they don't have to live that way...they can live happily with very little, in Christ!

I was very rattled when Francisco asked me to speak in these meetings but am deeply grateful for the opportunity and challenge he presented me with. What a Joy to share our lives and give people something to think about! Please pray that many from these meetings will find hope in Christ and rearrange their lives in order to serve him... life is short!

Visit to Turrialba

2008-07-21T13:07:00.002-04:00

We had a wonderful trip to our friend Orlando Bruno's farm, in Turialba. It was so nice as always to leave the city... the seven of us packed into Bob Yeater's car (yes, 7 in a Nissan built for 4-5...it made us feel better as we passed old pick-up trucks full of kids in the backs) and headed for the mountains northeast of San Jose. It was an incredibly beautiful drive through the countryside and the views from his farm were fantastic...day and night. The kids got to experience a small milk operation he has, groom the horses (Mary's favorite thing to do!) and ride a 4 wheeler. Orlando is a wonderful Christian man with many interests... we enjoyed our time immensely. Here are some pictures of our weekend:

Abbie's a Teenager!

2008-07-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

We took a group of Abbie's friends to the movies saturday night in order to celebrate her 14th birthday. We returned afterwards and had a barbecue/fiesta. We are so proud of Abbie and the fine young woman she is becoming! Felicidades Abbie!

El Asesino

2008-07-15T22:39:00.003-04:00

I got into an unlicensed taxi this afternoon (something I do not make a habit of doing...although most of the time it is safe) and began a conversation with the driver. (He was a bit scary looking and had deep eyes that appeared as though they had seen too much in life) He told me that he had been trying to clean up his life and that things were now much different. I asked him what he did previously and he said he was an "asesino". I immediately thought "oh no" but decided to clarify the word and asked "como??" He said in spanish, You know?? to kill people for money... an assassin. He shared with me how many people he had assassinated and in what type of situations he operated. I imediately thought, "Get me out of this car!!!! Why did I do this???" until he continued the conversation with the fact that his life was miserable and evil until he found Jesus Christ 7 years ago and now his life was completely turned around. He shared about his church and his new life with a young child and how greatful he was to the Lord. Amazing.

My day today was filled with blessings from people... another cab I got into this morning had a nice young driver named José that was listening to worship music. I asked him if he was a christian and he happily told me he was. He shared that he did not have much, but that he had this older taxi in order to earn money... and that this old car helped him to share Christ with many people each day! He too had an incredible background filled with drugs, alcohol and gang-life. Today he is a faithful worker at his church, taxi-evangelist and is anxious to have children soon. What an inspiration!

I started my day with my 3rd presentation to businessmen at an exclusive restaurant in San Jose. God was with me as I shared my life with these executives and encouraged them to follow Christ and seek treasures in heaven...what a priveledge. Afterward several approached me to share their stories and pray together. God is so good... I am so thankful for today.

July Photos

2008-07-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

I Drove a Car!

2008-07-14T14:43:00.002-04:00

Our good friend Bob Yeater let us use his car so that we could celebrate my birthday with a dinner out on the town. It was dark, raining and I had not driven in nearly 7 months... we took directions to a restaurant and headed out for what was to be an exausting and frightening 2 hour trip to nowhere. We got horribly lost in San Jose (a HUGE confusing city) and at one point were in an incredibly unsafe part of town. We were distressed as we didn't have the slightest clue as to where we were, how to head towards home or where home even was! We prayed together and a few minutes later turned onto a dark signless exit that led up to the highway and something we recognized. We continued and kept seeing more things we had seen previously and ultimately (2 hours later) ended up back in familiar territory. We ate at a restaurant 5 minutes from our house!

Strange Things

2008-07-11T10:04:00.003-04:00

I was running yesterday afternoon at a track not far from our house and passed by two ticos (in their twenties) jogging along, passing a joint back and forth. This in itself was quite unusual given that they were exercising while smoking marijuana, however what was more unusual is that there were 2 police officers sitting in the bleachers doing paperwork watching. I guess they just don't care! Every day I see the strangest things here!

