A Busy Week

Dear Family and Friends,
Since it was Joshua's birthday on Friday, he had a fiesta with his amigos that night. There were four boys in all who enjoyed games, Pizza Hut pizza (a new restaurant for us here), soda, cake, ice cream, pinata, chocolate bars, candy and of course, each other. They were well behaved and only stayed up until about 2 am watching The Lord of the Rings. We are all slowly recovering from the short night, but it was worth it for Joshua to have such fun with his friends.

Nick, John, Josh and Zach shortly after swatting at the pinata which is now placed on Joshua's head.

We have been attending a new church plant in an area of the city called Colinas de Minerva. It has been interesting in that the church has a building and a pastor, but we are waiting on the Lord to supply the congregation. Each week David and Pastor Daniel walk the streets visiting with the local families about the new church. For the last two weeks there have been two adults and a few children, but to grow a church is work that requires much patience.

Kayley in the children's church area getting ready to help Mom teach the songs.

A street-side view of the church.

Today we had 3 children, but two had to leave early to help their mother with shopping, so here are Kayley and Vivian enjoying their snack during the children's lesson. Daniel is starting a tutoring class in the church on Friday afternoons for 9th grade students in accounting since this is his speciality. Plus, the pastor is also fluent in Kekchi, a dialect spoken in Guatemala, so he can preach in both languages if need be. We are excited to see what happens with this church plant and our prayer is that it is up and running by mid-December when we leave Guatemala.

The kids completed their first week of school with success. It was a good week for them both as they are enjoying their teachers and their studies. We are thankful for a great school here and are praying for a similiar situation in Costa Rica for the next semester.

David and Shelley also had a full week taking exams at language school. They both passed level E and are beginning to learn more about the imperfect subjunctive tense. They are thankful their are only two more levels to complete, which means there are only two more exams! YEAH! They will be doing more training this week in the office each afternoon for an hour or two learning more about the strategies and programs involved in NYI (youth ministry) in this part of the world in preparation for their work in Costa Rica.

We pray you are healthy and well and that God is blessing your work and ministry wherever you are. Until next week...The Webbs 

Back to School!

Hi Everyone!
It's once again time for school bells, sack lunches, gym clothes and according to Joshua, "teacher's dirty looks!" School started today and the kids were excited. Joshua won't admit that, but it's true! They went to school well-stocked with supplies from the U.S. brought by Grandma just a couple weeks ago. That was a blessing as school supplies are expensive here. A spiral notebook is more than one dollar. A folder with pockets (if you can find it) can be just as much. So we're thankful for all the things a kid needs to start the new year.

Joshua and Kayley in front of the CAG sign.

Joshua is in 7th grade this year. No big changes for him since 6th grade was a part of the middle school as well, so he's used to the routine. He'll play drums in the band this year and hopes to take another elective in woodworking. There are 17 kids in his class this year.

Kayley is in 3rd grade and just excited to be there. She already is saying great things about her teacher and has made friends with a new girl in the class.
Kayley and her best buddy Abby Slingerland (daughter of Bernie and Rhonda, missionaries here as well).

For Mom and Dad the week is a bit stressful as we study, study and study some more to take an exam before the week ends. In addition, we are beginning our training for preparation for our positions in Costa Rica and so Wednesday and Thursday afternoon will be busy with that. Most Friday afternoons David and Pastor Daniel visit folks in the area of Colinas de Minerva. It's hard work starting a new church, but we are enjoying watching God work.

We are also working on the paperwork required for residency for Costa Rica. It is quite a process involving collecting documents, sending them to the state in the US for authentication (not easy when your family was born in 3 different states!) and then on to the Costa Rican consulate for approval. At least David and I now remember where we applied for our marriage license. That fact had completely left our minds after 16 years! Leon, IA....Yeah, that's right...it was in Leon, Iowa. I guess it was an important moment, huh! Glad that Grandma Webb remembered! We'll blame our memory loss on the fact that we are mastering a new language and it's taking important brain space, so something had to go!

