Ministry News

It has been some time since our last update and we are very sorry for the delay.

I (Ron) left for Guatemala the first of May along with my Dad, Ron Sr. We went down to prepare to host our first mission team for the summer. Dad and I chartered a pilot with a small plane to fly us up to San Marcos.

We made it to San Marcos and to El Shaddai Church which is led by Pastor Diego and his wife. They have a great church and school for younger children. It was a blessing to spend time with them and to see all the work they had done to be ready for our team coming in the following week. We had a night of ministry then tried to fly out the next morning. Yes, you read it right, we TRIED to fly out! At take-off, the plane would not get enough lift. We crashed back down into the runway and went into a ground spin crashing the wing and tail of the plane into the ground. With the exception of some bruises, we were physically fine. We soon made a call and found a truck to drive back to the city-a 7 hour drive with not much talking along the way. Our team was scheduled to arrive in just a few days, so we had to shake this off the best we could and move forward.

We had a great week of ministry at El Shaddai with the team led by Mark Watson and Jeff Phraser of Wyoming. The youth of the church were especially impacted. We want to thank Snowy Range E Free Church, Mark and Jeff and their team of college students for a great mission trip.

Our next group came just a few weeks later, in June. Rhonda & Jeremiah joined me in Guatemala about this time as well. This great team of young people from South Gate Church in St. Louis, MO was lead by Jo Ann Powers. It was the largest team Rhonda and I have lead since leaving YWAM and we could not have asked for a better team with such a great mix of youth and adults.

Rhonda and I want to thank all those who came on our summer mission trips and we pray you will all come back again next year!

Hedrick family

As I said, my dad and I went to Guatemala in May and he stayed with me for three weeks. We had a great time together. Dad left on June 3rd then Rhonda and Jeremiah joined me and we spent the rest of the summer in Guatemala working on building relationships with those we are working with in the church.

During the first part of 2011, we sensed the need to find a home and ministry base. We had looked at some houses that we considered renting or even buying. During that time, Brother Diego asked if we would be interested in building on to the top floor of his home making it our base. We talked about his offer but it was soon time for us to return to the states. Then, when we returned to Guatemala in March, we saw that walls were being built on the 3rd floor and were told this was for our home. So, in June, we were blessed to be able to build the walls and roof over what will be our kitchen and front room. We even have all the blocks to build the second bedroom and bathroom. God has moved and given us great favor in this place. We are in the process of building the first GCO Mission house in Guatemala. We ask for your prayers as we move forward and the funds become available to complete the work.

KIDS AGAINST HUNGER Cerro De Oro

In early July, the US Navy unloaded 12 pallets of food from KAH for us at the Port of Quetzal. After dreaming of feeding children for over 5 years we now had the tools in hand to do it! We have been able to build a competent team to do this including 4 full-time cooks and also have a great location for the feeding program right at the church. Thanks to Orphan Resources in Guatemala City, we even have a space to store our meals.

Then came the first day to open the doors and welcome in the children. It was on a Monday, 6:30am-7:30am, and we were up at 4:00am making tortillas and setting up tables and chairs. 15 kids showed up and we had food for 60. The next day we had 23, the following day 30. I knew we had more children to reach and one of the cooks said if we move the time to lunch we will reach more kids. I gave the OK to try it. We had 80, then 100, and now we are feeding over 200 children each school day!

Now, you have to understand, this meal may be the only food these children are eating daily. As I ate with one of the boys, Deigo, who came the first day, he told me he had not eaten for the last two days. He proceeded to eat 2 bowls of food and 11 tortillas that day and has had a good meal everyday since then.

Yes, God put in my heart to feed children. I know he is calling some of you to support this ministry. We do need your help to feed 200 plus children each school day. It costs $600.00 a month, which seems like a lot. But, if you break it down, it is 20 people giving $30.00 a month or $1.00 a day. Would you help us feed a child for a $1.00 a day?

