This is the first post of the new Guatemala 2019 Blog. We are just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when new updates are posted!! Many Blessings, and thanks for following!!
Danny Taylor
My experience from Guatemala began months before our actual trip. I walked into our first meeting knowing with certainty that I had crossed over a threshold in my life and I would never be the same. Over the next few months, with a lot of guidance from Laura, I learned how to surrender to God. In His perfect wisdom, He illuminated deep, hidden pain from my past and waited patiently for me to surrender it to Him. I struggled at first, trying to “fix” it on my own, trying to navigate the darkness and storms that swallowed me. After weeks of literal mental torture, and again with Laura’s guidance, I reached out for help from the Healer. The storm dissipated and the light flooded the darkness. Just like that, a decade of torment and pain was erased. In my newfound freedom, I found peace like I had never experienced before. This experience with the Healer gave me insight into counseling the Guatemalans. I knew firsthand how simple and effortless God’s healing was, all that was needed was to surrender and let Him do the work. In the counseling stations, we prayed with everyone, but those who trusted me enough to share with me their pain, they were different. We would finish praying and they would lift their heads. The difference was immediate and significant. Their eyes cleared, the weight from their shoulders released, their heads held high. We would ask how they felt, and overwhelmingly, the answer was free! In God’s mercy and love, He showed me freedom and how to share His freedom with others.
Anna Peterman
Wow, what a week!!! Today we hiked a Volcano (active) and went to Antigua for lunch and shopping in the market…
I will add more photos tomorrow! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for all your prayers!!!!!
Today has been the last day of serving the Guatemalan people, and over the course of the four days it has been no less than amazing! In a small church in Los Lllanos, San Juan, we saw God move in a tremendous and glorious way. We saw women and men commit their lives to Christ. A young mother let go of the pain and anger from the abuse that she suffered as a child. A woman who was a dedicated Jehovah’s Witness, recently diagnosed with cancer, was not interested in becoming a Christian, but after reading from the Bible, she agreed to prayer the sinner’s prayer and was filled with the Holy Spirit. The friendships created, spiritual awakenings, and the softening of hearts has been more than I could have imagined. Together as a group we have waded into Guatemala as Spiritual Warriors…ready to change the lives in all the villages that we entered. That was accomplished and so much more! Little did we know the supernatural change that would take place in us. You always hear the change that will take place, but to see it in person only magnifies the Glory of God.
-Scott Peterman
Team Guatemala 2019
I am so overwhelmed at the goodness of God. I did not even want to come on the mission trip to Guatemala but my daughter did, so we had to go to the first meeting at FBC to sign the paperwork for her to go. I knew at that meeting that not only my daughter was going to come but my whole family. My name is Kevin Grizzard and my wife, Sandi, youngest daughter, Taylor and my youngest son, Nolan, all came to Guatemala. We, as a family, needed this trip more that the Guatemalans needed us to come. One thing that I have learned is that I am a control freak. I have such a hard time “letting go and letting God.” It has served me well in my career, but in my personal and spiritual life, not so much. Learning how to let God break the generational curse of control over my life and sharing with others has opened up for my children and others on this trip to see how important it is for us to release our control issues in our lives so that God can fulfill his purpose in our life and those around us.
I have seen lives changed, persons accepting Christ as their personal savior, complete healings. But most of all, God is changing my life and the lives of my family forever. I love to sit in the “debrief” every night to hear the stories of how God moved and worked in each station throughout the day. God is showing each of us the importance of the body of Christ and how we move and function as a unit for His glory. Praise His Name!! His goodness is chasing after me.
Hello everyone! my name is Immari Stanley (hello friends and family, especially mom and dad who are so excited to see this). i am a first timer this year in Guatemala, and it was a rollercoaster to get here. when i heard about it last year, i had never taken trip without my parents, i wasn’t interested in missions, and i did not want to go somewhere with people i didn’t “know”. boy did God change all of those things, and he started with my heart, without going into detail i had so many circumstances that required maturity, and for me, as well as my faith, to “age up”. he worked on the places in my heart i hadn’t realized were stuck. so through the first six months he made me able to be open to the idea of Guatemala, and by the time the first meeting came the enemy was at it again. this time through something much harder for me, as i struggled to see the right thing. for those of you who know me, i am a daughter, i love, love, love my parents. and i am quick to listen to their judgment, however God was showing me its okay to get the feelings and opinions of others, but it cannot influence immari, regardless of how hard it is, and so it was time to step into the first part of being a woman, and so mrs. Laura, our trip “mom” pressed Will (my bestfriend/boyfriend), to press me, and he did. and God provided, i asked him, “if this is for me, make a way”, and he did. so that is how i got here, and i came with expectation of worship, as the lord had shown me last week, he said to me i will give you your own song, and i didn’t tell anyone. the next day i worshipped and it was spontaneous and beautiful, and only now am i realizing that God said that, for this Monday night. i was in a counseling station during the day, and i felt insignificant, i wasn’t prepared, and it seemed like i just couldn’t tap into what God usually does with me, but i was so happy others were doing well, yet i left the town slightly discouraged, not in God, but in me. what did i do wrong? i made a mistake, i shouldn’t have come, i don’t belong here, etc. the enemy took my slight discouragement and attempted to beat me over the head with it, because i AM joining with God. i am walking in HIS WILL, and the enemy hates that. so i got back and chose to spend some alone time with God to see what HE says about me. i took out my little pink notebook and a pen, and God moved. i had written songs before, but i never liked them, i never was excited, i never felt like they were “good”, the issue was that Immari was writing the songs, and she wasn’t letting God. and when she let God, it was perfect. the Holy spirit read my heart and wrote down words to express, and to relate others. we came down to share all God had done, and i was delighted to hear all the amazing things God had said, and then was nudged to share as well, and so as i just did with you, i shared my discouragement and told of how God used worship to re-affirm, i needn’t worry because i was doing what he intended for me. and so i was ready to sit down, and was asked to share the song, which made me nervous-at first. but then God took it all over, let me know it was him, and before i knew it, i was done, and God had given me peace. the song was not only for me, but for someone else who was helped and touched by me being vulnerable, and a specific lyric of the song was, “spirit fall fresh”, and it spoke to them, as they told me they are in that point in their walk. they gave me a big bear hug, and it brought tears to my eyes because if God does nothing else, if he brought me here to do just that, i am content. God allowed me to be apart of the effecting someone so deeply that it caused commotion in their heart, and stirred good things up, God things. The Holy Spirit took me and my situation of attack from the enemy, and made it and attack on satan’s attacks. and its amazing because that is so God! so for those who have made it this far, thank you so much! you have heard my heart, and for that i am grateful. i write this to tell you, that God does things every where, even if its not in our expectations, and sometimes when it is? he exceeds them. even if it isn’t what we have in mind. thank you for your prayers, for your love and support, and for your trust in God. We love you all so much, and we pray you have the sweetest dreams! goodnight everyone!
