Guatemala

We have Water!

We finally received permission from the new mayor to connect our house to the town’s water line.

But first we had to dig a 500 feet long ditch down the road in order to connect to their pipe! It took a few days, and fortunately the road is just a dirt road. The above picture is our ditch as it’s passing our neighbor’s house that is also under construction. They have been generous in sharing their water connection these last three months as we were waiting.

Yesterday we reached the main waterline. Water pipes are very different here compared to the USA. We were only allowed to connect to the mainline with a 1/2 inch pipe, which is really skinny, especially for how far it has to go in order to reach our land!

It was also fascinating how the connected our pipe. They just sawed through  the mainline with full pressure! It was pretty messy, but they were very quick about adding in our new T connection and reconnecting everything.

Having water available for construction is such a blessing! We’ve been praying for it to be connected before our trip to Texas so that the construction can continue without problem.

Blog Info

Blog Fixed

I think that I’ve fixed the issues that the blog was having because of the move. Let me know in the comments if you see any problems!

Guatemala

Connecting with Carlos

Carlos grew up at Casa Shalom with Elias and Benjamin, but moved away a few years ago to work at a restaurant that also provided him room & board. We found out that he had moved back with his family, so we tracked him down to see how he’s doing. His family lives only about 5 minutes away from us, and it’s great to see him again. We hope to continue to build a relationship with him now that he’s close. He has some learning disabilities, which is why his family left him at the home to grow up. But he’s one of the nicest and most helpful guys you could meet!

Guatemala, Month Review

April in Guatemala

April was another busy month; sorry that this newsletter is coming out a little late. Our website is a little messed up right now as it’s been moved off of Casa Shalom’s website, so please update your bookmarks to www.PottersHome.org. Hopefully I’ll be able to soon resolve the problems that it’s having.

It’s great having Benjamin and Elias here with us, and we’re growing closer and closer together as a family. There’s certainly a transitional phase for both them as Casa Shalom has been their home since they were both young kids, and they’re accustomed to being surrounded by the other kids. So it’s a big change to be in a much smaller family now. And it’s been a change for Yuliza and I to have them here in our house all the time and to have the larger responsibility of planning and providing for them. But it’s so exciting to be growing together! I have great memories as a child eating dinner together with my family and talking about each of our days. Eating together while we discuss our days, hopes and plans for the future has now become my favorite time that we spend with the guys. We’ve also been studying the book of John together, and it has created many deep discussions. My prayer is that their relationships with our Heavenly Father will continue to mature in knowledge and depth of insight.

The construction on the house continue to steadily advance, and I’ve put a video of the progress on our website.

During my first trip to Guatemala I stayed with the Allan family and helped with their ministry Hearts for the Children. I watched the way this family from Canada interacted with the Guatemalans, and I was impacted by the way they tried to live as close to the Guatemalans as possible. Their example brought to life what the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:19-23 NIV)

My hope and prayer is that we would also model these verses in our own lives and in order break down the cultural and social borders that exist so that Christ may be glorified through us.

Prayer Requests for May:

  • Benjamin & Elias: Pray that they continue to grow in their relationship with God as they grow in their professional lives.
  • Traveling to Texas: At the end of this month Yuli and I are going to visit our church and friends in Austin. We’re so excited about this opportunity to visit so many people that we dearly miss, and we would appreciate the prayers for our trip, that it would be a great chance to reconnect with many friends and supporters.
  • Please pray 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 for us: to the fatherless and motherless, we pray that we may be a father and mother, to win as many as possible.

Thanks so much for your prayers and support for our ministry. We are incredibly grateful! We pray for all of you, so we’d love to hear from each of you about specific things that we can be praying for.

Brent and Yuliza

Guatemala

A day at the beach

Last week was Holy Week, so most schools and jobs were closed. On Saturday we decided to take advantage of the break and visit the beach for the day. The Pacific Ocean is only about 50 miles away from us, and the beach is interesting because the sand is black because of the nearby volcanos. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to us, but I think about half of Guatemala also decided to visit the beach as well.

I’ve never seen a beach as crowded as this one was! But we still had a great time together and enjoying the ocean. I still can’t believe that I forgot to take a picture of us all together, but at least I have this shot of our fresh-caught lunch!

 

Guatemala, Month Review

March in Guatemala

March has been a busy month full of teaching, cooking, constructing and growing! Benjamin has moved in with us this month, and so the Brito brothers are now here together. We have a picture of our family on our website, and our home sure feels a lot fuller now!

In February we finally had received the land title and began work on digging the trench for the foundation for the wall around the perimeter of the land. This month has been full of pouring the cement and laying blocks for the outer wall. It’s been really busy and tiring! (and I’m not even doing most of the labor) But it’s so exciting to be planing and designing the house. We have a bunch of pictures of the progress on our website.

Prayer requests for April:

  • Benjamin & Elias: We’re excited that God had brought them both to our home. Please pray that He would continue to form them into men of God while they’re here with us.
  • Construction: Construction is exciting, but it is also intimidating with so many big decisions and problems that arise. Please pray for wisdom for our decisions and safety for our workers. Please pray for favor with our mayor for issues such as water which we still need. And please pray for financial provision.
  • Us: Please pray that Yuliza and I would be able to spend the quality time together that we need as a couple as our home is now busier. Please pray that we would remain one in heart and mind.
  • Please pray that Galatians 2:20 would become more and more real to us and to our boys this month: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

I love the Easter season! I remember going to a sunrise service Easter morning with my family as a child and singing sings like ”Up from the grave He arose”. I remember being amazed by the love and the power of our God. The love that God had to send His Son for us sinners, and the love that Jesus had for us to suffer and die in order to pay the penalty for our sins. And the amazing power of our Lord. He remained perfect and pure while He lived and as He died. He conquered death by rising again. He destroyed the plans of the devil. He broke the bonds of sin in our lives that held us captive. And He returned in victory to His Father’s side, where He is preparing a place for us to be with Him. What an amazing God we serve!

My prayer for you, and I ask that you pray the same for us, is that the incredible love and power for our Lord would become more and more real in your lives. Happy Easter!

Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support!

With love,
Brent and Yuliza

Guatemala

In the beginning was the Word,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
This month we’ve started a Bible study on my favorite book of the Bible, John. Of the four accounts of Jesus’s life, called the gospels, this book feels like the most personal. It goes into great detail to explain why Jesus did what He did, and it includes lots of His conversations with the people around Him. It also has some of the most memorable verses like John 3:16 and John 14:6.

I love how this book focuses on many of Jesus’s explainations about the spiritual side of life, something completely new to the people. For example, in John 3 Jesus talks to a Jewish leader, Nicodemus, about the need to be born again; not a physical birth like the first time, but a spiritual birth. In John 4 He talks with a samaritan woman about being the source of of living water of eternal life. In John 6 He explained to a crowd that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have life. In John 8 Jesus explains that everyone who sins in a slave to sin, and that we are either the children of the devil or the children of God. In John 9 He gives sight to a blind man and explains spiritual blindness. His teachings are both fascinating and incredibly rich with lessons for our own lives. It’s so easy for us to be so focused on our physical lives that we forget about our spiritual lives.