Thank you!

Hello! We are safe at home. We wanted to thank you for your faithful prayers for us while we were gone. God sustained our bodies and worked miracles in our lives as well as those we served. We will be sharing our experience with you this Sunday at Eternal. Please join us to see pictures and hear stories about God's faithfulness.

Building Houses

The first day we built two houses for one family with 16 children! Both teams were building within several yards of each other. We were able to spend a great deal of time with the children, playing soccer, frisbee, and "Simon Says." It was a wonderful way to start the week.

Market Shopping in Chichicastenango

These blankets are typical of what you see in the open-air market in Chichi. Yesterday was Sunday, so we went to the "gringo missionary" church and then spent the rest of the day touring the market. It was amazing. Today the work begins. We're finishing up breakfast now and getting ready to head out to our first job site. Pray for us as we minister to the families and orphans in the area.
We'll try to post more soon.
--Eternal Mission Team

18 Suitcases Full

Thanks to the members of Eternal who donated shoes, clothing, candy & treats, toys and toothbrushes for the children and widows of Guatemala. We received enough items to fill 18 suitcases full! What an amazing experience this will be.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight"

the time has come

Well, we're flying out this Saturday! All 18 of us squeezed around a round table for lunch on Sunday and discussed some last minute details. Donations for the children and women have been pouring into the Eternal office this week. Thanks to everyone who has donated items! We each hope to take a suitcase full of donated items to leave.

We have been told we will have internet access at our compound, so hopefully we'll be able to update the blog while we're there. Please check back throughout next week and don't forget to pray for us!

I wanted to share a picture from our Sunday service. Jack, a former missionary of 7 yrs in Peru, was praying for us and will be speaking at church this Sunday when we're gone. You won't want to miss that!

Thanks to everyone who has made this trip possible. Glory to God!

Boots and Money Pouches

For those of you men going on the trip that still need some good work boots, K-Mart has a great selection of steel toed boots for good prices.

For women and men, REI in Pineville has the pouches that you can hang around your neck and wear under your shirt to carry your money, passport and other important items safely.

Got it!

My passport just came today!! Yeah!! It's official...I can go! :)

Also, I just went online to register my trip with the government, as recommended in previous missions meetings, and found that the html link we had is incorrect. You can get Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings at http://travel.state.gov There, you will also find a link to register your trip, or go directly to the site http://travelregistration.stage.gov

Flight Info & Passports

So, we got our flight information yesterday! That makes it pretty real and exciting!! We leave July 21 and return July 29. Please be praying that God will prepare us and the people of Guatemala for our arrival.

I, however, have yet to receive my passport. I applied March 5, 2007. I called the Clerk of Courts where I applied and they told me I needed to contact Congressman John Spratt immediately. Danielle did this and received hers within the week. So, I called his office and found out there is a $60 charge to have your passport expedited. So, before I did that, I checked the status on my passport application online and saw that my passport has been mailed! It said I should have received it yesterday, which I didn't, but at least it's on it's way! If you are going on the trip and you don't have your passport yet, check into it. It can take a couple of weeks even if you have it expedited.

Love to all!

Bake Sale Extravoganza!

The kids of eternal had another bake sale. this time they tied it with baxter's community yard sale.
who could resist baked yummies from these two?

Yet another satisfied customer.

neat story

i have a friend who is a missionary. 2 months before he left for africa his car broke down. he didnt want to buy one right before he left so he just made due with borrowing and getting rides with people. a few days before he left one of his supporter's grandfather died. the grandmother wanted to donate his lexis. so he got a very well kept lexis as a donation! what?! God is definitely in the business of providing for us!

Movie Night in Baxter - CORRECTION

Correction: “Movie Night in Baxter” on May 19 will be held on the lawn in front of the Baxter Community Center, not at the YMCA.

Movie Night in Baxter, May 19 – You are invited to the Baxter Community Center in Baxter on Saturday, May 19 at dusk to view the new "Charlotte's Web" movie. The Eternal Youth Group "HUZZAH" will be selling home-baked goods to raise money for the mission trip to Guatemala that evening. If you wish to donate home made, baked items, e-mail Anita Barradale at enabarr@comporium.net. So come see a wonderful movie with your family, buy some treats and support our mission trip. See you then!

Movie Night in Baxter to Support Mission Trip

It's Movie Night in Baxter on May 19th. You are invited to the YMCA in Baxter on Saturday May 19 at dusk to view the new "Charlotte's Web" movie. The Eternal Youth Group "HUZZAH" will be selling home-baked goods to raise money for the Mission trip to Guatemala that evening. If you wish to donate home made items, e-mail Anita Barradale at enabarr@comporium.net. So come see a wonderful movie with your family, buy some treats and support our mission trip. See you then!

Wow!

