The Virginia team came down the same day as the ladies from Oklahoma/Arkansas went to Casa aleluya to continue serving the LORD. This time the team was a little larger and consisted of 35 memebers then we added translators to the team and made for more than 40 people on campus for 10 days. Again they came with obstacles and task unplanned. The day of their arrival they had to carry there luggage in through the mud trenched road about 200 yards. Yet they were ready and excited to serve the LORD and be used by HIM. As we met the evening of their arrival it was on my heart that we remember the WORD of our LORD in
James1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
As we knew it would be a challenge knowing that our fight is not against flesh and blood we knew without a doubt the LORD was about to rock it and that we just needed to portray HIS love and joy while resisting the fiery darts of the devil. Thus that’s just what we did. With that many on campus coming and going as a group every day buying for outreach, buying food and supplies for outreach; there want a lot of time to think about water nor worry about not being able to enter the cars to campus. The team went as if it was just another day at the office they too nether complained nor skipped stride. They traveled hours in a bus and in cars, carried bunk beds and water filters up and down hills for miles by hand, presented food bags, sweated in the heat, installed wood burning stoves, worked on campus, loved on the youth with a girls retreat one day and a boys retreat another day, loved on kids at a handicap children’s home (los gozosos), visited casa aleluya all this to share the love gospel of JESUS.
Apart from not being able to get water GOD provided the whole time they were here with water, apart from not being able to enter by car all the way to campus they had a flat tire on the bus one time causing dinner to be really late, had my car broke into in a parking lot while eating dinner on a return from a different outreach, not being able to have bunk beds delivered on a timely manner per our schedule yet they arrived to the town at night just as we finished a full day of ministry at night and the team put them together fast and the families carried them to their houses. There was also a road block that stopped us for about an hour that morning.
As stated everyone stayed the course didn’t complain and got the jobs done worshiping and praising GOD all along the way. They finished there trip with a day in Antigua. At least half them stopped did that the other half took another week to travel and see Guatemala including hiking the big twin volcano called Acatenango that is see from our place. We the Clemmons family were blessed to do that with them and had a great time 6.5 hours up one day and 3 hours back down the next. It was a fun experience. After they left on the 7th we were scheduled to have a team from Texas with us the 8th but they had to postpone their trip due to the hurricane that hit during that time. LORD willing they will be here this month of August. Then on the 16th of July we the Clemmons family headed to the states for a quick two week trip as I was blessed to be invited to speak at the annual meeting of the covenant brethren church in Pennsylvania. What an awesome humbling experience it was also for the first time translated my self from English to Spanish. That was a challenge but the the LORD led me through and gave me the message to share. We then visited a mission group at one church on Saturday in Virginia and then spoke a quick minute at 3 services at another church in Virginia on Sunday. A blessed time of fellowship and thanksgiving to see familiar faces and friends who have been a big part of the LORD’s work here in Guatemala. It was then back off to Alabama for a week to take care of things and visit family. Spoke the final Sunday of our trip for a quick minute at my home church in Anderson Alabama while I had the best privledge as a father to baptize our son Asher who had given his life to the LORD a while back. It is something that is unexplainable no doubt.
We then did some resting and visiting with doctors checkups for the kids and headed back to Guatemala on the 1st of August.
Had a youth retreat on campus the 2nd-4th from an English speaking church in the city. Then on the 6th we had the teachers of the Christian school where our kids attend do their in service day on campus. The weekend of the 9th and 10th we had some pastor families come up for a retreat where we just provided the facility primarily. Nontheless it was a blessing getting to meet a couple of brother and sisters who are working for the LORD.
Now here we are over halfway through august and yet had another youth camp on campus Saturday Sunday 17-18th. Where this time we went on a sunrise hike after a night of rain, did a devotion where I was blessed to share about the importance of GOD’s Word of not only believing but trusting everything in HIS promises and applying that to our lives. We then had some games and relays.
Thus since our return stateside we have been trying to get the place fixed up and cleaned up from the buildings to the gardens etc. for those activities while also hanging out with the kids before they started back to school last week.
Team arriving tomorrow from Texas LORD willing and hope to be sharing the gospel with folks through food bags and kid activities.
So stay tuned for more updates as we still have activities planned this month.
Thank all y’all for what y’all do for the the LORD especially through us.
Thanks again and GOD bless y’all!!!
Blessings in CHRIST,
The Clemmons Family – Guatemala
Here are some prayer request on case you were wondering. Thanks y’all!!!
⁃ Pray for us to do exactly what GOD wills us to do.
⁃ pray for the property negotiation as we believe that it is time for us to move off campus but close enough to be able to continue the work on campus. Property has been offered but a price agreement has not been made. We just want GOD to puppet and use us for HIS glory!
⁃ Pray for all those we come in contact with including those who come up for a retreat.
⁃ Pray for our kids and their classmates as they start school this week.
⁃ Pray with us for workers to come help us finish some of the details on the main campus from masonry, to railings, to cleaning, and gardening etc.
⁃ Pray for our banking system stateside as we look to make some changes in the near future.
⁃ Overall that GOD’s will be done in all we do.
