Missionary happenings in Guatemala July 2016
Missionary happenings in Guatemala, July 2016
August 3, 2016
the mother's touch
The Mother’s Touch
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Small Group Discipleship

Small group discipleship with orphans in Guatemala
 

Small group discipleship with orphans in Guatemala. Spiritual instruction, growth and discipleship is the heart call of every true missionary. In serving the orphan and fatherless the need is great to disciple them in the teachings of Christ.

Spiritual instruction, growth and discipleship is the heart call of every true missionary.


Christ himself sent us not just to bring the Gospel aka “ el Evangelio” which is, as John Piper says “the good news that the everlasting and ever-increasing joy of the never-boring, ever-satisfying Christ is ours freely and eternally by faith in the sin-forgiving death and hope-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ.” To the entire world. But also, as Mathew 28:19 says, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

In working with orphaned and vulnerable children, we often end up responsible for many aspects of their physical care, yet doing all we can to teach them to understand the love God has for them, is why we are here.

Over the past few years, God has brought together a bigger team of missionaries, staff and volunteers to serve at the orphanage Fundaninos. The home has gone through organizational restructuring and one of the things that has taken place is the development of a spiritual life committee, devoted to focusing on that aspect of the children’s life.

The teenagers have been divided into small discipleship groups of four or five children each. The hope, is that through this, we can provide a safe place of fellowship and learning, where their camaraderie can grow to where they feel comfortable expressing their personal thoughts, feelings and desires in a secure environment without fear or worry.

While for many years we focused on discipling the teenage girls at an orphanage, a new generation of boys have grown into their teenage years that require our time and attention. So, Tim has taken on one of the small groups of boys and started working with them.

The initial focus of our discussions is going to be along the lines of identity, the identity of God, our identity and our identity in God.

Thanks to the years we have spent working with them in other ways, the first class went well and they were willing to engage in dialogue.

It has been interesting to see them open up more in a smaller group setting. Probably the thing that was most apparent to me from the first class, was that this is going to be a turtles race. After so many years working with the girls and seeing them grow in faith. I had forgotten where we started with them so long ago.

It’s going to be a slow process, but I am patiently excited to see it happen.

We ask that you please keep this endeavor in your prayers. That we will be able to provide them with an environment where they can open up in a way that will give us the opportunity to speak into their lives.

 
Timothy Martiny
Timothy Martiny
Missionary in Guatemala serving the orphaned, vulnerable and disabled.