La Carpio

2008-07-04T14:40:00.003-04:00

La Carpio is a very poor neighborhood near San Jose (really quite incredible that it is so close to the city!) that our school visits each Thursday. We go and just spend time with the children there...who are seriously lacking love and attention. This is displayed by their immidiate love of us and desire to be held, played with and read to! Abbie and I had such a joyful afternoon there. It really helps to refocus my attention on why we are here. Enjoy the video!

And a more profesionally done video by some other students... this has a few of my friends in it as well.

Phil Penner 1979 - 2008

2008-06-25T23:10:00.005-04:00

Our good friend Matt Penner's brother, Phil went home to be with the Lord last week following complications from Dengue fever. He was 29 years old. Phil was a "m" in a country we cannot mention (for the safety of his family and other "m's" serving there) with his wife, Esther and their 2 1/2 year-old daughter. Esther found the following writing of Phil's in their home:

WHAT IS GOD MOST CONCERNED WITH?
His concern is not that I am popular or likable.
Noah was the laughingstock of the community when he was building the ark.
His concern is not with my health.
He took away Job’s and gave it back when he saw fit.
His concern is not to keep me at home.
He asked Abraham to leave for the unknown.
His concern is not that I understand his plan.
Against all logic, Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, the long awaited fulfillment of God’s promise.
His concern is not that my life be "fair."
Joseph was thrown in a well, sold to slavery, and then imprisoned for a false accusation.
His concern is not with my abilities and talents.
He used a scared man with a speech impediment to be His spokesman to Egypt.
His concern is not that I feel good about myself or see the fruit of my labor.
Moses never saw the promise land.
His concern is not with my interests.
Jonah was sent to do what he didn’t want to do in a place he didn’t want to go.
His concern is not that I have friends.
David felt as though all his friends had betrayed him.
His concern is not my dignity.
Jeremiah had to run around naked.
His concern is not first for my family.
Ezekiel’s wife was taken from him.
His concern is not for my comfort.
He had Jeremiah lie on his side for over a year.
His concern is not that I become wealthy.
Jesus asked the rich man to give it all up.
His concern is not with my plans and schedule.
Lazarus was not healed when his family asked, but Jesus let him die to raise him later.
His concern is not for me to have a restful retirement.
Paul spent his last years in prison.
His concern is not for my safety.
Stephen, among others, was killed.
His concern is not that I have an easy life.
Paul was stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, sleepless, beaten and imprisoned.
God loves us and really does care about every aspect of our lives. But He has one main concern.
His concern is that we glorify Him as God give him his rightful place in our lives. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!

Please pray for his wife Esther and for our friends Matt and Angie Penner and their family. This has been exceptionally difficult and yet they can see God at work through it all. Phil was an incredible man of God who impacted many lives in his short 29 years.

Just to be Fair

2008-06-25T22:27:00.005-04:00

Just to be fair, after my last post, I thought I would share my pharmacy experience and how much easier it was than in the states. Here is my dialogue with the lady at the counter (not the pharmacist). "I was wondering about the drug Singulair, for allergies...how much does it cost?" Her: "$10,000 for 30 days supply ($20)... it would cost $100 in the states" Me: "my Dr. mentioned that it would be good for me" Her: "yes, many people like it". Me: "O.K. I would like some then" Her: "OK". The pharmacist (overhearing the conversation): "Ventilair is the same thing for less money" So, I ended up saving money and getting my "prescription drug" without any of the hassles of getting a prescription. A bit nicer than getting a drivers license!!! :)

