A Harvest of Souls

NEWSLETTER- August to October, 2009
*Available HERE in PDF form.

Dear Friends & Family,

It is harvest time in Guatemala, and the milpa (corn stalks) are growing as high as the house! Many of our church people are farmers and are busy harvesting their crops of corn, beans, peas, and other vegetables. The past few months we have seen a great spiritual harvest as well, with many accepting Christ, being discipled and following the Lord in baptism. On August 30, we rented a colorful "chicken bus" and headed to a beautiful park for a special baptism service. It was exciting to see 13 baptized that day, including our two oldest children Mikayla (8) and Jeremiah (7).


New Shoes
We were blessed to have a group from Shore Fellowship Church in New Jersey come to visit in August. Team members helped out with various projects, such as installing electrical outlets and railings on the second level of the church building. They also furnished the feeding center kitchen with some much needed appliances - a large stainless steel refrigerator, a 6 burner stove, and a microwave! One extra special project; however, was purchasing a new pair of shoes for over 60 children in the Sumpango Manna feeding center. There were tears all around as the team helped fit each child with their new shoes!

Car Wreck Update
Many of you received our emails concerning our recent car wreck and engine fire. Thank you to those who responded with concern and prayers! We praise the Lord for his protection and for car insurance, which is helping pay for the repairs. Unfortunately, everything in Latin America takes longer than one plans, and after almost 3 months, our car is still in the shop with no sign of coming home any time soon!

Ministry Van
Recently, God has laid on our hearts a ministry need that we would like to share with you. The Sumpango church is made up mostly of indigenous people who walk up to 20-25 minutes each way to come to church. As our church grows, it has become more and more evident that transportation is becoming a problem. Youth activities, ladies meetings, having people in our home, just giving people rides during rainy season is hard in our small 5 passenger station wagon! We would like to begin raising funds for a 15 passenger van that could be used for our church needs as well as for the mission teams who come to visit. Please pray that God will supply this need. If you desire to help with this project, please contact us. (Phone: 941-870-2301 or Email: kinman@teamguatemala.org)

Thanks for your prayers and financial support!
Jerry and Mindy

Mission Team from Shore Fellowship Church,
Egg Harbor Township, NJ






Jerry baptizing Jeremiah








Members from the Sumpango church traveling to the baptisms

A Family Comes To Christ

NEWSLETTER- April to June, 2009
*Available HERE in PDF form.

Dear Friends & Family,

What a joy it was to lead Elena and her daughter Evelyn to the Lord! Elena’s husband, Francisco, had accepted Christ in January after being invited to come to "Friend Day." Since his salvation, he has received a lot of criticism from his parents, siblings and their families for now attending an "evangelical church." Francisco and Elena’s children are part of our Manna feeding center and have faithfully attended our children's ministries since the Sumpango church began. It is SO awesome to see a family come to Christ!

The Sumpango church has been busy with some recent events. We had 161 in attendance for our Mother's Day service, with many moms visiting to see their kids sing in a special children's choir. Father's Day in Guatemala fell on a Wednesday this year, and it was great to have over 131 in our mid-week service. Over 30 dads were in attendance that night, and were recognized with a special gift. We have seen 7 people saved over the past 3 weeks in our church services, and one more find assurance of his salvation. Please pray for these new believers as they follow the Lord in discipleship and baptism.

Mission Team
In June, a team of 20 from Suncoast Baptist Church (Florida) spent 10 days helping us with several projects -- constructing a roof over the front porch, carpeting the platform, and installing stage lights, and outside flood lights. They also helped us put on an evangelistic youth rally with special music, drama, and games. We appreciate their hard work and great attitudes! They were a blessing to our family and to the Sumpango church!

UPDATE-- Ciudad Quetzal
We are excited to report that construction is ready to begin in Ciudad Quetzal! The building plans are drawn up, and we will be breaking ground this month on phase 1 of another church & Manna feeding center. If you desire to have a part in this building project, please contact Jerry. (Phone: 941-870-2301 or Email: kinman@teamguatemala.org)

Thanks to all for your faithful prayers and support! It is a privilege to partner with you as we reach Guatemala for Christ!

My Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/jerry.kinman

God is Good!

NEWSLETTER- January to March, 2009
*Available HERE in PDF form.

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings from the Land of Eternal Spring! We returned from our first furlough on December 24 and love being back with the people God has called us to work with.

The country of Guatemala has had some problems recently - delinquency, gang and mafia activity, drug trafficking, and violence. Murders have risen to an alarming rate of almost 20 daily, ranking as the 3rd highest in the world (murder/capita/day). Yet, amidst all of that, we feel God's protecting hand, and we constantly see Him at work in the hearts and lives of those around us.

The past few months have flown by very quickly with many events and projects at the Sumpango church. Let us share just a few:

*Friend Day (9 first time visitors and 1 salvation)
*Start of weekly Saturday night youth services (averaging 20 in attendance)
*Completion of water project with a 5,000 liter cistern
*1 Year Church Anniversary (158 in attendance)
*Move of all services to newly completed sanctuary
*6 people baptized in "aguas calientes" or natural hot springs
*Completion of second Teacher Training with 5 new teachers

We are thrilled with all that God has done through our ministry in the past few months. Thank you so much for partnering with us and allowing us to serve the Lord here in Guatemala.

We would also like to present to you some of our work projects for the 2009 year. Will you prayerfully consider helping us with some of the following needs?

1. Roof for front porch $1100
2. Platform/stage lights $350
3. Outside flood lights $260
4. Sound booth in auditorium $1500
5. Carpet for platform in auditorium $425
6. Welding- handrails/front gate & bars over 6 windows $2500
7. Purchase of neighboring lot for parking and activities $32,000

Thanks for your involvement in the harvest of souls in Guatemala. Please continue to pray for our family. We cannot continue to do what we do without YOU!

Saved to Serve,
Jerry and Mindy

Prayer Requests: Upcoming Events

Hey Prayer Partners! We are so grateful for the many of you who lift us up before the Lord on a weekly or daily basis. We have some upcoming ministry events that we would like you to remember in prayer. All of these are planned for the Sumpango Church.

Jan 25 -- Friend Day (THIS SUNDAY)
Jan 31 -- Evangelistic Outreach in Kid's Bible Club
Feb 7 -- Start of Saturday Youth Services
Feb 22 -- Church Anniversary

Special Thanks

In our December 2008 newsletter, we made reference to a 4th and 5th grade Sunday School class from First Baptist Church in Palmetto, Florida. They collected, organized, and then shipped more than 70 Christmas gifts to needy children involved with the Sumpango Church and Manna Feeding Center. The presents were very thoughtful and included such things as toys, schools supplies, puzzles, candy, and then some toothbrushes and toothpaste.

We would like to say a big THANKS to Jeremy and Sheila Evans and their class! We truly appreciate their kindness! The Sumpango children were delighted to receive the gifts. Below you will find a few pictures of the kids with their smiling faces and their presents in hand.

Dan Burrell's Top 10 of 2008

I've followed Dan Burrell's blog off and on since his list of "Significant Stories in Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism in 2005." I've grown to truly appreciate his perspective on life and ministry. Check out his "Top Ten Religion Stories Impacting Evangelicals and Fundamentalists in 2008."