2008 Guatemala Ministry Report
Andy Lapins – Evangelist
Transfired Ministries

Thursday, February 7th:
I flew from Detroit to Miami and then from Miami into Guatemala City. My friend Bob, who is a full-time missionary in Guatemala with ASELSI, picked me up at the airport. My biggest concern was if the books from Mark Cahill Ministries had arrived. Bob said that as of the day before that had not been delivered to Chichicastenango. As we were driving out of Guatemala City Bob called another missionary and asked him to check with the post office in Chichicastenango and see if the books had arrived. The other missionary called back and said the book were being held up at the main post office in Guatemala City because more taxes needed to be paid. We then turned around and headed back to Guatemala City.
It was about 4:40PM when we arrived at the post office and they closed at 5:00PM. The lady at the window in the department where the books were said we probably didn’t have enough time to get the books. She seemed to really want to go home and she was discouraging us from even trying to get the books. Bob had to fill out a bunch of paper work while workers found the books and filled out their own paperwork. Once this was all done we were then told we needed to go to a bank down the road to pay the bill for the books. We literally ran down the road looking for the bank. When we found the bank it was 4:55PM. The guard at the door wouldn’t let us in because he said it was already 5:00PM and the bank was closing. He seemed to really want to go home as well and wouldn’t let us in. He told us to go to another bank further down the road that stayed open later.
When we arrived at the next bank there was a very long line of people. This was very discouraging but we got in line anyway. This whole time I was praying that God would give us favor with the workers back at the post office. I was praying that God would somehow work things out for us to get the books. At the time it was a very stressful situation. When we finally got up to the bank teller she punched some keys on her computer then said something to her manager. She then told us that we couldn’t pay that bill at that particular bank. The only bank where we could pay the bill was the bank we had previously been at. We thought we were defeated so we started slowly walking back to the post office. I kept praying.
While we were walking back on the street one of the men who worked at the post office was looking for us. He shouted and we walked across the street to him. Bob was saying a bunch of stuff to him in Spanish. The man brought us back to the post office and began to explain our situation to the other workers who were still there. By now it was about 5:15PM. One of the workers who was still there was the lady who had been a little rude to us earlier. She heard Bob telling the man that the books were for Christian pastors and we were going to give them away. When the lady heard that we were Christians and the books were for pastors she changed. She told Bob that she was a Christian and if the books were for pastors then she wanted the pastors to get the books.
We gave the lady the money for the taxes for the books. She said that she would actually pay the bill for us the next day at the bank and also fill out and finalize our paperwork for us so we could take the books that night! It was literally a miracle! God truly heard and answered our prayers and gave us favor with the postal workers, who should have left and been going home by the time we returned to the post office. Before we left we gave the lady, and the security guard who waited to let us out, each a copy of Mark’s book. We finally left sweaty but relieved and full of the joy of the Lord.
We arrived at Bob’s house in Chichicastenango around 9:00PM. I was quite tired but still thrilled that we were able to get the books in time for my ministry.

Friday, February 8th:
At around 8:00AM I started a small pastor’s conference on evangelism at the ASELSI training center. There were probably about 25 pastors and leaders from various area churches in attendance. Some of the people there had to travel for 4 or 5 hours just to come to the conference and they were all very excited to be there. That was something very different from people in the US.
With the help of various interpreters, I taught until about 12:30PM. We then had our lunch break outside. Part of the budget that I paid for my time of ministry included the food we were able to give to the people at the conference for lunch. The ASELSI training center and campus sits up on the top edge of a huge and beautiful valley. The view was absolutely beautiful. After our lunch break I taught again until about 4:30PM. At the conclusion of the teaching time I was able to give each person a copy of Mark Cahill’s book “One Thing You Can’t Do in Heaven” (in Spanish) and also a pack of each of the Spanish tracts that I had personally made and brought with me. It was so touching to see and hear how grateful the people were for these little gifts. They expressed their thankfulness through the interpreter. It truly touched my heart. After I handed out the books and tracts the people asked if they could pray for me. One of the pastors came forward and laid hands on me and began to lead the people in prayer on my behalf. Bob was whispering in my ear what the pastor was saying in his prayer. This time of prayer was something else that was deeply meaningful to me.
That night I was able to have dinner with Bob and his family at their house and get some much needed rest.

