Latin America...Here I come

As most of you know, one of my goals here at GCC is to develop a Family Missions program that will give families an opportunity to serve together locally, regionally, x-culturally and internationally. As part of this development, Dan Blacketor (volunteer here at GCC) and I will be traveling from April 30-May 5 to Mexico and Guatemala.

In Mexico we will be visiting Back2Back Ministries in Monterrey. Back2Back was launched in Monterrey by some local people from the Granger Area. Currently, our youth ministry travels down every summer to engage in a short term missions experience. We will be staying there for 2 days and then off to Guatemala.

I am very excited to visit the country of Guatemala. This is the land of eternal spring where the temp never goes below 55 and never above 80. While we are there, we will visit a ministry called Pray America. Pray America currently offers a food program for hungry families and children, widow housing, orphanges and schooling. Their headquarters are located in Chichicastenango (Chichi). Because of a recent civil war in Guatemala, many of the men were killed, which has left 40,000 widows and 300,000 fatherless children in Chichi. 85% of the men that are there are alcoholics and of it's 50,000 people, only about 150 are Christ followers. So it should make for a very interesting stop. We will be here for 2 days and then head back to South Bend. I'll keep you all posted on this trip when it arrives.