Dear Friends,

If you’re getting this letter it’s because I thought you’d want to know about the next big step in my life. I’ve been given the opportunity to partner with a ministry in Latin America called Solomon’s Porch. I’ve felt a calling to missions work for a long time, and quite unexpectedly, the opportunity has been placed in front of me.

“…whatever you did for one of the least of these … you did for me.” Matt. 25:40

The Plan:

Move to Guatemala full time in January 2009. Once I’m there, I’ll be working with the ministry Solomon’s Porch or “Porch de Salomon” who have been in Panajachel for the last few years reaching out to the community of “Pana” and the outlying villages.

Between now and January (probably October) I’ll have the opportunity to make a short-term trip of about 3 weeks.  This trip will get all of the necessities in place so that when I arrive full time, I can hit the ground running. This will involve a refresher course at a Spanish language school. (My Spanish isn’t exactly rusty, more like it rusted away, yikes!) The short trip will also help me to see better exactly what the needs are to prepare for.

The Place:

Guatemala is a nation that doesn’t trust itself, let alone outsiders. Guatemala was ravaged by a gruesome and bloody civil war that waged (officially) from 1960-1996, but the reality is, there was still related violence reported as recently as 2002. There were over 200,000 killed in the conflict, and according to the UN sponsored Historical Clarification Commission, 93% of the human rights violations were committed by the government. Mayans accounted for 83% of the victims. The people of Guatemala remember these atrocities, and aren’t quick to trust outsiders.

Panajachel presents a very interesting and often challenging environment for the work of the Gospel. The local community is made up largely of Mayan natives and ex-patriots. The Spanish Catholic missionaries who followed the conquistadors into the region proselytized the Mayan people centuries ago. Today the Mayans commonly practice some version of paganism that combines various Catholic rituals with the worship of their own local deities. The Ex-pat community is largely indifferent to the Christian faith, and is instinctively untrusting of missionaries.

The Porch and the People:

The ways that Solomon’s Porch ministers are diverse. The outreaches to the villages include the construction of homes for families in need, medical outreach and the construction of sanitary facilities for schools. There is also an active outreach to the locals through the teaching of trades and helping them to market their goods effectively.

Within Pana, a more subtle approach must be taken to overcome the natural tendency of the ex-pats to distrust. Solomon’s Porch has a coffee house and restaurant with internet and a movie theatre (of sorts) that provides clean entertainment without being overtly evangelistic. The coffee house provides a forum for fellowship among the local believers, and an opportunity to serve and get to know the non-believers at the same time. The Porch also provides after school programs for the local youth, and will be starting a Friday “fun night” to provide a safe and healthy environment for the youth of Pana.

Let’s talk about the youth for a minute. Guatemala doesn’t have any enforced age limits on drinking, and the use of drugs is a major problem due to the ease of acquisition. Since most of the residents of Pana take an amoral stance on alcohol and drug use, the youth of Pana have no reason to see anything wrong with spending their lives in a drunken or drugged state, yet, they jump at the opportunity to have the kind of clean fun that Solomon’s Porch will be providing (and has provided in the past.)

My Place there:

• I’ll be helping to coordinate teams who are coming in to work on the ministry’s construction projects around the local area.

• I’ll also help to facilitate teams who will come to do medical missions, as well as other humanitarian aid projects. (Have an idea? Let me know!)

• The youth in Pana need a safe and friendly alternative to the many vices so easily accessible to them, I’ll be helping to create such an environment through after-school programs and Friday night fun nights.

• There’s a need for people to serve at the coffee shop and help build relationships with the local ex-pat community, so some of my time that isn’t dedicated to other things will find me as a barista at the ministry’s coffee house.

• There will be lots of other little things I’ll be doing to help the ministry run as smoothly as possible, some of those things might be helping shoot photos for ministry material, or teaching English as a volunteer in the local schools to help have a positive Christian presence (not to mention being a “way in” with the youth).

How You Can Help:

Please prayerfully consider partnering with me in the work that I’ll be doing in Guatemala, there are a number of ways to that end, and hopefully you will find at least one that will work for you.

• Prayer is a huge need, as the difficulties I’ll be facing will be great, the people unresponsive, and the tasks daunting. I would be honored and encouraged by your partnering with me in prayer for the task that I feel so strongly called to.

• Financial partnering is also a major need. The things that money is needed for include: basic living expenses, rent, food, utilities, travel expenses, and ministry needs. I need to raise approximately $1000 per month to cover all of these expenses. I would greatly appreciate your partnership with me financially to help my ministry survive and prosper.

• The Financial need is immediate, I have a lot of preparation work to get done before the final move, and the short term trip in the mean time is necessary, but a serious (and quickly pending) expense! I’m hoping to have full monthly support coming in before October so that I can acquire supplies for my ministry there so that there can be an immediate impact upon arrival.

• You, in Guatemala! (Yes you read that right!) There are some wonderful short-term opportunities for you to come be involved with the exciting work God is doing in Pana and the surrounding communities. Come meet the people that you’re ministering to through your prayer and financial partnering with the ministry God has called me to there.

Please take some time to pray about how you might be able to partner with me in this good work.

The ministries Motto is “For the Least, the Last, and the Lost” I believe that’s exactly who we’re called to help, I’ve found my place in helping. What’s yours?

In Christ,

Tony

To read more about my journey, or to donate online, visit
http://www.tonysguatemala.com

Visit Solomon’s Porch online
http://www.porchedesalomon.org