Flourishing in the Face of Adversity

This month we would like to share with you a story about a very dear brother in Guatemala.  His name is Santiago Batz. Like so many other young men he went to the U.S. to earn money to support his family.  There are many who are able to make it to the U.S. and who use those earnings to do things like build homes of concrete and start small businesses.   

Santiago went with high hopes only to be confronted with tragedy when he suffered a serious accident. Two of his friends were killed and he was left with a serious back injury that left him in a wheelchair.  Not only was he not able to build his house, he is incapable of physical labor.  But as you can see from the smile on his face God used tragedy for good.   

Santiago returned to Guatemala and has dedicated his life to serving God becoming one of the key leaders of the local church.  Santiago has joined our Biblical Leadership program and travels a distance to join the training.  His life is simple and he relies on God to provide everything from a wheelchair to his basic needs.  Santiago is the most joyful student in the class and has risen from tragedy to being an example of the joy of the Lord.  Our lead teacher Neri wrote, “we are continually surprised at the resolve of these types of students.” 

Please pray for Santiago and his fellow students as they study God’s Word and lead the local church.  Pray that God will give us the resources and wisdom to bring the resources and support that our students needs to minister in their own communities.  And as always we praise God for all of our faithful supporters.