 Hola friends! Whether you are a long-time supporter of H.O.P.E. Bible Mission or just recently joined one of our Run:Hope events this past summer and fall, we want to update you as we begin a new year. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the ways that God sustained our team and work in the past challenging year. Although our new year begins with some plans having to be altered yet again, we can’t help but realize that God is for us and working in amazing ways! As we keep our focus, stand firm, and continue to give our best, our labor is not in vain.   Highlights of 2021 Although the year on the ground in Guatemala looked very different again this past year, we are thankful for a sense of unity and incredible camaraderie in our joint HOPE/Agape team who worked together tirelessly to do what was needed to get the job done. Some of our regular teachers in the pastoral Bible program worked together to deliver a large donation of desks for one of our Run:Hope partner schools to be able to start a new school year this January, as back to back hurricanes in November 2020 damaged homes, crops and school resources. Thank you to our partners at Ridgeway Alliance Church in White Plains, NY for a vital donation of desks and computers. Our team worked together to prepare and deliver resources to each of our three Run:Hope partner schools, offering them encouragement and an opportunity to discuss the challenges they have been facing. They also presented an introduction to Fundamentos Firmes, a creation to Christ training program for teachers of children in the local churches in Salquil Grande, where Run:Hope partner school, Light and Life is located. There will be 15 students joining this program in 2022. Although the pastoral Bible training program had fewer students last year, there were 37 pastors and leaders who continued. We are grateful that our team was creative using phones and social media to teach and stay in touch.  AGAPE, led by director and pilot Eri Alas, was able to complete 80% of their planned work, making adjustments with the restrictions given by the central government due to the pandemic. Emergency medical flights, transport of vaccines, and bringing people safely to remote parts of Guatemala were all part of their work this past year. MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) donated a plane to the work in Guatemala, so now there are two small airplanes available to access remote regions. God also provided a new pilot, German Ortiz, who has been a great asset to the aviation team of Eri, Juan Carlos, and Juan Antonio, airplane dispatcher. We are so blessed to have these incredible resources in equipment and personnel!  A Great Big Thanks for a Run:Hope Goal Accomplished! This past summer and fall, we had three Run:Hope events stateside to raise awareness and support for approximately 250 students and 28 teachers for the 2022 school year. We were thrilled with the outpouring of support and met our goal of $50,000. which covers the entire budget for the program for 2022. One partner church, Maryland Community Church in Indiana, went above and beyond in sponsoring 67 students! We are incredibly grateful for their outpouring of love and for all the amazing support for everyone who participated.  2022 Plans and Prayers Our annual conference for our Run:Hope teachers will have the theme: Creation Speaks | Exploring Science. Although the plan was to host this conference in January, it will be postponed until our team and teachers decide it is safe to do so. All the sessions and materials have been prepared. The conference provides an avenue for shared resources, training and dialogue for our Run:Hope teachers. We have 28 signed up for this new year. Please pray for these teachers as they begin the new school year January 15th.  The Bible training program for pastors and leaders will begin at the end of January. Our team travels to specific areas in Quiché and the classes will be safely conducted with distancing and masks. Most communities do not have the medical support or infrastructure to care for health emergencies. Please pray for the health and safety of all, and for the training to equip and encourage these leaders.
