Seeds to Harvest Guatemala- Ministry Update - May 2025

Dear Friends and Family

 2nd Corinthians 3:2-3 Paul urges believers to share their stories, writing, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to one known and read by all.  And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can tell is our own story and we have all been given our story for a reason … which is why we send our ministry updates.  Our story is about Jesus Christ and the work He has done and is doing in our lives, and in todays world more than ever we need to tell our stories and point people to the way, the truth and the life, Jesus Christ.  He is the only way of salvation, the only way to the Father, by faith alone.

In our last update we had spoken about sending another container of food and in fact had begun the paperwork when we found out that Evangélica Alianza, the non-profit group that brings our containers in to Guatemala tax free had an expired license with the arm of the Government that provides the Phytosanitary Certificate … a document needed on both sides of the shipment. To date we are still waiting.  There is always great need for the food and with what we have left, we have had to limit it to those in extreme poverty, or abandoned women with children, and the elderly.  

We have installed around 51 vented stoves now in 3 different communities.  A few of them were such hardship cases that we waived the deposit.  One is a Pastor who joined the Pastor training classes in our home.  He is suffering from diabetes and although is stable at the moment, he has been unable to work much outside of his Pastoral duties.  Most Pastors here work in the fields or construction to support themselves and their families.  ​

We have some potentially exciting news about Susanna, the little girl with the injured leg.  She was seen by a group of specialists from the US in March. They did a minor surgery to remove a bone spur, and they are looking at the possibility of bringing her to Florida to do what needs to be done to fix her leg.  We were told that this is only a possibility at this point.  But we also  know that all things are possible with God and so we are praying and would ask for your prayers also.  ​

The Pastor training was hindered by road blocks for a couple of months in a row, but such is life in Guatemala.  You re-coordinate and move forward, although it can be frustrating at times.  Things are moving ahead now.  


A younger missionary couple that we know who live in a town near us are interested in possibly hosting a Pastor Training in their area.  We have met with them a couple of times and in fact he will teach some of the modules that we need a teacher for.  It is exciting to see the interest in furthering the gospel this way. We have always felt that it is better to equip the existing Pastors with training, as they can then take the gospel into their communities, in their language.   They consider the opportunity to learn and study in this program a great opportunity and privilege and we consider it a privilege to be able to coordinate and host them.  
A young man who is part of the Calvary Antigua Church leadership, has been coming to visit and preach at the Santa Marta Church.  We have known Melvin for many years, and God placed it on his heart to come to help and encourage both us and the Church at Santa Marta.  He hopes to bring teams periodically and this will be a blessing to all.

On our last visit to Santa Marta, a newer couple that attend the Church asked us if we would come to visit and pray with her mother who is 87 years old.  As we walked along the path up into the hills to their home, we learned that she had heard the gospel and believed just 3 months ago.  We met with a beautiful, elderly lady who is at the end of her life here on earth, but was very much at peace.  We had a time of prayer with the family … they were thankful, and encouraged by our visit they said.  It is true that sometimes all a person has to do is show up, to show that we care.  
In late March we took a couple of weeks to go visit our family in Wisconsin and then to Alabama to visit a Church who have supported us since the beginning of our ministry.  


Such a blessing of course to see our grandkids and a blessing to visit Shiloh Church in Alabama.  Such warm, generous and loving people.  Over the years they have sent several teams to Guatemala and have shown such an interest in what we do.  They gave us their morning service to share about our ministry and many hearts were moved.  

 On Good Friday we were invited out to a village to show the film we have called Magdalena.  It was a long drive, at the very end of a long pot hole filled road, and when we arrived they fed us chicken soup, and then after the movie we were all fed tamales.  Food is an important gift whether we give or receive, and when we receive it, we know they are giving their best out of their meager provisions.  It is always very humbling to us to be treated so generously .


 We found out that a group of short term missionaries, from Missouri had come and built their Church about 3 or 4 years ago.  It seemed to be thriving and there was a good response to the gospel message given in the film, and by Erick after.
Recently we had a baby dedication at the Nations Church, where we attend.  A family here in Guatemala that we have become good friends with over the years, the daughter, Olga, who is in the final stages of becoming a Doctor, part of which includes working in a clinic in a rural area, a couple of months ago, began seeing a malnourished, scabies covered baby, with diarrhea and other issues.  What we understand is that the mother became pregnant through abuse and didn’t want the baby and was considering abandoning him.  Olga offered to take him and the mother consented.  They have already gone before a judge and Olga has been given legal custody.  


As I held baby Cesar, I couldn’t get over what a miracle this situation is and how quickly it all worked out.  Olga is single, but her whole family have committed to helping her.  You could see the love they all had for this baby.  Unfortunately we hear many stories of abandoned babies with sad endings so it is amazing to see this healthy 3 month old with a beautiful future ahead of him

We head back to Canada in early June.  We will be spending a quiet restful time in Nakusp, but   you are welcome to reach out to come for a visit any time.


