‘Juntos’ means Together
Dear church,
I’m so excited to share about my upcoming mission trip to Guatemala. This mission trip has actually been in the works for about three years now. As you might remember back in May 2020 I was scheduled to go to Guatemala on a mission trip to teach in a seminary of Bible college students in coordination with the Juntos Missions group in Guatemala. The trip was canceled as COVID and the pandemic struck the world. Last fall, I was asked to join a group that will be going on a trip with Mike Kildal (Redeemer’s Fellowship) and a team from Roseburg Alliance Church.
The trip will be from Saturday, February 18th to Saturday, February 25th. My teaching assignment while on the mission trip will be to teach the forty Bible college students curriculum based on the Life of Jesus Christ. Our days will be full with teaching classes in the morning and evening while we are there. While Mike and I teach the Bible college students, the team from Roseburg Alliance will be building latrines and small homes.
Juntos (which means ‘together’) Missions is a mission organization that trains local pastors and facilitates the sustainable development of an impoverished and disenfranchised community. Longtime Roseburg pastors and residents, David and Wendy Ashenbrenner chose to work in the rural jungle region of Ixcán after witnessing firsthand the dire living conditions there. The Ixcán was home to some of the worst atrocities of Guatemala’s 30-year civil war.
By partnering with short-term mission teams and collaborating with indigenous Guatemalan leaders, David and Wendy facilitate the implementation of a variety of development and ministerial efforts in Ixcán; including the building of water filters, fuel-efficient stoves and composting latrines. Their work also includes providing spiritual discipleship and mentorship to rural pastors through the rural seminary they help support. Additionally, David and Wendy give administrative support to Guatemalan pastors and leaders to increase their capacity and effectiveness in their ministries.
David and Wendy met in Bible College and began ministry together even before marrying 43 years ago. They have three grown children and six grandchildren. After pastoring in the states for 30 years, David and Wendy moved to Guatemala in 2011 to work full-time. They feel privileged to call Guatemala home and to have the opportunity to see the love of Christ flourish in the hearts of many.
Since 1994 David and Wendy have worked with Roduel and Hilda Perez, Guatemalans who have faithfully served the Lord for 34 years. The Perez’s started their ministry in Bible translation and literacy work and later dedicated themselves to building up godly leaders in the Ixcán area, where Hilda disciples women and Roduel poured himself into the lives of the region’s pastors until passing away recently.
I was first made aware of the opportunity to travel to Guatemala a few years ago because Libby has had the privilege of joining missions teams from Roseburg twice in the past. She was able to see first-hand the work of this ministry, the Bible college students, and the way God is using Douglas County to impact this nation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s my hope and desire that in the coming years we’ll be able to lead our own missions trip to this area based on what I’m able to witness during my trip in a couple of weeks.
Here are ways you can pray for my trip (February 18th – February 25th)….
Pray for each member of the team:
· Nathan Goble (Roseburg Alliance Church, Pastor)
· Mark Misener (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Matt Bricka (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Andy Brint (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Keith Keller (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Shaelynn Steffensen (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Mike Kildal (Redeemer’s Fellowship)
· Frank Rambaum (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Chris Nicholls (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Doug Bently (Roseburg Alliance Church)
· Daniel Mallipudi (First Christian Church, Pastor)
Pray for logistics:
· Pray for favorable weather as the construction projects are ongoing.
· Pray for our travel itinerary as we have tight connections.
· Pray for our luggage to arrive with us as we have lots of tools, teaching materials, and books we are taking with us.
· Pray for our health as we encounter different climates and different foods, and as we try to stay hydrated in a country where the water can be unsafe.
· Pray for our missionary partners with Juntos Mission that they will have strength, health, and safety.
· Pray for the families we will serve in the various communities we will be in (La Florida, Prima Vera, in San Antonio, Ixcán).
· Pray for the Global Action Seminary students that we will be teaching both in the morning class and the evening class.
While on the trip I’ll do my best to keep our church updated through our church’s Facebook page and upon my return I’ll share about the trip in more detail.
I love you, church.
Pastor Daniel
(In the next issue of ‘Dear church’ I’ll be sharing information about what I learned and observed in Guatemala and five reasons you should go on a missions trip)
