Team Hudsonville Reformed

“For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 13:47

Team Members:

Travis Grassmid
Levi Grassmid
Rebecca Vanstedum
Brooklyn Vanstedum
Jen DeGraff
Sophia DeGraff
Brenda VanNoord
Ashley VanNoord
Tim DeHoop
Tom Wassink
Faith Wassink
Dylan Wassink
Drew Vruggink
Jason Boer
Amy Blacquiere
Brenda Blacquiere
Jason Smith
Janna Smith
Jaxon Smith
Carter Smith
Holly Schut
Shane Sterk
Emma Sterk
Mendy Hoekstra
Craig Hoekstra
Josh Hoekstra
Matt Hoekstra
Rachel Hoekstra
Jeff Brower
Tani Brower
Mason Brower
Teya Brower
Troy DeHoop
Diane Price
Lexie DeHoop
Dylan DeHoop
Brian Brower
Maddox Brower
Blake Zitricki
Everett Bleyenberg

SCHEDULE
Monday-Tuesday: Building Days
Wednesday: Dedication Day
Thursday & Friday: Medical Clinics
Saturday Evening: Final Devotional
Sunday: Heading home

19 Comments

  1. Renae Grassmid

    This day has finally arrived—first day in the field. You are in our thoughts and prayers as you become the Hands and Feet of Jesus! May God be glorified through your work and interactions, and may the people of Los Lotes be blessed beyond measure!!!

    Reply
  2. Wanda Garland

    What a wonderful journey you are on. Safe travels and prayers for a fulfilling trip

    Reply
  3. Pastor Chad

    Praying for the team as they build homes and relationships these first two days.

    Reply
  4. Jeff Nienhuis

    Our family is praying for your group! To God be the glory as you build, serve and bless. We have great friends in Los Lotes and on the mission team!

    Reply
  5. Jodie DeHoop

    Hello Team! Praying you are all healthy and well! I can only imagine what an amazing day you had today dedicating the houses you built. I can’t wait to hear all about it.

    DeHoops- we miss you all like crazy! Love you!!

    Reply
  6. Team Hudsonville Reformed

    We touched down at 1:00 pm safely in Guatemala City, after a 3 hour drive we arrived in Los Lotes around 5:15. We were welcomed by the people with open arms and we immediately felt the warm atmosphere in the village. Right away, some of us started a soccer game with the locals. After the game we ate and had our nightly devotions on the patio of the building where we slept. The next morning after a 6:00 wake up, our team split into 5 groups and were each assigned to a family. Then we started the building process of houses, and relationships. Our group from Hudsonville Reformed that went on this trip 2 years ago was the first group in Los Lotes and this year we were the second to last group. At about noon, we came together and ate lunch made by the locals(Side note: the food is amazing). After lunch, we went back to the houses and continued until the house was ready to be stuccoed. That night we went back to the main building and hung out with the locals until it was time to eat and have devotions. After devotions we went to bed. The next morning we woke up and ate breakfast and everyone was encouraged to do personal devotions before we went out to the houses. Every group went back to their house and did some finishing touches before the whole team got together to stucco each house. For those unfamiliar with the Stuccoing process, it is basically a layer of waterproof paint/mud that goes on the outside of the house to keep it dry and functioning. A basic yet fundamental need for each house. After every house was finished and every team member was covered with pink goop we ate lunch together. After lunch, each team went back to their perspective houses and painted the walls of the house with a tropical teal color and after it dried we decorated the house with bible verses and paintings. This time is really important for building the relationship with the family, we can include them in the process of decorating and they get to have their own personal touch for their future home. After the painting was finished we went back to the base and spent more time with the locals before dinner and devotions. Today we had an abrupt wake up at 5:30 in the morning and that was time to prepare for the battle of dedication day with each group. We sat in circles and prayed for the day, and all that would happen. After that we ate breakfast and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise over the mountains. Soon after, we went to battle. One by one we, as a whole group, went to each house to dedicate them. At first, we would say hello or hola(whichever you prefer) and brought the individuals into the house with the Pastors and the groups that built the house. We would then present gifts for the family, not normal gifts like an xBox or an Apple watch but things that are simple and necessary for of life: toothbrushes, shirts, multi-tools, any kind of ball, etc… All of the families were so grateful for everything they got no matter how big or small. Then we gave the family the opportunity to speak to group through a translator and express their gratitude. Each team member in the group then stands up and says a little testimony to the family before the Gospel is presented to the family. It was in this time that the rest of the team would surround the house and read the Bible out loud, sing out loud, or pray out loud. The power of doing these actions out loud is very important because it dials in the team to focus and not be distracted, it is uncomfortable for most, and it gives the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak through us. After a short message from a pastor we give the family the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In Jesus’ name all 5 houses accepted Jesus as King of their life. After a long day of prayer we said goodbye to our families, ate lunch and drove to the Paradise Bound base in Chimaltenengo.

