Ivanrest Impact Ministries – Guatemala

Hi everyone,

I just got this email from Heidi with an update on the team!  They are all working hard but are tired so please pray for energy and health!  We also need to pray that they will be able to get the connection for the internet.  It is so important for Dan and Heidi’s work to have that connection to their supporters.  Please pray that this will be taken care of more quickly than usually occurs in Guatemala!

In His Grip! Kristy Van Wyhe

Here is Heidi’s note:

Dear Intercessors,

Team Ivanrest made it into La Bendicion safely, although not quite on
schedule.  After getting 2-3 hours of sleep it was a long day
yesterday.  They will start updating their blog as soon as they can.
They will be back at the base friday evening, but last night our
server  was fried in an electrical storm.  A technician will be out in
24-48 hours.  Which as you know in guatemala time could be a long
time.    I am heading in to the agency today to see if I can speed
that up, but please pray that we will be back online shortly.  Also
our phone line at the base does not accept incoming calls.  We are
about 102 hours into our 24-48 hours wait for that technician!  Gotta
love Guatemala time. 

Thank you, Heidi

I know that there are many anxious friends and family who are awaiting word on our loved ones in Guatemala, I just want to offer some assurance that, NO news IS GOOD news!  The fact that we have not heard anything yet is very reassuring to me.  I know without a doubt, that had something gone wrong, we would have heard immediately.  Since there has been no news we can rest in the assurance that they are working away being God’s hands and feet!     My guess is that they arrived very late, around 3 or 4 am, which will put them already behind the schedule of building.  Dan had hoped that they would be able to get an early start each day before the heat and rain comes.  Arriving so late will put them behind a bit but I know that this team will be able to handle it!

Today their goal was to get all 5 houses up.  They would mount the interior drywall and exterior drywall to the steel studs, make a window and a door, tape and put the first coat of mud inside.  Please pray that they will have the energy to get it all done but more importantly that they will be able to build the relationships with the precious people of Bendicion and with Jesus! 

Tonight will be their first large group devotion time with amazing singing, God sightings and they will begin to find out how they can become Sold Out for Christ!  Pray that the Holy Spirit moves through the group.  They will also have their first small group time where they can dig in a little deeper into the nightly topic!

Pray  that they will get a good nights sleep and will be re-energized for tomorrow is STUCCO DAY!  If I hear anything I will post immediately!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support for the team!

In His Grip!

Kristy Van Wyhe

Kevin just called me at 10:02 pm on Tuesday night and they are still sitting on the tarmac waiting for the go ahead!  They are already 2 hours behind schedule and probably won’t arrive at the base until 3 am!  They will all be very tired, so please pray for strength and energy for their first day of building tomorrow.  They hope to get a message to me in the morning to let me know that they are safely there.  I will post as soon as I hear anything!

It doesn’t sound like they will have any internet access until Friday evening!  I will try to keep you updated with whatever I hear.

Surround them in prayer for this powerful week they have ahead of them!

In His Grip!

Kristy

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Dear Intercessors,

Team Ivanrest arrives in Guatemala about 11 pm (EST) tonight and will
travel directly to  La Bendicion, where they will be staying for the
next three days.  Please keep them in your prayers as they travel and
minister this week.  You can follow along with their progress at
http://ivanrestimpactguatemalasummer2008.wordpress.com/

It looks like they won’t have internet access for the first three
days, but will update starting Friday evening.

In HIM,

Dan and Heidi

Here we are at 24 hours before departure.  On Tuesday,  June 17 we will be leaving Ivanrest church via bus to Detroit and after a full day of traveling we should arrive at the remote coastal village, where we will be staying for the first three days, sometime after midnight.

This is the 11^th team that Ivanrest has sent  to Guatemala to build not only earthly homes and care for physical needs but also to build eternal homes and care for spiritual souls.  This is our calling and our mission.

From June 18-20 we will be living in a remote coastal village where many people do not have homes or very poor ones at that.  A year ago mud slides took many of the corn stalk homes that where there.  We will be building five 10×12 homes [The size of many of our sheds] that will become homes to 5 precious families that we will surely fall in love with.  This will be a new experience as we will be living right there with the people while we build.  On Friday we will be having a dedication for these homes where the families will be given an invitation to make their heart Christ’s home.

Friday Night we will be packing up and moving to the second place we will be staying in Chimultinango.  There we will be preparing to travel on Saturday and on Sunday to hard to reach mountain villages where few foreigners have ever been.  While at these villages we will be setting up medical clinics and providing much needed medicine.  We will also be showing the Jesus Film and presenting them with the message of the one who can save both the Body and the Soul. 

On Monday we will start our day at the new base in the mountains and have our personal devotions in the quiet and beautiful Guatemala hills.  We will then have a chance to visit a village that many of the team previously worked at and conclude with some time in Antigua at the local market.

Throughout the week we will be taking time to not only open others to God’s word but we will be opening God’s word to ourselves.  Our focus this week is on becoming “Sold Out” for God. 

We invite you to join us on this journey as we place our hands and feet in God’s hands and give him our all.   We not only covet your prayers but we need them.  Please remember us through out the week and hold us up as we face the challenges and joys that lay ahead. 

We hope to have internet available in the remote village and update with pictures, prayer needs and stories each evening.  This may be a challenge, so please be patient if we cannot update as quickly as we would like.

Welcome along to our adventure!!!  Thanks for being our support!!!

Kevin Van Wyhe