Author Archives: paradiseboundministries

Building Day #1

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Well we made it through building day one and we did it just in time before the rains came. The houses all went together well and we completed the work near 2:30 this afternoon. One another note, If your reading this and I told you we were on Central time, I was wrong. We are on mountain time, so we are two hours behind home. By 2:00, just after lunch, the dark clouds rolled in and threatened to rain on the exposed drywall. We got a few short bursts of light rain and were able to cover the buildings and keep things dry.

There were many kids around and they were asking for “Dulce”. In our village we are not giving away the candy (dulce) right now. We are waiting. The children in this village were getting hooked after three years of teams. So the decision was made to stop giving candy until dedication day. So now we are able to spend time with the kids without the need for the candy. It is a nice change. Our younger participants are making friends and I saw many kids holding hands with the local kids. We are living as ambassadors here, getting to know the people and working with them. As the day progressed the family we were building for began to pitch in more and more. They are opening to us, and sharing their names with us.

Now we are back at the base and having supper. We ate good today at lunch too. We had beans and rice. Wednesday we are mixing it up with rice and beans. But there was a “salsa” with it mixed with lime juice that was delicious. I was looking for the cilantro…but didn’t find any. Regardless the food was amazing. I recommend the Beans. We are looking forward to devotions tonight. We will share some pictures here soon. As soon as I figure it out. For the Team: Brandon Sloterbeek

We are here!

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Well we made it. Everything went as planned and we are in Guatemala. We made it through customs without a hitch and we are at the mission base right on schedule. The day was very tiring as we started at 4:15AM (Some of us even earlier) to get our 6:15AM flight out of Grand Rapids. There were tons of people there for 6:15AM. The luggage guy said he hadn’t been that busy since Thanksgiving.  Once checked in, however, it was smooth. The flights were without incident. Thank you all for your prayers to get us this far.

Today we arrived at the mission base and immeidately began sorting the medicine and donated items and gifts for the various projects. Though tired we all pushed through to supper sorting meds and bagging various medications to be used at the medical clinics on Friday and Saturday. We also had some sight seeing outside at some of the amazing scenery, even abig volcano emerged from the clouds by the end of the day. After a delicious meal (I told everyone they would eat good here), we shared a devotional time of signing and reflecting on why God had called us to be here at this time. What is God doing in us from the inside out. I personally can tell you that God is already moving and bringing many things together to minister to my inside and the things in my heart. From a disussion of fighting lions in the snow to singing about God’s power that is mighty to save, we are all beginning to be shaped by this experience.

Tomorrow we will descend to La Reina which is a coastal refugee village that has been worked on for the last three years. There is much fruit already in this village and many more are on the brink as we come to this village tomorrow. Practically, we are framing and drywalling tomorrow. Spiritually we are laying the foundations of relationships that could be Eternal and will have a multiplied impact of hundred and thousands. Please pray for stamina tomorrow as it is physically one of our most demanding. Pray also for the forming of these new relationships. There will be a lot more coming on this blog in the days to come as individuals tell their stories and we get the time to upload some images of the work that is ongoing that you are supporting with your prayers and donations. You all are also in our prayers as we reflect daily on those who are not with us – our families and friends and churches. We pray for you too. It’s time for bed.

For the Team – Brandon Sloterbeek