Friday is Joshua's 12th birthday, so there will be a crazy group of boys here for a sleepover. Pizza, soda, cake, ice cream, movies, games and loud boy-type behavior are on the agenda. Shoud be a blast. Oh, to be 12 again!

Thanks for your prayers and support. God bless. Until next week...

The Webbs 

Language School - Once Again!

Hello Friends and Family,

Today was our first day back to language school after a break of a little more than two months. We have enjoyed our time this summer, but realize we have much more to learn to be effective in our work. When we left the school at the end of May, it was almost time for another exam, so guess what??? That is what we get to start with....reviewing for the Grado E exam. Bummer!

We requested our same teachers, but knew the chances were slim since they have taken on new students during their busy summer schedule. Shelley beat the odds and her teacher, Ana, was available as Ana completed her time with another student last week. David is sad that Dora already had committed to working with another student, but is now excited to learn under the guide of Edgar, pictured below with David.
Shelley and Ana standing near their table at CSA.

Last weekend, we took some time on Saturday to visit the Guatemalan City Zoo. It was fun to see all the animals, but our favorite was this elephant who just walked back and work on the edge of the wall. He would get to the end, turn around and do it again! He seemed to be enjoying himself and getting some exercise at the same time! It was a perfect day to visit the zoo since the temperature was about 75 degrees, sunny and beautiful.


The kids are enjoying their last week of freedom. School starts on Monday (the 21st) for them. Kayley will be in 3rd grade and Joshua in 7th. They have their school supplies, brought from the states by David's mom and sister. Notebooks, folders and the like are much more expensive here, so those good ol' WalMart supplies will do us for this semester. Thanks, family!

It is hard to believe we have lived here now for 7 1/2 months! The time has flown. We recently bought our airline tickets to travel home to Iowa in December. Also, we have tickets now to fly from here in Guatemala to Costa Rica, to our new home, on January 4th. But, there is much to learn before that time. Which reminds me, I better get back to my studying!

God bless you this week. Thanks for visiting our site and thinking of us!

The Webbs 

Vacation with Family - Highlights

Dear Everyone!

I haven't yet shared what a great time we had with David's mom and sister a little more than a week ago. We were due for a vacation and some relaxation. Although we were busy and going most of the time, it was a wonderful time together seeing many things unique to Guatemala. After spending the first day in Antigua enjoying shopping and eating, we prayed for good weather and chance to view the beautiful area of Lake Atitlan. Just about to board the boat for a ride across the lake.

Lake Atitlan is about 2 1/2 hours drive from our home in the capital. And although it was a bit cloudy when we left the house, by the time we arrived it was beautiful. We took a boat ride of about 20 minutes across the Lake to village where we saw the sights and shopped a bit. It is difficult to explain the beauty of the lake, volcanoes and mountains together. Unbelievable!
The view from our lunch site.

We ate lunch at a hotel restaurant and after viewing the beauty for a bit longer, we decided we needed to head back to the city. On Sunday we attended a church plant in an area called Colinas de Minerva. The church is just getting started, so it was an interesting and enjoyable experience for David's mom and sister to be a part of this humble service.


Sunday night we ate out at one of the most famous restaurants in Guatemala City, El Portal del Angel. This restaurant overlooks the entire city. We arrived at 5:45 p.m. and had the opportunity to watch the sun set over the city until finally all was bright lights. Magnificent!
Beautiful view of Guatemala City before darkness set in, taken from our table in El Portal del Angel.

Of course, we managed to do a lot of visiting, eating and even card playing while our family was here. Good memories all around! Looking forward to their next visit in Costa Rica!

This week was spent studying Spanish, ordering airline tickets for Christmas, learning about the reqirements for Costa Rican residency (hard enough in English, but nearly impossible to understand in Spanish!) and spending time with the kids. Only one more week before Mom and Dad return to language school so we're trying to spend some quality time with Joshua and Kayley before heading off to Antigua each day once again.

God bless you this week. Thanks for visiting our site!
David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley 

Webb Page Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,
Since not everyone has been able to view the newsletter that I recently sent out by email, we decided to just post it here so everyone can view it. Sorry for the inconvenience.