The program, Fundamentos Firmes, is set to begin this year in Salquil Grande. One of our Run:Hope sponsored teachers, Xhun, who is finishing his seminary degree this year, will be one of the main teachers/facilitators. We are thrilled that his hard work and sponsorship, has led to this opportunity to use his training in the area churches of his community. Pray for Xhun as he finishes his thesis and prepares for the Firm Foundations program. Please pray for safety and wisdom for the AGAPE aviation team. They are well trained and take the utmost care for airplane maintenance and abide by the highest standards of flight safety, however, there are many challenges of flying in Guatemala, especially during this pandemic time. They are brothers in Christ who use their flying skills to help edify and care for those in difficult areas of access. On the home office front, as many of you know, our stateside office is now in Frostburg, Maryland. Deb has returned full-time to work with our Run:Hope program and will oversee the upcoming Fundamentos Firmes program for teachers of children. Rick and Deb were able to be in Guatemala last June – July. Plans to be in Guatemala this January had to be postponed, however, bags are packed and ready to go whenever we have a new date for our Run:Hope teacher conference. Pray for wisdom in all decision making and wise stewardship and care for our team and all the resources God has entrusted to us. Our 2022 prayer for our team is to remain strong in the faith, to keep standing firm, and giving our best, knowing that our work and the outcomes are in God’s hands. Praying that for all of you as well! We encourage you to follow us for the latest happenings on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. Stay strong! Rick and Deb
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 Hi Run:Hope Friends, The summer has been full of joys and challenges! We’re so grateful to all who have joined us so far in our summer Run:Hope kick-off. Whether through walking, hosting events, or donating, you are a part of making paths to education larger and more accessible in Quiché. And, it’s not over yet! Read on for updates and more ways to be involved. We also invite you to get to know one of the remarkable teachers at Light and Life School and in the Run:Hope cohort, Juan Pérez Marroquín (Xhun).  Run:Hope Teacher Focus: Xhun Xhun (pictured on the right), was one of the first teachers at Light and Life School when they began with just one grade in 2004. Xhun knows what it’s like to persevere through challenges. To get his seminary degree, he has spent the past five years traveling by bus to Guatemala City every Friday evening. Saturday he is in class all day and Sunday morning he returns by bus in time to help lead afternoon services at his home church. He is a father of five, a creative teacher, a gifted musician, and worship leader. A highlight of his teaching career was forming a choir of his fellow teachers and community members who traveled to Guatemala City to perform at Seteca Seminary for their anniversary celebration. We are so grateful to have him partner with us in the upcoming training program, Firm Foundations for Teachers of Children, in the churches in his community. Happenings this Summer:
 Run:Hope Program Development This past June/July Deb spent five weeks in Guatemala working with the Run:Hope team. We organized a special visit to our three partner schools to offer encouragement and much needed school supplies. Unfortunately due to rising COVID case numbers in the country and slow vaccination roll-out, the in-person meeting component of the trip has been postponed. However, we are working out logistics to deliver school supplies in a safe manner that prioritizes the health of both teachers and our staff. The team also developed a framework for our next Run:Hope conference, to take place in November. This conference offers 21 participating teachers spiritual encouragement and practical workshops focused on the sciences. As we continue to monitor the situation of COVID in Guatemala we know that we may need to do this conference virtually. Please pray for the wisdom and preparation for this conference that it will be enriching for our Run:Hope teaching cohort. Firm Foundations for Teachers of Children Program Deb also had the opportunity to work with the team to develop an introduction to our program, Firm Foundations for Teachers of Children that we hope to restart in January in Salquil Grande, Quiché, where our Run:Hope partner school, Light and Life, is located. This thorough training in God’s word from creation to Christ, including teaching methods and preparation of lesson visuals, has been a vital resource in the past for rural churches in the area.  So thankful for your support It's been a summer mixed with joys and challenges, but we know who keeps our steps firm and gives us the strength to persevere in all things! We are so very thankful for each and every one of you who have offered your support, prayers and love to move our Run:Hope education initiative forward. We encourage you to follow us for the latest happenings on Instagram, Facebook, and our website. That's all for now. Keep moving and praying! Rick and Deb  Psalm 75:2 When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.
