Sunday - March 6th
Today Nathan (direction of Engadi Ministries) took us to the property for Engadi Refuge. He shared his vision and background for Engadi. These are just the notes I took from that message...

Isaiah 61: 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me,
for the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted
and to proclaim that captives will be released
and prisoners will be freed.*
2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD's favor has come,*
and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.
3 To all who mourn in Israel,*
he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning,
festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks
that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

The 18th street gang/MS13 Gang is one of the most notorious gangs in Guat. They are mainly comprised of exports from Los Angeles - they entered the U.S. illegally, were caught and sent back to Guat.
Nathan has his black belt in Karate and uses it as a way to get into the prison and do demonstrations to get their attention, but then share the Gospel with them as well. Before these guys get to prison, they have to hear the message of hope and a future.
The Rat's Nest is the poorest part of Guatemala City. Paradise also located in Guat City is where we'll be serving today.
Nathan shared the stories of several of the people he has encountered and has been lead to Jesus through Engadi. He used Isa 61 as his foundation for the mission and vision:
1. You have to go in and share the gospel
2. You have to Bind Up the Brokenhearted
5 out of 10 girls in Guatemala are sexually assaulted by the time they are 15 years old. They have their first time by the time they are 18 and have 4-5 kids with 2-3 different fathers by the time they are 25. It's referred to as the "Leigha Syndrome" {in the Bible, Leigha's father is willing to sell her to the highest bidder. He only cares about the gold bracelets that come calling, not Leigha. She then goes on to have several children, but it isn't until her 4th child that the declares she will glorify the Lord in all she does.}
The average household in Paradise has 7-8 kids. What happens is that the "new dad" comes in to take care of his own child, but doesn't care for the other kids already living there. More than likely those other kids get abused, tossed around, or even kicked out so that the mom doesn't lose the new daddy. The child gets kicked out and coined a "Zone 18 Kid" - a very negative connotation on the streets.

3. Proclamation of Freedom - The boys are bound up by so much from drugs, to oppression, depression, etc. Engadi is there to help them be released from that bondage.

4. Release from Darkness and HOPE for a better future
We have to see things not necessarily how they are, but how they should be.
Share the message that you can be so much more - instead of aspiring to be just the block mason, look to be the architect.

5. Turning sad things into beauty and praise.
"They will be known as oaks of righteousness."

Engadi Refuge is actually located in Antigua which is one of the most expensive places to live in Guatemala. The property is there to give those boys a hope. A future that life is better than Zone 18 and the slums of Guat City.


This is where we all sat while listening to Nathan this first day on the property...

And this is what we were looking at while he was talking...