These are the things that my wife and I stay up late at night and talk about. These are the things that we pray about.

School is on break in Guatemala from October 15 – January 15, which leaves El Rosario a little quieter.  Most families are harvesting corn, which they will sell, and use throughout the year.  Corn is a staple here.  If a family has nothing to eat, they can usually find enough work to buy corn, which they boil and then grind into masa to make tortillas.  100lbs of corn will last a family of 4, just about a month.  100lbs of corn costs Q125 which is about $16 US.  

The good news is that it would be hard for anyone to starve here.  The bad news is that tortillas hardly have the nutrients our bodies need.  Malnutrition rears its ugly head at a very young age in El Rosario.   As a matter of fact 85% of children in the villages of Guatemala do not graduate from the 6th grade.  How does that happen?  Lack of proper nutrition definitely plays a part. 

Vonda and I make it a priority to make a nutritious breakfast for our kids before they head of to school, every day.  We KNOW how important it is.  Many kids in Guatemala go to school with a tortilla and a cup of coffee.  Their little bodies are not developing properly and learning becomes harder every day. 

If they can’t learn to read by the 1st or 2nd grade it’s just a matter of time before they become one of the 85%.  And the cycle just presses on.

Any missionary will tell you there is always more to do.  Just when you think you can’t add one more thing to the list, you do.  Right now, our focus is on single moms and young boys.  Our hope is to give the boys a fighting chance.  Our hope is they grow to be men of God and make a true generational change.

Today, if it’s ok, I just want to share our dreams and ask you to pray about them.  These are the things that my wife and I stay up late at night and talk about.  These are the things that we pray about.

1.    The Vencedor Boys Academy – It will give us the opportunity to work with boys every day, not just once a week.  It will be a place where they can eat a good meal and learn what it means to be a man of God.

2.    My wife wants to start a reading program at the public school where she and other local volunteers will read with 1st and 2nd graders.  We saw what a difference this made in our own kids lives and want to pay it forward in El Rosario.

3.    Vencedor Ministries would like to have a breakfast program; first for the boys of the academy but then for every child who goes to school.  Proper nutrition before they begin their day will make all the difference.

4.     Finally, I have a personal dream to have a library at the Boys Academy for all elementary kids.  Imagine their wide eyes as the world is opened up to them.

So many of you have stepped up to support Vencedor Ministries and The Boys Academy.  Honestly, it’s humbling.  If you would still like to help us build the academy, click here to watch our video and visit our campaign.

When disciples followed a rabbi, they followed him closely so that they would never be out of his sight, never be some place where they couldn’t hear him speak.  They followed him so closely that his sandals often kicked up dust.

May you be covered in His dust,

George and Vonda

Meet Jose Mario

One of the things I love about El Rosario is that kids don’t run up to us and ask for candy or money.  They run up to say hi and give us hugs.  Their parents don’t ask us to build homes but instead they ask us to pray with them.  I could not be more honored to be serving our Lord in Guatemala.  We are living at the epicenter of the blessings God promised. 

Yesterday the principal, Sr. Rosales, asked if we could meet with him.  He explained that he had a very special student he would like us to meet.  He told us about a little boy who had sores on his hands and the sores continued to get worse.  He asked if we would pray for him. 

 “What is your name?” I asked.

“Jose Mario.”  He answered in a timid voice.

“Do you have brothers and sisters?”

He nodded his head, no.

“What are your parents names?” I asked.

“I only have a mom.”

Sr. Rosales explained that a man had come to the school 3 weeks ago asking for Jose Mario.  They had never met this man and thought it was a possible kidnapping.  As it turns out, the man was his biological father and came to visit Jose Mario for the first time.  Sr. Rosales said it was a blessing for Jose.

The principal told us that Jose Mario’s hands are often in so much pain he can’t write and he recently missed 2 weeks of school.  His teacher asked if he would like to attend class and just listen.  He agreed and that is where we found him today.  

“Can we pray for you Jose?”

“Si.”

This little guy crawled up on my lap as we began to pray.  In the 12 months I have been in Guatemala, I have never seen the team pray like we did yesterday.  With conviction and by the power of the Holy Spirit we asked God to heal his little hands.  We asked God to restore his body to perfection.  We prayed for protection from ridicule.  We prayed for his mother and father.  We thanked God for Jose Mario’s life.  We thanked God for trusting us with His child.  We thanked God for His healing.

We will be visiting Jose Mario and his family this week.  Please pray for him.  We believe in miracles.  We believe in healing.  We believe this little boy will be a living testimony to the love of Jesus Christ.