I must say that medicine and dentistry has been a refreshing surprise for us here. San Jose has a simply fantastic hospital... Clinica Biblica. Imagine Maine Medical Center, only it is Evangelical Christian! Missionaries here, many years ago, began a small clinic and today it is a state of the art hospital. (with the most beautiful stained glass window...seen in picture left) For example, I had a 2 hour consultation with the best ENT in Costa Rica during which I had both a sinus scope and a throat scope...cost: $30. (I wish you could see the area that this beautiful hospital is in... the only nice looking thing in it is the hospital! I would not dare roam 1 block from it!) 2 weeks ago Mary, Myself, Abbie, Jordan, Aaron & Brody (yes 6 of us) went to the dentist to have our teeth checked, cleaned, 2 cavities filled and flouride. Cost for the 6 of us: $150. I need a crown. (in Gray at my dentist a crown was $1150) A crown here is $180. In fact, if any of you are lacking dental insurance and need expensive dentistry done, you could buy a $500 airline ticket to fly here, get your dentistry done and still save...any takers?

Drivers License

2008-06-25T17:12:00.004-04:00

Yesterday morning at 10 a.m. I headed off with 2 friends Bob and Joey in order to get a drivers license. It's been 6 months since I have operated a car and I decided that it's time to do it! Bob has an old Nissan and has offered to let me borrow it in order to go on a date with Mary. (the car is missing windows and has been broken into 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Last night they busted another window and stole a bottle of lysol cleaner!) Nonetheless I am anxious to drive ANYTHING! With that said, we began by going to the place everyone told us to go about 3 miles from the school. This place was a fenced-in parking lot with an attendant booth for paying. We had been told that we would need to see a doctor nearby the DMV-like place in order to get a certificate of "good health". We asked the attendant where the doctors office was and he said to go into a small room behind his booth and wait. The small dimly-lit room had 2 chairs and an old desk. On the desk was an old stethescope and a blood pressure band. We looked at each other and said "is THIS the medical clinic"???? About 5 minutes later we could see a man running across the main road and then up the parking lot. He was the doctor. He sat me down, asked me my weight, height and if I was sick. He then "touched me" with the stethescope and took my bloodpressure. (I say he took it, however I do not believe that he ever even looked at the gauge.) He then had me pull on his arm and he pushed on my leg (evidently to see if I could handle any physical pressure) and gave me a certificate of good health. The cost was "$10,000 colones if you want a receipt or $8,000 without."

We then proceeded to the DMV which was not there anymore as they have built a new building, which we discovered absolutely nobody knew the location of. After following 3 different people's incorrect directions we sat in the center of Costa Rica in bumper-to-bumper smoggy traffic for over an hour. We hollered out the window in spanish to a nearby car and finally got correct directions. We were still in terrible traffic and couldn't see anywhere to park, so we sent Joey out of the car and across the street to a business (on the highway) that looked like they had space to park. We offerred the security guard $4,000 colones if we could park in front of their building and he begrudgingly accepted. We arrived with ALL the necessary papers (so we thought) and had to walk 1/2 a mile once inside the compound that the DMV occupies. We waited for 1/2 hour while the lady who reviews new applications finished eating lunch and then patiently waited in that line, only to find that we needed a photocopy of our U.S. license. I asked if we could kindly use the photocopy machine (right there in front of us) and she kindly responded in spanish, "absolutely not." We asked where we could get copies and she kindly explained that it was "our problem". I guess that DMV people go to some special worldwide school of how to be inconsiderate and grumpy while working.

We walked back the 1/2 mile to exit the compound and up the street until we saw an office that had a small sign that said "copias". We went inside and were charged .50 each for copies on a home copier that took approximately 10 minutes each to copy our licenses front and back. We walked back to the compound and back to the line and then finally saw the "reviewer" lady. She looked everything over and then stamped it with her approval. We then had to wait in another line. We were numbers 34,35 and 36. When it was our turn a large light-bulb would turn on in front of the desk that was available...kind-of funny. A man at a desk entered all my information into the computer and then printed off a receipt. He explained that I now needed to take the receipt, exit the compound and go to Banco Costa Rica and pay the $8 fee for a license. ($4,000 colones) I thought at that point that maybe they should hire some North American process-review guru in order to help them with their processes. After paying our bill at the bank we returned, had our pictures taken and were FINALLY issued drivers licenses... a process that only took 5 hours! I should start a column on my blog called "Things that take an incredible amount of time longer because you live in Central America". I could write daily! Oh well, I do have a drivers license now and can hopefully end my "driving-free-days" tally.

