Praise God, today we  closed on a piece of land that in the future will be the new home for our ministry.  It has been a long time coming and I feel like I have looked at every piece of land that has been for sale in this area for the last six months.  The land  is located just a few miles  from Santa Cruz del Quiche, near the      small town of San Pedro.  It is close to the main highway in this area and has good access.  It is 20 cuerdos (likely misspelled) which is about 1/3 of an acre. So we have about seven acres.  It will be used not only for housing, but an area to grow crops.  We will also use as a place to keep the men busy.  This is made possible by the donations of many people and organizations.  Both the Woodlands United Methodist Church and Agape in Action in Porter, Texas have a part in this along with some individuals whom I will be happy to tell who they are with their permission.  The land cost in excess of $25,000.

We plan to have a ceremony to anoint the land and dedicate it to God in the very near future and I will post pictures when this happens.

The story of the purchase is quite a tale.  We were near closing on another piece of land when we found out about this land.  The man who told us he owned it lived in a house nearby and shortly after viewing it, it  was a better location with fewer problems and cheaper.  The man wanted a deposit and I told him  we  could agree as long as he brought the ownership papers to our attorney.  This went on for a week and he came to my house with his family and said he could not give us papers  without some money changing hands.  He implicated that with the papers we could steal the land.  I told him we only wanted a copy, and he must sign papers to sell the land.

The indigenous people are very suspicious, so I was not as suspicious as I should have been.  He continued to make excuses for several days and finally admitted that he did not own the land, but he had an exclusive agreement to buy the land and it was actually larger, but he would keep the extra and assign his rights to us for the extra land.

At this point, we decided we had to talk with the real owner.  When he found our what had happened he was very angry and said the man was a crook.  This kind of language is rarely used by the people here.  He checked us out thoroughly and we checked him out also.  He turns out to be a very successful business man with strong integrity.  Even though he was trying to sell a smaller piece than we were told, he agreed to sell us the agreed land for the agreed price when he found out what it is to be used for.  His brother is our next door neighbor and a strong christian.

We again praise God and know that when we walk with him, he provides what we need, not always what we think we want.

Jose Vicente Reamer

Jose Vicente Reamer

We lost one of our good brothers recently. Vicente went to join our Lord on March 3, 2010.  He was 29 years old.   He was born on April 22, 1980.  He had resided at En El Corazon de Jesus since February 2009.  I met Vincent in February of 2009.  He had come to Guatemala from Phoenix, Arizona eight years earlier. Although born in Guatemala Vicente was adopted by Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Reamer in October 1990.  He had been in an orphanage in Santa Cruz del Quiche for 7 years.  

Vicente could speak English and was my interpreter many times.  The other men at the center called him “Americano”.  When I came in the door of the center, the men would yell out Americano, because they knew I needed help to communicate with Victor.  Vicente would often speak Spanish to me and English to Victor, and I would say ok, Vicente, I am learning, but not there yet.  We had a great deal of fun together.

The reason I met Vicente the first time is he was very sick and I ask our Doctor, Sherwood Pope to see him.  He was one of three men that needed some medical attention.  After Dr. Pope saw him we took him to the local hospital and he was checked in.  He had a very serious case of diabetes, and was near a coma stage when Dr. Pope saw him.  Vincent told us he was not aware he had diabetes and his alcohol addiction made this worse.

Victors father and I talked on one occasion and he told me that Victor had been a troubled youth and addiction had been the major problem.  Vincent had told me that he left Phoenix because he could not stay away from bad influences while he stayed there.  He returned to Guatemala and was here for 7 years before joining En El Corazon de Jesus.  Vicente lived in Antigua and Santa Cruz del Quiche when he came back.  He worked as a translator in Antigua.  

Vicente found Christ while here and became a helper as well as a patient while there.  Unfortunately his health did continue to deteriorate.  He told me his leg pain was almost unbearable at times.  

In addition to En El Corazon de Jesus Vicente had a very good friend who lives in Santa Cruz del Quiche, Benjamin Tipaz.  Vicente will be missed.

Mario Estrada

Mario Estrada is 47 years old.  He first came to En El Corazon de Jesus in  November, 2008.    Mario has added a lot to the center. He is the cook for at least two meals a day.  Mario was born in Santa Cruz del Quiche. Mario’s has a sister who lives in Santa Cruz del Quiche with her husband and two children.  He also has a brother in Guatemala City and a sister in the United states. 

He graduated from high school in Icabal. It is north of Quiche at Quirigua. His parents are not living.   Mario went to the United States in 1984.  He lived  in Whitter, California  for three years and then moved  to Houston.  He lived in Houston from 1987 to 2000.  While in Houston he worked in restaurant, as a waiter and learned how to cook while there.  He changed occupations to auto painting .  His last job was installing and repairing sheetrock. 

Mario got involved in alcohol because when he got paid on Friday he would  drink beer over the weekend.  He did not drink during the week.  In January 2000, Mario was deported and lived in Guatemala City.  He lived three for three years and moved to Quiche. While in Guatemala City he was very depressed over being deported and started dinking Vodka.  He had a very hard time because he was sent back.  He still would like to return today.

Mario worked in a body shop and drove a truck in Guatemala City.  When he returned to Quiche he worked as a social worker in the health center.  His work was getting immunization for children.  He was fired for drinking.  He worked again in a body shop.  They have no equipment in the shops here and it was very difficult for him, which caused to drink more. 

A common friend of Victor Tevalan ( the man who runs the center) and Mario’s named Carlos talked Mario into coming to the center. Carlos brought Mario to the center. Mario decided to leave the center in March 2009 and drive a local bus.  This was a poor choice.  In August Mario came back much in bad condition.   He had been in a fight and seriously hurt his shoulder.  He still needs therapy. 

Mario has met a woman in his church who is 32 yrs old with a young son.  He  hopes to be able to get married soon.  He will need a good job to do so.

Mario would like a job cooking or driving a truck.

He is praying for God to open a door.