• Josiah Ruhl
Posted in Discipleship, Evangelism, Every-Member Ministry, Mission, Service
In June two of our families, the (Joby) Ruhls and the Greguses, went to the Agua Viva Children's Home in Guatemala. Here is a letter from the Ruhls.
Dear Friends,
Below is a family update and a praise report from our mission trip to Guatemala. We are continually grateful for the friendship and support from each of you as we walk through life together. We look forward to continued growth in our relationship with each one of you as we walk through life together here at our new "home" in NC.
Family Update
We moved into our new house on May 24th! We are very excited to be in the home God has provided for us, and we have a great sense of peace that this is where God has called us to be. We call our home “The Launch Pad” (this name was inspired by Austin Spruill’s prophesy over our family). It is a launch pad for the gospel to be exported to all the nations through the making of disciples!
Prior to moving to NC, we had prayed that Joby would be able to get a job at the local public school (six miles from our house, which is very close for where we live). It is a K-8 public school with only 13 teachers. This seemed like a long-shot, but after we moved here and Joby visited the school, he realized that it was a total impossibility. We continued to pray for a miracle and we told our children that God had a special plan for a job to provide for our family – He will open up a miracle job where He will get all the glory! The first day of job searching was not too promising. On the third day Joby was looking for a job, there was a posting: “Middle School Social Studies Teacher at Moncure.” This was it! This is the miracle job that God has been promising! Joby called, got the interview, and got the job. He was able to cancel the other job interviews he had lined up. Praise the Lord. Once again God has chosen to show his mighty power through our weakness!
Agua Viva in Guatemala
Joby, Jedaiah, and Gideon had a great week with the Gregus family in Guatemala at the Agua Viva Children's Home. The Schlaxes informed us that the greatest need of the children at the home is to hear a clear and complete presentation of the gospel message. On Sunday evening (our first full day there), we were able to share a gospel presentation based on “Two Ways to Live: The Decision We All Face” from Matthias media. The children were very engaged as Joby presented the gospel and Caroline Gregus did an awesome job on the illustrations.
Each of the children received their own booklet (and the younger children received the kid’s version). Beginning Sunday evening, Joby and the boys held a Bible study with the older boys (28 boys ages 13-18) in their home. We split the boys up into two groups with Lou Gregus leading a Bible study with half the boys and Joby leading a Bible study with the other half. The Bible study was from “5 Tough Questions” which goes through parts of the Gospel of Mark and focuses on what it means to be a follower of Christ. The boys were very receptive and took the questions seriously. The house parents are strong believers and were very thankful that we led a gospel-centered Bible study to re-enforce the daily devotions they have with the boys. Most of the boys are not Christians, so we are praying for their salvation.
Work Projects
All the boys helped build a septic tank and dig ditches for drain lines to from the septic tank to an irrigation pool. Edgar is a man from the community who has been hired to build the septic tank. He is not a Christian, but his wife and daughter are (his wife and daughter both work in the cafeteria at Agua Viva). Joby was able to have many meaningful conversations with Edgar about Jesus’ unconditional love for us. We are praying that Oscar comes to saving faith.
On Tuesday, the boys had a break from ditch digging in the morning. Joby taught a full day at the school. It was a great experience for him and the students in the school really enjoyed the lesson about inventions and inventors. The school has 325 students, 56 of which live at Agua Viva. Being at the school was a great way to meet the teachers and the other children from the communities surrounding the school.
Soccer Clinic
One of the main highlights of the week was the daily soccer clinic Joby held for the younger boys at Agua Viva. There were 20 boys, ages 7-13, who participated in the soccer clinic. Thanks to generous donations, we were able to take 20 soccer balls down to Guatemala with us. The boys faces lit up with excitement when they realized that each of them would be able to have their own ball with which to practice! Joby was able teach the boys individual skill drills as well as team building drills. The boys at the home play soccer everyday, but they do not know the rules. They were able to learn all the rules and play scrimmages everyday (they loved to practice jerseys we took down for them to wear during the scrimmages!). Joby also led a short devotion and prayer each day with the children.
One major blessing on this trip was the translators. Gama and Israel, twins who grew up at Agua Viva and now work at the home and school, were our translators for the week. What a blessing it is to have Christian translators who are very talented in what they do!
Thank You!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support for this trip. We are very excited to be partnering with this ministry, and we hope to return again to Agua Viva next year. God is doing a mighty work through Agua Viva Children’s Home and the school, and visiting and serving there is a great reminder of the mighty work he is doing right here in our families and in our communities. The most important need is the same no matter where we go in the world: we all need a Savior!
In the love of our Savior,
Josiah and Anna, Jedaiah, Gideon, Arrow, Hosanna, Moses, Rivers, and Aletheia Ruhl
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