Greetings to all our faithful supporters, The year 2020 began with many plans and ideas for ministry. When we sent our letter to you in December of 2019 (Next Steps for HBM 2020) we were full of focused vision for this new 2020 year. Like you, little did we know or anticipate the road that was ahead. When the pandemic hit in full force this past March it was very tempting to pull back to wait and see what would happen. But our God is not a God of wait and see. Although we wondered how the ministry would endure in Guatemala, we clung to God. HOPE has always been guided by the principle to Help Open Paths to Evangelize. Read about the Founding of H.O.P.E. Bible Mission A Time to Pivot The pandemic caused our ministry paths in Guatemala to be turned upside down as the mountain villages were cut off to any travel to spare them from COVID outbreaks in a region with so little medical support. Our team pivoted and did their best to reach out virtually and by telephone in a region that doesn’t have strong internet infrastructure. Just when things seemed to be opening up a bit again for our teams to go back out in person, Central America was hit by two hurricanes. When Hurricane Eta hit, we saw video clips of key bridges to rural communities being wiped out. Eight days later Iota came to Central America causing even more devastation and we cried for mercy for our brothers and sisters who were cut off from food supplies, who lost homes and water systems due to mudslides. We have been clinging to the One who holds the pillars of the earth firm even when we are shaken. It is hard to even express all that has happened this past year, but we can only say it is through God’s abundant grace and amazing provision that our team in Guatemala stands firm, that they have remained faithful, and that they are using every resource available to continue to provide support and solid Biblical teaching in the midst of this year of great instability. With the faithful prayer and financial support of our partners in ministry, our team has been able to achieve more this year for the Gospel than we could have imagined. In the following brief report we want to share with you how God has worked and held our ministry pillars firm. The AGAPE Partnership, Biblical Training The foundation of ministry is the local church and our passion is to train and disciple leaders to minister in those churches. This has presented unique challenges and opportunities. Due to the pandemic travel has been extremely limited. As you can read from our update “Adjusting to the Changes” our team has adjusted to teaching and mentoring virtually. None of the programs have ended and we have started a new program in Samococh. It has been a challenge due to the limited internet in the rural areas. Many of the pastors and leaders only have access to cell phone coverage. But our team has been diligently working using the internet that is available and phone calls to ensure that our leaders continue to progress in their understanding of the Gospel. In 2021 we will continue with the programs in Samochoch, Chajul, Chiguatal and la Taña. In Chel, Ilom, LaPerla, and Polmbose where the programs have finished, the team continues to work with the church leaders to grow discipleship in the local churches. We partner with these leaders in community outreach and with our other ministries of Run:Hope and Salud que Transforma with resources and accountability. The AGAPE Partnership, Ministry Flying The AGAPE ministry has continued to fly during these challenging times. You can read about this in our update, “Flights During Difficult Times.” Eri Alas has done the majority of flying and for the past few weeks he has been joined once again by Ludin Reyes in response to the Hurricane crisis in Central America. They have flown thousands of pounds of food and resources in Guatemala and Honduras (Update from Honduras). This year the plane has not been able to produce enough income to help support the ministry programs as usual, however, God graciously has provided the funds for us to make up that difference. The Run:Hope Ministry As with the U.S. education in Guatemala has been deeply affected by the pandemic. The most significant difference is that the vast majority of children do not have access to internet service in their homes. In the rural mountain areas that problem is even more severe and the reality is that for these children the year has been lost. The 28 teachers registered in our Run:Hope program have worked diligently to overcome this challenge. At the Luz y Vida school in Salquil Grande the teachers have followed up with every student either through cell phones (via Whatsapp) or going door to door handing out assignments and discussing the lessons with each student. The determined dedication to their students demonstrates the core values of the Run:Hope ministry. This year we held our first virtual Run:Hope Education conference (First Virtual Run:Hope Conference 2020) with the focus on equipping our teachers with tools for virtual learning. Because this was a virtual conference we were able to include teachers from other parts of the country who are not at this time part of the Run:Hope ministry. The seminar was led by an experienced Christian educator. Unexpected Ministry during the Pandemic H.O.P.E. Bible Mission is typically not focused on being a relief ministry but in this unusual year God has provided us with unexpected resources to help during this time of crisis. A few churches and a number of individuals gave money to be used for those in great need during the pandemic. Our team has used 100% of those resources to help feed 325 families for six months. We partnered with local churches and pastors to identify those in greatest need. Through this ministry, we were able to minister both physically and spiritually during this pandemic. The Hurricanes Central America was hit especially hard by hurricanes Eta and Iota. The communities of Chel, Ilom, and Salquil were especially hard hit. Read about Hurricane Eta Once again God provided unexpected resources to come alongside the church leaders to help support and show love to others in the community. In Salquil Grande, we are working in partnership with the community to rebuild the water system that was destroyed in a mudslide. Carlos, the director of Light and Life school, has been key in coordinating with community leaders to rebuild the water system. As of today, the community is still without water and it is a work in process. In Chel, Polop and LaPerla, we are coordinating with local pastors to identify those in greatest need and will be working to help rebuild homes that were lost to landslides. Our projection at this point is to help rebuild up to 30 homes. Looking Forward to 2021 After the year that we have just experienced, there is no reason for us to look forward to 2021 with any fear. God has taken care of the trouble of today and provided for every need that we have faced. One of our church partners in response to the needs of the ministry tripled their support for HOPE. Not one of our supporting churches has decreased their support. We stand in awe of God’s mighty provision during these difficult economic times around the world. We are historically a faith mission and do not make a lot of financial pleas. We have been shaken and have cried out to God like never before, but God has held the pillars of his ministry firm! We simply want to share what God has given us to do in 2021: The AGAPE Partnership, Biblical Training What we have seen powerfully in 2020 is that the education and discipleship of Biblical church leaders is vital to sustain the ministry. We need strong local churches to evangelize their communities and we need strong Biblical leaders to partner with to meet the needs of the local communities. Our hope is to see the ministry grow in three ways.
