En español

Larry's Ministry in Guatemala

March 2011

Larry Crabtree, founder of Spanish Evangelical Resources made a ministry trip to Guatemala in March 2011, and writes, "I was blessed with the opportunity to join many of the other team members of Spanish Evangelical Resources in Guatemala for two weeks in March. We faced significant challenges each day of those two weeks but as we are told in Romans 8:28 "All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

"Not only did God show us how to overcome the challenges; He turned it into my most fruitful trip since He called me to start the ministry."

Larry saw Mayan homes scattered on a hillside south of Coban, and observed the people, even children, carrying loads on their heads and backs that were larger than they were!

Here they found some who had stopped to rest.

Besides the two-day seminar for pastors in San Juan, La Laguna, a time of unusual blessings, God used Larry and the Guatemalan members of the Spanish Evangelical Resources team, to visit seven Mayan pastors, and their churches in the mountains of the Suchitepequez Region.

These churches can only be reached by travelling 45-60 minutes in a 4 wheel-drive truck on nearly impassable dirt roads. All this is after driving three hours on two lane highways from Guatemala City.

Here is a typical village street in this region.

Larry reports, "The pastors told us no Christian organization had ever visited them due to their remoteness. We discovered another reason was that it was a very dangerous area for outsiders. However, the Lord protected us from any danger there might have been."

This mountain-side church building has been a work in progress for 24 years!

Larry goes on, "We prayed with each pastor, asked him what training he needed to be a better pastor, and gave him a commentary. Their warm hugs of appreciation told us our visit was a great encouragement to them. We developed a special bond with them by visiting them in their churches. They belong to an association of 40 pastors for whom we now have a training seminar scheduled in May."

The morning after we visited the pastors our truck would not start. Cesar and I looked at each other and I said, "Thank God the truck did not break down in the mountains yesterday!"

Cesar used the opportunity to use one of the commentaries to witness to the mechanic about the Lord Jesus.

We were stranded for almost five hours before we could get it repaired. When I think about how God watched over us and protected us one of my favorite scriptures comes to mind: Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Larry counts some other blessings of this ministry trip;

1. We were presented with the opportunity to conduct a training session for 13 pastors in Coban.

2. Jim, (a team member in the UK), Ed, and I, completed the commentary on Mark. We picked it up from the printer on April 8.

3. We had record sales of our commentaries at SETECA (a seminary in Guatemala City).

4. I attended an uplifting worship service at Union Church of Guatemala with Ed Pearse and his wife Catherine. Ed is also a new member of the team. Ed presented a request to the Board of Elders for $750 to translate and print the commentary on the book of Acts. Praise God it was approved!!

5. I was blessed with the opportunity to preach three sermons including one at the church of Pastor Carlos Quijada, one of the newest members of our team.

I would like to thank each of you who prayed for our health and safety, our fruitfulness, and Cesar's healing. God was faithful to answer every one of your prayers. I would also like to thank each of you who have made contributions to the ministry. Rest assured every penny you have donated has been used to provide materials and training to pastors in remote areas of Guatemala.

In His Service,
Larry

Ready to see the Photo story of the Pastor's Seminar in San Juan, La Laguna?

Read How Spanish Evangelical Resources Began

The Great Need We See

Mayan church leaders in the Suchitepequez area of Guatemala where we serve have few reference books. A pastor in a western country may have 500-1000 books in his library. A Mayan pastor may have none at all. There are two primary reasons for this shortage of reference materials: the Mayans do not have the money to buy reference materials and low cost, Biblically sound reference materials are not available to them. Our burden is to make the much needed reference materials available to Mayan pastors, church leaders, and teachers through the training seminars we conduct in the area where they live.