Thank you for your continued support and prayers for our ministry.


Blessings
Denis and Eileen

Dear friends and family:
I know we have said it before, and we say it again.  How blessed and privileged we are to be serving here in Guatemala, and to be a part of the local and broader missionary community.


This was recently impressed on our hearts even more so when a friend, and fellow missionary here in our area of Guatemala had some life threatening health issues with his heart that needed immediate attention.  The missionary community and others, came together to help with the costs of going to a private hospital rather than the public … a difference between night and day … or likely the difference between living or dieing.  He was prepared to go to a public hospital, but thanks to another local missionary who brought this plight to the attention of us all, he went to a private, had a successful surgery and is now back home recovering.

Thankful for Frank, a fixture in the local Missionary community.

​There have been a few other times we have reached out to the missionary community for advice, or medical contacts or prosthetic contacts and have always had an immediate response.    Working together when we can and supporting and encouraging one another.  We have found that it is those on the mission field who truly understand the struggles, the worry, the loneliness at times and also the joys of seeing the Lord work through various situations. 


There are times that we feel completely out of our comfort zone as we sit (for example) in a meeting of Q’eqchi’ speakers with our Spanish/Q’eqchi’ translator, asked to counsel yet trying to be cognizant of cultural differences as we sort through the problems at hand.   We are reminded that God shows His strength through our weaknesses and those are times that we pray for wisdom.  


We have had many meetings with the Santa Marta Church over the last several months over some division issues that have happened within the Church.  Our last meeting of a couple of days ago was encouraging for us and for them.  The situation seems to have come to a point of moving forward with forgiveness, and we give God the glory for working in the hearts of those involved.  

Love the little papaya tree bearing fruit beside the new Santa Marta Church.
In our last container of medical equipment, which arrived about a year ago, and of which we are getting pretty empty, the wheelchairs are always the first to go.  There is always such a great demand.  We have had one wheelchair that we hadn’t found a home for.  It was kind of a big stroller that didn’t fold, made for a smaller person or a child.  We wanted to hold on to it until the right situation presented itself, which it did.
A couple of days ago, we were meeting with Carlos, a  representative from a local Church here in Coban that does alot of outreach in the area.  They had asked for food and mattresses for some elderly in a more remote community.  He was telling us about a young man of 18 years who is severely disabled.  When his mother takes him anywhere she carries him on her back.  We showed him the wheelchair and he thought it would be perfect.  In the photo below it looks like it will be more than sufficient, and will ease the burden for his mother.  

We have committed to the sending of another container of food.  The Gleaners expect to load in the first week of March and we should have it in Guatemala by mid April.  There is an increasing demand for the food and we have gone through our last one fairly quickly.  If anyone would like to donate towards the costs of bringing in this container, please see the donation links below.  Donations are always welcome.  
Two Pastor training classes started up in mid January.  One in our home and the other in a community about an hour away with a total of 25 students. That number will adjust a little within the first two or three months.  Many of them have travelled from communities 3 hours away.  
We have a friend who prays for each student by name every week.  If there is anyone else who would like to pray for them, please send us an email and we can send you the list of names and a brief bio.  We can’t overemphasize the importance of prayer.  For most of them, they make a big sacrifice to come.

Several years ago we met some other Canadian missionaries from Ontario who were bringing in Ontario Gleaners food. We have kept in regular contact with them. They are working in an area of Guatemala about 7 or 8 hours from us.  If you want to read about them here is a link to their website:  https://power-at-work.ca/about-us/team/   

We have on occasion shared supplies and we recently had a visit from them and several of the boys they mentor.  Part of their ministry is to provide bunk beds in families where the kids grow up usually all sleeping in the same bed.  They brought one for Yeimy and her siblings.  They also brought many baby packs which we donated to two clinics run by missionaries and are a blessing for pregnant or new moms.

We had a chance to take them to Semuc Champey, which is a local Guatemalan treasure, an hour and a half from our home.  An area of beautiful pools in the mountains, to swim, and a hike to a beautiful vista.  Pictures don’t do it justice, but here are a couple of photos below.  

​

We are doing well and looking forward to an upcoming missionary conference held once per year in Panajachel, another beautiful area of Guatemala.