GCO MINISTRY TRANSPORTATION

As some of you know, the areas we are working in are hard to reach with bad roads and can require long periods of travel. We are blessed with a 1994 Toyota 4x4 for the rough areas, but it only holds 3 people in the cab. We need a SUV that can safely carry more people and, in fact, have found a 2001 Ford Excursion that fits our needs. We have already been blessed with most of the funds to buy this truck and are down to the last $1,000.00 needed. We have a shipping date of Nov. 1st to be in Jacksonville Fla. to send the Excursion down to Guatemala with the US Navy free of charge and import taxes. Please pray with us for the last $1,000.00 to come in.

So, Oct. 24th, ROAD TRIP to Jacksonville, Fla.! If you would like to help drive, eat cold pizza, sleep in the truck and see the country at 70 mph give me a call!

Mission Trips

Nov. 1st-7th we will host a research trip into San Marcos with Sam and Sabra Miller and Tricia Brown, my sister. We will be visiting a medical center that we are praying about partnering with to help provide free medical care to some of the poorer areas of the Northern regions of Guatemala.

Nov. 8th-18th we will be working in the feeding center as well as doing some repairs to some of the widow's homes in Cerro De Oro. This trip is still open for anyone who would like to join us.

We have open dates for trips in Dec. and into 2012.

We have made some fee changes to our trips: 7 day trips are now $550.00 10 day trips are now $650.00.

As you can see, the ministry in Guatemala is growing. We are praying and asking the Lord when he would have us make the move to live in Guatemala full-time. We are beginning to feel more connected to the things there than here. We know it is coming and we know He has to do some things for this to take place. We are asking for you, our friends and family, to pray with us for this season in our lives.

Rhonda and I want to thank you all for your faithful support and prayers. We know we would not be able to do all we are doing if it were not for you. Your partnership is a very important part of what we do!

God's blessings on each one of you,

Ron and Rhonda

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Go!

This was the word Rhonda & I heard when the Lord called us into ministry. We knew we would be working with the poor and overlooked. We knew it would come at a great cost and that some would not understand. Early on we were asked, "Is the cause greater than the sacrifice"? Looking back over the last 12 plus years we have to say, "Yes"! We have seen the Lord do some mighty things along the way. Many souls have been saved and lives touched by His love. The Lord is still opening new doors and we are still going.

What drives everything we do? Knowing that JESUS loves people. So, we are going into the highlands of Guatemala ministering to widows, orphans and the homeless. We will go anywhere the Lord opens the door or gives us the key to unlock. You would be amazed how open people are to hear about JESUS' love.

How is Global Community Outreach able to minister to the widows, orphans and the homeless? Through people like you who have a passion to reach beyond the scope of their personal influence. With the help of our partners we are able to take the love of JESUS to those who might otherwise not hear. But, right now, we have more open doors than money. We are asking for your financial help. Join our team. With your monthly contribution we can enter those open doors and share the love of JESUS in Guatemala.

Today, would you help send us? We can't do it alone. Mail your donation to:

Global Community Outreach

PO Box 1065

Harrisonville, MO 64701

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Dear Friends and Family,

We greet you from Santiago Guatemala where we have been the last week. We have been doing all the set up work for our team coming in July 6th. We have a great group coming from In., Mo., as well as WY. God has blessed with with a great group and a great church to work with.

We will be building a home for a needy family in Santiago as well as installing a water filter system and then we will be going to San Lucas to give out some much needed food as well as some home repair supplies. We also have two nights of open air ministry that means we will be in the town park preaching.

Please pray for us and for the team as we go out in a bold way to share the Love of Jesus. We are also taking the local church out along with us and this is a big step of faith for them.

Brother Bill Chaffin will be sharing with the leaders of the church on Wed. the 7th so keep him in your prayers as well. Then we have the open air meetings on the 8th and 9th and the ministry in San Lucas on the 10th and we will be preaching the Sunday meeting on the 11th. So you can see this team is full of activity and we pray God brings in a harvest of souls. Will you pray with us?

