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To Guatemala With Joy Townsend Family Serving with Iglesia del Camino and Mil Casa Project

Update on the Kids We are blessed as a family to serve here in Guatemala. Our children have opportunities to work with many ministries that seek to teach and share the Gospel in tangible ways.

Sophie has had the opportunity to help cook breakfast for 250 people a couple of Saturdays over the past few months. What a great helper she is!

Annabelle is thriving in making life long friends. Her Spanish language skills have helped her build relationships. She isn’t shy about sitting down and sharing her heart and joy.

Ava is a light. Much of the attention she gets is for her willingness to share love with others. It is what truly makes people smile.

Pearl is growing in her appreciation for her birth country. Moving to Guatemala has definitely expanded her comfort zone. Last month we were able to visit the city of her birth family.

Jude and Joseph are increasing not only in stature but also their language skills, both in Spanish and English.

Gospel in Action According to the World Bank data, 8 out of 10 Guatemalans are without the ability to provide the basic needs for themselves and their families. Iglesia del Camino and Mil Casas are serving those who are in need physically and spiritually (Matthew 25:31-46). The ministry here helps connects families with mission teams and supporters to help with basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. More importantly, the families hear the Gospel and

build relationships with believers and God.

Mission Teams October - November

Friends November

The Penny family is coming to Guatemala to build a home for a family sponsored in part by Christ the

King Church.

Visit Trip December-January For the first time in 18

months, we will be travelling to the U.S.

Contact us. We would love to catch up!

townsendguat@gmail.com

ToGuatemalaWithJoy

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11 teams from all over the U.S. will come to serve and build homes and

clinics.

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Building Relationships Fernando, Aaron and Mardoceo are the backbones on

the prefabrication of the houses teams build here in Guatemala. Fernando is our lead wielder and attends seminary school every Saturday. Aaron prepares the

material for Fernando. Mardoceo is our master carpenter and puts the finishing touches on the

prefabrication. All three have become lifelong friends who we admire. They work incredibly hard in a small

shop at the back of the church. They have been wearing the same 2nd hand sneakers for years while

working with power tools and metal. A few months ago, we blogged asking for three people to donate $100

so each one of these great guys could have a pair of steel toed shoes. Within a few weeks, we had all the donations we needed! They were so grateful for their

new pair of safe shoes! THANK YOU!

Building Homes and Then What?

The need in Guatemala is so great. There are men passed out on the street in the mornings from a drunken binge the night before, there are young children trying to make money by selling candy on street corners, and the list goes on. The effects of poverty are everywhere. Mil Casas and Iglesia del Camino do not just meet these overwhelming physical needs but more importantly we want to share Jesus with them. We want them to know the love and grace of our amazing God.

Perhaps Jack’s favorite part of the ministry is when he makes pre and post visits with the families. This provides an opportunity to share God’s love.

Thank you! Please visit our weekly blog and Facebook page to stay current on what God is doing here. Pray about how you, your small group, business, school and church can get involved in this ministry. This would not happen without your finances. We are so thankful for your prayer, support and encouragement!

Message us to find out how you can get involved:

townsendguat@gmail.com Facebook.com/toguatemalawithjoy/ toguatemalawithjoy.blogspot.com

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Other Ministry Opportunities

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ministry has been developing a solar-powered water filtration system. They are also developing a larger system, which has the potential to supply almost 10,000 gallons per hour of clean water. These could be used for disaster relief and/or to supplement the current system in nearby villages and municipalities to prevent hundreds or thousands from the effects of polluted water.

Salvadorian Pupusas Our friends from El Salvador invited us over for dinner and taught

Susie and the girls how to make pupusas (pronounced “poo-poo-sus”).

4 cups masa corn flour 2 cups warm water 1 cup of queso fresco 1 cup refried beans

Mix the water and masa in a bowl and stir until fully mixed. The masa will be sticky but should easily form a ball when rolled. Next, place a tiny bit of oil in your hand. Take an egg size ball of masa in your hand and press the masa out in one hand to represent a small plate the size of your palm. Place about a tablespoon of cheese down onto the masa, then a tsp of beans. Pull the sides of the masa up around the beans and cheese and roll it into a ball. Next, flatten it a tiny bit with your palms to form a thick disc. Pat the disc turning it between your hands about 6 times to flatten it more but to keep it in a round shape. The pupusa should be a little less than 1/2 inch thick. Place the pupusa on a large oiled non-stick surface and cook on medium high until each side is golden brown, around 3 minutes on each side.

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Susie spends many hours shopping at the market for food and prepping the produce. In addition, two days a week she helps prepare meals for the teams that come to work and minister. She has also started teaching English three mornings a week to a new friend who started working at the church.

A year ago, Jack implemented an English class at church one afternoon a week. Three to six Guatemalans come weekly to improve their English skills. Jack also teaches English to teenagers at a local school 5 mornings a week.

Did you know 100% of the water sources in Guatemala is contaminated. Since clean water is a prevalent problem in Guatemala, the IDC