We are so excited to report to you what is going on in the mountains. Prayers have been answered. First off nobody has been killed.  A group of men from the village who were terrorizing Pinalito went to an area of Guatemala called Gualan which is outside of Zacapa’s jurisdiction. There, these terrorists have no backing of dirty cops. In this village, they stole a man’s horse, which they did not realize was a powerful man. As a result, this man sent two trucks full of police to capture them. They drove in as far as the road would take them, hiked the rest of the way by night, and captured a majority of the terrorists. The rest took off by night and have left to go to an area called Peten which is the jungle area of Guatemala.  The remaining men left who were terrorizing the village of Pinalito are forever left with the memory that you will reap what you so. Hopefully those wounds will bring them to an even greater purpose of understanding the mercy of God. Even though these horrible people deserve death, they still live. We pray for their redemption. Our mountain has been rid by the grace of God, not sacrificing anyone’s life from these evildoers. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers. God is good!

-Michael & Rocky Beene

There is one small, dusty road winding out of the jungles, connecting the villages to civilization. It is a well-traveled anthill. The villagers systematically journey this road back and forth with their valuable supplies and families. Of course, in a thieves mind, it is the opportune place for a stake out.

Heavily armed with guns, four brothers have assembled a well-organized society of thieves. They hide in the overhanging bushes and watch for unsuspecting prey. Young girls and older women alike have been brutally taken advantage of. They are not only stripped of their dignity, but also robbed of the meager supplies they’ve been able to gather. These thieves portray nothing more than a hollow heart and a bitter mind. The brothers go so far as to use their own women and children as decoys in their plots, forcing them to stand out in the road and beckon on the weary travelers. Trapped within the clutches of poverty Pinalito has known nothing but war. Whether it’s the daily threat of hunger carving out their bodies, or savage betrayal becoming the only means to survival; this village is one of the most Spartan of mankind.

A couple weeks ago, the Pinalito men gathered at the entrance of their village under the cover of night. As the bandits from Volcan approached, Pinalito fired its first blast of retribution. Amidst the conflict, two of the men leading this espionage were shot: one in the leg and the other in the abdomen. While this could seem victorious, Pinalito has just signed up for war. Forced to play a daring game of roulette, the outcome is yet to be determined.

We stand in prayerful support behind our village. However, this commitment has not come without a cost. Threats have been posed against our mission base and family. Rumors of attack have spread in hopes of us abandoning our call and deserting the people.

There is a story in the Bible that has reminded us of perseverance: David, pursuing the call upon his life, was anointed to be king. Saul and his army led a raid against David in hopes of derailing him from his purpose. In fear for his life, David retreated to the caverns on the mountainside. Every night brought terror of the unknown. It was in these cold, dripping caves, under a trembling hand of courage that the Psalm 23 was penned.
{The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters….
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me.
…}

To be honest, it’s hard to stand on this Psalm’s truth when we are forced to walk through the valley of death. However, the enemy would have already won the battle if we allowed ourselves to be consumed by our fears. Though the future lies in question, our confidence wavers not from our Heavenly Fathers purpose. It is not by our strength, but His, that we are able to go on. With that being said, we have been guaranteed victory, even if it means falling in battle.

Today, word has come that there is a massive raid on Pinalito scheduled in the coming days. While the women and children will hide in our mission apartments, the boys and men alike will be forced to defend. The tension continues to build, as both parties are preparing to face death for the sake of their cause. When the firing has stopped, and the smog of gunpowder has settled, the earth will have had its quenching of blood.

I believe this could turn into a testimony of Gods reality amongst the villager’s lives. Is it not in the darkest of nights that light shines at its most brilliance? Does the cry of the sheep not bring a warring Shepherd? Our trials and suffering are only a glimpse of the spiritual battle that takes place over our souls.