Many blessings,
Denis and Eileen

Donation options:
All Donations are greatly appreciated and Tax Deductible

Canadian residents cheque's should be made out to:
Arrow Lakes Alliance Church (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
339 Alexander Road.
Nakusp, B.C.  V0G 1R1

or e-transfer to ([email protected] (write Seeds to Harvest in the message)
or to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
PO Box 22017
11500 Tecumseh Rd. E.
Windsor, Ontario  N8N 5G6

You can also donate online at Commission to Every Nation, CTEN here:  http://www.cten.org/denisnogue

United States residents cheque's should be made out to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line) P.O. Box 291307 Kerrville, TX 780289-1307

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Copyright © 2021 Denis & Eileen Nogue, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Denis and Eileen Nogue's Guatemala email newsletter. 


Our email address is:
noguesinguatemala@gmail.com

And although we are not evangelists, and we don’t know the Q’eqchi’ language, we believe that God uses each and every one of us when we step out in faith, and we are willing.  We use the resources given us and compassion, hospitality and generosity of what we have been gifted with.  1 Corinthians 3:17. Says … It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.

At this celebration we reminded the Church at Santa Marta that we are all missionaries.  Some are called to go to another country.  Many more are called to be missionaries in their own community.  

They are a “young in the Lord” group.  They need a Pastor.  In the meantime Pastor Erick and ourselves will try to go twice a month on a Sunday.  They are about an hour and a half from our home, on a winding, narrow road.

The Santa Marta Church roof is on.  Lots of other work still ahead, but it is amazing to see the progression so far. 
 ​

We made a visit to the community of one of our Pastor training graduates, Mario, who lives in the community Nuevo Amanacer.  It is about 2.5 hours from where we live on a rough road.  It had been raining a lot and is the type of road that if you meet another vehicle, either you or they have to back up to where the road is wide enough to get by each other.  Many steep drop offs, and huge puddles.  Many parts 4 wheel drive only.

I (Eileen) put word out to a few people asking if they could pray.  To be honest, I was feeling a little anxious because of the amount of rain that has been coming down.  We left in the pouring rain.  When we got to the worst part of the road the sun came out and it dries quickly when the sun comes out.  We showed an evangelical film called Magdalena in Q’eqchi’, which has a strong central gospel message.  It was well received, we had ponche, visited, handed out food bags to over 70 families, and as we left the rains started again.  We didn’t end up leaving quite as soon as we wanted and so the last part of our trip was in the dark,  however praise the Lord we made it there and back safely.  The joy on these ladies faces was worth the trip.  ​

Since the installation of the 30 stoves, funds have continued to come in and we now have enough to install about 40 more stoves.  We just met with a new village this week to discuss the stove program, and they are interested.   It looks like we will be lining up the installations with a team from Alabama who are coming on a mission trip in March and are interested in participating in a project like this.  Here are a few more before and after photos.  A big thank you to all who have invested in cleaner air for these people.  
 ​

Pastor training is ready to start Jan 15 with around 25 students.  This will be held in a village about an hour from us and so we will be a little less hands on with this group.  

We made a pre-Christmas visit to see Yeimy, and we praise God for her continued health over these last 3 years.  When we consider all that she has been through, it has been a miracle, and no doubt that God put us in the right place at the right time to help.  We continue to tell her story because we want you to see the goodness of God in her story.  Her Dad continues to recover from his motorcycle accident.  He is still unable to work.  Yeimy’s 3 year old sister is in the photo on the right.  ​

We took a walk through our local market in Coban the other day, all decked out in their Christmas traditions.  It was beautiful and festive.

Sometimes we reflect on and miss the familiarity of the white Christmas’s we celebrated in Canada when our family was young, but just as that was a season in our lives that passed so quickly, we find this season of our lives to be passing just as quickly.  

Each year we learn a little more what it means to live for Christ and that our lives are not our own.  We recognize that much of what we do on the mission field is about what God is teaching us and not so much about what we do for others, although it is all important in God’s plan.   Jesus is with us.  He is never changing.  He is our strength and He is steadfast.  Thank God that our hope is in the one we call Emmanuel … God with us.  

Blessings and wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  

Denis and Eileen Nogue
 
Seeds to Harvest Ministries
Commission to Every Nation

 
Donation options:
All Donations are greatly appreciated and Tax Deductible

Canadian residents cheque's should be made out to:
Arrow Lakes Alliance Church (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
339 Alexander Road.
Nakusp, B.C.  V0G 1R1

or e-transfer to ([email protected] (write Seeds to Harvest in the message)
or to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
PO Box 22017
11500 Tecumseh Rd. E.
Windsor, Ontario  N8N 5G6

You can also donate online at Commission to Every Nation, CTEN here:  http://www.cten.org/denisnogue

United States residents cheque's should be made out to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line) P.O. Box 291307 Kerrville, TX 780289-1307

Like us on Facebook?
Facebook at Seeds to Harvest Ministries/Denis & Eileen Nogue
Copyright © 2021 Denis & Eileen Nogue, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Denis and Eileen Nogue's Guatemala email newsletter. 