For those that know me well, (Scott Lemons), know that I am WAY out of my comfort zone here. Over the past several months, God has moved me in ways that I never thought possible and He is not done yet. Liz, my wife, and I decided earlier this year that we wanted to go on a family mission trip for all the reasons you might expect… To grow closer to God. To grow closer to each other. For my girls to see a different culture and gain a different perspective on how blessed we are in America and of course to help others. From the moment we decided to talk to the Taylors about going to Guatemala, one thing after another happened to ultimately keep us from going on the trip. In March of this year, after a 2 week trip to Asia, I went to the emergency room and one thing after another happened and it was determined that I had to have my aortic valve replaced. I knew then that I would not be going on the trip. Little did I know that God had already determined that I was going I just couldn’t see it. Sure enough my cardiologist approved a procedure that would be minimally invasive. I had the procedure and within a few days I knew I would be able to go. Then a week before the trip, a huge issue at work came up and again I knew that would keep me from going. Again God had already set me on a path to go, I just couldn’t and wouldn’t see it. Everything at work came together and two days before our flight to Guatemala, God laid it on my heart that I need to go. So here I am after day 1 of our Guatemala trip and I am so thankful God did not give up on me through all the trials and my stubbornness to want to be in control. We had an absolutely amazing day today and that was before I heard all of the other testimonies. We started the day out with an awesome devotional/ training session from Dr Herman. We left for the village around 9:30 am and arrived after a long 2 hour drive from the city. I had no idea what to expect I just knew that I was nervous and not at all prepared for what God was about to do. We worked to set everything up and at first it seemed to be a little chaotic and disorganized. Danny put me in a prayer group with my middle daughter Savannah, Caleb, and Sophie our interpreter. Before I knew it, we were talking with Theresa, a mother from the village, who had a swollen arm that was causing her a lot of pain over the past six months. Caleb asked her questions and Sophie translated. You could really see the weight of the pain and possibly other health issues in Theresa’s eyes. We all started to pray for her and ask God to heal her right there. Once we were done, Sophie asked her if she felt better. Theresa said she did feel a lot better but it still hurt a little. I was ready to call it a win and tell her that we would continue to pray for her but Caleb and Sophie said then let’s pray again for healing. We prayed again and the pain went completely away! I was completely blown away by how God used us to heal her. That was just the beginning. I started to look around the room and realized that God had created a perfect orchestra for what He wanted to accomplish today. I saw my oldest daughter, Jocie working in the pharmacy with a huge smile on her face, serving others. I saw my youngest daughter, Cori playing with the local kids and loving them even though she couldn’t speak their language. I saw my wife praying and crying with a 16 year old girl and giving her encouragement. I saw and heard my middle daughter, Savannah pray healing over several men, women, and children and seeing God work through her in amazing ways. Even though I couldn’t see it, God was working out His perfect plan through me, my family, and everyone else on the mission team. To top it off at the end of the day I heard story after story from others of super natural healing and lives being changed . Three months ago God used my physical heart issue to work on my spiritual heart and prepare me for this life changing trip. And this is only day 1!
We were a little delayed getting out or Atlanta, but arrived with no drama and got settled in and are ready to start our first day of clinics! Blessings to all!
Thank you all for your prayers!!!
Welcome friends, family, teachers, coworkers, and neighbors. As we head out tomorrow for our week long mission trip to Guatemala, we want to thank you for supporting us through donations and prayer. Please pray for our safety, team unity, and willingness to obey. Last year I (Maddie) went on this same trip with my older brother, Will. It was a little scary because it was my first time on a plane, going out of the country, and leaving most of my family many miles away. We have many new additions to our team this year, 32 to be in fact. Our team is big and diverse; ages from 10 all the way to however old Jean is. I look forward to serving with new and excited people willing to expand His Kingdom. Since we have such a large team, this gives us the opportunity to stand along different team members as we split into two groups each day. God has preplanned these teams and the villages we are going to, so we are anticipating God moving every step of the way. The lessons I have learned and the experiences I had last year really and truly changed my life. I grew closer to God and realized many things about myself I never knew. My eyes and my heart have been opened to knew opportunities and gifts I didn’t know of a year ago. To know that so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ get to experience and grow in their relationship with Him and realize His greatness just excites and amazes me. We are all looking forward to what God does through us and for us. Stay tuned each day throughout the week to get a glimpse of what is happening and how you can pray. Thank you again for all that you do for us!! Have a blessed day!!
Maddie
Guatemala-June-2019