Westminster High School Team

This past month has included two WIND teams, last minute wedding planning, a wedding, a family trip to Cotzal, a brief honeymoon, and then we moved the whole family to a new house! Now we are finally settling in and getting organized and finally I have time to take a few breaths and write. This week I plan to write each day to catch you up on all that happened in the month of July.  At the beginning of the month, while Maria was preparing for our wedding, I helped to guide the Westminster High School team.

It was the largest team WIND had ever brought down, with 25 people, 18 of which were high school students. We had some apprehensions about the size of the team, but we saw God really work in the lives of the students while they served in Cotzal. A couple of them spoke about feeling God calling them to be missionaries. Others were clearly touched by the people of Cotzal and more specifically the children at Colegio HOREB. In the mornings we taught at the school, starting each day performing a skit and lesson for the whole school about the story of Joseph. We broke into smaller groups after that, teaching Geography, English, Health, Science, and Art, while reinforcing the message we learned in the big group time.

In the afternoons we installed stoves in homes. The kids worked hard, stepping right in and serving in whatever way they could. By the end of the week, we met our goal of installing 21 stoves to families who were cooking over open fires inside their homes. These stoves are such a blessing because they take much less wood and instead of the family inhaling all the smoke, it now safely leaves the homes.

On the last day, we took all the children to the park where a good time was had by all!

Personally, it was a time of growth as I was utilized more as a translator with our main translator out sick for a part of the time. For two days I translated the lesson to the school and it surprised me how the words would come to me in the moment. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the children understood the message that was trying to be conveyed. God was surely helping me. 

That was a stressful time with the wedding details and future living situation still uncertain. We are happy to have that time behind us as we settle into our new life together. I hope to write about the wedding tomorrow.  :)

One Amazing Group Leaves While Another Arrives

I had a wonderful time this last week with some wonderful people.  The seminary group from Seattle Pacific University has just finished their time here in Guatemala.  It was an honor to be able to guide them and translate a little during their journey.  It was a cross cultural immersion course that they needed to take to complete their masters degree.  They were greatly affected by the people living in the Ixil triangle.  They heard the stories of how God worked to build the Jorai Bible Institute and Colegio HOREB.  They heard horrible stories about the civil war that ravaged the area, with the people getting caught in the middle between the guerillas and the army.  What left perhaps the greatest impact was visiting homes.  One student wrote about a home visit:

Thank you for introducing us to M's family.  I think that was the coolest part of the trip to me.  I'm not sure I've ever felt moments of desolation and consolation paired so vividly than in that moment.  To see God in the darkness and pain, and also in the joy and the playfulness, was very powerful for me.

We also split into groups and visited with local pastors for a full day, in their homes and churches.  One pastor shared about a time when he wasn't a Christian, was badly injured, and almost lost his leg.  He received a visit from an angel who healed his leg.  Afterward he became a Christian and today walks hours everyday to preach the Gospel.

The group leaves carrying the stories of the people of Guatemala with them, seeing more completely the body of Christ, and with much to process as they continue in or begin their various ministries.

A high school group consisting of 25 people from Westminster Chapel in Bellevue will be traveling to the Ixil triangle tomorrow.  We will be teaching at HOREB as well as installing stoves into families' homes.  This will be the first time in Guatemala for most of them.  Pray that their hearts would be opened as well as the people we will serve, so God will produce much fruit from this visit.  Also pray for my dad, our translator Nancy, and I, that God would give us the stamina as we dive right into guiding another group.

Thank you!

Preparation Week and a Team of Future Pastors

Maria and I have been moving a lot since I arrived to Guatemala last week.  We have had a full plate as we try to figure out wedding details, our living situation, and how we are going to have enough money to live. There are a lot of important decisions that we need to make.  We have had intense spiritual battles descend on us in the midst of all this stress.  We began to put the things of this world ahead of God and the mission that He has called us to.  The devil is crafty and he is a liar, distracting us with unimportant things and giving us undue stress.  When we come back to Jesus as the center of our lives, everything begins to make sense again.  Light dispels darkness and we see clearly, waking up from the fog that previously surrounded us.

How amazing is God, who through all the problems and struggles in our minds, is still able to show us how silly and small those things really are.  How amazing is it that when we start placing our attention on the light, no matter how small, that light grows and grows, until once again our hearts feel light and unburdened.

I will leave on Friday with a team of seminary students from Seattle Pacific Univeristy, serving as a translator and helping in whatever way I can.  We will learn from the pastors there, following them around to learn about their churches and their lives.  That team has already had quite an adventure without me, visiting a mega church in Guatemala City and then the organization Safe Passage, which is a ministry working at the Guatemala City garbage dump.  My dad, who is the team leader, writes:

What an emotional day today. The dump is so sad. We were able to stand above it in a cemetery and watch the trucks come in - dump - and then watch the people start to dig through the garbage. As the trucks arrive and start to back in, the dump people lay a hand on the truck which gives them dibs on the contents. Maybe 40 people on the trucks from the wealthier zones of the city. But then to understand how much better it is today compared to before, it is great to see. The school for the kids of the dump workers is great. What a contrast to the mega church yesterday which wreaked of money to the dump ministry that wreaks of garbage and sludge. It can not help but have an impact on the students. 

Your prayers are much appreciated during this time.  Please pray for the SPU team, that God would give them an amazing learning experience that will help to shape their future ministries, and for us as we continue to make our living preparations here in Guatemala.  Thank you all for your love and prayers!

Welcome

Welcome to the brand new missionary website of Jordan and (soon to be) Maria Rice!  This is Jordan writing.  If you wish to read more about my past work, my spiritual journey, or lessons I've learned, you can always visit my old blog.  From now on though I will be writing here as Maria and I begin our new journey together.  We are currently raising much needed financial support so I hope you read about our planned missionary work and consider joining us in this journey!

Our wedding will be July 19th!  Before then I will take part in two WIND missionary teams to San Juan Cotzal.  One is a team from Seattle Pacific University that will do a pastor workshop for about 50 pastors at the Jorai Bible Institute.  The second is a high school team from Westminster Chapel that will teach at Colegio HOREB and install 22 stoves into people's homes.  To read more about Jorai and HOREB, visit the Our Work page.

Please keep us in your prayers during this major life transition for the five of us.  Pray for God's provision, the He will provide for our needs, and that He would give us the faith not to worry too much!

Thank you for visiting our website and reading a little about our story and the important work that we have planned as missionaries in Guatemala.  I hope you come again to read about whatever crazy adventures God has in store for us as we serve Him together!

Love,

Jordan and Mariajose