Rhyan Ashcraft Mission Trip Video

Blessings

Friends, God has been blessing us so much!  We have our bus here and running!  We have been helping numerous families in our church, and the grocery give away is going strong!  Thanks for all you do for us!!!

Bread of Life

After our first anniversary here at Grace Baptist Church, God has been blessing tremendously!  That Sunday we gave away bags of groceries to those in need in our community.  So many people came and were saved that we have started doing that once every month.  We call it our Bread of Life ministry.  They are filled physically and spiritually through this new ministry.  Our attendance has sky rocketed, and there have been people saved in almost every service!  Plus, God has provided us with a building to rent just in time to accommodate everyone!  We praise God and can't wait to see what He does next!

The Latest

We have had so many good things happening here in Guatemala!  We had two services where we Skyped with our home church in March.  We had a fun cookout that Sunday, and four people were saved! 

We also had our first Easter service last month, and Rhyan preached a great message.  That is always a special day for us.  Here there are so many parades and carnivals that it just becomes an excuse for people to have a party or vacation, but it means so much more!  It is the most important day in our faith, and I hope that our members were able to glean that from the sermon.

Last Sunday we had our one year anniversary!  It was wonderful!  We went visiting up the side of the volcano and signed families up to receive a bag of groceries when they came to the service.  Every single person that signed up came to church!  We had 49 in attendance, and many saved!  Everyone was so appreciative and pleasant.  We wanted to let them know that we love them, and Grace Baptist Church is a church that gives.  It was a true blessing to be in that service. 

Ian Alexander Ashcraft

We are excited to announce the birth of our son, Ian Alexander Ashcraft, on February 5, 2013.  He and I are both healthy and doing well, praise the Lord.  We thank God for this little miracle!

Dia Del Nino

El Dia Del Nino, or Kid's Day (October 1st) is a very big day in most Latin American countries, including Guatemala.  It's similar to Mother's or Father's Day, but for the children.  Iglesia Bautista La Gracia (Grace Baptist Church) had a special event to celebrate this day in Ciudad Vieja.  We asked permission to rent the biggest building for events in the city, but the owner refused to rent it to us - he insisted that we could us it for free!  Members of the church helped divide candy, tracks, and invitations into 100 bags to give to the first 100 children that came.  Rhyan handed out flyers in the park, and we all help set everything up that evening.  When we drove up to the building, there was a line of kids waiting for the program to start!  Over 400 people came!!  We couldn't believe it!  Rhyan performed gospel magic (magic tricks that portray Biblical principles), and gave an invitation.  Over 100 people accepted Christ!  What a great blessing and opportunity for the church in this community!  At least 300 tracks and invitations were handed out as well.  We are so thankful to the Lord for blessing that special day and for all the help from the members of our church!

 

CANDY!

 

Waiting for the program to start!

 

Thanks Joshua Baptist Church and Brother Pickett for the awesome sound system and lapel mic!

 

Giving out candy

 

So many people!!

 

They even went to the second floor!

 

Rhyan doing gospel magic

 

Volunteer from the crowd

 

Prayer Requests Aug-Sept 2012

§  We need a church van!  We would like to purchase a microbus here in Guatemala for several reasons.

1.       Maintenance - They do not like to work on Fords, Chevrolets, and Dodges here. Most mechanics start to wave you away when you pull up in one. It is very difficult to find parts for American vehicles as well. Everything would need to be imported from the USA.

2.       Shape - Our vehicles from the States are just too wide to use in Guatemala. I have already had to sell my Dodge Ram pickup because it would not fit down the street we live on!! A very sad day for me…

3.       Economy - The 4 cylinder diesel engines used here just sip at fuel compared to our gulping V6’s or V8’s.

4.       Price - If we were able to purchase a van in the USA for $3000 dollars, it would cost an additional $1400 to get it from the USA to the border of Guatemala. Then we would have to pay another $2000 to $2500 to import it into Guatemala. The total cost of a $3000 dollar van would be around $6500 to $7000. We can get a good used microbus here for around $4500 to $5500 with a lot less wear and tear on it.

 

If anyone would like to contribute to this cause, you can send the designated funds to our home church – Joshua Baptist Church (P.O. Box 1210 Joshua, TX 76058).  But above all, please pray.

 

§  We are also looking for a building to rent so we can have room for more people in our services.  We would like it to have a sturdy roof, electricity, restrooms, and an area to park the van we pray the Lord will provide. 

 

§  Please pray for more people to be saved and that the church will grow according to God’s will.

 

§  Lastly, please pray for a safe pregnancy and delivery for Lauren and Baby Ian.