Servants 4 Him

Mercy House Latrine

Servants 4 Him hopes to complete the Mercy House project in Totonicapan in 2013.

In preparation for our teams we have constructed a dry composting latrine.  One side of the latrine is used until it is full; when this happens the commode is moved to the other side and the full side is capped and left to compost for a year.   The compost can be used as a safe fertilizer in corn and bean fields.

MH Dry Composting Latrine

The work on this latrine was completed the first week of April 2013.   Since its completion Juan has been asked by family members and others in the community of Quiacquix what it costs to build this type of latrine.    This families have families have pit latrines that smell horrible and when abandoned for a new latrine site leave the ground soft and unusable for years.   Juan’s uncle told me he has had numerous latrine sites over the years.

Just like our bio-sand water filters it only takes one latrine to generate interest.   Our pray is that these latrines will open more doors for us to share the gospel and make disciples in Quiacquix and the surrounding villages.

MH Shower /w Tile!!

In 2012 the first floor of Mercy House was built with space for a shower. This is a luxury the majority of the homes in Quiacquix do not have. Juan called me a couple of weeks ago to ask me how we wanted to finish the walls and floor of the shower stall.   When we were told it was about $100 in materials to use tile Juan was instructed to use tile.   This week (April 19) this photo was taken as Juan was busy working installing tile on the walls.

This will be a huge blessing for our teams staying and working at Mercy House.   But, it will be even a bigger blessing for Juan and his family.

Forrest has stayed in other homes in Quiacquix in the past.  Bathing is done standing in front of a pila (outside general purpose concrete sink) and usually ice cold water.   If warm warm it to be used it first has to be heated over a wood fire.   The Mercy House shower will also have an electric shower head which heats (warms) the water.

Widows and others who Mercy House serves will also be blessed by having a shower to use.

Thank you to all who have donated toward this project and provide regular prayer and financial support to Servants 4 Him and to Juan and Celestina.

Missionaries are frequently asked questions like:

• Aren’t you throwing away your education and career?
• What are you going to do about retirement?
• How long do you plan to stay on the field?  When will you come home?
• Isn’t it dangerous?
• How often do you get to see your family?  Your grandchildren?

The danger of being safe

The list of these kinds of questions is endless.   And they all revolve around being comfortable and safe in living out our faith.

David Platt, during one of the sessions of the 2013 Verge conference said this about being safe:

Click here to listen to the short audio segment.

On April 25 the S4H team went to Totonicapan to present sewing machines for the widows training project we have there (this is a story in itself).  On the way we stopped at a favorite restaurant for breakfast in Tecpan.  As we were eating a group of men, as they were leaving, stopped at our table and asked if we were Christians.  We asked these men where they were from; they were from Poxlajuj, a village in Totonicapan.

We went on to Quiacquix, Totonicapan and celebrated with the widows and gave them the sewing machines.  On our return trip to Antigua we stopped for dinner at a different restuarant, also in Tecpan.  The same group of men we saw at breakfast we eating dinner where we stopped.  Nothing but a God thing.

We exchange information with these men and gave them Juan and Celestina’s contact information (since they live in Toto).  Last week one of these men contacted Juan and invited him to come to Poxlajuj.  Here is Juan’s summary of their meeting. …

Forrest, we are praying to God for all the work of the ministry, and Wednesday God placed in our hearts to visit the brothers in Poxlajuj, and today we went to talk to them, we wanted to talk to the pastor of the church but did not find him, we could only talk to the brother Luis who talked to you in Tecpan, we were talking and sharing with his brother for more than 2 hours and finally invited Celestina and me to present the ministry in a conference held at the church on Sunday afternoon, and to make decisions on the timing of doing inductive Bible study training in this church.

I Did not know anyone from the church or place but God directed us to find them, when we arrived in the community in the first house where the brothers asked about Forrest spoke immediately the person who left the house was the one who spoke with Forrest and joy was that he also is the second pastor of the church and President of the rebuilding of the church.

On Sunday we will make decisions on the dates of training, so I inform you to take it into account and also welcome your prayers for our visit and presentation of the Ministry on Sunday next.