20 Years Together

2008-06-23T15:34:00.002-04:00

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary! We started our morning with breakfast together at 6 a.m. reflecting on our last 20 years together. Who would have thought all these years later that we would be here in Costa Rica with 5 beautiful children preparing to serve God in Guatemala?? If you had ever told me so 20 years ago, I would have thought you were crazy! We have lived in many different places, travelled the globe, have so many close friends, survived a failed business, had 5 kids, enjoyed the fruits of some success, learned much, grieved deeply and now are entering the most adventurous phase of our lives yet. God is sooooo good.

God has truly blessed us. We are closer today than ever and have a life rich with challenges and blessings from God. We thank the Lord for our marriage and to have experienced "true love" from the very beginning.

Aaron's Graduation from Kindergarten!

2008-06-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

Dad, Mom and the Graduate.
Aaron and "Teacher Victoria" his spanish teacher.
Aaron and his teacher, Miss Lauren, a bilingual missionary teacher.
Aaron accepting his diploma with a kiss.
Singing for us.Happy Graduation Aaron! We love you!

Isaiah 58:10-11

2008-06-20T08:42:00.004-04:00

"And if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." What a beautiful verse.

In the midst of all the craziness of learning this new language and adapting to life in Central America, Isaiah 58 was so refreshing to read. We need to constantly remind ourselves why we are here... to work with the hungry and oppressed! Please pray for the ministry in Guatemala and that the children there will be fed... most importantly the saving truth of our Lord! Pray that our schools will be safe places for these children to learn, grow and become the future Godly men and women of Guatemala. Pray that our administrators, teachers, doctors and every other worker there will have a fresh outlook each day and be prepared to meet the needs of these precious children.

Today's "Utmost for his Highest"

2008-06-04T07:57:00.003-04:00

Varias Cosas

2008-06-01T18:30:00.010-04:00

We've had plenty going on this week and thought we would send along some recent pictures. The children have been wanting a pet since we got here and we wound up with 2. The first, Max is a cute little hamster that I found in my shoe in the garage. He is now rescued from his tough life in the streets of San Jose and has a home with our kids! Then yesterday Mary was having a baby shower for our good friends, Tim and Amy Dawson, when a very young cat followed one of the ladies into our house. She explained that he had followed her all the way from her house and he appeared to be stray. Our kids played with him all day and after trying my darndest to resist their pleas to keep him, I gave in and went out and bought cat food. He has cuddled with our kids all day and is the sweetest little guy! They have named him Toby and are just loving having him around.

Brody holding "Toby" the cat.

Aaron and Toby

Abbie

Eve and Toby

Brody

Jordan and Aaron

Safety in San Jose

2008-06-01T17:38:00.007-04:00

I hate to even discuss this topic for fear of scaring anyone, however, one thing we have had to learn to contend with here in the city is that we are minorities and that we are viewed by some as opportunities. In an entirely latino city we stand out like sore thumbs and for the wrong people we become targets for money. This past week we have experienced increased crime against our student body and need your prayers for safety. Several students were robbed at gunpoint this week, another had a break-in/robbery (while the wife and child were home...how frightening!) and several others were robbed or attempted to be robbed in the street or park. It has sent a wave of fear through the school. We are very fortunate that we live close to the school and do not have to walk far. We also have a neighborhood armed guard all night in front of our home. When we go out running or to the store we carry just enough cash to satisfy a would-be bandit and no more and we are very careful to watch who is around, who may have seen us leave and any suspicious activity in our midst. We know that we need to be prudent but that we do not have to live in fear! God is greater than that and His purpose for us right now is to be here, learning spanish and preparing to head to Guatemala to serve him.

