December 2014

Children in Los Olibos after they recieved their "Bags of Love"

Merry Christmas! On behalf of Live.Love.Go., thank you for supporting the ongoing ministry in Guatemala this past year. The Lord is remarkable and His love and faithfulness never seizes.

Please be in prayer for the Winter Trip to Guatemala. This year, the group will be the largest that we have taken in February. We have 15 people traveling with us made up of folks from Goodway Baptist Church, Excel Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, a couple from North Alabama and another couple from Central Florida.

We are excited how the Lord has brought this team together to accomplish various missions on this upcoming trip. We invite you to join with us.

Please join us in prayer. Jesus spent 40 days praying in the wilderness as His earthly ministry began. Rev. Billy Graham always pointed to the power of prayer as the most important aspect of all the crusades that he preached. Likewise, we need to be in prayer in preparation for this trip. Please pray for the pastors that will be attending the Pastor's Conference. Ask the father to encourage them and renew their vigor and strength during the three-day conference. Also, be in prayer for each child that will receive a "bag of love" Christmas gift. Pray that God will use this small gift to be a catalyst for them to hear and receive the greatest gift, Jesus Christ. Always, join us in prayer for Max and Theresa, and Guillermo and Ericka. Pray that the Lord will continue to shine his favor upon them as they are being the light in the darkness.

Also, we invite you to join us in giving. Here is a quick breakdown of the goals and cost to provide each of these items for the February 2015 trip to Guatemala.

1. "Bags of Love" Christmas Gifts. The cost is $10 per gift. The goal is to distribute 300 total gifts among three villages. We will give 100 gifts in Quinta. This is a very rural area that has many children, but few jobs to support the families. We will distribute meals to the children as they receive their gifts. The second village is Asceituno, which is the place we built homes this past summer. We will give 100 gifts in this area and distribute sandwiches. The last village will be Santa Rosa el Rodeo. If you would like to give towards this please mark "Bags of Love" on your contribution.

2. Pastor's Conference. This will be our third annual conference and we are excited to have the opportunity to pour into the lives of pastor's in Guatemala. The goal is to have 100 attendees as we gather on Tuesday through Thursday. Each day consist of a series of Bible studies from a book in the Bible, worship, lunch, and an afternoon sermon related to the topic. We need to raise enough money to provide lunch, and we would like to give a gift to each person in attendance. We would like to give a shirt and tie to the men and a small gift to the women that will accompany the pastor's on Thursday. If you would like to give towards this, please mark "Pastor's Conference" on your contribution.

3. Support for School for 80 kids. The cost is approx. $25 per child to send them to school for a year. We invite you to join us in supporting 80 children this year. Last year, we were able to send 50 children to school for a year. Our leadership in Guatemala have selected each of these boys and girls because of their families inability to pay for the needed school supplies. If you would like to give towards this, please mark "Send 2 School" on your contribution.

4. Tables and Chairs. Chairs are $7 a piece and the tables will be $100 per picnic table. We would like to purchase 100 chairs for the boys and girls at the church for the weekly feedings under the pavilion. Also, we would like to build 4 picnic tables for the church property. If you would like to give towards this, please mark "Tables and Chairs" on your contribution.

Again, thank you for your continued support of the ministry in Guatemala through Live. Love. Go. If you would like to give towards any of the above mentioned items, please make the check out to "Bethel Baptist Church." Please mark on the check the designation that you desire. Please send all contributions to:
BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH, 16641 PRINE RD, CITRONELLE, AL 36522. Live. Love. Go. ministry is kept separated from all church accounts and will be used strictly based on the designated account. The church will keep financial records for tax purposes.

God Bless,
Marvin

2014 Pastor's Conference

Live.Love.Go.

Upcoming Trips

We are extremely excited about another year to send and take teams to Guatemala. This year we will have three weeks worth of teams to travel and do ministry in Guatemala:

Week I: July 12-19, 2014

Week II: July 19-26, 2014

Week III: July 26-Aug 2, 2014

We would love for you to consider taking a mission trip with us. This summer we have plenty of projects and pray that the Lord directs our steps. The tentative plans for this summer during the three weeks are:

• 1. Build (30) houses

• 2. Distribution of Food/Supplies in (6) villages

• 3. Host Vacation Bible School in (2) villages

• 4. Medical Clinics each day

• 5. Cook Hot Meals, daily for the children

• 6. Build a covered Pavilion in Santa Rosa el Rodeo

• 7. Possibly acquire land to build houses for some villagers

If you are interested in Live.Love.Go. Ministries and trips, please contact myself, Marvin Robinson. Live.Love.Go. Missions is a ministry under the umbrella of ministry of Bethel Baptist Church in Citronelle, AL. You can reach us at 251.454.7093 or through email at marvsbeensaved@yahoo.com.

