Life Update:
October 2023
As most of you know, Jody and I took a big step of faith when we moved to Guatemala December 30th, 2022. This move was not taken lightly and certainly not without prayer. The seriousness of the matter was that God had called us and we had to be obedient. Do you know how hard that was??? To walk away from everything you have always known and rely on the support of others and trust God to meet ALL your needs.
In June of 2022, we sold our home in Citronelle with intentions to purchase a place near the area we worked, in Hope Hull, Alabama. We loved this community, we loved our job and we loved serving others that visited the facility that employed us. BUT GOD had other plans. In July 2022, Jody met me at the cabin and with much emotion, said I feel as though God is calling us to Guatemala. With much prayer in the days after, the calling was clear. As we prepared for our new journey, we sold most of our personal belongings, wrapped up our work on the farm and spent some time with family.
Fast forward....Jody and I have now lived in Guatemala for almost one year. It has not been an easy year. We have experienced sickness, we have missed being home with family (especially our children and grandbabies), friends, the ability/freedom to travel and purchase things we desire to have. We have experienced tragic loss of friends here in Guatemala and political protest along with the life problems that causes. However, in light of much darkness, God still reigns and has blessed us more than we could ever ask. This month, thanks to the blessings of our supporters, we were able to rent a place of our own. This is a new season that I welcome with open arms. A place to finally call home... a home away from home, a safe haven. For this, we are truly grateful.
How do we manage our finances?? This year, Jody and I shared with several churches and individuals about the calling God has placed on our lives. Through those engagements and selling the contents of our home, we have made enough money to survive thus far. God has provided every need, we are safe, and our marriage is stronger now than it was a year ago...and it was pretty strong then. This new life is a hard life but it is a life that I would not trade and I consider myself blessed to stand beside the love of my life and see God move in a powerful way. We are truly blessed with people who love us and support us through giving and by prayer.
What does ministry look like at this time?? Currently, Jody and I are in school learning the spanish language. Jody has one more month to attend and who knows how long it will take me to fully embrace this process.....I'm a slow learner. In between classes, we have worked with several ministries and pastors, meeting needs in the villages, bible school, building houses, evangelism, preparing meals and providing food bags to those in need. Our main goal is to become fluent in the language to disciple families in the areas that we have ministered in the past. In December we are hoping to break ground on a new church plant in Escutila and a feeding center at our church plant in El Rancho. More information about these projects will be posted at a later date. In the meantime, join us in prayer as we are in the planning stages and securing the last little bit of funds to ensure the projects are 100% funded.
Live 2 Serve will also lead two trips and host others if there are more interest. Next year, 2024, we will host teams June 14 -21 (Friday to Friday) and
October 10-17 (Thursday to Thursday). The cost of the trips will remain at $1,500. This will cover the airline ticket, lodging, most meals and van rentals. Additional money will have to be raised to cover the cost of building houses, food distributions, bibles and other needs that will arise. Each year, there has been a rise in the cost of building houses which makes it hard to build as many houses as we did in past years. Currently, it is costing us $650 dollars to build a house, $15 per family to receive a blessing bag of food and $2.50 per bible. Below, you will find more information on how you can make a difference in providing ministry funds and the payment deadlines for the upcoming trips.
What is the current need? Prayer is always our biggest request. Without prayer, we would not be strong enough to handle this journey alone. The hardest thing for Jody and I both to accept is the need for something that we cannot provide ourselves and having to humble ourselves to make the needs known.
As I have mentioned, we recently rented a place of our own. We are in need of purchasing a few items for the house and we are in need of purchasing a truck for the ministry to haul construction supplies for the houses being built as well as for the church and feeding center, once we break ground. This truck will also be used to transport luggage to and from the airport for teams and it could possibly provide a residual income for us as we transport items for other minististries that are in need of services such as this. The cost of the truck is around $10,000 for a decent flat bed truck with railing on the sides. Please join us in prayer as we trust God and HIS timing in meeting these needs.
In closing, If you are interested in going on a trip, please respond as soon as possible so that I can reserve tickets accordingly. I have already heard back from a few, so no need to respond again.
The payment deadlines are as follows:
Trip for June 14-21
Cost $1,500
First payment due January 15th, 2024: $750 (This includes a $200 non-refundable deposit)
Final payment due April 15th, 2024: $750
Trip for October 10-17, 2024
Cost $1,500
First payment due April 15th, 2024: $750 (This includes a $200 non-refundable deposit)
Final payment due August 15th, 2024: $750
Please mail payments to:
Live 2 Serve
PO Box 570
Citronelle, AL 36522
Be sure to note on the check what trip you are reserving and send me an email with your full name as it is on your passport along with your date of birth.
You may also pay via paypal, but you must include the transaction fee to ensure your full payment of $1,500 is received for your trip. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=K8NT2CTE3FVJG
Jody and I again would like to thank each one of you. You all have played an important part in shaping us to be who God has called us to be and for what He has called us to do. We love you all and covet all your prayers and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
June 2023
This past trip was nothing short of being absolutely amazing. L2S hosted 20 team members to share the gospel; we built 9 homes; distributed food to 200 families; purchased 150 pairs of shoes; hosted a pastors conference for 50 pastors from nearby villages.
