Guatemala Miracle Report, September 2024: Part 1

Well, our whole team has returned from what has become, in my mind, our “Guatemala Miracle Crusade” for September 2024. We have so many stories to tell and photos to share; more than I can share in one article.

But, I wanted to get started with the sharing today, so YOU can see how much CROWN you have to your account to throw at the feet of Jesus.

Please see below for a summary of each day, Part 1!

Yes, YOU participated in everything the Lord allowed us to do down there.

Through your financial partnership and generous giving, as well as your faithful prayers, the Lord allowed us all to work together to see His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. THANK YOU!

This mission trip extended from September 18-24. The mission team traveled in two waves:

• The first wave on Wednesday-Tuesday: Apostle/Pastor Eddie Contreras and Ministers Erickson Contreras, Gunner Barker, and Chandler Davis
• The second wave on Thursday-Sunday (for health and family reasons): Pastor Dan and I from this ministry, Pastors Kirk and Ivonne Moose from Moose Ministries in Dallas, Pastor Ricardo from Mexico.

I’ll call Wednesday Travel & Prep Day 1, and here’s a brief rundown of what happened:

• Men’s team heads out before 5 AM to Atlanta with as much of our heavy luggage (clothing and books for the conference) as they could carry.
• Men fly to Guatemala City without incident.
• Transfer to the hotel and begin unpacking and arranging conference supplies. Every suit and dress that we brought for the pastors and their wives had to be steamed from being folded in suitcases, as well as many other things arranged.
• (We had to meet in a hotel because of medical issues of some of our team. For example, two of our ministry team have asthma or other respiratory issues and have difficulty breathing in the high humidity and smog, without filtered/air conditioned air. One tends to get heat sickness very easily after suffering a sunstroke awhile back. The list goes on. So we had to have a modern meeting space for the majority of our time there, and the Lord really blessed us with a wonderful hotel meeting space and even catering at a relatively cheap price! Praise the Lord!)
• The men went and checked on the chickens who are housed and being grown locally, and were thrilled to see 104 babies of differing ages thriving and growing!
• Quality time with and ministry to the local pastors and ministers and their families in Guatemala City.

Thursday: Prep Day 2:

• Jamie, Pastor Dan, Pastors Kirk and Ivonne, and Pastor Ricardo all head out early to their respective airports. (1-4 hours of drive time to get to the airports.)
• Flights to Guatemala City went smoothly, thank God.
• Guatemala City host pastors pick up all from the airport upon arrival.
• Upon transfer to the hotel, immediately we went into organizing final details for the conference which was to begin the next day.
• That turned into major group ministry to the local pastors and leaders who were already on the ground helping us.
• One of our local friends surrendered his life to Jesus that night! Hell lost another one; praise God!
• It was a late night of prayer, personal ministry, prophecy, and healing ministry with the local host team!

Friday: Conference Day 1: Senior pastors and their wives

We wanted to host Day 1 exclusively for senior pastors because they told us that they don’t ever get to come together and support one another, praying together and encouraging one another. Some drove from many hours away to be there before 8:30 when the conference started. The room was full of around 40 pastors and their precious wives, and some of their adult children and other ministers they brought with them well!

On that day:

• Apostle/Pastor Eddie Contreras introduced the concepts of why we were in Guatemala to serve them.
• Pastor Dan taught a heart-gripping message on servant leadership–as opposed to pastoring to build one’s own platform.
• Pastor Kirk taught a fiery message on mentoring, and on raising up every person in your church as a spiritual son or daughter.
• For much of the day, Jamie taught on the major keys to receiving inner healing from the Lord.
• Pastor Ivonne (Jamie’s translator and a minister in her own right) and Jamie led the pastors and their wives in the prayer for forgiveness and soul healing. It was powerful; the attendees ate it up and received major ministry directly from the Lord!
• Apostle Eddie led an anointed time of prayer and personal ministry, where the whole team got to pray for every attendee.
• We had drawings to give away a laptop computer and new wallets with a tiny seed inside.
• EVERY pastor received a brand-new suit in his size!
• EVERY woman received a brand-new dress in her size!
• We had a delicious lunch catered in after the meetings were over, so that the pastors could break bread together and make friends. (This was sorely needed, as most fly solo–and that can get lonely!)
• After lunch, part of the team (Jamie, Ivonne, Kirk, Dan, Pastor Eddie) sat with pastors for personal counseling, teaching, and Q&A time. The time we had was definitely not sufficient; they were so hungry to learn more, particularly about inner healing!
• The rest of the team moved equipment and set up the bigger ballroom for the next day’s conference.
• After a very late dinner, we hit the hay exhausted but with our spirits soaring from seeing what the Lord had done!

