(Graphic courtesy of LuMaxArt via Flickr) cc2.0

Guatemala (MNN) — For the past few days, we’ve been telling you what God is doing in Chichicastenago, Guatemala through Family Christian Stores and Pray America. (Story 1, Story 2)

Today, it’s time to find out where YOU fit in. If you’ve always wanted to get involved in missions, but could never go on a mission trip, here’s your chance.

Family Christian is helping Pray America fill a new warehouse in Guatemala with food supplies. Those supplies will be used in Pray America’s feeding programs, where at-risk widows and orphans get to hear the Gospel — often for the first time.

Family Christian’s Steve Biondo says they need your help to fill the warehouse by Christmas.

“It’s really the Body of Christ all doing the part that God has called them to,” shares Biondo.

“Donations from guests: we can aggregate those and then deliver them to a faith-based ministry who is making a difference in the lives of the Kiche Mayans, feeding them–both physically and spiritually–for the sake of the Kingdom.”

Family Christian and Pray America

Family Christian has been supporting Pray America’s ministry in “ChiChi” for the past eight years.

“We fell in love with what Pray America is doing, and what God is doing through Pray America,” Biondo states.

(Logo courtesy of Family Christian)

Along with financially supporting the ministry, Family Christian sends short-term mission teams to Guatemala.

“Our employees from across the country will go down and spend a week with Pray America: building homes, participating in the feeding programs, building latrines, putting in fuel-efficient, wood-burning cook stoves,” says Biondo.

This fall, Family Christian is hoping to raise $175,000 in support of Pray America’s feeding programs and new “bodega” (warehouse) ministry.

“When you come and shop with us, you also have the opportunity to put your faith into action,” Biondo says.

Learn how it all works.

Partner with the people of ChiChi

(Photo courtesy of Family Christian/Nik DeGraf)

Family Christian’s financial help will allow Pray America to fill their new warehouse with food stocks like rice, corn, beans, salt, and more. It’s more than storing food for Pray America’s existing feeding programs, though.

The bodega and additional food supplies will make it possible for Pray America to expand their program: instead of just feeding kids, the ministry can now serve entire families.

Until the campaign begins, there are a couple of ways you can make a difference.

“Churches should think about sending mission teams down to work with Pray America,” Biondo suggests. “They have a phenomenal short-term mission program; the team has built a beautiful campus.”

Connect with Pray America here.

You “can [also] become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ through Pray America by making small donations,” adds Biondo.

“The small donations add up, and then we deliver that as a powerful contribution. We would love to see small donations made–$10, $15, $25–to help with the procurement of the product.”

Give a gift through Family Christian by shopping online!

Follow Family Christian’s blog and Facebook feed to find out when their Pray America giving campaign begins.

A weaver in India prepares his thread.
(Photo courtesy Wikipedia)

Guatemala (MNN) — In weaving, two distinct threads or yarns are interlaced to create one fabric, or cloth. A similar process is underway in Chichicastenago, Guatemala.

The Lord is working behind the scenes through Family Christian Stores and Pray America to form a beautiful example of faith in action.

“This whole thing sort of ‘unfolded’ without anybody having any definite plans to start,” says Ron Morin, founder and president of Pray America.

And yet, the Lord was weaving His masterpiece.

Stepping forth in faith

Following a “mini-drought” in Chichicastenago about a year ago, Morin realized the impoverished Kiche Mayan people were in deep trouble.

(Photo courtesy of Pray America via Facebook)

“They’re not going to have food, they’re not going to have seed, and we’re going to have a disaster coming up,” he summarizes.

“The Lord put it on my heart to get prepared for a really difficult time. I didn’t have any money to do anything, but I did have some ground.”

Morin asked his Guatemalan staff to start making “block” — building components composed of dirt, pine needles, and water.

“We ended up making about 2,000 of those, still not having any idea what they were going to be used for,” says Morin. Eventually, the team decided to put the blocks together and build a “bodega” (warehouse).

Still uncertain of this project’s purpose, Morin says one thought remained clear: “The whole crux of this is to get ready; get ready for whatever is going to come down.”

Putting faith into action

Meanwhile, at the Family Christian headquarters in Michigan, Steve Biondo says their staff was searching for more ways to help Pray America.

“We wanted to find a way to have deeper impact with the Kiche Mayans,” Biondo clarifies.

(Photo courtesy of
Family Christian/Nik DeGraf)

The team decided to set a new year-end fundraising goal of $175,000 for Pray America.