Today we were not missionaries, nor pastors. Today we were family, saying goodbye to our sister who we love deeply. She is with our Lord and Savior.

As soon as I answered the phone and David started talking I knew something was wrong.  We had spent most of the day in El Rosario and had only been home a few hours. 

“We just got a call from Silvia…and Blanquita’s heart stopped…and her lungs failed.”

“Is she ok?”  I didn’t know what to ask.  Her heart had stopped once before.  But I knew. 

“She didn’t make it.” He said.

“How is Silvia?” I asked. 

“We didn’t talk with her for very long but she is obviously upset.  We told her to call us if she needed anything.”

I spent the next few hours frustrated.  I was frustrated at God but really, I was frustrated with myself.  Had I prayed enough?  We have been so blessed by God since we landed in Guatemala and I just didn’t understand this.  Why didn’t God answer my prayers?

At 11pm Silvia called and asked if we could pick her up from the hospital and drive her to El Rosario to be with her family.  She asked if we could also bring baby Blanquita. 

“Of course!” we said but we had to ask if she had paperwork to take Blanquita with us.  She assured us that she did.  I’ve never heard of anyone being able to take a persons body from the hospital like that and I definitely didn’t want to answer questions if I got stopped in the middle of the night by the Guatemalan police. 

We arrived in El Rosario just before 2am.  It was a quiet ride.  Silvia and Lindsey just held onto each other.  Silvia’s mom, Alvita, had prepared a room with a beautiful white material covering one of the walls and the same white material covered a small table.  Alvita asked me to carry the tiny white casket to the room and set it on the table.  It’s something I will never forget. 

Some of the neighbors had already started showing up and as some left, more stopped by.  David, Lindsey and I sat quietly, praying, and supporting our friend.  As Silvia and Alvita changed Blanquita into a little white dress, I sat there imagining the pain she must be going through.  I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t imagine the loss of one of my children. 
At 4am we asked if there was anything we could do to help.  Silvia said they were working on the details of a funeral and would call us as soon as she knew.  We each kissed her on the cheek goodbye and gave her extended hugs.  Again, it was a quiet ride home.

At 6am, two hours later, Alvita called to let us know that the funeral would be in Patzun, a small town about an hour and a half away.  She asked if we could take her family to Patzun later in the morning. 

At around 11am we gently set Blanquitas casket in the back of my van and drove to Patzun with a van full of family.  It’s clear at this point we have no idea what to expect.  This wasn’t in the missionary handbook.  No one prepared us for this day when we were commissioned as missionaries. 

During the drive I prayed that I could somehow express the love of God to this family.  I prayed that God would allow them to grieve but cover them in peace. 

When we arrived, it was a flurry of activity; Paperwork to be signed for the burial, hugs and condolences from family and women preparing meals for visitors.  Silvia and her family spent the night in Patzun and we drove back to our homes in San Lucas.  The funeral would be the next day.

When we arrived the next morning, Alvita asked if I would pray for Blanquita before the funeral procession.  What do you say to a mom and a family who just lost a baby who wasn’t even a year old?  I kept thinking about Job and what he did when all of his children were taken from him in one day.  He didn’t cry out in anger or frustration with God but rather he fell to his knees in worship.  He praised the Lord - Job 1:20-22.  And, so we praised God for the 11 months that Blanquita blessed her family.  She certainly blessed us over the last 3 months that we knew her.

For the last time, we put Blanquitas tiny white casket in the back of the van and drove down the street to the cemetery with the back door to the van open.  About 30 family and friends, who walked slowly behind, followed us.  You could see the faces of onlookers smiling and going on with their day until the van passed and they could see the casket.  You could hear gasps and whispers immediately. 

After the 45-minute walk to the cemetery David and I read scriptures and prayed.  Today we were not missionaries, nor pastors.  Today we were family, saying goodbye to our sister who we love deeply.  She is with our Lord and Savior.  Thank you God for blessing us with her life.  

The Future of El Rosario will be led by a loving, living God through the lives of 15 young boys

The El Rosario Christian Academy For Boys is on its way to becoming a reality. With a green light from Sr. Rosales, the school principal, we asked for a meeting with the “municipality”.  We wanted to present our project to those who could make a decision on using the land and abandoned school.

Last Saturday, a special meeting was called with eight town board members including el líder, (man in charge).  When he walked into the meeting we all immediately knew that this was the right person.  Sr. Leonardo Coz had everyone’s immediate attention.  I have heard stories about alcalde’s (mayors) in other villages that made it very hard to move forward on projects.  Many times, they wanted to exploit the situation and get something for themselves or their family in return.  I was a little cautious.