On Sunday, it hit me - I am going to Guatemala! I am going to build houses! I am going to feed children! I am going to build relationships and show God's love! God chose and appointed me to do this incredible thing! It is both humbling and empowering.

Through my friends' and family members' support and giving, I have already seen God's hand at work. I have almost reached my fund raising goal, and others keep telling me they want to support the trip as well. Perhaps the most incredible thing so far has been the change God is making in my Dad's heart. I went on a mission trip to China while I was in college; let's just say my dad was not a fan. . . . When he received my support letter for this trip, he called to say that he knew that I am in God's hands and that he respects my decisions and knows that I live my life to honor God. (Well, I try to, anyway!) That response alone was reason enough for this trip to take place. . . . All that to say that I am amazed and encouraged by the wonderous things God has already done and will continue to do through plain old sinful people that He loves and wants to use to spread His love!

Family Photo/Eternal Directory Fundraiser

Hello everyone out there in e-land.
I am very excited to be a part of Eternal's first mission trip. Coming very soon we are having a huge event to raise funds to build houses in Guatemala. Families and individuals who attend Eternal (you don't have to be a member) will be able to get portraits taken. These portraits will be available for purchase in digital form(CD), and in addition everyone's portraits will be combined to creat Eternal's very first Member Directory. I repeat "you do not have to be a member."
The only requirement is that you believe in what God can do for people through people. And we as regular people can come together to do unimaginable things for other people here in Fort Mill as well as around the world.
The Directory for Eternal will serve as an excellent tool for members and future members to be better served by Eternal and to better serve the commmunity through Eternal. You will be able to include some info about you and your family, and there will be pages devoted to introducing the leadership here at Eternal.
Please come and sign up to be included (no cost for the pictures) this sunday. Picture days are May 19, 20, 26, and 27. Those are Saturdays and Sundays.

And remember to pray for the team starting today until we safely return. We will need those prayers. We have a great mission before us.
God Bless, Have a Great Day,
Kim

Children

If you are a supporter who doesn't attend Eternal, I'd like to share the blessing we witnessed yesterday. Eternal's kids have collected money throughout the entire month of April to help support our mission to Guatemala. They called this the "Month of Change". Some kids emptied their piggy banks, others set up lemonade stands to raise money (see pictures below). Our kids found some creative ways to help raise money!

Yesterday during our Sunday morning service, the children came forward and put the change they had collected all together in a big bucket. I'm encouraged to see our kids learning how to give at such a young age. It's an encouragement to us that they are participating in this mission trip with us!

We can't wait to see how much they've raised. This week, the Levetts will be counting and rolling the change for us. Jack & Holly are really excited to help. Thank you to all the kids who contributed and to Jack & Holly for helping count the money. Thank you parents for encouraging your children to participate and give selflessly. What a blessing!

Pictures from last year's trip to Guatemala

Check out these pictures Marsha Pruitt took from her mission trip to Guatemala with Pray America last year. These are the same type of homes we will be building this year. We now have enough funds to build seven homes. Thanks to all who have contributed. We are so excited!

month of change

i cant wait to see what the kids say this sunday! it is so awesome that they get to be a part of this trip! and a themed sunday? i love eternal (:

6-1/2 houses!

Thank you to all who have donated to the "house" fund for the mission trip. Through these generous donations, we have raised enough funds for 6-1/2 houses! We are more than half way to our goal of 12 houses. Way to go everyone!

Thank you, kids!

Eternal has the best kids! I'm so glad they're sharing this experience with us. The people of Guatemala will be blessed just as we have by their efforts. Thank you for posting the picture.

Children's Month of Change

This month, the children of Eternal are collecting change to help pay for houses for widows in Guatemala. Here is a picture of the Greene kids running a lemonade stand!

first time

so friday afternoon was the first time i cried opening a support letter response. friends of mine that are not overly wealthy sent money with thanks for letting them participate with me, assurance that they would be praying for me, and faith that God would continue to show His love through me. God is soo good!
not only the letters but the daily conversation with friends and strangers about my summer plans have allowed me to already use this trip to share my faith and love with others!

Amazing!

It has become obvious to me why we were asked to raise support rather than save our own money for the mission trip. I have been overwhelmed by the tremendous response from friends and family. We've been blessed by support from people that we didn't expect. In the letters accompanying the support checks, many have thanked us for giving them an opportunity to give and support such a wonderful mission! God has shown his faithfulness and blessed us in many ways through this experience.

Blog it up!

How fun! What a great way to share what God is up to with this trip!
So far I have been totally blown away with God's provision and the blessings my friends and family have been.
Also my kids at school are raising money and we are almost 1/2 way to our goal!

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome team members, supporters, and Eternal family to our new blog. We hope you will visit it often over the coming months as we document the time leading up to our mission trip to Guatemala with Pray America!

Guatemala or Bust!