My topic this past week for FARO was "Seguridad en Costa Rica" or security. It was a wonderful opportunity to discuss the topic with Ticos and get there reaction to crime here. Almost universally, Ticos are afraid as well and have experienced some form of crime in their lives. Many attribute the increase in violence to other nationalities that have moved here for opportunity (Colombians came up often) and turn to crime in order to survive. Costa Ricans are extrememly peaceful by nature/culture. We have been incredibly blessed by our relationships with Ticos and find them to be the most open, friendly and trustworthy people we have ever known. Please pray for the people of Costa Rica... for their safety, well-being and above all, SALVATION.

Our neighbors came to church again this morning and we had a wonderful service/communion. Their children have been at our home all afternoon and our kids just love them. Jordan is even beginning to sound Tico, testing out every possible expression he can think of with his friends!

A Blessed Weekend

2008-05-19T14:24:00.006-04:00

Saturday afternoon I went out running and on the way back noticed that my neighbor and some other guys were hanging out on the front steps of their house. I decided to join them... I went over and started a conversation and before I knew it I was talking to him (Carlos), his brother Randall, his cousin Edgar, his sister-in-law and 4 of their sons...plus an occasional visitor here and there. I shared my testimony... why we are in Costa Rica, what we went through in order to get here and what we are going to be doing in Guatemala. They asked me many questions and I answered them to the best of my ability in spanish. My sons noticed me, from across the street, and Carlos asked if they could come and play with his sons (same ages). They came over and almost immediately they were all running around with nerf guns and playing like they had known each other for years! Carlos' wife told me I looked hungry and fed me dinner and then Mary headed over to visit as well. We were there most of the night. Carlos shared with me that he had been raised by his mother who was a Christian but had not followed Christ. He works as a liquor salesman and felt that his work was "no muy cristiano". He said that he felt that God brought us across the street to lead him to "change". Towards the end of our time together I asked him if he would please accompany us to church. He said that they would join us.

The next morning we all (including some of his brother's sons) headed to our church "El Lugar" (the place... an evangelical church). Upon arriving there we were all surprised to discover (including Carlos) that many of his extended family attended... and one other interesting note: His neice's husband is our pastor! Our pastor seemed surprised and overjoyed that Carlos was there with his family and gave him a special welcome from the pulpit (having him stand and welcoming them personally). The message was beautiful, something Mary and I had prayed earnestly for that morning, and focused on Satan's methods of operation and our need to examine our hearts and our fruits. After the service, many people were coming up to Carlos and his family and hugging him and expressing their extreme pleasure that he was there.

After church we had them over for a barbecue (on their grill) and talked more about each others lives, ate mucho and watched our kids enjoying each other. We also watched the end of the Saprissa game. Saprissa won 5 - 0. God is good.

Jessica y Carlos
Carlos' brother Randal y his wife Jessenia
The kids all hanging out

Sergio. This is their "blessing". He was hospitalized for the first year of his life and was not expected to live for more than a week or so... or ever walk. He now walks and is healthy.

Marcela Gandara...Great Musica Cristiana

2008-05-13T23:57:00.003-04:00

Words to the second song:

Give me your eyes, I want to see. Give me your words, I want to speak. Give me your view/perspective. Give me your feet, I want to go. Give me your desires for feeling. Give me your view/perspective. Give me what I need...To be like You. Give me your voice, give me your breath. Take my time, it's for you. Give me the way that I must follow. Give me your dreams, your longings. Your thoughts/mind, your feelings. Give me your life for living. Let me see that which is your time. Give me your grace, your power. Give me your heart. Let me see inside you. To be changed by your love. Give me your heart.

