Praise the Lord as He continues to open doors for physical and spiritual healing in Guatemala!

On Sunday, June 29^th, a team of 20 CPI mission travelers returned from serving the Lord in the beautiful country of Guatemala - The Land of the Eternal Spring. The U.S. team was blessed to work with two of our long-term partners in Guatemala - Pastor Sam and Mariana Hernandez at the Iglesia Genesaret in Guatemala City, and Pastor Samuel and Julia Pacheco of the Iglesia Nazaret in Parramos.

The busy mission week was spent caring for patients, fitting reading and prescription glasses, distributing free medications, and ministering to hundreds of needy adults and children. But the true joy came from serving alongside fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at CPI's partner churches - what a blessing to experience the unity that only fellowship in Jesus brings!

A special blessing for the CPI mission team was to get to know Pastor Sonny Tulcey of Belize. Pastor Sonny traveled 10 plus hours from his home in Belmopan to serve with the Caring Partners mission team as a translator, and to also "eye-witness" the workings of our clinic. This experience will be invaluable, as CPI is planning to take a medical mission team to Belize in February 2015 to serve with Pastor Sonny and his churches throughout western Belize.

Many wonderful testimonies were shared during the mission week. One was given by Carlos, the leader of the "Clinic of the Soul" workers at the Genesaret church.  Here is what he shared:

"It was almost the end of our last clinic day, and I was very tired, and I was ready to shut the door to the church, so no more patients could enter in. As soon as I shut the door, and turned my back to grab my personal things, I heard a loud knock at the door - a desperate knock. Very reluctantly, I opened the door. There was a young couple, who had found an abandoned child, just outside the city in San Lucas. The child was so very thin, and appeared to be terribly sick. Immediately, I called for one of the mission doctors, so they could tend to the child.

You see, the couple had wanted to come the day before, but there was a bus strike in Guatemala City, and no city buses were allowed into the City from San Lucas. But the couple did not give up, they knew the child would not live, if they could not find a doctor. So, they got up very early, and made their way to the clinic, by taking buses, and walking, and hitching rides. They were blessed in their persistence, as the child was our last patient.

As I prayed with the couple, I knew this was a special opportunity that the Lord had provided. I shared with both of them God's plan of salvation, and praise God, they both accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and I give Him all the glory!"

At the end of our time in Guatemala, 1350 patients had been treated, and 105 made professions of faith in Jesus. We praise God for His unending grace!