Monday, July 7, 2008

From my friend, Alisa, on the Guatemala mission trip!

My life will never be the same. It should never be the same. Our pastor from our church, First Baptist Church, McKinney, said that what we were experiencing in Guatemala was “normal Christianity.” We were thinking this is amazing…so many are coming to know Christ as their Lord and Savior every day.

Yet this is what the life of the believer should look like at home in the USA. What we were experiencing in Guatemala is normal. What we experience at home in the USA is not normal. We allow our “busy schedules”, our fear of man (what we fear that people will think about us), and our daily routines to keep us from being about God’s work of bringing the lost into God’s Kingdom.

We left on June 27. It just so happened that June 27, 2008 was my 55th birthday. Being able to go on this mission trip to Guatemala was the best birthday gift I have ever been given.

I have waited fifty five years to make myself available to be used by God on mission. How sad. I have asked God to forgive me for not going before now. I have underestimated the power of God within me.

God used me to share the His Gospel message that resulted in 42 people coming to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Did you read that correctly? He used me… Alisa Link, fifty five years old, never been on a mission trip in my life. Up to now I could have counted on one hand how many people God has used me to bring to salvation. But as my pastor said about those 42 who came to know Christ…just normal Christianity.

This is a picture of our team from the USA in front of the church Iglesia Bauptista Macedonia.


We joined with the members of this small church (75 members) in Guatemala to share the Gospel message to the lost . There was a gun shop next door. Gun sales are big business. Almost every shop has its own private security standing in the door with a machine gun. Crime in Guatemala City is very bad. It is a dangerous place to live. On the far left Charles McGruder from Orlando, FL, Allison & Jay Anderson from McKinney (they have a 2yr. old son and are expecting another child, Lucy Santiago from Orlando. Lucy is 74 years young. This is her 3rd trip to Guatemala. She is a seasoned missionary having made lots of trips to Central America. On one trip she was run over by a bicycle in Argentina and spent a month there before the doctors would release her to return to the USA. She speaks fluent Spanish having moved to the USA from Puerto Rico. She translated for us.

*****Becky's note: there were about 105 people
on this trip from the
US and several Central American countries.
Over 800 Guatemalans
came to know Christ. *****

Newest grandbaby!

Allison and family were here for a
visit from Houston for the 4th.
Faith is so happy and growing like a weed.

Tom's cancer (7/3/08)

The results of Tom’s procedure were exactly as the doctor expected. The tumor was an early stage cancer. The good news is that the cancer was contained within the tumor. This type of bladder cancer is usually non-aggressive and non-life threatening, but it has a tendency to recur again and again. Tom will have a 5 year follow-up by having a cysto every 3 months for the first year, every 4 months for the second, and twice a year for 3 years. He will also have a more in-depth scan on his kidneys in August that will serve as a base-line for future scans. In the doctor’s words, “If you have to have cancer, this is the kind you want.”

We are thankful for all of you who have prayed so faithfully. The outpouring of emails and phone calls has meant more than we can express. We love you all and praise the Lord for you.

God bless!