    Thanks for the prayers and the continued support!
    Written by: Josh and Lexie
    Dont @ us

    Reply
  7. Renae Grassmid

    God is Good—All the Time!!! I loved seeing the pictures on the Paradise Bound Facebook page! Job well done building homes! Prayers for each of the team members as you switch gears and work at the medial clinics and love on all the kids & staff at the orphanage! To God be the glory through all your work!!!

    Reply
  8. Beth Brower

    We were able to see some great pictures of the work you’ve been doing and the dedication day! You are all in our prayers as you continue in your week of serving and ministry!!

    Reply
  9. Scott Wesseldyke

    God be with all of you as you work with Him in Guatemala.

    Reply
  10. Isaac TeSlaa

    Amazing to hear what you guys have accomplished so far and are yet to accomplish in the remainder of this week. I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to work in and through all of you as you go about serving those less fortunate that ourselves. May you show the love of Christ with your words as well as your acts of service.
    Lexie- I miss you! It’s not been the same without you around but I hope you are having an amazing and transformative week. Praying for you everyday:)

    Reply
  11. Hudsonville Reformed Team

    Hey Everyone,
    Thank you for checking up on our blog and joining us on our adventure here in Guatemala. Today we woke up. Praise the Lord. Some people woke up early to catch a sunrise that was pretty much non existent with the fog, and we had time to do devotions and visit the orphanage and play with the kiddoes. Breakfast was served at 7:00 and we started working around the base from 8-10 and started a group devo time soon after. Today during devotions our team was asked to share some of our favorite verses which drew our group together in a powerful way. At noon we ate lunch and got ready to head out to the village where we did our first medical clinic. During the medical clinics we have a few tables and a few people getting certain medicines for any specific need that a villager has. During this time there are people playing outside whether playing soccer or getting their nails painted they are building relationships and planting seeds for the night. The families were very respectful and accepting of our gifts and presence. Later in the night we all gathered the villagers to watch a movie on the life of Jesus and we started to share the Gospel with them. After the film our team went in front of the villagers and praised the Lord through song. After a few songs Dylan, Rebecca, Tom, Breanna, and Mason all were able to share their testimonies for the people of the town, it was a great moment for the team. After testimonies we sung a few more songs, and then were dismissed to the back of the crowd to hear a message from on the of the pastors, Pablo. When the time came, the pastor offered the opportunity for the villagers to accept Jesus as their Savior, during this time music was playing and we would walk around and lay our hands on the villagers in prayer. Many of the villagers went up to the front and joined into the salvation prayer led by Pablo. We then handed out rice and beans to the men and Bibles to everyone. Our team traveled back to the base safely and we are ready and rippin for another day tomorrow.

    Thank you for your prayers
    Lexie, Josh, Mason, and Shane
    Dont @ us

    Reply
  12. Orange Team

    Hello friends!
    This is the orange team, which included Tim, Craig, Brenda, Josh, Lexie, Drew, Breanna, and Ashley. We had the privilege to build a house for family of 5, Juan (father), Glenda (mother), Jose (7 years), David (2 years), and Pablo (7 months). They were very welcoming to us right away and we built relationships with the family quickly. Monday we built the frame and dry walled the inside and outside. We also built the porch/awning. The second day we stuckoed and painted. The family helped us paint bible verses and hand prints. Wednesday we were the first group to dedicate our home to the family. We showered them with gifts and love. When the gospel was presented to them, they were open and accepted the Lord into their hearts! Thanks for all your prayers!
    The Orange Team.