We will be updating this blog more often with ministry news and past trips.  

October Trip to The Village

Front View of the Church in Santa Rosa el Rodeo

 Our trip back to Guatemala was rewarding and exciting. The weather was horrendous and many Guatemalans lost their lives why we made this visit. Apparently, there was a hurricane that made landfall from the Pacific. Besides the horrible wind and rain, the trip was one of my favorite times visiting the country. There was a small group of us from Bethel that went for ten days. The group consisted of Nick Meinhardt, Crystal West, Cadence Robinson, Jennifer Robinson, and myself. We left on October 8^th and returned on the 17^th.

We went down to hoping to accomplish three different tasks. First, we wanted to witness the first baptism service of some of the church members. Unfortunately, the candidates had not finished their discipleship requirements and the services were postponed. Second, we wanted to check on the church plant and the families in Santa Rosa el Rodeo. Third, we wanted to prepare Christmas gifts for the children of the village.

I will never forget the first day that we arrived in the village during this trip in October. We arrived in Guatemala on Saturday, and then we went to the village for church Sunday afternoon. We could barely open the doors of Max’s van when we arrived in the village. There was a mob of seventy kids screaming our names and trying to give hugs. We were excited to see all of the children and anxious to see how the church has progressed.

Initially, I was stunned to see the church property. I was beautiful. When we left in August there was so much left undone. However, the land was clean and gardens were planted around the front of the property. Those gorgeous plants couldn’t contain the beauty of a healthy church that we soon discovered.

I was shocked to see how well the church was doing! Bro. Max is doing a great job overseeing the church and making sure that everything is running smoothly. Pastor Guillermo and Erica are doing a great job of ministering to the people in the village. Their family moved out to the property in September and is trying to readjust to the new living conditions. They have truly sacrificed in order to minister in this area.

Currently, Erica conducts Bible School three days a week for the children. She does an amazing job. The kids are learning about three to five passages a day and then recall other verses from memory. Erica has a group of ladies that volunteers to help everyday. Each Sunday, they have children’s church behind the building during the main worship service.

The church is becoming very organized as well. The church meets every Sunday morning for worship and every Thursday night for ladies Bible study. I noticed a list that is posted that contains various women who have volunteered to clean the building. I also learned that various men are trying to keep the church property clean on the outside as well. It is exciting to see how far this church has progressed in such a little time.

The Team in Front of "Bags of Love"

Christmas gifts for the children were one of the main reasons that we made this trip. The concept was based on the “Christmas Shoeboxes” of Samaritan’s Purse. Unfortunately, Samaritan’s Purse does not currently give presents in this village. Jennifer had a desire in her heart to see this done in the village that we spent our entire summer. So we prayed and raised support to make 100 gifts for the children.

Our biggest problem was trying to decide how to back the gifts. When we went to the market we found some strong plastic-weaved bags. So we decided to call it “Bolsas de Amor” or “Bags of Love” in English. We bought items for 40 boys’ bags and 60 girls’ bags. Every bag contained various boy or girl toys, girls’ makeup, girls’ jewelry, soap, paper, pens, pencils, and a pair of shoes. We are so excited to think that 100 children will receive a pair of shoes for Christmas. I am sure that Christmas is going to be amazing for the children of Santa Rosa el Rodeo. I pray that God will use those gifts to show how much he loves them and will provide for them. I certainly wish I could see those kids when they receive these presents.

During the trip we also learned of some specific ways to continue to minister in the village of Santa Rosa el Rodeo. Here is a short detailed list:

            1. Feed the Children: We would like to start providing a hot meal for the children that attend Bible School during those three days of the week. In order to provide the food we need 40 people to donate $25 per month. Bethel Baptist has a separate missions account designated for the ministry in Guatemala. Every donation made will be a tax-deductible gift.

            2. Medical Clinic: In January, we would like to start a medical clinic that will be                         open once a week inside of the church, probably on Saturday mornings. We will need to only cover the supplies and nurse that will work the clinic.  

            3. Prayer:        Pray for Pastor Guillermo and Erica

                                    Pray that we will continue to have the funds to support the ministry

                                    Pray that God will continue to transform the hearts of the people

The New Chairs Provided by the Children of Bethel Baptist

The trip was amazing! We are thankful for Max and his family and the way that they showed love to us while we visited Guatemala. It was so rewarding to see how God is already transforming this village. Thank you for everyone that made this trip possible. I want to specifically thank Nick, Crystal and Jennifer for going on this trip. We had an amazing time and memorable moments (eating meet from the market). I am honored that you made sacrifices for this trip.

