It is with great sadness to report that Saturday, April 7th, at dusk, a dear friend and church deacon under the downtown Bridge in Guatemala City named Gerson, 40 yrs. old, was shot and killed. He was married a year and a half to a longtime Sunday School Teacher, Jenni, 30 yrs. old, who is now widowed. He and his wife have lived overlooking the deep ravine and across the neighborhood to the other side from where the gang shot him. Gerson and Jenni’s humble dwelling is just 100 steps from the church in one direction and in the other looks across to the other side 1,000 ft. away where one the most dangerous barrios called “El Gallito” is located. One of the gangs there was pursuing someone else down the other side of the ravine, running for his life as they pursued him to kill him. When the gang couldn’t find him as he had run into trees and bushes to hide at the creek below, the gang members raising their site upwards from the riverbed below, and at dusk, seeing Gerson standing outside his dwelling high above them, shot their guns at him thinking Gerson was their guy, and with one bullet that went to Gerson’s stomach, killed him. Pastor Luis was close by in his church readying for the Saturday night service. Gerson and Jenni’s neighbors quickly ran to tell him Gerson had been shot. Pastor had also heard shots and already running down the steps to Gerson’s house. Paramedics were called, Pastor Luis as he is always first on the scene in these scenarios tried to save Gerson’s life. Unfortunately for the trek down and the trek back to the road above simply weren’t able to get him to the hospital in time. Pastor Luis stayed with Gerson from the time of shooting and subsequently within 20 minutes of dying Saturday night until he buried his body on Tuesday afternoon April 10th. Gerson leaves a dedicated Christian wife, Jenni. They were preparing to take a new pastorate under Pastor Luis’s leadership in a church we have been partnered with for 8 months up in the high cooler country 2 hrs. away. Please pray for Jenni, a new widow, who led such an exemplary life; humbly serving the Lord with all her heart. Please pray also for Pastor Luis and Glendi and their family as well as all the church members and the community around them that Almighty God protect and keep them, giving His angels charge concerning them to shield them against all enemies surrounding their neighborhood and church. Thank you for joining us at Charlie’s Lunch in concerted and fervent prayer regarding this need.