    Reply
  13. Hudsonville Reformed mission team (Green)

    Hello all,
    We are the green team, the singing team, (the best team). Our group consisted of Dan, Travis, Troy, Mendy, Janna, Matt, Dylan, Carter, and Levi. Everyone was blessed with the singing from Troy and Matt. Randomly bursting out into song so the whole village could hear. We had the opportunity to work for a single guy by the name of Oscar. When we were assigned Oscar we were a little bummed, a majority of the groups had families with a bunch of little kids running around to build relationships with. Oscar was an extremely hard worker and helped out a lot with the process of building his future home. For example, on the plot of land he bought, there was a giant stone. This was right where the house was supposed to be. For 4 consecutive days, Oscar worked on moving this rock. He set fire on the top and hammered it down until he finally broke it into many pieces. This pile of rocks was huge. When we would show up to the workplace everyday, Oscar would be waiting for us with a big smile on his face and all of our tools cleaned. Little by little, though the help of carters translating, Oscar gave us glimpses of his life. This melted our hearts. Oscar worked for a business owner who loved him and was so appreciative of his work that he built a home for Oscar and promised money and a good future. When the business owner passed away, his kids did not pass on the money of home that was promised to Oscar. Because of this, Oscar moved in with his mom. A year ago, Oscars mom passed away. Oscar was left with nothing, he moved to Los Lotes and rented a piece of land. He built a structure of Bamboo sticks and Plastic to sleep in. He raised chickens for income. (This is an extremely inefficient source of income.) With struggles he bought a piece of land, about 30 x 20 feet. This is where the rock was. During dedication day, Oscar stood up and shared his testimony, he shared that he has nobody in his life. He was living in the village for a year and nobody talked to him. Oscar was very lonely and very poor. We used this as an opportunity to affirm Oscar that he is not alone. He has Jesus and he always has, he has us 8. We were like a family for those 3 days. He went on to accept Jesus into his heart and is living a life honoring his creator. Oscar will always have a place in our hearts and etched into our soul.

    Thank you for your continued prayers and support and giving us the ability, through prayers, to change lives.
    Matt and Troy and the rest of the green team. (The best team)
    Feel Free to @ us

    Reply
  14. Hudsonville Reformed Mission Team (Grey)

    HEY EVERYONE!!!
    We are the grey team consisting of Holly, Faith, Tom, Tani, Mason, Jaxon, Brian, and Maddox. We were given the privilege to build a house for some beautiful Guatemalan people named Josue, Rocio, Junior, and Melany. The first day of building consisted of building the foundation of the house and putting up the walls. Josue was very helpful in building and organizing the materials while Rocio and the kids were a little distant at first. That all changed the second day when we began painting the inside of their new home. We began the day with going around with the whole team stuccoing the homes. When we returned and started painting, it seemed as if God opened their hearts to us. We started tracing the letters and pictures on the walls as a template to be painted over. Rocio and her sister were overjoyed to help us paint. After getting most of the house painted and decorated, Josue arrived and had the idea of painting a certain verse on the wall. Psalm 91:1. Psalm 91 is a very beautiful passage and impacts the life of many in Los Lotes. (We recommend reading it ;))

    Psalm 91:1 says
    “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shelter of the Almighty.”

    The family joined together in beautiful harmony and drew and painted the masterpiece together. We felt God’s presence in that moment. Our final day in Los Lotes was dedication day. As you have probably read previously this day is a VERY emotionally exhausting day. Our house was the second to last house dedicated and it was such a blessing to see the pure joy on their faces and how the little we did for them, impacted their lives in such great ways. We spent hours praying, singing, and reading the Bible over each house and specifically for every family to hear God’s name like never before and accept him into their lives. Praise God as every house accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior!!! This day was also very impactful to much of the team as We are sure that you will hear once we return from this beautiful place.