(We will post pictures of the children receiving the Christmas presents on the blog)

Transformation

The Farmers at Almolonga

Transformation. The thought and action of something being transformed for the better can truly be remarkable. The meaning of the word is, “a complete change, usually into something with an improved appearance or usefulness.” The first time that I visited the village in Guatemala, Santa Rosa el Rodeo, I immediately thought about the concept of transformation.

Santa Rosa el Rodeo is between two heavily populated areas. The colonial town of Antigua is towards the East and the city of Escuintla in further West. However, the village has more of the characteristics of a country area. It is very small and very populated.

The village has three roads that intersect with the main road. The first road or “first street” is where the church is located. It is known as the home of all the criminals. Most residents conclude that the drug dealers, prostitutes, and thieves live on this street. It is amazing that God decided that this is the place and exact street to start the church.

In the village there is a social cycle that takes place. The men of the village have very little work. They either work in a rock-yard or sugarcane field. The lack of work could be the reason for some of the conditions found among the people. Many men are alcoholics and physically abusing spouses seem to be very common.

The village is dirty. There is trash everywhere and it seems to point to a deeper condition that exists among the people. I believe the physical trash seems to point to the spiritual clutter that exists in the hearts of the people. The village needs to experience transformation. I believe that God is powerful and his transforming power can change this area for generations. 

Recently, a friend we met in Guatemala, Vivian Solares, shared a story with me. The story was about another village in Guatemala that characteristically resembled the village that we have been working. The following story is about a village that has experienced the transforming power of God:

"Almolonga, is a village in Guatemala with an encouraging story of transformation. Before being                        visited by God’s power, it was a place overrun by fear, demons, poverty, idolatry, and drunkenness. The main feature was the alcohol-induced slumber experienced by many of the inhabitants as a result of serving an idol called Maximon. This perverse idol was a figure created to connect with the Guatemalans by highlighting the smoking habits, liquor drinking and immorality of this creation.

Sign in Almolonga that reads, "Jesus is Lord of Almolonga"

God called a humble man, Riscajehe Generated, to fight against the power of darkness found in this village. Because of this man’s obedience, people began to experience the liberation and transforming power of Jesus Christ. It has been reported that 90% of the 18,000 inhabitants surrendered their lives to Christ.

Since the power of God began to transform the community, the crime has had a marked decline. The police chief testified, “Currently, we usually have 20 to 30 people a month in jail.” Before, crowds would gather just to witness the nightly drunken fights. The police chief wouldn’t have any rest. Before, the community had four prisons and they were not sufficient to accommodate all the prisoners.

Today, things are different. People have changed their attitude; the last prison was closed in 1988. Remodeled and is now called the ‘Hall of Honor,’ which is a place for weddings, receptions and do community events.

In addition to the decline in crime, a great social change has occurred. There is an absence of prostitutes and bars. The former bars have been converted into small shops with new names such as ‘Little Jerusalem’ and ‘Jehovah Jireh.’ Before the intervention of God, most men were alcoholics and their homes were untidy. Neglect and physical abuse were rampant. It was very common for men to beat their wives, sometimes with sticks. Today, there is more communication between families and the abuse has declined. The unemployment, beggars, drunks sleeping on sidewalk and other negative things have declined significantly due to the transformation experienced in this village.

Also, there has been an economic renewal. A phenomenon has occurred agriculturally in this village. The celery, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, radishes and other vegetables are incredibly larger in size that those grown in the surrounding villages. Agriculturalist from the United States has visited the location to study scientific principles that have allowed the production of better crops. The only logical conclusion is that God has blessed their crops and the farmers of Almolonga. Today, the people are selling vegetables in all of Guatemala, and exporting them to other nations.

Abnormally Large Carrots in Almolonga

The only logical conclusion is that this village has truly experience the transforming power of God. God has transformed the lives of people, the social influences, and the economy of this village."

My prayer is that the village of Santa Rosa el Rodeo can experience dramatic transformation. I long to see the people to come into a relationship with Christ and allow him to transform them through discipleship. I pray that God will transform the men of this village. Provide jobs for them and teach them about stewardship. I pray that the relationship between men, women and children can be transformed. How amazing would it be if the village appeared clean with very little crime? The clean appearance would point to the clean hearts and desires of the people.

