MISSIONARY HIGHLIGHT: Wesley & Katie Sanchez, Guatemala
We met and were brought together in the mission field of Guatemala in December 2012. Since then, we have been serving full time in Chicaman, Quiche, Guatemala. We have 4 children, Hosanna (6 yrs.), Annakah Naomi (4 yrs.), Aidan (2 yrs.), and Elena (4 months).
Through the years, we have been working in unreached villages surrounding Chicaman, preaching the gospel in the open air with a speaker and leading short-term mission trips where we have held medical clinics, kids’ ministry, and other evangelistic activities. We work with a network of 23 pastors from already reached villages in our area. Most of these churches were established by previous missionaries, Bart & Pam Biddle, with whom Wesly started working full time in 2010.
Our work with these pastors has included seminars, construction of church buildings and pastoral homes, and evangelism. Seven years ago, Wesly helped them formally establish the mission called Prince of Peace, Grace and Truth through which we establish new churches and hold regular meetings to encourage and support one another.
The year 2019 was a busy year for us with many blessings! We are amazed by all God has done as we look back and see His faithfulness and goodness.
For our last short-term missions team of the year, the Leggett family and a longtime supporter came to Chicamán in December just before we left to visit the USA for a short rest. They funded and helped construct a new, larger building in the village of Pantolox, where the church was outgrowing the small building in which they had started. Thanks to the Leggett family, they have a building that should serve them for years to come.
Thanks to the help of three different churches in the USA, we were able to buy three motorcycles for some of the ministers who work with us. The three brothers who received the motorcycles, Bernabé, Froilan and Marvin, have been instrumental in the work that God is doing here. Froilan and Bernabé are pastors of two of the churches we have planted, and Marvin is an evangelist in training. All three of them are constantly helping with construction, translation, evangelism, and church services. This often requires them to travel far distances, so we were delighted to be able to provide them each with adequate means of transportation. We are happy to report that these brothers, along with another named Jaime, have each recently seen a number of families and new believers joining the church and being baptized in the villages where they work.
Moving forward, our plan for 2020 is to focus on equipping the pastors and workers as much as possible so they can bear more fruit. We will be holding a formal Bible study class (through a ministry called ASELSI) in the central town of Chicamán once a month, along with leadership seminars and discipleship training, and finally, a marriage retreat with the pastors and their wives in May. We will also be hosting several teams throughout the year. Please pray for God’s guidance and wisdom as we plan and execute all of these activities, as well as for continued health for our family in 2020.
NRP MISSION TRIPS
Jesus' last command to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19) should be our greatest concern! We should be a missional people, not just congregational. What happens after we leave our church building is just as important as what happens in the building. Mission trips not only fulfill the Great Commission, but give people opportunity to be stretched in their faith, be developed and released into ministry, see the world beyond their life circumstances, and these trips connect them to bigger opportunities and bigger problems than we normally face in our everyday life.
NRP is coordinating several mission trips, giving people the opportunity to go and serve, but to also help equip the local church by strategically sending people who will be inspired and who will bring back to their church a more mission-focused culture. These teams will be led by men with extensive mission experience.
Honduras | June 17-24, 2020 | For more information click HERE
Guatemala | July 07-14, 2020 | For more information click HERE
WORLD PRAYER TABERNACLE | PASTOR DEREK BURCHERT | GUATEMALA
In October, a team from World Prayer Tabernacle in Chalmette, Louisiana, went to Guatemala to serve at the Casa Angelina Orphanage. During the week there, they refinished several large tables that are used in the children’s homes. Sanding and restaining tables may seem to be an insignificant task, but maintaining and beautifying the children’s living space shows the kids that they are worth having nice things. The children know the team has taken off work and paid to fly across the globe, just to serve them. Truly, being a team member for a week is an incredible way to show the children they are valuable, special, and worthy of love. During their week at Casa Angelina, World Prayer Tabernacle’s team also had the privilege of putting the finishing touches on a widow’s home. “What a wonderful feeling, knowing that the widow now has a safe and warm place to live.” ~ Mia Celino
TESTIMONY: “Through visiting Casa Angelina, God showed me that missions work is about being there for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s easy to say, ‘I’ll get around to doing missions work eventually’ when you don’t know the people you are going to serve, but when you realize these are your brothers and sisters in Christ, you feel the urgency and the necessity of serving them in every way you can.” ~ Jason Tucker
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