June, 2025
Dear Brethren in Christ and Prayer Warriors,
We are grateful to the Lord that He allows us sinners, saved by grace through faith, to serve Him. We pray our Lord will fill you with joy and peace in believing. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Romans 15:13
May the Lord bless those who pray for missions worldwide and for that little dot on the map called Guatemala, and for the work we do in evangelism, in the defense of the Gospel, and the distribution of faithful Bible versions.
Confederation of Evangelical Fundamentalist Churches of Guatemala (CIEF)
On May 3rd, the Executive Committee met at our bookstore office, with a number of items to be discussed. First, there is a problem with the church property in Chimaltenango which is taking up much valuable time. The owners of the lots next to the church are demanding easement access to the road through the church’s property where bathrooms and a kitchen are to be built. We concluded that we do not want to go to civil court, but would rather negotiate some type of agreement. Two of our men were designated to go and talk to the owners and settle the problem peacefully. Let’s pray they will have wisdom from the Lord and come to an agreement.
Bible conference programs for the year were also planned, including our yearly Bible Conference program on August 15th. Pope Francis, who died recently, had said in a message, “Porque todos somos hijos de Dios”; translated is “Because we are all sons of God”. So, our theme will be “Are we all sons of God?” We are sons of God by having been spiritually born again, we are sons by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are sons by our adoption into His family, and we are sons by faith through the blood of Jesus for our sins. Please pray for this conference.
CIEF of Guatemala is a member of the Latin American Alliance of Christian Churches (ALADIC), of which 13 Guatemalan churches attended the ALADIC Congress in Colombia in February. Help us, and continually pray for the new president, Rev. David Aragon (from Colombia) and the new Executive Committee.
Our Local Churches
We still carry on Sunday, late afternoon/evening, church services. It is sad to see the letdown, around the world, where Sunday evening services have been discontinued. The pastors and elders in our churches are preaching better sermons than ever before. We praise the Lord that we have two new men members who now lead the worship services. Sunday is the Lord’s Day from morning until night, and those who take advantage of it all will be blessed in many ways. “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” (Rev. 1:10) Observe here that the Holy Spirit did not use the Old Testament word “Sabbath” but the word the Lord’s Day. We suggest to the brethren (not a law) to dedicate more time on Sunday for us and our children to study God’s Word, with no Sunday newspapers or television (except good Bible programs), or cellphone games. There are six days to do all this. The first day of the week we commemorate the resurrection of Jesus our Lord, and God wants us to devote the full day to Him. I wish more people would have taken up the suggestions. I hope you can! It will give you more time with the Lord and teaching your family, and that will bring blessings.
For the last six weeks, brother John Carin has come to the regular morning worship services, even though he lives far from the church. He was laid up in bed, couldn’t walk, had kidney and prostate problems, and was deteriorating rapidly. We thought he would pass, but with constant prayer and a better diet, he bounced back, and we are grateful to the Lord for His mercy. We must also tell you about Hector, the Chimaltenango Church deacon. He finally had a hernia operation and now walks without a cane and is working. Lisa, the little 5-year-old girl who had brain cancer, the Lord finally took her. We pray for the family of this little girl that bore a heavy cross for the last three years. Our Elder Carlos’ wife, Flor, had an extremely difficult pregnancy; extra prayers went up when the doctor said each time that she needs absolute rest. We praise the Lord that sister Flor, by God’s grace, gave birth to a beautiful girl, who was baptized June 8th (pictured left).
On April 20th,we had a 7AM Sunday morning Easter sunrise service, with a hearty breakfast after the service, and a blessed fellowship before our morning worship and Sunday school. We as Christians believe in the bodily resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Also, in the worship service, we received two new members with three children. They made their professions of faith and their vows of faithfulness to Jesus, the Bible and the church.
Then, one hundred people signed up for the May 1st Sunday School picnic at one of the private parks about an hour away. The time was 8AM to 5PM. For this, much food had to be bought ahead of time, and a big bus was rented; the rest came by car. There was a time of singing the old choruses and a devotional message in the morning and again in the afternoon after lunch. The men, women, and children had time to play soccer and other sports activities. It all turned out to be a blessed day, although some were tired and stiff because they played too much soccer.
In the adult Sunday School class, after finishing the study of different books of the Bible, there was a class on winning souls, and how to affectively testify and explain the Gospel better to the unsaved. This year, we have been teaching, encouraging, and exhorting the brethren to be a good soul winner for Christ as Matthew 28:18-20 commands us. Each person in the class received four booklets with pictures on how to explain the Gospel, and looking for the best opportunity to explain it to others.
The Mother’s Day program was held during our Sunday school hour. We gave a small gift to the mothers who attended the church. Then the children, young people, and adults gave testimonies about their mothers and some of the best things that their mothers taught them.
My two grandsons, Samuel and Joshua, seventeen and fifteen respectively, had a good work- out at the picnic in all the sports activities. They are home schooled; they present many papers on various subjects plus read certain books. Their home school institution is the only one officially authorized by the Guatemalan Government. The boys need money to buy certain things that they think are necessary, so they travel to the US at times for a couple of weeks to work for their uncle David. While there, they work during the day and study in the evening. Pray for them, please.
Doctor Visits in the US
On March 17th, Stephen and I left Guatemala, and returned April 1st. I had various appointments with doctors at the VA Hospital in St. Petersburg. We couldn’t make it to the Faith Presbytery meeting because of a conflict of dates. We did see my regular doctor and the blood work according to him, showed I was in good general health, but I do have a problem with the blood pressure not being constant. May 29th health update. During prayer meeting my heart went into arrhythmia, and I felt faint and grasped for air. I made it home and started some natural remedies. The arrhythmia lasted four days; I woke up Monday and it was back to normal. We praise the Lord I did not have to take any drugs. I visited the cardiologist on Monday, and he gave me medication and 10-days of “forced vacation”; I will see him again on June 12. I am a little weak, but getting stronger, so please keep me in your prayers.
Trinitarian Bible Society of Guatemala and Bookstore
We need financial help for this ministry. We ask that you prayerfully consider giving monthly, or yearly, to carry on this work; or, give as you are able. Would you please help us? If so, please send in your gift clearly marked “TBS Guatemala”, to our IBPFM headquarters. The bookstore and Bible Society is operating Monday through Saturday with one paid secretary, and there are many other expenses to keep it operational. The sales vary from month to month and the markup on the bibles and books is minimal.
In closing, I say that we are grateful to you, and our God, for your faithful prayer and financial support. May our God grant us His grace to keep working for the night is coming!
Yours missionaries for Christ,
Hal, Stephen, Juanita, Samuel and Joshua