tcfischer | GLO Missionaries Ted and Cassandra Fischer

Feb
3, ’16

We Made it!

After a year and a half of planning and 6 months of raising support we have finally made it safely to Guatemala! Thanks be to God! We arrived late Friday evening (January 29th) and were met with open arms by our dear friends Dr. Elry and his wife, Liz. They took care of us in their home on the shore of Lake Amatitlan for our first 2 days. We both agree that Liz is an excellent cook!

Cassandra taking in the beauty of Lake Amatitlan.

The food was excellent, as was the fellowship. Dr. Elry and Liz host an amazing ministry out of their home that we were blessed to observe and be a part of. It’s called Kid’s Club. 3 days a week children and youth, ages 5-18, head to their home for a hot meal, tutoring, games, prayer, praise, and a Bible study. It was truly inspirational to see God at work at Kid’s Club. Many of the older youth had been a part of the club since they were young and are now helping to lead the children. The program provides for both the practical and spiritual needs of these children. Many of them live in extreme poverty, but you would never know it by the way the children all gave glory and thanks to God with their songs. Their program gave us both a lot of great ideas for when it is our time to help out with the children’s and youth ministries in Gualan and La Union.

Dr. Elry and the youth of kids club performed a mini concert for Cassandra!

The kids wore me out playing futbol!

Sammy led the youth in lake shore Bible study.

On Sunday we attended a wonderful service at Castillo Fuerte, the Lutheran Church in Guatemala City. We were greeted with incredible hospitality and fed well after the service. Then the head pastor, Abdiel, and one of the members drove us 3 hours east to Xela, where we are now attending language school. For the next month we will be spending 5 hours each morning with a private tutor practicing Spanish. So far it has been challenging and at times overwhelming! The challenge continues when we get back to our host home where we stay with three sisters who speak no English. But we cannot complain. Xela is a beautiful city surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, and everyone we come into contact with has been incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful. Our hosts make us feel right at home. Our tutors have already become like close friends, and our friends from the Lutheran Church here are always willing to help in any way possible. God continues to provide us with everything that we need and more!

Taken just outside our language school. Volcan Santa Maria in the background.

We are so incredibly grateful for all of the prayers, encouragement, and financial support that our brothers and sisters in Christ have provided to get us here. Stay tuned! We will continue to update you frequently.

Oct
22, ’15

By tcfischer

How did we get here?

Category: Uncategorized Tags: Christ, God, Guatemala, Mission, Proposal Leave a Comment

The short answer is, “God brought us here.” But that statement is true of wherever we are in life. Let’s talk about the sequence of events that God put in place to bring Cassandra and myself to this specific point in our lives. Let me explain how we came upon the opportunity to serve God’s people in Guatemala.

It started even before Cassandra and I met. I went on my first international mission trip the summer after high school graduation. I went with my parents and friends from church on a short term trip to Guatemala, and not surprisingly it changed my life. I had been wondering why on earth I had taken 4 years of Spanish. I thought I was “never going to use it.” That is, until I did in Guatemala. I was able to converse with the people of Guatemala and assist them by prescribing glasses to those who couldn’t see well. I was also able hear and learn from the hospitality they showed me.

I began to fall in love with God’s people in Guatemala and I returned every year for the next 4 years. Each time I went, it became more clear to me that I wanted to serve God within the Lutheran Church of Guatemala. I had the desire but I didn’t know what that would look like or where to start.

As always, the Lord provided the answers I needed. Over those 4 years, I developed a very close relationship with Pastor Luis and his family. They even called me their “gringo” son. Pastor Luis knew that I wanted to be a missionary in Guatemala and he saw how well I worked with the youth of his congregation. He knew how passionate I was about being a positive role model for teenagers, teenagers who have so few people to look up to. As it turned out, Pastor Luis was starting a new congregation nearby that needed a youth leader, and the summer before my senior year at Concordia he offered me the position.

me nancy luid

Me with Pastor Luis and his wife, Nancy.

I couldn’t believe it. This was everything I had been asking God for. But there was one thing that made me unsure about the decision. I had just began a relationship with Cassandra. We weren’t talking about marriage yet and I knew that this news might change things. I didn’t want her to feel pressure to follow me and I didn’t want to feel pressure to stay. But at that very same time, she was also in Guatemala on her first mission trip with Concordia. She loved it there.

So over the next year we talked about it, we prayed about it, and Christ allowed our relationship to grow. He also provided an opportunity for Cassandra to help Pastor Luis with his school’s music program. I proposed to Cassandra in March of that year, and two months later we connected with GLO and committed ourselves to a year of mission work in Guatemala.