Columbia Community Church, thank you for your continued prayers and support for your church plant, Iglesia del Nazareno, in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. As you will see in this latest update from the field, significant progress has been made on the new classrooms, and work continues on the rest of the construction. Please keep this congregation and their neighbors in your prayers. While we have not received new reporting from the church since Hurricane Eta struck Guatemala, we know their region received tremendous rainfall.
Construction Progress
Church leaders are grateful to God for giving strength to the congregation – including many parents of beneficiaries – who are working hard on the construction of the church. The six classrooms for the children are finished, and construction of the church sanctuary has begun. While it has not been easy, that portion of construction is 10% complete, as builders are working on the foundation and support columns.
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- The classroom building as it approached completion.
Church Activities
Currently, 60 adults and 40 children attend the church regularly.
The pastor is dedicated to serving members of the church. He delivers Bible studies and devotionals on Wednesdays and Sundays.
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- The classroom building as it approached completion.
Challenges Encountered
The church has faced several great challenges, including significantly rocky ground where they were trying to provide a level base at the beginning of construction. The ground was so rocky that they had to use dynamite so they could advance construction.
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- Preparation for the church sanctuary’s foundation has been difficult because of the rocky ground.
Next Steps
In the previous report, church leaders mentioned the work in the kitchen and bathroom, but they have prioritized the construction of the church sanctuary. They hope to build the walls soon and continue leveling the rocky yard of the church.
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- Beneficiaries receive food distributions and educational materials.
Testimony of Impact
The leaders of this effort say they take great joy when they see how excited and grateful mothers are when they receive food distributions – something they look forward to each month.
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- Beneficiaries continue to receive support while the church takes precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Praises and Prayer Requests
Church leaders ask that your pray for the families who will benefit from the child development center – that they would give their lives to Jesus. They also would like prayer for members of the church – for God to protect them and reward them for the hard word they do in the construction process. Likewise, they seek prayer for the bricklayers and church members assisting them in the construction process, because they are working on high scaffolds. Please pray for them to be safe and accident-free.
The leaders are grateful that God has always given them the ability to feed the construction workers. They pray that God will continue to work in their lives.