    Josue, the father, who is 19 stands out as the leader in his family. He had such a deep intense love for his wife and his family and you could most definitely tell through his actions. We pray that he will continue to lead his family in God’s name filling the home with God’s love. Rocio, the mother, who is 20 was the caregiver of the family. She has the utmost respect for her husband and family. She absolutely adored her children and will be a big contributor in spreading the love of Jesus into her children’s lives.
    We were so blessed to be able to meet, build relationships with, and build a house for this family and we pray that they will continue to let their light shine throughout the village. They have the potential to do amazing things in the name of God.

    Please continue to pray for our mission team as we witness to people in a remote village today. Your prayers are the greater work.

    THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!!!
    -Holly and Faith

    Reply
  15. Team Hudsonville Reformed

    Hello everyone,
    Today our team woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the mountains, our first clear morning, praise God! Everyday so far has been foggy and not the typical Guatemala weather in January. Similarly to yesterday, some of us went to the orphanage to help entertain the kids and later we helped pack for the upcoming medical clinic. At 10:30 we started devotions led by yours truly: Anya. She was able to give her powerful testimony to us, and through her words and her stories we were deeply moved. After devotions, we had a quick lunch before the tanning/work out session on the roof of the orphanage/ deck of the base. We then packed into the vans and drove 45 minutes to the village where we served. We split up into two groups, medical clinic workers and playing with the kids. The village was about double the size as yesterday so the medical clinic took longer, but still provided the same amount of time to build relationships with the people. After that, the Jesus film started and ended and then we went up to sing. After two or so songs, we were given to opportunity to share testimonies, and Jason was the one to share his. The team sang one more song then Hermano Jesus preached a strong message to the village and many of them went up to the front and accepted Jesus to be their savior. Our team then passed out beans and rice to the families of the village and headed back to the base. We are all doing well, staying healthy, and safe.
    Thank you for your prayers!
    Lexie, Josh, and Mason
    Dont @ us

    Reply
  16. Hudsonville Reformed Mission Team (Red)

    Hello everyone!
    We are the red team and our team members are: Amy, Shane, Jen, Jason, Sophie, Emma, Everett, and Dylan. We were blessed to be able to build a home for a wonderful Guatemalan woman named Brenda and her two children, Angeline and Cristofer. Brenda is a single mom who is currently separated from her husband. On the first day we began to build, Brenda was eager to jump in and help build the frame of her house. She loved using the drill and helping nail the frame into the foundation. At first, her kids were very shy and cautious to play and be with us. Cristofer has special needs and cannot talk or see very well. He has had two surgeries on his cleft palate and one on his feet. Even with these difficulties, Brenda was a very caring and loving mom.

    On the second day, when we began to paint the inside of the house, Angeline began to play and be more interested in us. Shane spent much of that day outside playing stickers with her and Dylan and Everett enjoyed running around with her. The beginning of the second day we all gathered together to stucco houses as a group. This was very fun even though most of us left looking like we were the ones being stuccoed. 🙂 After lunch, we separated into our different teams and went to our corresponding houses. On the inside of the house, we painted four verses, one on each wall. She personally asked us to put part of Psalm 91 on her wall because it was very meaningful to her. Our three other verses were Romans 5:8, Psalm 42:1 and 2 Corinthians 5:6-7. Along with the verses, we painted a sunshine, a mountain scene, a cross and a tree with all of our handprints along with her family’s. She was very grateful for all the pictures we painted. Brenda was already a Christian and on dedication day she renewed her promise to walk faithfully for the Lord. Many tears were shed as she said her thank-you’s and we told her how much building her house meant to us. Each and every one of us will forever remember Brenda and her lovely family and will be praying for her as she continues to raise her children and teach them to love the Lord.