Saturday, February 9th:
At 9:00AM I started teaching about 70-80 pastors and Bible students. This was required training for the students involved in ASELSI’s ILIO program. This is a training program that people take in order to graduate. I taught until 12:30 PM, which is when we took our break for lunch. As usual lunch was served outside. In the back of the training center there was an outdoor kitchen and sheltered area with benches for meals and meetings. It was a neat feeling being able to personally provide lunch for the pastors and students. We resumed the training after lunch and I continued teaching until about 3:00PM. When the training was finished I once again was able to present every student with a copy of Mark Cahill’s book and also a pack of each of the two tracts and I designed and brought with me. One of the tracts was a Spanish version of our “Ticket to Heaven” tract. The other tract was mainly made for the men as it had a soccer themed cover design.
Once the books and tracts were handed out we loaded everyone up into a van and various trucks and we took the students down into the busy market area of Chichicastenango. We dropped the students off and they went out into the city in pairs to witness to people and hand out tracts. I mostly just walked around and handed out many tracts to various people. I was very proud to see the students that I had just trained handing out the tracts and witnessing to others.
That evening I stayed again with Bob and his family at their home.

Sunday, February 10th:
This was the closest that I came to having a day off during my trip. My only time of ministry today was preaching for about 30-40 minutes at a small American service for various missionaries. The service was held in a banquet room at a hotel on the edge of town. I spoke about perceiving success in ministry as simply being faithful and obedient to God, rather than getting caught up in worldly standards. We looked at scriptures that tell us that even when we are rejected and insulted because of Christ we are blessed and rewarded by God. Some of the missionaries seemed very encouraged by the message.
After the service, and lunch, Bob and I went down into the market for a couple of hours. Thursdays and Sundays are the busy market days in Chichicastenango. People travel from all over to both buy and sell things in the market. The whole downtown area of the city is closed on those days so vendors can set up their booths. It was nice to just walk around and look at the people and things that were being sold. After our time in the market we were able to rest the remainder of the day at Bob’s house. One of the joys of being able to stay at Bob’s house was being around their newly adopted little girl named Miriam. She was just under two years old and she was absolutely beautiful. I was able to play with her and watch Dora the Explorer, which was her favorite show.

Monday, February 11th:
Bob and I, along with John Harvey who is the head of ASELSI, left at about 9:00AM for a village about 3 hours away called Aguacatan. We were going there to do a 2-day conference on evangelism at a church. Guatemala is the most mountainous country that I have ever been in. That can be good and bad. The good part was that I was able to see breathtaking scenery. The mountain ranges, jungles and clouds were absolutely beautiful. The bad part about constantly driving up and down winding roads on mountains is that you can get car sick, which I did for the first time in my life. I was so thankful when we stopped for a break at a gas station and I saw that they sold Alka Seltzer. Thank you Jesus!
We arrived in Aguacatan around noon and we checked into our hotel. We went to the church and started the conference around 2:30PM. There were about 50 people in attendance. I taught until 5:00PM which is when we took a break for dinner. The conference resumed at 7:00PM and I taught until 9:00PM. With all the driving and teaching I did that day I was exhausted by the time I finally got to my hotel room to go to sleep.
The next morning I was awakened by a minor earthquake. Just before 7:00AM I woke up to find my bed, and everything else in my room, shaking. The earthquake lasted for just a couple of minutes and then stopped. I guess minor earthquakes like that one are somewhat common in Guatemala.
After breakfast we went back to the church to resume the conference at around 8:30AM. We started by singing some praise and worship songs. Even though I didn’t understand what they were singing I was still able to join the people in worshipping our loving heavenly Father. I taught again until approximately 11:30AM. When I was done teaching I handed out a pack of each of the tracts I had to everyone at the conference. The people then went out witnessing on the streets for the next hour and a half.
We meet back with everyone at the church again at around 2:00PM. I said some final comments and tried to tie up some loose ends in the teaching from earlier that morning. Once I was done with this we ask people to share testimonies about the witnessing experiences. Collectively as a group the people said they were able to lead 11 people to the Lord. They were also able to talk and pray with many other people. They all seemed quite excited about what they were able to do when they were out witnessing. It was a wonderful time of sharing testimonies.
After a time of prayer and sharing testimonies we ended the conference by handing out Mark’s books to everyone. Almost all of the people came up to me afterwards and wanted me to sign their books. At first I felt a little silly doing that since I hadn’t actually written the book. But I quickly felt comfortable signing their books since I was sure that the just wanted to remember me and our time together at the conference. After this was done we started heading back to Chichicastenango. Yes, I got car sick again going back but it wasn’t as bad as the first trip.

