(Screenshot obtained from Paradise Bound video)
Guatemala (MNN) — The tiny Mayan village of Chuaquenum will soon have a place to worship God.
Dan Smith with Paradise Bound Ministries says their ground-breaking ceremony for the village’s very first church is taking place today.
“They’ve been worshiping just underneath plastic and whatever they can find there,” Smith shares during a recent call from the field.
“Now they have a place where they can come together and worship.”
Chuaquenum
Tucked away in one of Guatemala’s most remote locations, rough terrain makes it impossible to access Chuaquenum by car during the 6-month rainy season. When Paradise Bound discovered it in 2009, there were only three Christ-followers in the tiny village of 30 families.
“As we left that medical clinic and we left Bibles with them,” Smith recounts, “we saw the power of the Holy Spirit just begin to work in amazing ways.”
(Screenshot obtained from Paradise Bound video)
Chuaquenum was virtually unreached when Paradise Bound began working with the community. Now, some people from neighboring plantations are walking over an hour to hear about Christ from the village pastor.
A new church building will provide them with a place of respite.
“It will not only help the believers come together, we have strategically placed this church right across from the school,” shares Smith.
“We’re talking about generation after generation after generation that will come to know Christ in this place.”
Church build
Breaking ground on this project marks the start of a dream-come-true for both Chuaquenum believers and Paradise Bound.
Watch a video of the ground-breaking ceremony here.
(Screenshot captured from Paradise Bound video)
“Today is a really exciting day for us as a ministry, especially for this village here at Chuaquenum,” Smith shares.
“We’ve got three churches that are coming together to come down and build this, so it’s going to involve the locals in the village, it’s going to involve three churches–two in Iowa, one in Michigan–and our staff here as well, all coming together.”
Smith says they hope to have everything finished by late February. At this time, funding is lacking to complete the construction. Can you help finish the church in Chuaquenum?
A mere $15 can help build one square foot of the church.
“We’re about half-way right now on our funding, but we’re stepping forward in faith,” says Smith.
“We know God has called us to do this, and we know that listeners, other contacts we have, are going to come around us.”