It is written that what we bind on earth through prayer is also bound in Heaven.
As we are all a vital part of Gods community, we ask that you embrace us in your prayers! As advocates to the cause of liberty, join us as we echo this prayer in unity and break the chains of bondage that now threatens to defeat us.
Pray: That through the demise of Satan’s attack, Gods glory would be revealed. That the clanging symbols of fear ringing in our ears would not drown out His quiet whispers of guidance. That Peace would no longer be a stranger to these lands. That God would grant us the faith to lie down in green pastures.

Our duty is simply stated: To stand for our call, until death do us part
With our lives on the altar, our hearts only cry is for Freedom.

Andreas Steffensen, one of Faith in Action’s key members, returned to Guatemala with 16 other members from his church which is located near Albany, New York. His church’s heart was to see the construction of the school in Castulo finally begin after so many months of fund raising and planning. In February of 2010 that vision finally became a reality. This is a brief glimpse of what their trip was like.

With baby clothes and vitamins at hand, a group of us marched down a trail in our usually disorderly fashion to congratulate her on her new child.

After our eyes adjusted to the dark wooden cot where she lay, the glow from Martha’s face quickly directed us to the tightly wrapped bundle next to her. Wrapped in household rags, they struggled to keep the bitter cold of night from getting to her. Though the tiniest newborn clothes we had brought seemed to swallow her whole, she lay on the wooden cot like a sleeping angel the world had come to marvel at. The baby, seemingly exhausted from her travels into this world, peacefully rested in the crook of her mother’s arms. The baby smacked her lips from time to time in a satisfied fashion. Being love at first sight between mother and daughter, Martha has decided to keep the child instead of giving it up for adoption. This decision made by a confident mother gazing at her child with nothing but love left us all with a confident peace in her choice.

The silently spoken language between a mother and daughter translated once more the universal fact that we are a people created to love and be loved. This thirst burning within our souls will only be quenched fully when we unleash the floodgates of Gods love into our lives by acknowledging Him as our Creator and our All.

A village, trapped by the claws of darkness and plummeting towards the edge of extinction, raise their voice one last time in the hopes of someone hearing their cry!

As the banks of their village life quickly eroded before them, whispered prayers into a blackened sky drifted up to knock on the gates of Heaven. The people of Castulo Creek soon became aware that they were caught in a web of love that reached to the ends of the earth to catch even the most isolated prayers of His forgotten saints.

God called my parents 16yrs ago to the forsaken marshlands of the Rio Dulce tributaries. Since then, a very innocent and tender relationship has been woven together, connecting these people to the tapestry of civilization and better yet, the masterpiece of Heaven.

As the people have readily embraced belief in God and His love, they have grown hungry to read His word. The spiritual boom throughout the villages has awakened a desire for education and an aspiration for the future!
Roughly 4yrs ago, we helped the village coordinate a small, 2 room schoolhouse that began teaching 1st through 4th grade. With the village climbing out of a population decline and heading towards a stable growth rate, the simple school structure is now busting at the seams with children.

This past week has created anticipation for what is too come! The future, breaking on the shores of the horizon, continues to flood into the hearts and minds of these people.

Laboring with a Canadian team from Winnipeg, the foundation of a new school building has sparked a fire in the hearts of the young, as well as smothered out any doubt some had towards the reality of a new school.
Using picks and shovels, the men easily overcame the language barrier as they worked tool in hand with the villagers. Sweat, dirt, and hard labor universally translates into any culture.

Now, the women of the team had a different idea for bonding with the people. Though hesitant at first, the girls and women of the village quickly adapted to the concept of painted nails and hair styling as we gathered in the center of their village for a specialized salon day! (I say specialized, because the shampoo we unanimously decided to use could also be considered a medicated lice treatment to some.)

Teresa, a professional hair stylist from Florida, was put in charge of the haircuts, while the rest of us either washed and prepped their hair for cutting, painted their nails, or sat on scattered school desks and threaded colorful beads together.

Though communication was kept at a minimal and there was a lot of skeptical giggling that echoed out of shyly covered mouths, a relational bond blossomed through the universal connection of pampering girls.
As our hearts joined together, another piece of beautiful tapestry was woven together while always recognizing God as being at the center of it all.