Wednesday, February 13th:
At around 8:30AM I went with Bob to the ASELSI training center. Every Wednesday all of the staff of ASELSI gather together for a time of worship and devotions. I could recognize some of the songs they were playing as songs that I hear sung at churches here in the states. After the time of praise and worship I gave the devotion to the staff. I briefly talked about the importance of being able to teach in effective witnessing and ministry. I spoke about a number of various scriptures. When the devotion was done I was able to present all of the staff with copies of Mark’s book and the tracts I had made. When this was done the staff asked me to return to the front where they laid hands on me and prayed for me and my ministry. I was deeply grateful for the prayers and requests they made for me, my family and my ministry during that time of prayer. It was powerful and very touching.
When the devotions were over Bob and I, along with a worker from ASELSI named Miguel, went to visit a Mayan family. I was told that this family was experiencing some very hard times. The father had lost his job over a year ago and started drinking very heavily. Every single night the husband/father would leave his family, join his friend and go out drinking on the streets. He would get drunk on some kind of homemade alcohol and almost always fall asleep on some park bench or right in the gutter. The wife/mother was at her wits end. She was trying to raise three children, take care of her home and provide for her family all by herself. Miguel had visited this family a week earlier and tried witnessing to the husband but Miguel told us that he was very angry during the visit and didn’t want to hear anything about God. Miguel said the man told him that he just wanted to die and that he didn’t care any longer for his wife and children. As we drove into town I began praying that God would give us favor with that man and open his heart to the gospel.
Before we went to their house we stopped by a hardware store and bought a large round bin. Next we went to a grocery store and I was able to fill that bin with a bunch of groceries and other household items. Miguel picked everything out and I was able to pay for it. We put all the groceries in the large tub.
These people lived on the side of a mountain so we had to park quite a ways away and walk up to their home carrying the tub of food. When we arrived at their adobe brick home I was glad to see that both the wife and husband were home. All five of us sat down in front of their home and started to talk. The husband seemed very friendly and talkative. He also seemed very interested in me and where I was from. Through Bob and Miguel I was able to get to know the man a little bit.
After a little while of talking with everyone I began asking the man how he was doing. He was quite open with us and began to share about his drinking and problems in his life. I then began to share with him how my father was an alcoholic when I was growing up. I told him about my dad and how his alcoholism made me feel as a child. I think that during this time the man was listening very intently. I was very obvious that once again God had answered my prayers and had given me favor with that man. After sharing about my father I then began to share my personal testimony with him. We talked for quite a while and I was able to share many scriptures and truths from the Bible. I talked about sin and breaking the Ten Commandments and the reality of hell. Afterwards I spent time talking about Jesus and His death on the cross.
When I was done speaking Miguel spoke to the man for a little while. Miguel then asked the man if he wanted to change and become a Christian. Miguel also asked if the man wanted God’s help to stop drinking and become the father and husband that God wanted him to be. The man said that he wanted to become a Christian! Miguel and I laid our hands on the man and prayed for him. Then Miguel led him in a prayer of repentance asking Christ to save him from his sins.
After we finished praying the wife was in tears. She was so very happy. We then presented the couple with the food we had brought for them. They were very thankful. They both hugged me and expressed their gratitude many times. Before we left I felt prompted by the Lord to give the wife some money I had in my pocket, which I did. It turns out that the wife did some sewing for someone who sold things in the market and she only made $7 a week. I had just given her about two months of her salary and she was overjoyed. I think that I was happier than she was! It was such a wonderful experience. Miguel also invited the couple to a cell group that he was leading that night. They said they would come. Bob, Miguel and I left that mountain rejoicing in the Lord! On the ride home Miguel kept commenting on how different the man was this time. He couldn’t believe it.
That afternoon I went with another missionary to preach at a church service just outside of town. The service started at 2:30PM. When we arrived at the church they were already into their worship service with very loud music. I was surprised to see the church packed with hundreds of people in the afternoon. Again, this is something I wouldn’t usually see in the states. I did a teaching entitled “You Can’t Lose” that teaches people that even when Christians are rejected in witnessing they win and are greatly blessed by God. This is a powerful teaching that helps people to overcome the fear of rejection. After the service we shared a time of refreshments with the pastor and people. I was also able to give the pastor of the church 10 copies of Mark’s book for the leaders in his church. The pastor wanted his leaders to read the book and then teach it to the people.
That evening I was able to watch many of the workers at ASELSI play soccer. Soccer is by far the most popular sport in Guatemala.

