June 2011 Prayer Letter

THE NICODEMUS PROJECT, GUATEMALA CITY
JUNE 2011

A most appropriate way to start out the monthly prayer letter is with the words of a child.  Recently, Ellis and Judy Leagan’s grandson, Zachary, who is 6 years old, had some health issues.  He is doing fine now, thanks to the prayers of many people.  He told his parents “he would still be in the hospital if it were not for all of those people praying”.  What a great way to think and to meditate on as you follow the prayer requests for each day during the month of June.

Wednesday, June 1:  Carol, Helen, Carlos and Silvia finished studying the Crown Financial studies.  Pray for Silvia and her family, as they will be traveling to Norway to spend two months with her husband’s family.  Also pray for Carlos, as he is busy in his new job.  He is working from 6 am until 10 pm each day as he is setting up a dollar type store business in Guatemala.  Pray that they would have opportunities to start new small groups to study together.

Thursday, June 2: Thanks for praying for George last month on his travels.  George was able to sign the sale papers on the property in Nicaragua last month, but was unable to finish the procedure at the bank.  Pray that he would be able to sell the other properties there, finalize the sale of one in Belize, and make progress on the ones in Guatemala. 

Friday, June 3: Through a God coordinated meeting, Carol was able to meet Hector a student at Galileo University.  Galileo is another upper class private university in Guatemala City, where a lot of students study science.  Carlos attends a local Baptist church and is a Christian.  Pray for he and Carol as they make plans to begin a prayer time, small group studies or other activities on campus to reach out to the students.

Saturday, June 4: Continue to pray for the small group that meets at Manuel and Siomara’s house.  Pray that they would continue to have an interest in learning more about the Bible and its teachings.  Pray that they would have a desire to attend the Sunday service at Impacto Biblico Church.

Sunday, June 5: As you know, Ellis and Judy Leagans have been diligently preparing for the June 11-17 OGM (Occasional General Meeting) of IMB personnel from Central America, the Caribbean, and some from Europe, as well as leadership from Peru and Chile. It will be starting next week in Guatemala. The meeting includes fellowship, worship, and numerous sessions focusing on changes and restructuring that the IMB is going through. Continue to pray that Ellis and Judy, who are coordinating the logistics for this, will do so effectively and that the OGM will be a meaningful time for all 200 or so who will attend.  Pray for them as they deal with last minute items that may come up.

Monday, June 6: Thank you for praying for Helen during the week that she taught Biblical Financial Principles in the Masters’ Program of the Guatemala Baptist Seminary.  Three pastors were in the group and they are excited about sharing these principles with their church members.  Helen, also, took the second trimester of Greek and now has to do a lot of follow-up homework to do.  Pray for her as she finishes this up as well as working on the Hebrews guide sheets for the cell groups.

Tuesday, June 7:  Happy Birthday Carol Wilkinson!  Today Carol will be meeting with a vision team from a church in Florida who are possibly interested in partnering with the mission work in Guatemala.  Pray for Carol as she shows them around Guatemala City and shares with them ways in which she could utilize teams in the university work.  They will also be seeing other parts of the city with other Baptist missionaries while they are here.

Wednesday, June 8: Tomorrow Sharon Cook will be leading the Thursday Bible study at Union Church.  Pray for Sharon as she prepares for this teaching.  Pray that the ladies in the study would have open hearts to what God has to say to each one of them.  Pray that Sharon and other teachers in the study would have wisdom about answering different questions, which come up during the studies.

Thursday, June 9: Dr. Daniel Sanchez , author of Gospel in the Rosary, will be in Guatemala for a conference this month.  Today the members of Impacto Biblico Baptist Church and members all of the cell groups have been invited to meet him, hear him speak, and ask him any questions they might have.  Please pray for this meeting that it will, once more, give a chance for the people to be challenged about false beliefs that they have traditionally accepted and followed that the study of the book has challenged.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully this evening.

Friday, June 10: Martin King has been George’s best friend since middle school.  Recently the doctor’s discovered that his wife, Margaret, has a malignant brain tumor.  At the time of this writing, the doctors are doing some tests to determine the best treatment.  Pray that Martin and Margaret will have peace in the midst of the storm.  Pray that the doctors will have the wisdom they need to provide adequate treatment.  Pray for healing according to the will of God.

Saturday, June 11: Today is a travel day for the OGM meeting.  Pray for safe travels for those flying into Guatemala City and for those who will be driving.  People will be arriving all day at the airport from early morning until late evening.  Pray for the Leagans, Frickes and others as they coordinate the airport pickups.

Sunday, June 12: The ladies’ prayer tea for Muslim women at Impacto Biblico Church was a wonderful experience even though we did not have a large turn-out.  Three Catholic ladies from our cell group joined us for the activity.  

Monday, June 13: Grant and Rebecca are getting close to their wedding and have a lot of the major decisions and arrangements made.  Now, pray that the details will fall into place.  Pray that they will be able to find adequate housing within their price range. Also, pray for Nathan, Claudia and his family as they return to Guatemala today from a two-week trip to Spain to visit Claudia’s sister and new niece.