The Webb Page
Volume II, Number 5 July 2006

The “Winter” in Review

It’s nearly impossible to share with you all what the last two months have been like for us. After five months of language school, we were more than ready to be back in ministry mode once again. Here are a few highlights of these two months of ministry.

If you want to see pictures and more detailed info on these events, visit our website at www.thewebbspage.blogspot.com


COM Event
It all started with a great weekend of training for those Latin Americans who feel a call to full time mission service. There were forty people in attendance for this informative weekend retreat. It will be exciting to see how and where God leads these special people.

Youth In Mission (YIM) Team
We joined with Scott and Emily Armstrong and the five Youth in Mission students to minister for the summer. The first week was intensive training in using the Jesus Film, showing the Evangecube and learning and leading the VBS program among other things.

Immediately after training, we began to put it all into practice in three different communities. We served as clowns, puppeteers and soundmen. We even were able to show the World Cup on a large screen and share testimonies during half time.
The Youth in Mission Team along with the Webb family. YIM: Hannah, Kelsey, Alina and Kristin.

Mexico and El Salvador
While the children attended a youth camp in Guatemala, David and Shelley joined Scott Armstrong and the YIM team for a short trip to Mexico. We ministered in two different churches and visited some areas that are potential spots for new church plants.

Two days after returning from Mexico, we headed to El Salvador, this time with our whole family. This was a great chance to see a Maximum Mission team in action and to make it even more exciting, the church team was from Kansas City Central, so we had the opportunity to visit with lots of friends. There were many ways to minister there, including cleaning a park and working in the medical clinic. After two days, we needed to return to Guatemala to meet up with the team from Michigan.

Maximum Mission in Guatemala
A team of forty (10 adults and 30 students) arrived in late June for a one week stay. During this time, two new churches were planted. It was amazing to see how much work got done when so many joined together for the effort. In addition, two youth from the team feel God is leading them to full time ministry as a missionary.

Here are a few stats from this one week of ministry with the team from Michigan:

▪We mixed 40 bags of cement with 11 square meters of gravel and 13 square meters of sand – ALL BY HAND! We poured a brand new sidewalk.

▪We hung 27 sheets of corrugated sheet metal which resulted in 2 new roofs and 2 new rooms! (We also bought materials for the construction of 1 other classroom).

▪We laid 700 concrete blocks and finished 3 walls, as well as constructing a new one.
▪We handed out 600 stuffed animals in 10 minutes and now more people are aware of the Nazarene churches in their community.
▪We ministered to over 1850 children in VBS and loved on even more.
▪61 people accepted the Lord through evangelistic efforts.
▪WITH GOD’S HELP, WE PLANTED 2 NEW CHURCHES!

One Heart, Many Hands
After the Michigan team boarded their plane for home, we once again set out for Mexico, this time for the first event of its kind outside the United States: Un Corazón, Muchas Manos. There were 250 that participated in this one week work event. It was exhausting, hot and worth every bead of sweat to see the good that came of it all. It was a privilege to be a part of this multicultural team. We made many new friends from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Our Future
The Webb family returns to their respective schools on August 21st. We feel our language skills have grown markedly this summer with daily practice and challenges, but there is more to learn.

We have been informed by our Regional Director, Dr. Saenz, that our assignment has changed. Instead of going to Mexico, as previously planned, we will be going to Costa Rica. This change has shocked us a bit, but we are ready to do whatever God calls us to. David will be Coordinator of Nazarene Youth International (NYI in English or JNI in Spanish) for MAC South along with assisting with Work and Witness teams from time to time, while Shelley will be working with finances for MAC South. (MAC South includes Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua).

Please pray with us as we begin to adjust to these new changes and new positions. We know on our own we cannot do these jobs well, but with His help, everything is possible.

Our Appreciation
Thank you to all who have prayed for us during these first six months in Guatemala. We are blessed to be here, serving God. We would not be here doing what God has asked without your support, both financially and in prayer. May God bless you over and over for your faithfulness.

La Familia Webb
David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley