New Ideas and Faithful Teams

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In the past few months we have been overwhelmed with new ideas about our ministry and have been brainstorming about how best we can help the boys and their community. With the help of the book Toxic Charity and a visit to Eagle Ranch, we have come up with new ideas for how best to effectively change the community where the boys live in a way that brings them dignity and empowers both the boys and their families. In April, Nathan visited a boys home in Georgia called Eagle Ranch where he got many new ideas about our ministry and the structure of both our Refuge and Ranch. The book Toxic Charity has also sparked a lot of good conversation and thoughts about how to reach the boys and their families in a way that is healthy and glorifying to God. This book has changed the way we think about our ministry. It has encouraged us as it confirmed the things we are already doing and challenged us to change a few things to make our ministry more effective.
Please pray for guidance and wisdom for Nathan and the rest of the team as we work with the new ideas and continue to work on getting the ministry up and running to the best of it’s potential.

At the end of 2011 we had the chance to work with two wonderful teams whose work and ministry have greatly benefited our own. In October we had a team called EMI come to Guatemala to help us with the architecture and layout of Engadi Ranch. EMI is a ministry that does architecture for ministries free of charge. With their help our vision for the Ranch came to life. We are thankful for their ministry and help in our ministry. In December we had a team called Blume Photography come to make a promotional video and take pictures to use for our ministry. Their promo video has now turned into a full fledged documentary on the ministry and what we plan to do. Their help in telling our story will be a great blessing as we continue to promote the ministry and raise funds.

The Refuge is starting to take shape and we can’t wait to get more teams on the ground to get even more work done. The guard house is up, and this summer we are hoping to start work on the retreat center. We are so excited to take this next step to being able to have boys living on the Refuge. We have four more teams coming down this summer, and couldn’t be more excited to see what they get done and how God works through them. We are thankful for their dedication and passion for our ministry and are excited to see what God does through them.
Please pray for all those traveling to and from the States. Pray for safety, productivity, and that God’s presence will be overwhelming. Pray that the teams will become invested in the vision and that they would be blessed as they come to serve.

New Team Members and Partners

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In the past couple months, our team has started to come together one person at at a time. We are so excited to see what God does with all these team members.

To help us with the licensing and management we hired an architect named Louis Perdomo. With his help we are hoping to get the licenses we need to start building the retreat center as soon as possible. We are thankful for Louis and his expertise. His work has freed up Nathan to let him focus on other responsibilities while having peace of mind that the work is in trusted hands.
Please pray for wisdom and guidance for Louis as he works for our ministry and that our building licenses will go through with little to no hesitation.

At the beginning of this month we had two guys come down from San Antonio, Texas to explore ministries in Guatemala with the hopes of partnering with one of them for years to come. After a week of traveling from place to place, Jonathan and Charlie decided that Engadi Ministries best suited their interests and their hopes for the future. So as of now, we have partners in the States that we can invest in over the years and have them do the same. We are so excited to have Charlie and Jonathan as a part of our team. It has been great getting to know them so far, and we can’t wait to get to spend more time with them over the years.
Pray for Jonathan and Charlie as they continue to develop their company. Pray that God will continue to reveal His plan in their lives and in their company.

Manuel is twenty five years old, and has grown up in one of the harshest neighborhoods in Guatemala City. Nathan has known Manuel since he was just a boy and as Manuel has grown up, Nathan has seen in him a boy who desperately wants to be a mighty man. When Nathan started developing Engadi Ministries he hoped and prayed that one day he would be able to hire Manuel full time to encourage and mentor the boys in Zone 18. Though this has been on Nathan’s heart for some time now, there was never the funds to make it possible, until now. Because of our new partnership, we now have the funds to hire Manuel full time. Manuel has prayed and talked to his family and believes it is what the Lord has asked him to do. He will join us full time in a few short weeks.
Pray for Manuel’s family as they also must adjust to his new job. Pray that the Lord will bless his decision and that Manuel will find peace and joy as he joins us.

Since last October, Eric Humes has been here to help Nathan with hosting teams, organizing finances, and making the pictures for the ministry look uniform and finished. He has done a lot of work so far, and we are so thankful for him and his dedication to our ministry. His passion for Engadi is evident and we are so glad to have him on our team.
Pray for Eric as he heads back to the States in October. Pray that he will follow God’s voice and that he will end up exactly where he needs to be.

A couple of weeks ago Andrea Ewing finally made it down to work with us after years of waiting. Andrea has felt called to Guatemala since she was very young but was told she had to wait until she was eighteen to come down and work with us. Now at the age of eighteen she is here, ready, and willing to do what the Lord asks of her.
Pray for Andrea as she starts her life in Guatemala. Pray that she will adjust to the culture and language and that she will find God in a new way.