Guatemala Day #5

 

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20-21 nkjv

It was a bittersweet day for us today. This was our last "official" day of ministry and we had to say goodbye to the kids and families that we have been working with. 

Run down of the Day

Our mornings begin pretty early and we were running a little late this morning so after a short prayer time during breakfast we loaded up to head back to our mission area. Thankfully traffic was better this morning! We went to the Christian school where we have been doing VBS to put together the food bags and wait for the families to come and receive them. The students were there also, in class so we got to see them again too. When the families arrived, the pastor had us introduce ourselves and say a few words and pray before we gave out the food bags. (This was the Guatemalan version of "Mobile LifeHouse.") After the food bags were distributed the kids came out of their classrooms and we got to spend some time loving on the kids. We even got to do one of the VBS songs with them. It was hard to say goodbye when we left the school. We then went to the homes that we had built to dedicate them with the families. We were also able to give them quilts that we had brought that were donated by another church. Again they were so appreciative for everything, and each family provided a snack for us as a way of saying thank you. After another hard good bye, we left and stopped for lunch at a local restaurant with our bus driver and missionaries, and spent some time just getting to know them. We then headed back to the mission house for supper and our time of reflection, and Cecelia did the devotion and led us in prayer. 

Reflections on the Day

1. Thankfully Papaw David was feeling better today and was able to rejoin the team; thank you for the prayers. Everyone seemed to be moving a little slower today, partly because of the two previous days of work, and partly because we knew we would be saying good bye to some people who have found their way into our hearts in just a short period of time. That is one of the hard parts of short-term missions. 

2. Our time at the school this morning was such a blessing. This was the first time being there and seeing the kids for those that had been on the construction crew. The kids welcomed us and treated us like we were old friends. They are so friendly and welcoming, they easily melt your heart. We were able to put together food bags for 20 families, and each one had signed up before hand with the Pastor. When they arrived he had us also sit and he and Lydia (the translator) told them who we were why we had come - because the love of Christ compels us to go into the world and share the gospel and help those in need. He had us introduce ourselves and we could say a few words if we wanted to. We then had a time of prayer and he had each family representative come up and we gave out the food bags. Again, each person was so appreciative. Though it didn't seem like much food to us, the pastor said one food bag would last a family about two weeks. 

3. We also learned today that the pastor and his family run a feeding program for the kids at the school and they feed the kids breakfast and a snack every day they are at school. The school has only been in operation about a year, and before starting the school the Pastor and his family ran the feeding program out of their home for six years. Through the generosity of one of our church members, we were able to provide some significant funds to help provide the food for the feeding program. Pastor Lester was very grateful for the donation. 

4. When we went to dedicate the homes, the families had decorated the homes and put up balloons. Again, they were so appreciative of the help they had received. We wanted them to know that the reason for building the houses was because Jesus loved them, and He knew what they needed, and we were only there as His representatives to show how much He loved and cared for them. While we came here to be a blessing to others, we were really the ones who have been blessed. 

5. We had a great time getting to know our missionaries during lunch. Vicinio is the lead missionary right now because the others are in the states with their families. Though he is Guatemalan, he told us about living in the states for about 20 years where he learned how to do construction. About 7 years ago, he and his wife (who is an American) moved back to Guatemala to be missionaries with Servants Hearts Ministries. They have two daughters, one of which has Down-Syndrome. And four years ago, he earned his American citizenship. He has a remarkable story. The other missionary, Mono also talked with some of our members about his story. He worked in construction, but wanted to work with mission organizations because the money was better, but he said God wouldn't let him get involved in ministry for the wrong reasons, so he kept working jobs he didn't really like, Finally, when he surrendered himself fully to the Lord, God began to open doors for him to work with mission organizations and he has been full-time with Servants Hearts Ministries for about two years now. Both of these men have been wonderful to work with. We are going to miss them. 

6. During our devotion time tonight, Cecelia shared a message from a devotional book she is reading by Mark Batterson ("Draw the Circle: Forty Days of Prayer Challenge"). She talked about how God is so great and awesome that every day He keeps all of the planets in alignment and the earth spinning on its axis at 1,000 MPH, and rotating around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 MPH. And then she asked the question from the devotion: "When was the last time you lost sleep because you were concerned about the Creator keeping the planets in orbit?"  When was the last time you prayed, "Lord, thanks for keeping the planet rotating. I wasn't sure if we'd make the full rotation today, but You did it again!" I'm guessing the answer to these things is "never." We don't doubt God's ability to keep the planets in orbit, but why do we have a difficult time believing He can keep our lives in order? Which is easier, ordering the planets, or ordering our steps? It was a great reminder that we can trust God with the big things and the little things in our lives, because He knows what He is doing!

We are looking forward to another day in Guatemala tomorrow. Though it is not an official "ministry day" we will still be looking to see where God is working and how we can join Him. We will be praying for opportunities to share the gospel and show the love of Christ with the people we encounter on our journeys tomorrow. Below are a few pics from our day today. 

Papaw David giving out a food bag

J-Mama giving out a food bag

Jay giving out a food bag

Guatemalan countryside

New Vision Christian School

Food bags to give away

Families that came to receive the food bags

Pastor Lester, his wife Feday, and daughter Abigail

Ed giving out a food bag

Traditional Guatemalan dress. She wasn't
too happy having her picture made again, lol.

The School Kids and some of our team

Inside of one of the new houses

Maddie with Mono (left) and Vicinio (right)

Zach giving out a food bag