October 2023
As most of you know, Jody and I took a big step of faith when we moved to Guatemala December 30th, 2022. This move was not taken lightly and certainly not without prayer. The seriousness of the matter was that God had called us and we had to be obedient. Do you know how hard that was??? To walk away from everything you have always known and rely on the support of others and trust God to meet ALL your needs.
In June of 2022, we sold our home in Citronelle with intentions to purchase a place near the area we worked, in Hope Hull, Alabama. We loved this community, we loved our job and we loved serving others that visited the facility that employed us. BUT GOD had other plans. In July 2022, Jody met me at the cabin and with much emotion, said I feel as though God is calling us to Guatemala. With much prayer in the days after, the calling was clear. As we prepared for our new journey, we sold most of our personal belongings, wrapped up our work on the farm and spent some time with family.
Fast forward....Jody and I have now lived in Guatemala for almost one year. It has not been an easy year. We have experienced sickness, we have missed being home with family (especially our children and grandbabies), friends, the ability/freedom to travel and purchase things we desire to have. We have experienced tragic loss of friends here in Guatemala and political protest along with the life problems that causes. However, in light of much darkness, God still reigns and has blessed us more than we could ever ask. This month, thanks to the blessings of our supporters, we were able to rent a place of our own. This is a new season that I welcome with open arms. A place to finally call home... a home away from home, a safe haven. For this, we are truly grateful.
How do we manage our finances?? This year, Jody and I shared with several churches and individuals about the calling God has placed on our lives. Through those engagements and selling the contents of our home, we have made enough money to survive thus far. God has provided every need, we are safe, and our marriage is stronger now than it was a year ago...and it was pretty strong then. This new life is a hard life but it is a life that I would not trade and I consider myself blessed to stand beside the love of my life and see God move in a powerful way. We are truly blessed with people who love us and support us through giving and by prayer.
What does ministry look like at this time?? Currently, Jody and I are in school learning the spanish language. Jody has one more month to attend and who knows how long it will take me to fully embrace this process.....I'm a slow learner. In between classes, we have worked with several ministries and pastors, meeting needs in the villages, bible school, building houses, evangelism, preparing meals and providing food bags to those in need. Our main goal is to become fluent in the language to disciple families in the areas that we have ministered in the past. In December we are hoping to break ground on a new church plant in Escutila and a feeding center at our church plant in El Rancho. More information about these projects will be posted at a later date. In the meantime, join us in prayer as we are in the planning stages and securing the last little bit of funds to ensure the projects are 100% funded.
Live 2 Serve will also lead two trips and host others if there are more interest. Next year, 2024, we will host teams June 14 -21 (Friday to Friday) and
October 10-17 (Thursday to Thursday). The cost of the trips will remain at $1,500. This will cover the airline ticket, lodging, most meals and van rentals. Additional money will have to be raised to cover the cost of building houses, food distributions, bibles and other needs that will arise. Each year, there has been a rise in the cost of building houses which makes it hard to build as many houses as we did in past years. Currently, it is costing us $650 dollars to build a house, $15 per family to receive a blessing bag of food and $2.50 per bible. Below, you will find more information on how you can make a difference in providing ministry funds and the payment deadlines for the upcoming trips.
What is the current need? Prayer is always our biggest request. Without prayer, we would not be strong enough to handle this journey alone. The hardest thing for Jody and I both to accept is the need for something that we cannot provide ourselves and having to humble ourselves to make the needs known.
As I have mentioned, we recently rented a place of our own. We are in need of purchasing a few items for the house and we are in need of purchasing a truck for the ministry to haul construction supplies for the houses being built as well as for the church and feeding center, once we break ground. This truck will also be used to transport luggage to and from the airport for teams and it could possibly provide a residual income for us as we transport items for other minististries that are in need of services such as this. The cost of the truck is around $10,000 for a decent flat bed truck with railing on the sides. Please join us in prayer as we trust God and HIS timing in meeting these needs.
In closing, If you are interested in going on a trip, please respond as soon as possible so that I can reserve tickets accordingly. I have already heard back from a few, so no need to respond again.
The payment deadlines are as follows:
Trip for June 14-21
Cost $1,500
First payment due January 15th, 2024: $750 (This includes a $200 non-refundable deposit)
Final payment due April 15th, 2024: $750
Trip for October 10-17, 2024
Cost $1,500
First payment due April 15th, 2024: $750 (This includes a $200 non-refundable deposit)
Final payment due August 15th, 2024: $750
Please mail payments to:
Live 2 Serve
PO Box 570
Citronelle, AL 36522
Be sure to note on the check what trip you are reserving and send me an email with your full name as it is on your passport along with your date of birth.
You may also pay via paypal, but you must include the transaction fee to ensure your full payment of $1,500 is received for your trip. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=K8NT2CTE3FVJG
Jody and I again would like to thank each one of you. You all have played an important part in shaping us to be who God has called us to be and for what He has called us to do. We love you all and covet all your prayers and look forward to seeing you all again soon.
June 2023
This past trip was nothing short of being absolutely amazing. L2S hosted 20 team members to share the gospel; we built 9 homes; distributed food to 200 families; purchased 150 pairs of shoes; hosted a pastors conference for 50 pastors from nearby villages.