Our email address is:
noguesinguatemala@gmail.com

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us to put our complete trust in God because his ways and plans are always better than our own and to trust that everything included in His plan is for a greater good. 
“'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.
Dear Friends and Family
We expected to start a class of Pastor Training in September or October, but we didn’t have enough students to begin.  As we waited and prayed, a graduate from our June graduation contacted us that he had around 50 interested students in a town called Purulha, about an hour south of us.  They asked if the classes could be held out there as many of them live further out in the mountains and would need to travel in.  
After a meeting with the Guatemalan coordinator of Global Action, we decided that we will start with 25 students on January 15, 2025.   Erick will be teaching and he is just finishing some University courses that will finalize in December.  
We also just found out that around 12 men and women are considering taking the Biblical Studies that we will host at our home, starting in January, 2025.  They are all part of a Guatemalan led Christian Ministry centered in Coban.  Just awaiting confirmation as they consider.  It seems God has a plan.  
We are thankful for the willingness of Erick, and we are trying to be cognizant of not putting too much on him as he is a full time Pastor and with his part time work with us, and his studies he has a lot on his plate right now.  

Several villages have expressed needs for food since our return, and so the arrival of our container of black beans a couple of weeks ago was very timely.  This container arrived in port and was released 4 days later PTL.  This was the quickest one yet.  At the rate the food has been going out, we have been giving some thought to coordinating another one fairly soon.

When the container arrived, at short notice this group from a local Church in Coban arrived to help unload at 6:30 am on a Sunday morning. ​

​These two are community leaders in a very impoverished area a couple hours south of us that have had many crop failures over the last few years due to flooding.  They had been waiting for a supply of food and sent a truck as soon as we had the food available.  We had the pleasure of hosting a mission team from the US by the name of Redeemed Steel.  They do a presentation of forging a knife out of steel, and during the process a testimony is shared that runs parallel to the process.  
We took them out to the village and Church of one of our Pastor training graduates.  It was a beautiful presentation and very interesting.  The way they tied it in with the gospel was well done.  We are always amazed at the different ways God uses His people to share the Gospel.

Yeimy, the little girl we have been helping with transportation costs for her cancer treatments over the last 3 years will be heading to Guatemala City in a couple of weeks for one of her bi-annual checkups.  To date she has remained in remission, praise God.  
Yeimy’s Dad was recently in a motorcycle accident.  He was offered a ride to work on a friend’s motorcycle when the accident happened.  He broke his arm and has a head and eye injury and will not be able to work for 3 months or longer.   His type of work would include physical labour, so we ask for prayers for quick healing of his injuries.  In the meantime, we will help support them with their basic needs.

We have had such an amazing response from donors for the vented wood stoves.  To date we have received funds for 40 stoves, and we understand more funding will be coming around Christmas.  To date 30 stoves have been installed.  
Just look at the new and old stove photos below.  Thank you to those who donated for a stove.  The health benefits are immediate and they will use 70% less wood.  A win win situation.
Thank you so much, those of you who donated.  It is life changing for these families and such a beautiful way to share the love of Christ in a tangible way.

We will continue  installing stoves as the funds come in, so if you feel so led, we will happily continue the work of installing them.  

Thank you to those who pray for us.  We were reminded of the importance of praying for one another and were really blessed when a young past team member from the Lavington Church, Christopher, who is now a student at Millar College, wrote to us and asked if he could ‘interview’ us as a part of his course work.  He said he was very impacted by the time he spent with us in our ministry.  
It was a wonderful video call visit with a mature 18 year old.  He asked us some good questions and we were really encouraged by his interest in us personally and our ministry.
We pray that God will use him mightily in the days and years to come.

Many Blessings,

Denis and Eileen Nogue

Seeds to Harvest Ministries
Commission to Every Nation
Donation options:
All Donations are greatly appreciated and Tax Deductible

Canadian residents cheque's should be made out to:
Arrow Lakes Alliance Church (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
339 Alexander Road.
Nakusp, B.C.  V0G 1R1

or e-transfer to ([email protected] (write Seeds to Harvest in the message)
or to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line)
PO Box 22017
11500 Tecumseh Rd. E.
Windsor, Ontario  N8N 5G6

You can also donate online at Commission to Every Nation, CTEN here:  http://www.cten.org/denisnogue

United States residents cheque's should be made out to:
Commission to Every Nation (write Seeds to Harvest on the memo line) P.O. Box 291307 Kerrville, TX 780289-1307

Like us on Facebook?
Facebook at Seeds to Harvest Ministries/Denis & Eileen Nogue
Copyright © 2021 Denis & Eileen Nogue, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you subscribed to Denis and Eileen Nogue's Guatemala email newsletter. 


Our email address is:
noguesinguatemala@gmail.com