Blessings Ron and Rhonda Hedrick

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Dear Friends,

I know I already sent you a email asking you for help for the rural people of Guatemala. I wanted to share with you that today a man replied to our request and has given me the funds for the first 100 pounds of beans. This was a very powerful time for me as I asked the Lord today for someone to answer our request for help today. It came as I was mowing the yard and it was at the end of the day he just pulled up and said when are you going to Guatemala? I told him and he said here is some money to buy food for the people. What was even cooler is that he did not get the email he does not have email! He just knew the Lord told him to buy food for the people in need.

We have set a goal to raise enough funds for 500 pounds of Beans, Rice, Corn Meal then we will re package the food into one pound bags. Then with the help of the local church we will go to the homes or what is left of the homes of the people in need. Our heart is for the over looked people many times this is the poorest of the poor who have no means to repay for aid. We want to go and reach them with the Love of Jesus.

We are going to give you a list of the items we can buy in Guatemala and the cost of each in 100 pound bags. We ask you look over the list and consider making a donation to help bring aid to these people. We will post from Guatemala on our web page the photos of the people getting the food. We want to thank you in advance for your prayers and support in this outreach.

Rice $68.75

Beans $81.25

Corn Meal $37.50

Your gifts are tax deductible if you make your check out to GCO and in the memo mark it for Guatemala Food Aid 100% of your gift will go to buying food for the people in need.

Blessings RON, RHONDA, JEREMIAH

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Dear Friends and Family,

I am sure by now you have heard some of the reports of last weeks activity in Guatemala. The eruption of Pacaya has dumped ash over three states in Guatemala and in the capital and other places up to 3 inches. Then on the heels of this came the first tropical storm of the year Agatha with 72 hours of down pour rain that has caused many rivers to over flow and with the ash has given way to flash flooding and mud slides that have already claimed the lives of over 100 people and left thousands homeless.

We are now getting reports from ministry partners of the conditions around them. Many places are still not reachable by car and some not by 4x4 as well. One lady told us how she had to go by foot to get around waist high mud to visit the families she is working with in one village. We have been told as many as 8000 people have been displaced by this storm and eruption and with many bridges and roads closed to traffic the needs they face are just adding up.

Rhonda and I will soon leave for Guatemala as we have plans to be in the country for 5 weeks and one of the weeks is with a mission team we are hosting to build a home for one of the church families. We had already had this planned before the storm hit but we are seeing a great need now for the home building side of the work we are doing. Please pray for us as over the next few weeks we are reaching out to people in need we not only want to help with the physical needs but we want to share the Love of Christ with these people and share hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Right now one of the most impacting things you can do is pray for the people of Guatemala and pray as the Lord leads you. Another way is to give to the aid efforts starting to go into effect as we speak. We have been given a list of food items that are needed and that can be bought in Guatemala. We will be distributing food right into the areas of need there will be no middle man or room for food to be misplaced we are going to where the needs are and so are you with your prayers and giving.

Each item is in 100 pound bags and will be repackaged into one pound bags.

Black Beans $81.25 Rice $68.25 Corn Meal $37.50 Sugar $62.0

*Cooking Oil (one pint) .68 *

We have also been told many homes are missing parts of the roofs and walls. If you have been in this area you know that many of the homes are made out of roofing metal for the walls and roof as well. We are able to buy 16 foot sheets of roofing metal for $20.00 a sheet.

We know this is a large task but we are focused on reaching those in real need. Who have no other means on their own and we are praying that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus in this time for these people. We know that without your prayers and support this would not be possible and we are very blessed to be working with you in reaching people with Gods Love.

Please be praying for our mission team lead by Clint Baker from Salem Indiana on July 6-12 I am sure we will have many great opportunities to be a blessing to many people. We are praying for Salvations, Healing, Restoration of Marriages and so much more. Now is the time to reach out to these hurting people with Love and Grace of Jesus!!

Blessings Ron and Rhonda

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