The Run:Hope Ministry You can read more about this ministry at Run:Hope. The need for this ministry has become even more crucial due to the pandemic. In 2021, the need is not simply to open the schools. There needs to be a plan to make up for the lost months of schooling during the pandemic. This is difficult with limited resources and no government support or direction. We need wisdom and educational resources that are beyond our present team to provide. Please pray specifically for this great need! This time of pandemic has shown opportunities to incorporate virtual learning into the Run:Hope program. We will use the tools that God has given to us to address these education needs. Our focus in the coming two years will be to strengthen our teachers and expand the program to more communities. Our prayer and desire is to see this program grow as we know the need is so great in these rural mountain communities. The goals are bold but please pray with us!
Viala Clinic and Training Center Last year we shared with you about the Viala Clinic and Training Center. When the pandemic began we had to put this project on pause so that we could focus our energy on the Biblical training programs and the Run:Hope education ministry. As we enter 2021, we will be waiting to proceed with this project until the middle of 2021. The property in Chel had minimal damage during the hurricanes and we are thankful that the work that has been done was not impacted. We end this update where we started by emphasizing the foundation of this ministry which is to share the Gospel of Christ. God has held the pillars of H.O.P.E. Bible Mission strong this year through:
Please pray specifically for:
A Time for JOY! May your hearts and minds be filled with the JOY the humble shepherds felt the night the angels announced the good news of the birth of a Savior, Christ the Lord. Christ came to the “least of these” so that they could experience the fullness of God’s incredible grace! This season, we feel the same! We are humbled as we experience God’s incredible grace to our small mission and the privilege of being able to continue to share the good news of great joy in the rural mountain communities of Guatemala. We thank you for your partnership in sharing the joy! We pray that together our JOY will be multiplied in each of our partner churches and communities where God has placed us to proclaim the good news. With humble and full hearts of Thanksgiving to God, Rick and Deb for our entire team in Guatemala We appreciate your prayers for our team as Ludin, Eri, and Juan Carlos are still in Honduras delivering aid. The weather has been difficult and slowed the process. So far they have 67.7 flight hours and have delivered 16,747 lbs of cargo along with 64 passengers. Please keep them in prayer as they are there for 10 more days.
Praise God for the generous support that we have received to provide water for more than 2500 people in the community of Salquil Grande. The landslide that destroyed the homes in Polop also destroyed the water supply for Polop and Salquil Grande. Through a partnership with the community and HOPE, they will be able to purchase sufficient pipe to bring water to the town. As you can see from the pictures below the pipe is small, but it is able to provide water for many people. Greetings everyone. I want to give you an update on the effects that the Hurricane has left in the rural areas where we have served our brothers. In the village of Chel, thank God, we have not had human losses, only materials since the river Chel overflowed its banks, taking out three houses that were on the side of the road almost reaching to the School. In the village of Ilom, they were not as severely affected by the heavy rains. In Salquil Grande the teachers and director of Light and Life School are well thank God. In the village of Palop above Salquil, they had a landslide, taking the lives of eight people. For now, there is no electricity in Chel. The bridges have collapsed and closed the passage on the route from Chajul to La perla, Chel and Ilom. Please pray for many affected families who have lost everything. Thanks for your prayers. God bless you.
Many of our partners in the ministry have provided funding to help those in the greatest need because of the pandemic. For the last four months because of this partnership we have been able to provide basic food supplies to sustain 34 families with a total of almost 200 people. We prayed daily and like with the five loaves of bread God's people keep supporting these families. We want to thank those of you who have had the opportunity of praying or financially supporting. God has used your servant heart to help these families survive during a very difficult time. Please keep them in prayer. |
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H.O.P.E. Bible Mission PO Box 833 Frostburg, MD 21532 Email: runhope@h-b-m.org Email: hope@h-b-m.org Phone: (347) 464-8576 |
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