Greetings from Maine

2008-05-11T23:24:00.004-04:00

We received the nicest card from our church family, First Baptist of Portland. Here's us after church today holding it for a thank you back to them via email. They wrote in perfect spanish all around the perimeter of the card and then wrote the sweetest messages to us. Thank you so much FBC family! We miss you and love you all! As you can see, Eve liked it too!

FARO

2008-05-08T21:52:00.003-04:00

San Jose Centro Ciudad

Tomorrow at 9:20 (after my morning grammar class) I will head into the city in order to build my new FARO route. FARO F=Facilitator (a teacher at the Institute) A= Ayudante (native helper) R= Ruta (route) O= Oir,Observar and Oraganizar (Listen,Observe and be Organized!) I need to find 10 native people that will agree to meet with me twice per week for 15 minutes in order to discuss themes that I have pre-selected to study. Each theme will include an emphasis on an area of grammar which I must use, for example: direct and indirect objects, any of the tenses (past perfect, past imperfect, future, subjunctives, conditionals, etc...) Some themes I have chosen include: education in Costa Rica, poverty y economic factors, the government, Costa Rica's lack of military, Christianity, their perception of U.S., bullfighting, soccer, etc... I have memorized an introduction in order to explain my program and what is required of them. Please pray that I am able to find men that are patient, interesting and easy to understand. I am both excited and scared of this new arrangement! There are 2 other students in the program and we will meet for an hour as a group on Mondays and Fridays to share our experiences and to pass in our required reports. In addition to my route I also have to report on 1 activity per week in which I spoke nothing but spanish for 20 minutes or more. I have begun putting some ideas together for activities: visiting an orphanage, visiting the largest mattress factory in Costa Rica (here in San Jose... I thought maybe I could show them how to build a comfortable mattress too!), going to the National Museum with a guide and going to a nice restaurant with my wife and speaking only spanish together. (I like that one the best!) My ayudante (helper, who I have not found yet) needs to be a native speaker that can also speak some english. He will help me to put together (in proper Costa Rican lingo) questions to ask on my route and to phrase my reports back to my facilitator. I have been told that FARO is a way to accelerate my speaking and comprehension and I pray that this is the case... because it is definately stretching me at the moment!!

Aaron and Jordan Playing Soccer

2008-05-08T20:31:00.002-04:00

Here is a little clip of Aaron and Jordan playing indoor soccer this afternoon at school:

What I Miss

2008-05-06T09:57:00.004-04:00

With Mary in Maine these last several days I was feeling a bit homesick... I was talking with Abbie last night about what we miss in the US and here is a little list we came up with: (not necessarily in order of importance)

~ My wife at the moment!!!! Come home soon Mary!
~ Obviously the first on the list is people! Family & Friends
~ Dunkin Donuts coffee (fr vanilla?) and a bagel with veggie cream cheese
~ A really good cheeseburger... maybe one of my Dad's at their camp! (with a few pineneedles for extra flavor) Central American hamburger is o.k. but just not the same!
~ Driving a car. I have logged 0 miles since we left. I must say that gas is cheaper that way!
~ Walking at night. I love to go out walking at night and here it is just not a safe prospect.
~ Pedestrians having the right-of-way and people yielding to you. Never Here.
~ Life out of the city.
~ English
~ Going to the supermarket and spending less than 150,000 (colones that is)
~ Water. When it is hot we are landlocked and there are no lakes around to swim in...and the beach is over 2 hrs. away! Many afternoons I would love to go jump in the lake. :(
~ Moxie soda...no one's every heard of it!
~ A sermon that I can understand more than 40% of.
~ A yard without a wall, razor wire, gates and locks.
~ A neighborhood without an armed guard walking up and down the streets... although this does provide some comfort!
~ Paying my light, water and other bills online rather than in the bank (required here) and having more than a few days to pay them! (my water bill is generally due 3 days after I receive it...the first month we waited a few days past and they shut it off!)
~ A good steak...