Saturday: Conference Day 2: Lay leaders and some senior pastors

Saturday was HUGE day! On Saturday, we hosted around 80 lay leaders and some senior pastors. These included many local people from 1-2 hours’ drive away, as well as one large church group who rode hours on what they call a “chicken bus” to get there, having raised money for nearly six months to purchase bus tickets to ride in from many hours away!

On Saturday, after a rousing time of worship:

• We held a drawing for another laptop computer. This was an incentive for people to arrive on time. 🙂 It was a huge blessing to the recipient!
• Pastor Eddie opened the conference with a powerful word of exhortation and encouragement.
• Chandler, Gunner, and Erickson each preached their very first prepared messages about various new mantles. You would have been so proud: they each preached like they’ve been preaching for 50 years, on the biggest stages in the world. The fire of God was on them, and they killed it!
• Pastor Eddie called a huge altar call after that, as people were greatly moved, whether on their knees or praising the Lord. Holy Spirit broke out in a powerful time of worship and prayer!
• People got delivered and set free, laying addiction at the feet of Jesus–and one person even vomited up demonic manifestation and looked totally different and at peace after the demons left her body! Praise the Lord!
• Pastor Kirk preached on equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.
• Then we gave away more dresses for the ladies, shirts for the men, and more! Every person received a new article of clothing–or more than one–as a prophetic symbol of the new mantles the Lord is placing on their lives!
• We catered a beautiful lunch for every person, again so they could break bread together and get to know one another.
• After lunch, we launched right into inner healing. Jamie preached with all her might on receiving healing from Jesus, and Holy Spirit moved in people’s hearts in a major way.
• Then, Pastor Ivonne and Jamie led the people in the sample prayer for deliverance and soul healing.
• We received numerous testimonies from both days about how the Lord touched people during the deliverance prayers for soul healing and set them free in major ways! Praise the Lord!
• After a final time of prayer (and a little post-meeting jamming from the pastor-musicians and worship band), we loaded out … but our work was not over!
• After dinner, we launched into a major time of personal ministry for some of our conference attendees until 1:00 in the morning! The Lord moved in major ways to bring encouragement, freedom, healing, and deliverance!

Sunday: Church and Crusade Day: Another powerful move of God!

On Sunday, our team had to split up again. Jamie, Pastor Dan, Pastors Kirk and Ivonne, and Pastor Ricardo all had to fly home. Our hosts graciously took us to the airport, where we had powerful times of prayer and exhortation until it was time to board three different planes for Mexico City, Atlanta, and Dallas. That half of the team all arrived home uneventfully after a long day of travel. But meanwhile …

The men’s team went to one of our local host churches to serve and minister, and God showed out. BUT, since I sent the boys home to rest after they arrived back home late Tuesday night, I haven’t received a full report on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday yet. I know the basic details, and I saw God moving on livestream, but I don’t want to shortchange you and miss any of the neat details.

So, I will have to publish Part 2 of this report next week, after we are all back together again. Please stay tuned for the second half of this Guatemala Miracle Report! We have SO many more photos and videos to share with you as well!

In the meantime … THANK YOU for helping us make this mission to Guatemala possible!

We could not have done this without each and every one of you. This trip was life-changing for every person who attended the meetings, AND it was life-changing for us.

Why? Because you can’t see such precious people who are desperately hungry without being changed. You can’t see such poverty in a nation without being changed. And you can’t be in the manifest presence and glory and move of God like that without being forever wrecked for the people HE LOVES.

Thank you for helping us get there. We love you in the Lord, and it takes all of us to get it done for the sake of Jesus, and of His Kingdom. Thank you.