I ask you to join me in prayer for transformation in this village. We met a Canadian woman that worked in this village for twenty years. She has started two schools in this area. However, upon meeting her, she was very bitter. I later found that she was an atheist and a humanitarian. I believe that she was trying to bring transformation in her own power. The truth is that I would be bitter as well if I spent twenty years reaching out to those people without in change. However, I am confident that the transforming power of Christ can bring a change in this village. They need transformation like the story about Almolonga!

Final Thoughts From the Summer Trip

I would like to begin this post by offering up my apologies. I apologize because I should have published this update and message upon our return to Citronelle, Alabama back in August. However, I must be completely honest, it was hard to face the fact that we were leaving Guatemala. It was so hard coming to grip with reality that I didn’t want to reflect on our time there. The following post is a summary of the summer we spent in the country, and the current state of the village and church when we left in August.

The past 12 weeks have been the most memorable in my entire life. I have had amazing moments before then such as memories of my family, the day I accepted Christ, the day of my wedding, the day our first child was born and other moments. However, it has been overwhelming to experience a sustained period of time that has been so memorable.

First Meeting With Roof and Last Service Before We Left

I remember the Sunday morning in April of 2010 that we had a defining moment and felt a call to go to Guatemala and minister longer than a week. We didn’t know when, why, or how. This past January we moved back home to Citronelle and realized that the when would be a few months later in May. We focused that period of time to grow in our relationship with each other, our family, and most importantly with the Lord.

During that period of time, we saved and raised financial support for our trip. I remember one day telling Jennifer that we need to have ‘x’ amount of money in our bank account and ‘x’ amount of money in our Guatemala fund. When we left at the end of May, both accounts contained double the amount that I set. I am thankful that God honored our desire to serve him and blessed us more than we could imagine.

When we arrived in Guatemala, the reality hit us hard. What now? We knew that we were going to focus on a village that we visited the prior summer. We knew that the goal for this past summer was to start a church plant. We knew that the goal for the summer was to build a church for that plant. However, we were unsure how or where to start.

Upon reflection of our summer, I realize that many of our decisions are counterintuitive to the mindset and patterns of most Americans. We left our jobs, benefits and insurance in order to live in another country for almost three months. We had no future plan after the summer to ensure us a salary or insurance. We took a baby barely 9 months to a foreign place. We went to a place without being proficient in the language or another viable option to communicate with people. All of these decisions would be considered crazy. At times, I even thought we were crazy, but God provided for us in tremendous ways.

I am excited to see how God is working in this one remote location in a third world country. It makes you fall in love in a greater sense and strengthens your faith in God. It helps me understand that God cares for every person no matter how insignificant that they may seem.

Baptisms in the River

We left the children and families in Santa Rosa el Rodeo in Guatemala with so many mixed emotions. We are excited because today there is a church that meets every Sunday. We loved teaching the children of that village about Jesus Christ. We were overwhelmed to see how God ordained a church to be built in a specific location, and built a certain way. Finally, we feel sad! The previous emotion is the heaviest of all the other emotions that we feel.

Our sadness is a combination of various things heightened in this one moment. We are sad because we know there is so much more that needs to be done in this village. We want to go meet each family and begin to build relationships with them. We want to continue to see the children taught and brought up knowing the Lord and binding his commands to their hearts. We desire to see the church become more organized and taught how to disciple the people. In the midst of all these thoughts is the reality that we are traveling home.

I want to be honest. It has been an honor and privilege to live amongst and minister to the people of Guatemala. We want to thank so many people who have supported us and prayed for us. We want to thank the congregations of Bethel Baptist, Cornerstone Baptist, Toxey Baptist, and Calvart Baptist. We also want to thank our friends, family, prayer partners, and the people that have followed this blog. Finally, I want to thank Pastor Max of Guatemala. There is not enough words in our English language (nor Spanish) to ever describe the character, love, support, faith, and work ethic of this man. Without him, there would not have been a vision to plant a church among the people in this village. We are thankful for him and I pray that God will use his example to mold me and direct my life to serve God wholeheartedly.

I want to conclude by requesting you to continue remembering the people in Guatemala and pray for them continuously. I hope to continue updating this blog with updates on the church plant, the community of Santa Rosa el Rodeo, and Pastor Max’s family. Again, I apologize that it took so long to post these thoughts and emotions. Thank you once again for your prayers and support for our family. God Bless.

A Summary of Our Two Groups

Group Gathered Together Singing with the Children

The time has come and gone and the groups are no more. We have been living here for two months and have spent a majority of that time preparing for our groups. Now we are looking back and evaluating the time that we have spent here ministering to the people of Guatemala. The groups were amazing and I am proud to call each person that came my friends, my family, and my co-laborers in Christ.