After introductions were made, David and I laid out our intentions piece by piece.  The board and Sr. Coz never made any kind of facial expression.  They were all very stoic.  The other members of the board did not say a thing until they heard from Sr. Coz. 

As David and I finished talking, everyone’s attention turned to El Líder.  Honestly, at this point, I’m thinking, flip of a coin.  How would I feel about a group of strangers coming into my community to propose changes?  How would I feel about strangers telling me that the boys in my community have no role models and need only to look to THE role model of Jesus Christ?

With clear words and from a visible position of power, Sr. Coz spoke.  “I’m sorry I have not met with you earlier.  I have seen what you have been doing.  At the end of my day, when I come up to the school or walk through El Rosario, I see how you care for our community.  I have seen the families who now have pure water.  Your being here is a blessing from God.  You are an answer to prayer.”

He went on thanking us and telling us that he supports what we are doing.  There were a few men on the board who were clearly holding back tears.  I was holding back tears.  It was overwhelming. 

“Sr. Coz, we don’t have a single Quetzal for this project,” we could literally hear the gasp from some of the men in the room.  “but we believe this is God’s will and will provide the money we need.”

He nodded in agreement. 

“We already have people interested in helping us, and one of their concerns is what will happen if we re-build the abandoned school and then the municipality decides we can’t use it any more.  Would you sign an agreement that would allow us to teach boys about the bible for the next 25 or 50 years?”

Sr. Coz said that the board would sign that document.  He asked if we would prepare it and as long as it describes what we have talked about, it would become a binding agreement.

Do you see what happened there?  That is our almighty God opening doors again.  Wide open.

Has God been calling you to support something bigger than yourself?  Has He called you to further His kingdom?  Please pray about supporting this project.  We will be working with a contractor as soon as next week to get an estimate of what it will cost to bring the school back to life.  Our best guess is $20,000-$50,000. 

The Christian Academy begins on JULY 19^th!  We will be meeting with the boys at the elementary school until the lower school is remodeled.  Right now, we will be meeting with them on Fridays after school.  We will feed them a healthy lunch and then spend the next 3 months getting to know them, encouraging them and tutoring them to get their grades up.  To be a part of the Christian Academy, the boys will be required to have passing grades of 70 percent or above in all of their classes.

Providing meals for the boys will cost $125 a day/ $500 a month.  Will you pray about supporting this immediate need?  Whether you are called to provide meals for a day, a week or for the entire semester, we need your help. 

Email me at georgesisneros@gmail.com if you would like to join us on this project.  You can call me directly at 970-449-9449 any time.  Please leave a message.  I will return you call within 24 hours.

“Daddy, please pray for me.”

Cecilia has been fighting a cold for over a week.  She has cold induced asthma, so it has been particularly hard on her.  She took her inhaler once every three hours on Tuesday night and I sat up with her almost all night as she slept.  I just wasn’t comfortable with the situation.  That night I made the decision to visit the doctor the next day.

The doctor said she has Bronchitis and he suggested we use her nebulizer every 6 hours.  Wednesday night was scary.  Her asthma seemed to be getting worse throughout the day and she was taking the nebulizer more and more often.  Instead of every 6 hours she was taking it every 4 hours.  She coughed all night and at 11pm I went in to sit with her. 

At 2am her chest was so tight that the nebulizer was not working.  She couldn’t breathe well enough to take in the medication.  She asked if she could take her inhaler.  When she did, it gave her immediate relief.  She was then able to take the nebulizer treatment. 

At 5am she tried to take the nebulizer but again couldn’t catch her breath.  She was starting to panic, which makes it worse.  I talked with her to calm her down and told her to take the inhaler like last time.  After the first spray, she still couldn’t breathe.  She said, “daddy, please pray for me.”  As she inhaled a second time, I was praying...begging really.  I was already running through my mind what I would do if she could not catch her breath.  There is no 911 here.  I would drive to a friends house who lives down the street and we would drive her to a hospital.  I told him to be ready earlier that night.  And at that very second, she breathed.  She was then able to take her nebulizer and sleep a few more hours. 

I stayed awake all night, praying and thanking God.  Now that I am in Guatemala I am more aware of miracles and do not believe in coincidence.  I have seen more miracles in the village of El Rosario than I can count and tonight, I witnessed another.