It’s that time of year again! The warm weather decides to take a few days off, the sun goes the sleep a little bit earlier, and the snow begins to fall. The freezing weather also ushers in a time of togetherness. What better way to enjoy the chilly winter months than with family and friends over a freshly brewed cup of hot coffee. Luckily, Faith in Action just finished roasting this years harvest! Pinalito Gold, as some know it, is 100% organic coffee. It’s grown in the wild mountains of Guatemala and delivered straight to you just in time for Christmas! This year, we are calling our annual Christmas roast “Christmas in a Cup” for the 2009 season. Not only will receive one pound (or two, or three) of Pinalito Gold, each bag comes in a colorfully, hand-sewn, decorative Christmas bag making this coffee perfect not only for you, but as gifts for friends and family too! The hand-woven decorative bags are normally sold at an extra cost, but this year we are giving them away for free with each order during this Christmas season. Consider it our Christmas gift to you!

Faith In Action is helping local farmers build an infrastructure of privately-owned coffee farms. These farms are owned, cultivated, and cared for by the villagers high in the mountains surrounding the highland missions. Starting as a small agricultural project developed to help stimulate the local economy, the cultivation and propagation of coffee plants has continued to grow over the years. Faith In Action buys much of the coffee from the local farmers and sells it directly to consumers like you.

Faith In Action’s organic coffee is mountain grown in the best conditions that produce exceptionally fine coffee flavors and acidity. You can order your batch of Pinalito Gold by visiting the Faith in Action store, or by clicking here.

5 years ago we built the original school in Castulo. Initially only a few kids attended. Today the number has grown exponentially to 60, and 90 are expected by next year. This video walks though the early stage of development and planning for the new, larger school building that will be constructed with the help of a team from Colonie Christian Life Center from upstate NY in February.

Mistaking lust for love,
She surrendered to his will,
Her heart forgotten in the mud,
The faucet of tears continued to spill,

He says that she will not have say,
The child dies, or she will pay,

Tearlessly she faces the threat,
Every sunset brings a costly bet.

Clinging to hope, after all shes lost,
Martha learns, love brings a hefty cost,

Caught in the crossfire of protecting her unborn child and fighting off the greedy drunken men at night, Martha has woken up inside a nightmare that has become her life. Left fatherless, Martha fights to defend herself in this unfair, tyrannical world.

Peeking out of her adobe hut, her mother argues with the drunk, babbling men outside, trying to calm their lustful spirits and protect her daughter, if only just for one more night.  Rocking helplessly on her bamboo mat, Martha clings to her belly as she whispers a faithless prayer to the wind.

You see, as Martha is still single, yet no longer a virgin, she is free game for the village men. A price has been placed on her body, and she can now be helplessly gambled away amongst the male circles.
Not only does Martha have to learn to live life defensively against the raging testosterone that surrounds her, the boy, Isaiahs, who ravaged her innocence, has left her with a second child.  She is in her 3^rd trimester, and her belly is starting to show. He has spread a rumor that she need beware, because he is after her life. Threatening to slice her throat as soon as the opportunity prevails, he lurks in the shadows, with machete in hand.

This story remains close to our hearts, as Martha has worked with us for several years. Along with doing chores around the mission, she helps prepare the lunch for the school children. We have also helped her save up enough money to buy a foot-pedaled sewing machine, where she has become the community seamstress of Pinalito.

Our solution would be to get Martha off the mountain until things settle down and her child can be given a chance at life.  At the moment, we are calling different churches in Zacapa to see if anyone would take her in for 5 months.  She is more then willing to work and earn her keep. However, a family willing to take her in, is proving to be yet, another battle.

We need your prayers! As we continue to strive forward and push back the darkness that clings to the zacapa mountain ranges, we are reminded that no battle is won without a battered, bloody history.  Therefore, we are asking you to join the fight and be a prayer warrior in Martha’s life.

Pray for Martha!
Pray for her unborn child and its undetermined destiny.
Pray that a family step up and be willing to accept this challenge.
Above all, pray that Gods will be fulfilled in this situation!

An update concerning the current progress made to the student dormitories in Zacapa.