About REINDOM

 

 

 

 

REINDOM is my team’s host ministry here in Sumpango, Guatemala. The name comes from the combination of the words “Reino” which means Kingdom, and random. The basis of this name is from Matthew 6 when Jesus prays the Lord’s prayer. In verse 10, He says 

“your kingdom come, 

your will be done

on earth as it is in Heaven.”

In the words of REINDOM founder Ivan Solloy, the heart behind the name is that “Wherever the Lord leads, we go and bring the Kingdom there.” This can happen anytime and anywhere; There are no bounds. For this reason, bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth can be kinda “random” at times. 

 

 

What began in 2020 as an online bible study for youth and young adults has become a force for good in Sumpango and the surrounding communities. The various program’s they implement are almost entirely volunteer-run and are funded by donations from friends, family, and members of their international bible studies. Currently, my team gets to serve with three of Reindom’s programs:

 

 

Santa Marta Village

 

 

 

 

 

 

“At the end of last year, Reindom felt called to focus on a specific community. So we prayed and visited communities and decided we felt called to Santa Marta. The village has no church presence, no non-profit organization involvement, and no governmental assistance. The village of Santa Marta is known as “the forgotten one.” Our outreach here began with nothing. No resources. No programs. Nothing was established before us.” 

Loyda Saz, Reindom Staff Member

 

 

 

 

The vision for the kids program at Santa Marta comes from Luke 2:52. For this reason, the program focuses on these three areas:

Wisdom: kid’s discipleship 

Stature: kid’s feeding 

Favor: teaching Christian values

(to have favor before God and man)

  

 

 

Because of Reindom’s impactful persistence in the community, they have garnered favor from the Santa Marta parents and teachers. The village school offered for Reindom to use their facilities as meeting spaces for the children’s programs. We currently host 3 events per week in Santa Marta’s school with an average of 50-75 kids in attendance. The children range in age from 4 to 15 years old.

 

 

 

 

One thing I love about this program is that we get to serve delicious lunches to the kids and let them eat until they are FULL! Many families in this village cannot afford to eat nutritious meals; Some cannot afford to feed their kids more than once per day. Initially, Reindom fed the children a warm, well-balanced meal once per week. Now, we have been blessed with the resources to provide a nutritious lunch to the children twice per week (Mondays and Thursdays). Reindom’s big dream and future goal is to feed the children 

every! single! day! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Religion here is interesting. Because of Guatemala’s history of colonialization, many people identify as catholic. Additionally, because of the prevalence of indigenous heritage, there is an influence of Mayan culture and religion that can be identified in the art, practices, and beliefs of many Guatemalan (especially in the villages). For some families, this creates a pseudo-Christianity that is part catholic and part Mayan. What I find most spectacular about working with Reindom is that we get to share the hope and love of Christ to those who may know the name, but not the Savior.

 

 

 

Because of this, another facet of Reindom’s program in Santa Marta is their kid’s discipleship program. This is a project to create wholehearted Jesus followers. It’s more than a Bible study but includes creative interactions for kids including skits, songs, and dances. The goal is to equip the kids to pursue God’s will for their lives and become missionaries wherever on earth they are called. 

 

 

 

Every Saturday, we get to put on an interactive production in which the kids get to deepen their understanding of King Jesus, who was, and who is, and who is to come! They learn about salvation, relationship, and the characteristics of Jesus. Our team has opportunities every week to share more about what it means to be part of the family of Heaven. Some examples of this include praying with the children and washing their feet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is really cool about Reindom is that it is made up almost entirely of young adult volunteers ranging from 17 – 22 years old. I had heard the seventh revival is happening curently and it is beginning with Generation Z. I guess I didn’t entirely see it happening until I came overseas. Young People in Guatemala are on fire for God. They are not satisfied with being a “Sunday Morning Christian.” They want more. They want change. They want to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth and they will not settle for less. Allow this knowledge to encourage and challenge you!

 

 

 

 

La Mesa Del Reino

 

 

 

 

La Mesa Del Reino (The Kingdom Table) is program is for homeless, outcasts, and addicts as well as vulnerable women and children who work in the nearby markets. Reindom uses food to bring people close so we can engage them with the love of Christ. The motto is: worship, transformation, nutrition.

 

 

Each person who attends our Kingdom Table ministry gets fitted with a nametag and is led to a seat at the banquet table. We write down prayer requests for every attendee, pray for their current needs, and lead them in a live worship session. Afterward, we serve them a warm, nutritious lunch. The heart of this program is to show everyone they are worthy of a nice meal and that, in the Kingdom of God, they have a seat at the table. We do this program every Wednesday in the local park. 

 

 

Because many homeless people in the community struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction, Reindom’s dream is to open a rehabilitation facility. Our team is excited because we got to connect Reindom with a Christian rehab facility in a neighboring town. We are very excited to announce that, in the last week and a half, we have had two men from the Kingdom Table ministry admitted to the rehabilition facility and committed to a six month recovery program. 

 

 

 

 

Academia Deportiva

 

 

 

 

The Academia Deportiva (Sports Academy) program began as a way to show kids that we can worship God through anything, including sports. When they began this program, they only had one soccer ball and they practiced in a dirt field; They now have an official team that they travel and compete with. 

 

Reindom’s founder shared, “It was really hard to start a sports ministry in the community because many parents believe that playing sports is a gateway to drinking alcohol and gang violence. Additionally, we wanted to break the common stigma that only boys can be athletes.”

 

 

 

 

I am incredibly grateful I get to serve the kingdom alongside Reindom. In the village, some children have to wake up early to work in the fields before school. This is so they can help their family earn enough money to provide for their needs. The programs Reindom provides to the children in Santa Marta are transformative. We get to create space where the kids get to simply be kids while sharing the hope, inheritance, and power of Christ with them. 

 

 

I have also been so blessed by the homeless/addict ministry in Sumpango. There is an obvious stronghold of alcoholism and addiction here (especially for men). We have prayed with dozens of men who have been kicked out of their homes and barred from seeing their families because of their struggle with alcoholism which, in turn, has led to domestic violence. For most of them, their prayer requests are the same: 

“I just want to stop drinking and to be reunited with my family.” 

 

 

I see so much of Christ in the heart and ministry of Reindom. They long to see Jesus return for His bride. Until that happens, they will share the Gospel, feed the hungry, clothe the poor, seek the lost, comfort the downcast, and point the eyes of everyone they meet to the risen Savior. This is the kind of missional calling we all share (ALL- yes, even YOU!). If you would like to get involved with or support Reindom’s ministry, please contact me at [email protected]

 

 

 

 

To celebrate Guatemala’s National Kid’s Day, we took 96 children from the village to the zoo. Afterward, we got them all happy meals at McDonald’s and took them to a kid’s church puppet show. Some of the children had never left their village, been on a bus, had a burger or french fries, and did not know what a zoo was. I think National Kid’s Day is the BEST DAY EVER!

 

 

 

Please pray for the ministry of Reindom, the people here in Sumpango, and and all who reside in the village of Santa Marta. 

 

 

 

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

 

Matthew 25:31-40