Pray with us

  

And this is the confidence that we have toward Him,
that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.
And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him.

1 John 5:14-15

The time has come, and our team is doing some last minute packing, while others have begun the journey.   The Lord has poured out His blessing over each member, giving us joy and excitement as we anticipate the work and ministry that is ahead of us.  

As we begin we ask you to continue to join us in prayer over the following things: 

• We desire to be especially in tune with the will of God for all He has designated for us, for the building of HIS kingdom.  Pray that each of us would have a special sensitivity to His leading, and that we would not move a single second ahead or a single step in front of Him.  
• Pray for physical protection, health, and safety for every member of the team as we venture ahead.  We pray each member of the team would remain healthy, rested, hydrated, and safe so that we could be ready for any work in front of us.  
• We pray for the Spirit of God to break any areas of stronghold in Guatemala, and for spiritual protection and the full armor of God for every member of our team and the ministry at large. 
• Pray that the message of salvation in Jesus would break through to all who may hear, for tender hearts to be open to the redemption found in Christ.  We pray that we would faithfully plant, water, or harvest where the Lord leads us. 
• We pray especially for the children and families we will encounter, that they would experience the love of God and relief from suffering from poverty of any kind - whether spiritual, social, educational, health, environmental, or economic in nature.  

We thank you and praise the Lord for His great faithfulness in bringing us to the starting line.  He has provided for all our needs, and brought the team together in unity and preparation.  We look to Him for His leading, and to nothing else.  

Praise the Lord! 
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens!

Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,
who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap, 

to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.

He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 113:1-9

In Christ, 

The Denham family

Mission update!

 

For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’  
Romans 10:13-15

Dear friends & family - 

We are writing with joy and excitement to share that we will be returning to Guatemala this July to partner with Impact Ministries in serving the people in and around Tactic, Guatemala.   Last Summer our family was given the opportunity to serve there for two weeks along with a team from a church in Indiana, providing medical care and sharing the message of salvation in Jesus.  Each member of our family was deeply impacted by the experience of being used by God there, and we returned home with a clear sense of His calling to return and continue to serve.  

This Summer we have had the doors open for us to now lead a team from our church family.  The Lord has answered prayer and clearly guided the hearts of each person in the formation of the team.  As we continue to lead this team forward in planning and preparation, we want to invite you to partner with us in a couple ways.  

Scripture tells us that our battle is not against flesh & blood, but against the powers of this dark world and that whatever we ask in the name of Jesus would be granted for the building of the Kingdom of God.  Would you join us in praying that the Lord would guide every aspect of the work of this ministry?  

• Pray for strength and wisdom as we seek to walk in obedience with every step that He has planned in advance for us to do 
• Pray for opportunities to show love & mercy as we provide healthcare to those that are in great need
• Pray for freedom from strife, suffering, and all forms of oppression for the people of Guatemala
• Pray for the gospel of Jesus to be spread throughout the country, and for opportunities for our team to share this good news with those we encounter

As we plan & prepare, we would also ask for you to pray and consider providing financial support for us in this mission.  We have placed our trust in the Lord that He will provide all that is needed for the work ahead.  In this way, we invite you to partner with us in this work.  We are seeking to raise funds to meet the expenses of our travel and needs while in Guatemala.  

If you are interested in learning more about the details of this mission or would like to join with us in prayer or in giving, you can do so in several ways.  Please continue to visit this blog for updates on the mission, and also get in touch.  If you’d like to partner with us financially, you can contribute via Venmo by using the link or QR code on the right side or get in touch with us for details on sending funds via check. 

May His name endure forever, His fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in Him, all nations call Him blessed! 

Psalm 72:17

In Christ, 

The Denham family (JP, Heidi, Jake, Lucy, Ruby, and Zoe)

Returning to Guatemala this Summer

Tactic, Guatemala               

“Each of you should use whatever gift
you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards
of God’s grace in its various forms.” 
1 Peter 4:10

Last Summer our family took a step of faith and went to Tactic, Guatemala to serve with Impact Ministries.  We were all touched, inspired, and changed by we experienced there and we sensed a clear calling that the Lord was leading us to return with a new group of servants for His kingdom.  

This Summer (July, 2023) we are planning on returning on another journey back to Guatemala with a team from our church family at Faith Community Bible Church.  We are praying for the ones God has chosen to join us and we are anticipating with great joy what He is going to do through us and in us.  

Would you consider joining us in prayer as we prayer to lead this team? Pray the the Lord would bring together this team, and for Him to guide the work of this ministry to serve the people of Guatemala according to His will. 

As we prepare financially, would you also pray and consider becoming a financial supporter for us?  We are trusting the Lord as He directs our steps and we believe that He provides all we need for every aspect of life & ministry. 

If you are interested in hearing more about the trip or would like to partner with us in this ministry in one of these ways, please get in touch by filling out the contact form on the right hand side of this page.

In Christ,
The Denham family

He Is Good!

 song: He Is Good by JUDAH, featuring John Van Deusen

Who is my neighbor?

'Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. '

1 John 4:7-11

    Our family recently returned from a time in Tactic, Guatemala, where we had the great joy of partnering with Impact Ministries for approximately 2 weeks.  This wonderful ministry has served this area of Guatemala for over 20 years.  God's love is shown through the many parts of this ministry - raising up families, building safe and supportive schools, agriculture programs, child and classroom sponsorship, church planting, medical clinics/support, and most important through faithful prayer and the preaching of the good news of what Jesus has accomplished for all.     

