The Thrive Collective

Happy 2015, everyone! I love the start of the New Year. It's the perfect opportunity to start fresh. With that being said, we have some exciting, new things ahead of us!

This past summer, Mitch was talking to me about how we could create opportunity for people in the villages. We've always felt a huge burden for the well-being of these villagers. Day in and day out we would teach the Bible and pray with people, but we wanted to be involved in their physical world as well as their spiritual. Kids are often hungry, families are without jobs and most parents can't afford to keep their kids in school. So how were we to hurdle this huge obstacle?

When we were in the States, we came in contact with some paper beads that are made by women in Africa and are sold in the States. I loved this idea. Paper is so simple and resourceful. We began tossing around ideas of what this would look like for the villages we work in. We thought that this could be extremely beneficial for the villagers and create awareness to the American people. We decided to give it a go and see if this could be a successful method of helping villagers rise above poverty.

From that, The Thrive Collective was born.

In most of our villages there is no economy, no opportunity for growth, and no hope. We're seeking to change that. Each woman will enter in learning to make beads, being paid for her work, how to manage finances, learn basic healthcare and how to study the Bible and teach it to others. Having learned a new skill set, they will leave within 3-5 years ready to start their own business that will bring economy and employment to their community. Our goal is to see these communities Thrive both spiritually and physically.

We are also partnering with some local artisans from Antigua who make beautiful bags! They will be for sale and will directly help bring income to the women we work with as well as the local artisans.

Our official launch is this Spring! We have been working hard to get everything ready by Spring(March!) so our website can go live, you can start shopping and our women can begin receiving an income!

I hope you'll follow along and be apart of this amazing opportunity to transform lives and villages in Guatemala!
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2015, may you be the best year yet.

Bread House

I've been thinking about bread a lot lately. I know it sounds strange, but stay with me. One of the great things about Guatemala (but not so great for my waistline) is the abundance of bakery's. Just about every other store in our town is a bakery; stocked everyday with fresh, warm bread. Along with their beloved corn tortillas, pan Frances (French bread) is practically a staple in most Guatemalan homes. And while I love this bread, it still leaves me empty and unsatisfied.

During this season of Advent we are anticipating the birth of The Bread of Life. He is the bread of Heaven that we can feed upon everyday and will satisfy our souls.
Did you know that Bethlehem means "House of Bread"? It makes me smile to see God's goodness in that. The Bread of Life born in the Bread House. God knew our great need and provided His only Son. And 33 years later, he broke bread with His disciples foreshadowing the breaking of His body for us.

This is the message we want our communities to grasp. As we've held several Christmas parties in the villages, our goal was always Jesus.  As fun as presents and cake are, I pray they would recognize the significance of Christ's birth too and that these sweet people will realized just how much God loves them. That The Bread of Life came and can satisfy them.

Tomorrow Mitch and I will fly to the States. We will go from a culture where the over-materialized aspect of Christmas is a sin, to a culture that celebrates the over-abundance of commercialism. While we are excited to be with family and friends, the simplistic way celebrating this holiday as they do in Guatemala will be missed. No matter where we are for Christmas, seek The Bread of Life. Only He can feed our hungry souls. He is our Enough.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! 

thankful hearts, surrendered lives

Just a week after the murder of a man in Los Chilitos, many of the Catholics gathered around in the village to preform rituals that would supposedly make the evil spirits flee. We drove into the village that day not knowing what was going on. We realized there weren't many people walking around, but we gathered with those that were. Hail and rain began pouring down and all the schools kids waited patiently under the school for the opportune time to make a run for their homes. The little ones waited with Rebecca and I and together we read the story of Abraham. We followed the story with a song that even the village kids knew, "Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham."       

While we kept occupied, waiting for the rain to slow down, Mitch and Esaú met Gilberto in his home with chicken and tortillas. Even in Guatemala, the best way to win a man is with food. Gilberto is the father of Sindy, the 17 year old who was recently saved and baptized. After talking and eating for a while, Mitch asked him a hard question, "Are you about ready to give your life to Christ? 
I'm almost ready," Gilberto answered easily. 
The following Sunday we drove up to their home for bible study liked we had planed with him. We studied John 1 and it was evident that they were soaking up God's word. We wrapped up our study with prayer and said hasta mañana. 
We rolled in on Monday and followed our normal schedule with the kids. When we were done, we walked to Gilberto's house and sat and listened as the guys' conversation grew into something spiritual. By the end of our time there, Gilberto was on his knees in prayer surrendering his life to Christ. 

We are thankful to be a part of this ministry; to witness families give their lives to follow Jesus. As we continue to meet with Gilberto, I pray his home becomes a beacon of light for the gospel in the village of Los Chilitos.
Here are some photos of Gilberto showing us around his village; some of the prettiest views we've ever seen!

Gilberto, Mitch, Esaú, and Clay

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 

The gringos are back!

I know I'm three weeks late on this, but we're back in Guatemala!

Back to living somewhere in-between an over populated city and the middle of nowhere.

Back to speaking Spanish and playing fútbol.

Back to a dusty home and a leaky car. 

Back to eating eggs, beans, and pan Frances.

Back to afternoons spent with giggling little girls and energetic little boys.
Back to the slow-paced, small town lifestyle.
Back to being surrounded by volcanoes and mountains! 

Back to the beautiful people and rich culture that make up the place we call home.

I can remember exactly when it started to feel like home. It wasn't but a few months after moving here that Mitch and I had this mutual feeling of Guatemala being home.
Even with the long lines at the bank, limited items at the grocery store, random stops by the police, and the constant rain (October is las ultimas lluvias!), we're still thankful to call Guatemala home.

Right now we are in the final stages of turning in our paper work to become residents. Once we are accepted, Guatemala will officially (and legally) be home to us!

Being home also means new things in our ministry. Like having our friend Rebecca live and serve with us for the next 2 years! We've also started something new with some of the women in the villages. Have you seen paper beads? You may of heard of ministries in Africa making jewelry from paper and we're joining in and beginning this here in Guatemala! This is such an amazing opportunity because paper is an affordable and available resource. I have a huge vision and desire in my heart for the women in the villages. I want these women to have dignity and to thrive in their communities and personal lives.  For now we are just making beads while talking about life and Jesus with one another, but I can't wait to share more of this as we progress.

This beautiful adventure of ours has led us to a lot of places, but Guatemala is our home.
And I'm pretty certain that it always will be.