I believe that the groups have made a greater impact this year than any other trip I have ever been a part. We were extremely busy and extremely tired but the trip to Guatemala was amazing. I think that the difference was that we focused all of our time and energy in one place, Santa Rosa el Rodeo. In past years, we were as busy, but our time was divided in multiple areas around Guatemala. This year we focused on one community and the difference was evident.

Our Group Throwing Blocks

This year, our groups poured out their lives like servants. I watched people love on children like they were their biological kids. I saw men and women remember names and minister to men, women, and children no matter how difficult or different someone acted. The amazing part was that each person had a certain group of kids that they ministered with. I was afraid that the loveable kids like Kevin, Freddie, Brenda, and Thelma’s kids would be the only kids ministered to because of their active personalities. Thankfully, I was wrong because it seemed like each kid was loved and ministered to by someone.

Building Planning Committee with Bro. Stan and Mr. Randy

Amazingly, God orchestrated the group like a conductor of a symphony. Each person entered into each week with a certain skill set physically and spiritually. Then God organized his servants and used them in harmony to minister to the village of Santa Rosa el Rodeo. Collectively, God used us to begin a work in this dark community in order to bring salvation and transformation. This village is known for its immorality and wickedness. A dark place filled with men without jobs that fill their time with drugs, alcohol, and abusive actions. I am excited to see how God will transform the people of this village.

Feeding the Village

The greatest highlight was to spend time with each person from our two groups. I appreciate how each of them supported us and loved on our baby. I know that God brought each person together in order to proclaim his glory in this dark village. This was confirmed one night when a new and dear friend joined us for supper.

After supper, Jennifer led us into worship as the group was joined together. While we were singing praise songs, my friend Vivian said that she heard God speak a message into her heart. She said that God told her, “The group does not need to worry about anything. I am the Lord and I am in control of everything. I know everything that they need and I will watch over the church in Santa Rosa el Rodeo. I have brought together different people with various skills to reach out and minister to my people, and I will use them to continue to grow this church.” After she heard that message, the groups began to share about the week. Vivian was overwhelmed when each person concluded that God brought together different people for the trip. She knew that she had accurately heard from God because Bro. Stan reminded us that we are the body and Jesus is the head. She told me later that she was weeping because of the message God gave her.

Dedicating Juan's House

I want to end this report by proclaiming, “How Great is Our God!” I will never forget the message that God shared with Vivian. I will cherish those words as a promise that God is not only in control, but also going to take care of this church. I will also cherish the memories that were created with so many people while we were serving the Lord. Let us continue to serve the Lord in families, jobs, schools, communities, and places in each of our lives. We need to strive to serve the Lord everyday with every breath! Go. Live. Love.

Ministering to the Children

Mrs. LizAnne Reading the Daily Bible Verse.

Melvin Reading the Bible Story

An obvious switch of authors now….you can always tell when it’s me, Jennifer, writing! It has been amazing to see the children of Rodeo open up, and learn. I remember the first day I pulled out my guitar, and sang “I’ve got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy”, and “ Jesus Loves Me”. Most just sat, stared, and listened. Then to hear them while the groups were here, especially the last day all the gringos were in the village, was a huge change! Now the children sing loud, clap, and just praise Jesus. It’s almost as though the whole world stops to hear them sing for those 10-15 minutes. The men working on the church, and people passing by just stop what they are doing to listen. It’s a beautiful sound.

The Children in Line for the Daily Cooked Meal

We also read a few stories daily from the children’s bible story book. I started off trying to read the stories to the children, but they would gather around me, correcting every word I messed up! So we usually choose 1 or 2 children to read the story. Last Sunday during church, Pastor Max asked for ladies to volunteer to help with teaching children after we are gone. There were about 7 ladies that stepped forward. The next day, at least ½ of them attended bible school, and assisted with reading the stories. Please pray for these ladies: that they will first teach their own children, then other children in Rodeo about God, His love, and salvation. A most precious sight that we witness almost daily, is that after we read the bible story, and move onto the craft for the day, there is always 1 or 2 children that would rather continue reading the bible story book. May we all thirst for God’s word as these children do.

Craft Time for the Children

While the groups were here, thanks to a few dedicated people on both teams, we were able to feed the children and men working on the church a hot lunch everyday we were in the village! It ranged from mashed potatoes, black beans and rice, to beef stew and chicken & dumplings. Even some of the village dogs lapped up the leftover juices in the bowls. This was a vision that Marvin and Pastor Irvin of Toxey Baptist had while preparing a few months ago.

And  let me tell you, as much candy that was passed out the past 2 weeks….we will need a dental clinic trip planned soon for Rodeo!