T-Shirt Sale

Mandy came home from working her tail off in Guatemala and immediately set up a fundraiser for us.   Thank you, friend!

FROM MANDY:

I'm selling these to help fund the Townsend Family's second year working in Guatemala. They are available in adult sizes. Adult S-XXXL. XXL and larger should add $2 to the cost.  $25 shipped for the basic tee and $28 shipped for the blue Dolman (womens).  Message me (mamarhodes@live.com) to order and I'll let you know how to pay.  Thanks!

We are Family!

We are probably the *luckiest* expats here!  My Aunt Betty Lee came in November, my Aunt Karen and Uncle Mike just left after visiting for three weeks and my parents have been here twice since we arrived 9 months ago.  In July, my sister and her family will visit with my parents!  So thankful.  My family rocks support.

On Saturday, we drove my Aunt Karen, Uncle Mike, Mom and Dad through the town of Pastores to show them some homes the IDC building ministry has built.

On Monday, my uncle and parents went with Jack to help build a home for a family of 8.  They have 6 children, 4 of which have special needs.  They were so grateful for their new home.  And I am so grateful my family was able to assist with this amazing ministry.

It is a very special gift to have our family visit us in Guatemala.  In addition to sharing this wonderful ministry, we get to enjoy walking all around this gorgeous town, playing cards, and visiting touristy destinations with them.  

Building the home! 

They worked extremely hard!  I am so proud of them!

My mom had the honor of giving the family their house keys. 

In this picture, my Aunt Karen is dying Easter eggs with the kids.  My aunt and uncle also brought a ton of goodies, which filled their Easter baskets.  They spoiled them!

Thank you, Uncle Mike and Aunt Karen for a very special visit.  We will miss you!

PS We have amazing friends, too!  Another awesome family is visiting in November and we can't wait to see them, as well!

20 Years Later...

When I was in high school, I had a teacher affectionately nicknamed, "Mr. C" for both history and IPLE, a Political Science class.  When I was graduating, he was retiring.  Early on in my senior year I told him I would be going to school in Wilmington, NC and he informed me that he and his new wife were moving to Wilmington, NC when he retired!  Craziness!

Life happened and we lost touch until Facebook came on the scene.

Thankfully we started chatting again and Mr. C became a huge encouragement for our mission in Guatemala, offering his support and prayers.  He came to our send off party and bought a tee shirt and told us he would wear it proudly.  He also paid 10 times the cost for it.

Recently, Mr. C sent me a private message asking me where he could send a check for a family to receive a home.  A home.  Mr. C and his beautiful wife, Risa, decided to put their own needs, their own desires, their own wants aside.  The result?  A family now has a home, a water filtration system, a stove, two windows and a door with a lock.

A father will not worry about leaving his family in an unsafe structure when he goes to work.  A mother will not worry about the disease infested, dirty water her family drinks.  As of this evening, 6 children will not have to share a bed with their parents.  And this adorable family now has their own stove.

If you would like to see exactly what $3000 does for a family, click here.  I have said it many times before, a home offers hope to a family, which extends down to generations to come.  When parents have a safe, clean home for their children, they can spend the money they were saving on sending their children to school.  School costs money here.  It's not free.  When a child goes to school, they have a future.

This is the family that has been abundantly blessed by Mr. and Mrs. C's generosity.  These pictures were taken just after handing them the keys to their new home.  Best moment ever.  This beautiful family of eight has hope and a future because of so many people like you, who have supported our ministry in Guatemala.