🌎 Hope! - Great Comission response to Guatemalas Needs

Love Letters from the Abeggs: "…to those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you." (Jude 1:1) "…we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph.2) Last week I shared about our visiting churches and supporters across the United States. Today I'd like to introduce you to, and ask you to pray for UWM's work with national partner ministries in Guatemala. Claudia, Nico and I just returned from a 3 week visit that both encouraged and broke our hearts for this country. We had the privilege of visiting UWM missionaries and partner ministries over a three week trip to Guatemala.  The most populace country in Central America, Guatemala ranks the fifth poorest in all of Latin America, with over half the population below the poverty line and 1/4 in extreme poverty. This group includes nearly 80% of Guatemala's indigenous population, many of whom do not speak Spanish but one of 22 distinct Mayan dialects.  Though heavily evangelized for nearly a century, the Guatemalan church in general remains undiscipled. What was the great commission our Lord gave us in Matthew 28? "Go into all the world and MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations…teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you…" The majority of rural pastors throughout Guatemala have never had the benefit of theological training, much less being equipped to preach, disciple, manage a church or provide Biblical counseling to their flock. Often these pastors are men with good hearts and a desire to serve, but without the proper preparation they can drift into heresies of prosperity gospel or mixing Gospel truth with indigenous beliefs. Over the years I've visited rural Churches that were attended to once a year by a traveling priest who would administer mass and then move on to the next town. The rest of the year local leaders performed actual animal sacrifices in accordance with their ancestral beliefs, and this on the very same altar used by the priest. Though not always this blatant, syncretism (the blending of different beliefs) between the gospel message and indigenous practices is all too common in rural areas. At times these cross into the areas of sexual abuse, as we often see in our anti-trafficking work, such as practices of incest or a ritual of "deflowring" a bride before her wedding night.  You can see the need to provide training and support for the faithful, under equipped pastors who are hungry to receive instruction.  Centro Esdras, one of UWM's partner ministries is doing just that. Their primary focus is to take sound theological and practical training to pastors and churches in remote areas of Guatemala, where 70% of the rural population have no online access whether internet or cell phone. At the same time, in order to combat the cycles of poverty, C.E. provides family and community health instruction as well as biblical environmental stewardship training.  Claudia and I with UWM missionaries Carrie and Justin Stafinski visiting Centro Esdras directors Israel and Lilly Ortiz Centro Esdras has been through a particularly hard couple of years with staff significantly reduced as foreign missionaries returned home due to the pandemic as well as the passing of their Director of Relations, Fundraising & Communications earlier this year. Founder Israel Ortiz (71 years old) was hospitalized for 3 months with Covid but thankfully recovered and is currently seeking "a practical visionary" to take leadership of the team. I'll include some prayer requests below, but if you'd like to learn more about CE visit them at: Centro Esdras.(Helpful hint, if you don't speak Spanish and want to read English translations of any of the partner ministries websites, grab their URL and drop it into Google Translate for a link to a translated version of the page).  Please join us in prayer for: Provision of staff, finances and health for the CE Team. Wisdom for reaching pastors and communities in need of training, especially as Guatemala struggles with increased Covid cases. A future director to lead CE when Israel is no longer able. Guatemalan nationals and missionaries equipped in language (Spanish and Mayan dialects), theology and teaching ability willing to travel and train rural pastors. Endurance and provision for rural pastors, their churches and their flocks, especially in light of the pandemic which continues to spread in rural Guatemala. For UWM, the Stafinskis as missionaries in Guatemala and Claudia and my leadership as Regional Leaders in seeking to assist CE and other national ministries in their Gospel Calling. Selling fruit in the Antigua marketplace.  You're Invited, so SAVE the DATE! Though we had the opportunity to see many of you on our cross country trip, there are many we still missed. Claudia and I will be doing two online gatherings to share about our ministry to Central America, have a time of Q&A and catch up with as many of you as possible. We'll be sending out invitations soon, but for now, please save one of the following times to join us online:  Tuesday Nov. 16 @ 7PM Eastern / 4PM Pacific Thursday Nov. 18 @ 9PM Eastern / 6PM Pacific Partner with us in the Great Comission:  Prayer Team: Send us note to let us know you're praying for us, and let us know how we can be praying for you.  Financial Support Team:  Visit: Abegg Missionary Support Page Give via US Mail: Send a check with accompanying note stating: "For the Abegg Family" to: 205 Regency Executive Park Dr. Suite 430, Charlotte, NC 28217 Give Via Phone: Dial 800-825-5896 and talk to a very helpful person. For past issues of our newsletters and other posts visit our Blog.