    Reply
  17. Team Hudsonville Reformed

    Hello from the Guatemalan Blue team,
    Our team consisted of Jeff, Diane, Rachel, Jason, Blake, Taya, Brooklyn and Rebecca. We are here to share some of our highlights from our amazing week with PBM! We had the opportunity and privilege to build a home for Celestino, Dahlia, and their daughter Alison. When we arrived the first day we all felt an overwhelming sense of peace. We were taken back by the beautiful landscape and view of this property.
    On the first day we got right to work building the base of the house which consisted of the frames and dry wall. Less just say it was a very dusty dirty job. We were pleased with the amount of work accomplished, we were TIRED, but we all felt blessed by the work that was put forth by the team.
    On the second day we returned to our main house and finished sanding the walls, painted the inside and attached the metal roof. We then gathered as a large group and went to each of the 5 homes to stucco the outside walls. Once again a messy dirty job! After the stucco was complete the teams returned to their individual homes, and used our creative gifts we didn’t realized we had. As a group, and with the family’s help and input we wrote scripture verses and hand drew pictures on the walls. Our family had chosen a verse from Matthew 7:13-14. As a group we had also chosen 2 other verses for their home. With the time spent together decorating their home we were able to create an unexplainable bond with the family. After day 2 our team all felt so blessed by the relationships that we had established with this family. Day 3 was dedication day. Our home was the 5th house to be dedicated. We all thought that we were going to be going into this dedication to bless this family and their home. But instead we all received words of blessing from each family member along with hugs, kisses and tears. We were also blessed by the other team members because of their words of encouragement as they surrounded the new home and lifted their voices in prayer, praises and worship to God.
    Through this wonderful experience our team has learned many things but what in particular is; when you think you are the one blessing others, you will receive abundant blessings in return.
    Blessings and love from the Blue Team.
    Diane, Jeff, Rachel, Blake, Jason, Taya, Brooklyn, Rebecca and Anaya

    Reply
  18. Team Hudsonville Reformed

    Hello! It is our last day in beautiful, sunny and warm Guatemala. (Are you jealous 😉 )
    We had the opportunity to go and visit The Plantation, which is located roughly 20 minutes the PBM base. It’s so fun to come and go from the base because the children will line the streets on both sides and holler “dulce” (which means candy in spanish) It is so fun to see their smiling faces as we toss candy out the window. It really makes you realize how much something so little can bring someone so much joy.
    When we arrived at the plantation some of us wanted to use the ropes tree tops course while others fished, swung in hammocks and used paddle boats. After these activities we were treated to a delicious steak, potatoes, corn, rice and fresh brewed coffee and fresh squeezed lemonade.
    After lunch we took a tour of the plantation and learned how they process the coffee beans along with touring the hospitality suits. We then visited the PBM airstrip. We were only the 2nd group that has visited the airstrip since the plane crash in June of 2019 when one of PBM’s pilots died, because of the emotional connection to this place. Please continue to pray for the members of PBM that were impacted by this loss.
    Dan, the founder of PBM then talked to our group about the future of PBM . He educated us on the vision and mission of the ministry. He also stressed the importance of sharing the gospel effectively, efficiently and everlastingly. In order to accomplish this they are working to add Paradise Landing as part of their many mission teams which include: Open Doors Orphanage, Mission Teams, Village Impact, The Action Bible Project, Aviation, Village Wellness, PBM Bible Institute, and Church Planting/Village Adoption. If your interested in learning more about all these awesome missions check out more on the PBM website tabs.
    At PBM the most important part is prayer. ‘Prayer does not fit us for the greater work. Prayer IS the greater work.’ With this being said PBM has asked that first and foremost you pray that they
    as a ministry will continue to keep God’s will at the center of all they do.
    Blessings,
    Diane & Rebecca

    Reply
  19. Team Hudsonville Reformed

    Hey guys!
    We’re sure that you are all really excited to see us tonight but we have a few things for you to do before then. Well, just one thing. Pray. Please pray for us, pray for our hearts as we come back on fire for God, and also for safe travel, that the Lord’s hand will be with us the entire time.
    Thanks for the prayers!

    Reply

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