Serving God in Guatemala

“…and these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?” Job 26:14.

We indeed heard a small portion of the “thunder of His power” this week, both in a physical sense and in the spiritual realm. San Miguel Las Dueñas is located at the base of Volcan Fuego. This team of college students experienced firsthand the “thunder of His power” as the volcano erupted with incredible force and staggering views of God’s handiwork last week.

We were placed under a “yellow alert” and advised to proceed with caution delivering the Word house to house. With the volcano booming ominous explosions of thunder and spewing lava, rock and sulfuric acid high into the air, we knocked on doors with the Good News of Jesus Christ. And the Lord blessed the work of our hands tremendously.

Nearly 30 people either trusted in Christ as Savior or expressed interest in attending a Bible study in their pueblo. And only the Lord knows what will become of the seeds planted through the 1,830 books of John delivered in San Miguel Dueñas and 874 reaching the hands of residents in San Juan Alotenango. In total, 2,704 Gospels of John were placed in homes that may never have had an opportunity to read for themselves of Jesus’ sacrifice and invitation to them.

One afternoon, a group talked with a young man named Tato. As he stood in the doorway of his home, he seemed interested in hearing more about what is in the book he was given. A team member quickly shared the plan of salvation with him, and he said he’d like to think about it more. He has a 20-day-old baby and really would like to be a good father for his “nena.” The group walked on down the cobblestone street and paused to pray for Tato. It was obvious the Holy Spirit was working in his life.

The next afternoon, Janella and the student minister who had shared with Tato were sitting on a bench in the park when Tato stepped down from a chicken bus. He came right over to them and began to talk. The minister asked him if he’d thought anymore about what had been shared yesterday. He said he had and he now was ready to give his life over to the Lord. He prayed to receive Christ. But the story didn’t end there. He rushed home and brought his father-in-law back to hear about salvation. He asked if he could help pass out the Bibles. “Everyone needs this message;” he said, “I want to help!” We pray that God may be already preparing Tato to be a strong leader in a new Baptist church in Dueñas some day soon!

The two universities truly experienced the “thunder of His power” this week. And to think that all the power we heard, saw and felt is only a faint whisper of His true might! How awesome is our God!