   Our time in Tactic was full of blessings, spending time with several families that face great struggles, in clinic providing relief to those suffering, worshiping together in the schools, visiting homes for prayer and encouragement, and delivering food and supplies to those who have need.  Each day I was repeatedly reminded of how great the love of God is for His creation - especially each person, as they were each made in His image. 

   God is on the side of the oppressed.  When we lift someone from suffering and oppose systemic injustice, this shows the world what the family of God looks like.  There are both earthly and spiritual forces at work opposing the ministry being done in Tactic.  And thus I'm reminded of how important it is for us to show genuine love by attending to the physical and spiritual needs of our neighbors.  When we freely share God's love and truth, we join in what the Lord is doing in the hearts of many. 

JP

Looking Up to the Young

    When my parents told me that we were going to go to Guatemala for 2 weeks, I was more nervous than excited. Two weeks seemed like a long time and there were parts of me that were not ready for commitment like that. I was nervous about all aspects of the trip: the food, the sleeping arrangements, the weather, the schedule, and much more. It all seemed like a lot and I didn't know if I was ready for it. But once I got there, much of my nervousness melted away. The days went by super fast because our schedule was very tight and fast paced, and there were things constantly going on. The food was still a struggle at times, but I always got enough to eat.  

    For the first few days we did mostly home visits and other things to help around the community and I felt out of place. Everyone on the team was older than me and smarter than me and I felt like a tag-along. Once the Vacation Bible School started though, I finally got into the groove of the trip and enjoyed myself. 

    At the VBS, there were so many kids and they were all so full of love. As soon as we would arrive, all of the kids would run up to us and give us big hugs and greet us. Keep in mind, none of us had ever seen any of these kids before and there were over 100 of them. From a North American perspective, this was weird, but for all the kids it was completely normal. They were all overjoyed to see us and clearly had been looking forward to this day. I could only understand bits and pieces of what they would say to me, but I knew the basics and it was so fun to introduce myself and talk to them in Spanish. 

    Once we started running around and playing games I started to see how much these kids really needed us there. A big portion of these kids were probably malnourished, and some had suffered abuse or neglect. I didn’t know the specifics of what was going on in each of these children's homes but I could tell there was a lot of hurt. Despite this, every single one of them was always joyful and all they wanted to do was worship God. During times of worship they would sing their hearts out and jump up and down; so excited to worship God. 

    Throughout the trip I kept thinking back to those days at the VBS and I kept thinking about how joyful and worshipful those kids were despite all of their problems. My worries about my trip seemed tiny in comparison and I realized that even though these kids were several years younger than I am, I wanted to be like them. I want to be more worshipful and passionate about God. I want to be less anxious and sad and more joyful and energized. I want to be more selfless and I want to trust God. I know that these kids can do little to nothing about their problems and so all they can do is trust God and rely on him. I want to be like that. 

Jake

Joy regardless

    I recently returned from a mission trip to Guatemala with Impact Ministries. Going into the trip, I didn’t really know what to expect. For me, the whole summer had just been go-go-go, working and hanging out with friends every day. 

    When I shifted gears to spend two weeks serving and being in Guatemala, I was impacted in many ways. We spent most of our time playing with kids and visiting homes to provide groceries and prayer. Playing sports with those adorable little kids was my highlight of the trip. Every time we would arrive for the VBS, a swarm of laughing kids would tackle us with hugs. 

    One kid stood out to me on the first day. First of all, because he was just adorable, but he was also hilarious. This kiddo was always showing off with cartwheels and goofing off while playing soccer. Jake and I had a blast hanging out with him. A few nights later, when we were looking on the website for kids to sponsor, I wanted to find this certain kid to see if we could be his sponsor family. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find him, but there was a child that looked just like him on the website, only his name was different. 

    The next day at VBS, Jake and I searched for our new sponsor kid and discovered that funny kid we loved and the kid we sponsored were the same person! The name displayed on the website was his given name, and the name we knew him by was just a nickname given to him by his classmates. It was so cool to see how God worked it out so we could have a connection with him. I am so grateful that we got to spend time with our sponsored child and his family, because now when we send letters and gifts, he’ll know who it’s coming from!

    On another note, I saw families hurting, praying to the Lord to survive. We visited tiny homes with dirt floors and trash everywhere. Most of the time, families just owned a single room with a sheet on the ground and a pot for cooking on a fire pit. These people had close to nothing, and my heart broke for them. But, even in times of struggle, they never seemed to lose hope. Whenever we delivered food baskets, they welcomed us into their home and offered whatever they could; their hearts were full of love. Always, without fail, they rejoiced and praised God for their blessings. Seeing these people live with so little and still carry so much joy was amazing to me. Regardless of their circumstances, they were always smiling and radiating joy. 

    In reflection, I have this immense feeling of humility and gratitude. In my daily life, I have everything I could ever want and need, yet I still complain. Meanwhile, these people live in a space the size of my closet with dirt floors and trash with the best attitudes I’ve seen. Returning home to the states has given me a new perspective on how I should live my life day by day, and I know I will carry my experience in Guatemala with me for the rest of my life.

Lucy