The next morning, we called a doctor in the United States to get a second opinion on the treatment given to us in Guatemala.  It was the appropriate medication but based on the previous night the doctor added a steroid once a day.  Cecilia slept peacefully Thursday and Friday night and as I type this she is sleeping without a single cough.  “Gracias a Dios.”

This is the question I can't stop asking myself:  What would a single mom in El Rosario do if her child were in the same situation?  I was able to provide multiple medical options, in the middle of the night.  Cecilia was able to take a steam shower at 3am.  I was able to microwave a hot cup of tea to calm her cough.  I was able to do it all, with light.  Most single moms we know do not have electricity. 

Cecilia and I talked about it and we agreed that we now have even more empathy and compassion for the families God has called us to in El Rosario.  As much as we THINK we know about the people we have grown to love, we are only just beginning to understand the depth of their challenges.  Poverty does not just mean, not eating well.  It can mean the difference between breathing and not breathing, at 5am. 

If you would like to be a part of our support team Click here.  If you want to email us, we would love to hear from you!  georgesisneros@gmail.com or vondasisneros@gmail.com.  You can call us any time from the States at 970-449-9449.

We would love to have you visit!  We can host up to four people and have spots available in September and October.  We can also add you to our calendar for 2014.  

Follow our journey at GodCalledUs.com. 

"I imagined boys with wide eyes learning about Moses and Job and Isaiah."

The El Rosario Christian Academy For Boys

Our team has been praying about the possibility of establishing a Christian Academy for boys.  We believe one of the greatest challenges in El Rosario and among small villages all over Guatemala is that fathers leave their families.  We have seen it happen right in front of our eyes.  Mothers are left to raise kids with little or no income and boys are left with no positive male role models.  They are all left scrambling just to survive.  I know that sounds melodramatic.  It's not.  

God has put the boys and single moms of El Rosario on our hearts. 

We have been praying for favor with the principal who we met with yesterday.  Just before we went into the meeting, our team prayed that God would open doors.  We prayed that He would not just open doors but that He would blow the doors wide open.

“Sr. Rosales, we would like to bring the abandoned school below, back to life.  We know it has been abandoned for 15 years and it’s in poor shape.  We know it will be expensive to remodel.” 

Mr. Rosales, the principal of the only school in El Rosario, just listened.  I couldn’t tell if he was smiling or if he was thinking about the 350 kids yelling on the playground right outside the door, so I continued.

“We would like to teach a group of young boys about the bible.  About Jesus.  We want to equip them for potential jobs by teaching them English.  We want to feed them every day we meet.  Once a month we want them to participate in a service project in El Rosario.  We want them to give back to their community.”

Long pause.  I continued.

“We want you to know that we do not have money for this.  Not a single Quetzal.  It would be our goal to begin the academy in July, here at your school, until we raised the money to remodel the school below.  We understand that the Guatemalan government owns the land and the building."

And then…the BIG question that was begging to get out. 

“Do you think this is possible?”

I don’t know how long Mr. Rosales waited before he spoke but it was not for effect.  He was clearly choosing his words. 

“I have been at this school for many years.  I have wanted to do so many things to make a difference in this school and in the community but I have not had the help needed.  It makes me happy to hear about the things you want to do and I’m glad that I am still here to be able to see them happen.  I have a meeting with the Guatemalan government on Thursday.  I will have a definitive answer for you on Friday but I can't see any reason you won't be able to remodel the school to teach English and teach the bible.”

He said, “I will organize a group of volunteers to completely clean up the school below….this Saturday.”

I clarified, “We don’t have the money to remodel the school YET but we are praying about it.” 

“The school below will be cleaned up and ready.  Also, do you need a key to one of the classrooms of THIS school?  I’ll make a key for you if you need a room to begin in July.  If you need five rooms, I’ll make five keys for you.”

That's what it looks like when God opens doors!

I left the meeting imagining what it would look like to have classrooms of the new school filled with boys, learning about a Father who would never leave them, A Father who would never forsake them.  I imagined boys with wide eyes learning about Moses and Job and Isaiah.  I imagined boys wanting to grow up, not just learning about Jesus, but LIVING FOR Jesus.

It was a good day. 

If you would like to be a part of our support team Click here.  If you want to email us, we would love to hear from you! georgesisneros@gmail.com or vondasisneros@gmail.com.  You can call us any time from the States at 970-449-9449.

We would love to have you visit!  Have you always wanted to go on a short term mission trip but didn't know where to start?  We can host up to four people and have spots available in September and October.  We can also add you to our calendar for 2014.  

 Follow our journey at GodCalledUs.com.