Tuesday, June 14: Carol Wilkinson has had the opportunity to attend several sporting events involving some university students.  Pray for Carol as she looks for more activities to attend and as she thinks about having an end of the season activity for the teams.  Pray for Carol as she brainstorms with Roger Cowan about reaching out to the students and youth of Guatemala who are involved in sport activities.

Wednesday, June 15: Manuel and Siomara made out a schedule for the first 3-month rotation of the activity for 3 x 3 = three family units get together for an activity each month for three months.  Then we will do different groupings so other people will have a change to get to know each other better.  Pray that this will lead to deeper relationships and growth within the church as we encourage members to invite friends to join them.

Thursday, June 16:  The universities are on a break this month.  The students will start again in July.  The longer break for the university students is during December and part of January.  Pray for Jose, Gaby, Luis, Renato, Thomas and other students.  Pray that they will be able to get some rest during this month.  Pray that Carol would have opportunity to participate in activities with those who are in the city during the break.

Friday, June 17: After a week of meeting, the missionaries will be heading back to their respective countries.   Pray that they will be leaving feeling refreshed and renewed.  Pray for them to have safety in their travels.  Pray that Ellis and Judy will also be able to get some rest next week after their busy time of planning for the meeting.

Saturday, June 18: Continue to pray for the upcoming elections in September.  Pray that those who are eligible to vote will go vote.  There seems to be a mindset among some of the poor people here that it doesn’t matter who they vote for because that candidate won’t help the poor people.  Pray that the Guatemalans will go vote.  Pray that it will be a calm time during the elections.

Sunday, June 19: Pray today for Manuel and Siomara as they lead Impato Biblico Church.  Pray for Manuel as he shares God’s words with the congregation.  Pray that the people will have open hearts and minds.  Pray that Manuel, Siomara and Samuel will have a restful afternoon and that they will be renewed for another week.

Monday, June 20: Today, George’s father will have a hip replaced.  Pray for the doctors that the Lord would guide their hands.  Pray for his sister, as she will have the major responsibility for seeing him through the process.  Pray for wisdom in making decisions related to recovery.  Praise God for the modern technology of Skype, email, and all of those things that allow the missionaries and families to have immediate contact with each other.

 Tuesday, June 21: Continue to pray for the different cell group members that as they continue in Bible study that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead them into truth and a deeper personal relationship with the Lord.  Pray that they will invite friends to join them in their group.

Wednesday, June 22: Adam and Jennifer Hammond are enjoying their stateside time in North Carolina.  Continue to pray for them as they make decisions and see what God has next for them.  Pray for Adam as he is traveling often to seminary to complete his studies.  Pray for Jennifer as she takes care of the children.  Pray that they would be rested and renewed in their stateside time.

Thursday, June 23: A lack of respect for human life seems to be one of the factors for the violence in Guatemala.  Pray that the Guatemalans would come to understand that all life is precious.  Pray that the leaders in government would stand up against the violent offenders.  Praise God for the times in which He has protected each one of us and we didn’t even realize it.

Friday, June 24: Richard Cook asks that you would pray for his upcoming trip to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for a week of intensive classes in the Guatemala Baptist Seminary's extension center there.   Pray for him to have safety in travels.  Pray for the students who will be involved in these classes.

Saturday, June 25: Take time today to prepare yourself for worship at church tomorrow.  As the Psalms say “Be still and know that I am God”.  So many times we forget to take time to be still before God.  We can rest in the assurance of knowing that the different things that come up in our lives aren’t a surprise to God; even if we are caught off guard by the things that come up. Praise God for His faithfulness to each one of us.

Sunday, June 26: The Hardemans’ son Daniel, Nikki, the two grandchildren and Nikki’s mother will be arriving today.  Daniel will have to return to work after two weeks, but Nikki and the kids will stay for two more.  Thank the Lord for this special family time and ask for good health for the kids. 

Monday, June 27: “If God is a loving God why am I failing this class?”  “Are you saint or something, why does it bother you to hear about my partying or the words I use; I can say whatever I want”…These are just a few of the quotes made by some of the university students.  The quotes haven’t been made directly to Carol however pray that Carol would have wisdom about how to respond to these quotes and how to advise the students in the small groups to respond.

Tuesday, June 28: Two of our families will be making major changes in their lives at the end of the month.  Jim and Carol McGriff will be retiring, and Keith and Penny Stamps will be going on stateside before transferring to Mexico.  Pray for them as they pack up their belongings and take the next step in their spiritual pilgrimage.

Wednesday, June 29: Richard Cook has a trip at the end of July to meet with national leadership in El Salvador and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to see how he can help them in their theological education programs, including facilitating partnerships with seminaries in the States.  Pray for him in his travels and pray that he would know the best advice to give them.  Praise God that they are interested in expanding their seminary programs.

Thursday, June 30: As we end this month and go into July we can rest in the words of Psalms 37:23 NLT “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord.  He delights in every detail of their lives.”  Thank you Lord for the guidance that you give each one of us!

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