Thursday, February 14th:
Bob and I met some of the workers at the ASELSI training center around 9:00AM. We packed up some instruments and sound equipment into trucks. We then drove as close as we could to the market area. Because this was one of the market days the streets were jam packed with people. Bob had received permission from the city officials to use a band shell area in a park in the market. We set up the sound equipment and instruments. Once everything was set up Bob and another missionary, Carlos, began playing music and singing worship choruses. The music began to attract people to the band shell. After the music was over I began to preach to the people with the help of another interpreter. This interpreter was named Daniel. He was able to speak both Spanish and Quiche, which is the native language of the Mayan Indians. I preached for about 30 minutes. I gave people a chance to respond if they wanted to make a public confession of faith in Christ or if they wanted to have a Christian come alongside of them to talk and pray with them, but no one responded. I ended with a short prayer. When I was done we sent of the students from ASELSI who had come to the outreach out into the crowds with some of my gospel tracts. The students were able to hand out tracts and talk to the people about the preaching. I was able to hand out tracts also. It was wonderful to look at all the people in the park who were either being witnessed to by the students or who were reading gospel tracts.
We had a limited amount of time to use the band shell so we had to pack up the instruments and sound equipment and bring them back to the ASELSI training center.
After dropping the equipment off we went to Bob’s to pack and gather my luggage. We then started out on the long drive back to Guatemala City. We were scheduled to stay that night at a hotel in Guatemala City near the airport so I could easily get to my flight early the next morning. That night Bob and I had a great meal and went to bed very early.

Friday, February 15th:
My flight out of Guatemala City was supposed to leave at 7:30AM but it was delayed because the crew of that flight had arrived in Guatemala City late the night before and they needed time to rest. The flight was bumped back two hours. I was glad that the airline was able to book me on a later flight from Houston back to Detroit. I eventually arrived back in Detroit about 10:00PM that night where I was greeted by my wife and two boys at the airport. Going away for ministry is always good but coming back home to my family is always better! I was exhausted from all of the traveling and ministry but it was so nice to finally lay my head down on my own pillow and think about the awesome opportunities that God had given me. I was so grateful for God using me in Guatemala. Only eternity will tell and show the fruit that will eventually be produced from my time of ministry there.