Sweet Provision

I'm a little behind on writing about our last week in Guatemala. I've been resting and enjoying time at home with my family, while still trying to let everything that I learned this summer sink in.

We led 4 different groups our last week: Faith Baptist from Memphis, East Brent Baptist from Pensacola, and 2 smaller groups from Oklahoma. It's a blessing to get to meet believers from all over and serve with them. We didn't go back to Santa Louisa this week, but split up into 2 different sites. Half of the group went to the village of Heirba Buena to build a retaining wall at a school and minister to the children. The other half of us partnered with an organization called Loving Arms.  We did work in several villages in the town of Parramos. In the course of the week we helped build a retaining wall to protect their homes and crops from floods, helped till land and plant squash that would be a source of income for impoverished families, built stoves so families won't have to cook over hazardous open fires, painted a school classroom while we ministered to the students there, delivered food to families who are sponsored through Loving Arms, held a dental clinic, built a house for a widowed man and his children, and had opportunities to do Bible schools and minister to children at a couple of schools. Though we weren't able to build relationships like we did in Santa Louisa, it was clear that it was God's will for us to be in Parramos.

Some of the team members were led to sponsor some of the children we loved on. Those kids will now have the opportunity to go to school and will be fed 2 meals a day. I was blessed to watch a couple really see how the American Dream of having more and better stuff just really doesn't line up with what God is doing around the world. They decided to give up things like NetFlix and thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts to care for a little girl in Guatemala. They did this for the sake of the Gospel.

I watched a lady humbly come to our team and though she was embarrassed, she was sensitive to the Spirit telling her to come to us, and she asked for help for her village. Last year, a hurricane wiped out their living- their corn crop. They had received a little help since last year, but just not enough to care for them all. So she asked us to pray for them. Some of our team members took up an offering among themselves which payed for about 300 pounds of corn for the village of Parrojas to plant. A humble woman's prayer was answered.

This same lady and some of the other village ladies also fed us a farewell lunch. They wanted to bless us for the work we had been done in their village. Blessed is just what we were. They fed us the food that probably would have fed them for a few weeks. Soup, chicken, corn, whiskeel, potatoes, squash, and tortillas. It was such a bitter sweet moment as we were humbled and honored that they chose to give us this meal but knowing how limited their resources are, we didn't want to take their food. However, we prayed over it (that our bellies would not be harmed by anything in the food) and that God would richly bless them in abundance for giving out of the little they have.

Before we left, we were able to have a farewell with some of our friends from the church. They have touched my heart in a way I will not soon forget. The loved us and they taught us and they grew in the Lord with us. I was blessed to see their faithfulness. Even though we are gone now and I don't know when I will be in Guatemala again, I praise God that I can still pray for them and the work they are doing in their country. I thank my God every time I think of them (Philippians 1).

Lunch at the church 

Meter long pizza 

Coffee plant

Skit of Jesus calming the storm

Pepper squash! 

Dental clinic 

Dedicating the new classroom to the kids 

The new house our team built

The 'house' he lived in before 

Mobilizing Students staff with Loving Arms staff 

Sunrise the morning we left Guatemala

Overall, the last days in Guatemala were amazing. We were tired and we were beginning to miss family and friends, but o how we felt the JOY of obeying the command of Jesus to care for the least of these.

Thank you all for your prayers this summer. Dios te bendiga

Philippians 2:14

What a blessed week! Our first team from Oak Park and Westwood Baptist churches just left and our next team arrives soon. This week we served in the village of Santa Louisa. Our projects were to concrete the floors in the new bathromms for the village. When completed, these will be the first bathrooms with plumbing in the village. We also began the foundation of the Pastor’s house. Pastor Carlos will be moving to the village when his house is complete, to be with the people God has called him to make disciples of. In the afternoons, we also ministered to the children of the village. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel with them, share Bible stories with them, make crafts, sing praise to the Lord, and just build relationships with them for the purpose of showing Christ’s love. We prayed that our actions would be fragrant offerings to the Lord. However, we know we did not make sacrifice. It is our delight to share Christ with the nations. He is our hope and He must be shared.

This week God taught me mucho. He taught me that every good thing I do is the Christ in me. One day I was sick in the village. I can’t remember feeling that sick many other times in my life. And one of the village ladies who attends the church made a tea for me and loved on me, welcoming me into her shack. Later when I had recovered, I thanked her for taking care of me. She simply answered it’s the Christ in me. I was so humbled. She didn’t say your welcome, or I was glad to do it, but “It’s the Christ in me.” Wow. Every good thing I do is the Christ in me.

God also very vividly showed me how He is greater than any barrier. I struggle with the lanugauge barrier when I am overseas. I want so badly to communicate. And the first day that I met Telmar, one of the village ladies, she told me I needed to learn Spanish so I could talk to her. Haha. Well, feeling intimidated I continued to try to communicate with her all week. But I didn’t go home and learn a lot of Spanish. I didn’t have time. I just tried to love her. I played with her special needs sons. I shared my favorite Bible verse with her. I asked her all the questions I knew in Spanish. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would love through me. And on the last day as I hugged Telmar goodbye, both of us in tears, she told me 1. That my Spanish had improved and 2. That I would forever be her sister in Christ. Praise God that He is not hindered by any cultural barrier! He is God of all!

God is sovereign over the weather and over our health and whether we are on time or not. God makes all things new. God answers prayers according to His will. Nothing compares to knowing Christ and making Him known. I pray that everything I do will be a reflection of HIM.

our make-shift potty 

Glori a Dios!