“If we can raise that money, we [could] feed 1,200 children every month for an entire year, [and] we can provide for their spiritual education [through] twice-a-week Bible studies,” recalls Biondo.

Afterward, Biondo learned of Pray America’s newest developments, which seemed to fit perfectly alongside Family Christian’s goals.

“We can put away enough food stores in the bodega God called Ron to build for 2,100 families, and feed them as well,” says Biondo.

Through the existing feeding programs and the new bodega ministry, “We actually end up feeding over 10,000 people for a year,” he adds.

So what?

Dick from Shepard of the Bay
sharing the gospel with Manuela and her family.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Pray America via Facebook)

Just as strings are woven together to create a beautiful fabric, Family Christian and Pray America are meeting physical needs for a singular purpose: sharing Christ with the Kiche Mayans.

Twice weekly, Pray America’s three feeding programs provide a nutritious meal of meat, fruits, and beans, along with Bible education programs for Kiche children and widows.

The bodega and financial support will help Pray America expand this program, caring for the physical and spiritual needs of hundreds in need.

Tomorrow, we’ll share how YOU fit in.

Read Part One

(Photo courtesy of Pray America)

Guatemala (MNN) — Poverty is no stranger to the Mayan Indians of Chichicastenago, Guatemala. The poverty of “ChiChi” is oppressive, but it’s also an avenue for Pray America and Family Christian Stores.

Pray America founder Ron Morin says the groups are teaming up to share Christ by meeting physical needs.

“Almost everyone knows somebody who knows somebody who got a house from this guy named Jesus,” he states.

Over the next few days, Morin and Family Christian’s Steve Biondo will unveil a new project that the Lord has brought about to transform the Kiche Mayan community in Chichicastenago.

Manos de Jesus: a history

Pray America has been building relationships and serving the Lord in ChiChi for more than 10 years under its Spanish name, Manos de Jesus (The Hands of Jesus).

(Photo courtesy of Pray America via Facebook)

Morin founded the ministry in 2003 to “see these long-oppressed people realize spiritual, physical, emotional and relational freedom.”

Active in approximately 40 Kiche Mayan communities, Pray America/Manos de Jesus has gained the trust of impoverished Mayan Indians through weekly feeding programs, widow house construction, water filtration systems, and more.

Hearts soften and minds grow curious as Christians share the Gospel “through words and works.” This is often the outcome when Manos de Jesus builds homes for Mayan widows.

Case study: Widows’ ministry

“These are some of the most ‘distressed’ widows that we’ve seen anywhere in Central or Latin America,” says Family Christian’s Steve Biondo.

(Photo courtesy of Pray America via Facebook)

“There are 75,000 widows just in the community around [ChiChi].”

Most of ChiChi’s Mayan women were widowed during a civil war spanning more than 30 years.

“The Kiche Mayans actually sought to be neutral in the civil war,” explains Biondo. “But, both hostile sides–the government and the guerillas–attempted to convince the Quiche to fight with them by killing their men.”

Since the killings occurred over multiple decades, several generations were basically eliminated.

“There [were] some very desperate attempts at ethnic cleansing, by both sides,” Biondo says. “By wiping out the men, they sought to destroy the Kiche Mayan culture.”

Without male providers, Kiche Mayan women and children were left to fend for themselves. The widows and orphans quickly fell into deep poverty.

“The Mayan Indians are very, very poor, uneducated, and [basically] ‘live in the Dark Ages,'” says Morin.

Manos de Jesus, Family Christian, and their church partners are helping the Kiche Mayans climb their way out of poverty, step by step. Providing shelter is one of the first and biggest strides.

Through the Manos de Jesus Widow House Construction project, each home is financially sponsored and constructed by short-term mission teams or individual donors. In February, Family Christian’s Nik DeGraf got to see the process first-hand.

2014 impact of Family Christian Stores, their shoppers and Pray America.
(Graphic courtesy of Family Christian)

“When we give [widows] the house, we tell them that this house is a gift to you from Jesus Christ. He loves you, and He has a plan for your life,” explains Morin.

“We’ve had over 500 widows that have accepted the Lord and become disciples, as well.”

Through Manos de Jesus and Family Christian’s partnership, Mayans are coming to Christ, and God’s Kingdom is growing. Tomorrow, we’ll explore how God is bringing together a new program to change lives again in Chichicastenago.