March, 2006

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus from Guatemala!

All is well with Sandy, David and I.  On Sunday morning early, we bused over sixty members of our church to a VERBO retreat center in Esquintla, about 45 minutes south of Guatemala city, and an additional thirty or so people arrived by car.  We held our church service there and then spent the rest of the afternoon eating and enjoying the recreational facilities- swimming pool, basketball court and soccer field.  Once or twice a year we plan outings like this because they are so special for the poor families that we work with.  They just don't have the money to pay for family outings that involve transportation, food and recreation, something that most of us take for granted.

We take advantage of these special outings to baptize those that are desirous of following Christ's example and proclaming publically their commitment to him in this way.  This time myself and one of the other elders had the privilege of baptizing five members of our local church in the swimming pool there.  It was a joyous time as we sang praises to the Lord and listened to their testimonies about how Christ has changed their lives.

Mike and Sandy explaining the significance of baptism

Among those baptized were a couple, Hector and Isabel Sandoval, that have only been fellowshipping with us for about 6 months.  Hector and their oldest daughter, Lupita, sew sheets and bedspreads at home using cloth remnants that they buy from factories and fabric stores when the price is right.  Isabel sells them door-to-door and on the street, wherever she can find customers.  They are a very united and hardworking family that is just barely getting by economically, complicated by Hector's physical problems (gout and skin rashes).  Sometimes he is tempted to augment their meager income by practicing spiritism.  Before he accepted Christ, people would pay him incredible sums of money to do "trabajos" (jobs), usually related to having success in business or removing a curse that someone else had placed on them.  Just one good "trabajo", involving about 30 minutes of his time, would provide two or three times the money they make sewing in one month.  What would you do if you were living in poverty, trying to put food on the table, clothe your family and send your kids to school and were faced with a temptation like that to make some "easy" money that would immediately solve your economic needs?

Mike and Mauro baptizing Hector

Pray for Hector and Isabel that they will stand firm and continue to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness", trusting the Lord to provide for their needs (Matthew 6: 33-34).  Sandy and I are also trying to find a cheap and plentiful supply of remnants for their sewing business.  There are large factories here that produce clothing for export and an occasional donation of remnants would make a significant difference in the Sandoval's finances.  God will provide because He is good and faithful.

Another prayer request would be for an outreach that I am in charge of next week, March 26- April 1.  Ten dental students from UCLA will be participating with dental students from the San Carlos National University.  The UCLA students are members of the Christian Medical-Dental Association and will be using this opportunity to share their faith with the San Carlos students and faculty as they provide dental care for the poor.  The first part of the week we will be working in one of the university's inner city clinics and the last two days we will set up portable equipment in one of our local VERBO churches.  We did a similar outreach last year with 15 students from USC and it was very successful.  I am believing that we are raising up future dental missionaries as a result of the exposure that these students are having to the needs of the poor and the privilege of sharing Christ to a lost world.

   In Christ,

   Dr. Mike Kadera