​"On Mondays in Club Exploradores, I am a teacher of the youngest age group. My hope and prayer is that God would give us the wisdom to sow the seed of the word of God in the children and that they would have faith in the power of prayer. Whenever we know that one of them is sick, I invite them to pray together for them. One day, I was overjoyed when one of the girls approached me and asked me to pray for my little sister because she is sick. I am thankful that the boys and girls put their trust in God through prayer. I pray to God that this seed may grow in their hearts as His Word says." -Yeni

​I have seen the hand of God working in the life of Don Jorgito in the nursing home. He was very sick a few months ago and was unable to eat do anything by himself, but I have seen how He has been improving every day. He can already move his hands a little and eat himself. We still need to continue praying for his health since the previous Tuesday his blood pressure was not good and he did not have the strength to continue walking. We need to continue praying for Don Jorgito. –Ana

​"With more than half the population living below the poverty line, many children – especially rural and indigenous children – are forced to drop out of school to help support their families or because they are unable to afford the cost of uniforms, books, supplies and transportation. In many poor communities, school fees for tuition, textbooks, uniforms and supplies easily consume a substantial percentage of a poor family’s income and result in high drop out from school.  Dropout rates are high, especially for girls. Girls particularly are expected to take care of siblings, leave school to help support their family or get married early.” 1  
 
We saw this happening all too often in Piedra Parada, the community near the city dump. Teens would either never continue onto school after sixth grade, or they would start middle school and then drop out because their families could not afford the school expenses. 

We knew, however, that with a little bit of help, these teens could complete their schooling, gain better jobs, help their family, and end this cycle of generational poverty. 

In 2016, we formed Project VALOR, a sponsorship program that gives the children and teens living in the communities surrounding the city garbage dump an opportunity to continue their education into middle and high school. Over the last couple years, our program has grown to help teens in other poor areas in Puerto Barrios.

This year, six of our Project Valor students are graduating high school, and we are so proud of them! Now, we have 12 new students who want to continue their education to middle and high school. We'd love to say yes, yes yes to all of the teens, but we need the help of people like you!

For $45/month (or $540/year), you can give these teens an opportunity that they desire and need. The sponsorship includes daily bus fees, computer class fees, school uniforms, shoes, school supplies, a tutoring program twice a week, and lunches at the tutoring program. If you are unable to give the full $45/month, a donation of any amount will go towards helping this program continue. All donations are tax-deductible.
 
If you are interested in sponsoring a child or would like to receive more information, please fill out the boxes below and click submit! If you would like to donate to this program, please click on the donate button below. Thank you!!

God is working in the hearts and minds of these children. We believe He has big plans for them and their community. The amazing part is that He allows us to be a part of it! If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at (570) 360-9216 or email us at info@purejoymissions.org. ​​

"He sat in an old hammock, strung up between the two sides of his small shelter at the edge of the city garbage dump. The structure, built from items found in the trash, was maybe ten feet long by five feet wide. But it provided a place to get away from the bright Guatemalan sun, and four or five of us stepped gratefully inside, not knowing who we were about to meet.

The man was old, very old. The deep lines etched into his face grew deeper still as he smiled and shook hands with each of his visitors. He wore jeans, a shirt, and a white cowboy hat. 

“Me gusta tu sombrero,” I said as I shook the old man’s hand.  “I like your hat.”

“Gracias,” he replied, and then went on to explain that he owns two cowboy hats - one for working, and one for going out on the town. He was ninety-three years old. 

Pastor Roni sat beside the man, and the two began to talk. The man’s name was Sixto. Their conversation spanned many topics, not all of which I was able to follow with my limited Spanish - but they talked of God, and I could understand that Sixto was telling of the creation account, of the waters and the skies. 

“Tiene un biblia? Do you have a Bible?” Pastor Roni asked. Sixto explained that he had once owned the precious book, but it had been destroyed in the weather. Pastor Roni told him he would return with another one, one with big letters. Sixto responded with gratitude. We closed our eyes and prayed aloud for him, lifting the man from the garbage dump up to the throne room of Heaven, to a God who sees, and who holds for Sixto an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade (1 Peter 1:4).

    My husband and I talked about it later, of the contentment displayed in the old man’s language and demeanor. “These people may need our financial help, but they don’t need our spiritual help,” he observed. Like the apostle Paul, Sixto has learned “the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:12). With Paul, the old man in the cowboy hat can declare, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). 
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With God’s help, maybe someday soon I will be able to say it with the same conviction."  

-Debbie Canfield, a participant of PJM's summer mission trip in July of 2019
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Thank you to everyone who donated to make our Club Exploradores Store a success! The kids look forward to this day all year. A special thanks to our Project Valor students who helped us!

Thank you to everyone who donated shoes for the children at Club Exploradores, Project Valor, and the orphanage! The kids look forward to this day every year, and they are so grateful to receive a new pair of shoes. We wish you could see the smiles in person, but hopefully these photos will bring you some joy! We collected over 200 pairs of shoes! THANK YOU!

​            "My YWAM DTS team leaders and I stepped into the refreshing coolness of the air conditioning in the nearby McDonald’s after the rest of my team had settled in to get WiFi. We had just had a full day of ministry with Pure Joy. Not long after we had stepped in, a young white man with unruly wavy hair asked us in a thick French accent if we knew of a hotel where he and his girlfriend could stay. He told us they had spent the night in the local hospital while she was terribly sick. The hospital personnel had discharged her that morning, so now she needed a place to rest and heal.
            We called Pastor Ronny for any recommendations and he came as soon as he could. When he arrived, we went to the back of the McDonald’s to see how the young French woman was doing. She was pale and weak. She told me she had spent days vomiting, she had had intense pain and that she could barely eat anything. She described that the doctors had given conflicting diagnoses until they had settled on a kidney infection. I am a Registered Nurse, so I asked her about her symptoms, what the doctors had diagnosed and what medicines she was prescribed. The symptoms she described didn’t line up with the traditional symptoms a kidney infection causes. After discussing it, we decided she could visit one of Pastor Ronny’s doctor friends to confirm the diagnosis. Before they left the McDonalds, we asked if we could pray for her and her boyfriend. They agreed, so we prayed for her health and that God would give her peace.
            I was going to stay at the McDonalds, but then I felt like I should go with them. I wanted to make sure they understood everything that was told them in medical terms. As they were walking from the McDonalds to the pastor’s car, I quickly ran out with one of my team leaders and I joined them in the car. After visiting the doctor friend, we went to the clinic for an ultrasound that the doctor had recommended to confirm a diagnosis. At the clinic, we found out that they needed to wait until the next morning for an ultrasound. Throughout this whole adventure, I had made two new French friends! They were so kind and friendly. They kept thanking us for the kindness we were showing them. I was hoping that they would see Jesus through how we interacted with them. The next day I eagerly went with some of my teammates and leader to Pastor Ronny’s house to see them. They had spent the night there. Thankfully, the young woman was doing much better and the final diagnosis was a kidney infection that could be cured with antibiotics. As we talked, she explained that after we had spent time with her the day before, she felt the desire to eat without vomiting for the first time. “It must have been your good vibes,” she reasoned. “No, it’s Jesus!!!” I exclaimed! I wanted to make sure she knew that Jesus was the one who made her better, not us."

The YWAM team; Ana is in the first row, second from the right side