Now, just to be fair here's a list of what we would miss here:

~ Almost everyone you meet wants to talk and know all about you. Taxi drivers, people in line at the bank, people in the supermarket, neighbors, ect... This is an incredibly relationship oriented culture. One person explained that for so many years they had nothing but each other.
~ We have found that most everyone is open to discussing God and desire to know more about Him. I suspect this is the result of a culture with many needs.
~ The climate is near-perfect.
~ The ability to go anywhere, anytime in a taxi...cheap.
~ Way simpler living
~ Chicken... their chicken here is really good!
~ Gallo Pinto: their traditional black bean and rice dish
~ Incredible fruit, Incredibly cheap. Mangos, pineapples (Mary bought them last week for .20 ea.) etc...
~ Spanish
~ Costa Rican coffee
~ Being close to all services
~ Starting nearly every day with sun
~ Afternoon thunder showers
~ Cool nights
~ Flowers year-round

Trip to the Jungle

2008-05-05T10:30:00.002-04:00

Before Mary left for Maine, we had the great pleasure of resting for 4 nights at the Casa Shalom Missionary Retreat Home in the Jungle near Fraijanes, Costa Rica. We had a wonderful time, reading books, napping and visiting the jungle. Here is a short video of our trip:

My Last Trimester Class

2008-05-04T12:02:00.001-04:00

Here are some pictures of my last trimester classes:

Angela (Bolivia), Lisa (Peru), Me, Rick (Costa Rica) and Brian #2 (Argentina) Teacher: Anna Silvia

Fonetica (Phonetics)

Rick, Ken, Me, Tara, Kathy, Lisa, Krystal, Angela, Brian and Teacher: Oscar (very cool!)

Gramatica

Teacher: Rita Morillo

Lenguaje (Conversation)

Mary's Grammar Class

2008-04-25T07:48:00.002-04:00

Mary's grammar class after their trimester fiesta. Their terrific teacher, Graziela is right in the middle.

Our Location on the Map

2008-04-24T23:46:00.006-04:00

For those that like maps... Here is our location in Costa Rica. One marker is the Language School and the other is our house. Click "view larger map" below the map in order to explore Costa Rica. +/- will zoom in and out on the map. San Jose, as you will see, is a large city! Enjoy!

View Larger Map

Happy Anniversary Latin American Style

2008-04-24T18:21:00.004-04:00

Our friends Bob and Tess celebrated their 11th anniversary and Bob hired a Mariachi band to play outside their classroom. Que Bueno! Here is the video:

2008-04-24T08:13:00.003-04:00

1/3rd Complete

2008-04-22T22:18:00.003-04:00

Mary and I had our final exams of the Trimester this afternoon and could not be more relieved that our first 1/3rd of language school is complete! We have 2 more days, mostly practice and a few fiestas and then we will enjoy a week and a half break! I can hardly believe we've been here for 4 months now and are all settled in this completely different culture! The last few weeks has been difficult for us and we're really looking forward to a little rest. Where are we at after 4 months? I am truly amazed at how much we have learned. This afternoon I walked into a shoe-store and asked for "indoor soccer sneakers in size 6 U.S. size " that "weren't to expensive" and then even negotiated a 20% discount. I even understood when the clerk asked me if I wanted the shoebox or not and that the sneakers came with a guarantee! We have now completed present, past perfect and past imperfect tenses and move on to the subjunctive and conditional tenses next trimester, the heart of the language. I am still at the point where there are many words I just do not know, so it can be frustrating to express myself. I find myself beating around the bush alot.

This weekend we travel to the rain forest to stay at a missionary retreat home for 4 days of rest. It is set on 35 acres and has its own trails, streams and lots of wildlife. The kids are very excited to get out of the city for a bit. (us too!) It still takes some getting used to living in the city. Mary will leave for Maine as soon as we return and is looking forward to visiting her Mom, family and some firends.

A Video Tour of the Spanish Language Institute ~ From a Fellow Student

2008-04-20T23:03:00.001-04:00