Hello! I’m happy, healthy, and doing really well! Right now we are in La Libertad, El Salvador serving in Remar – a foster home / orphanage doing various ministries. We’re getting to spend a lot of time with the children and I’m learning so much from them. Please be in prayer for me this weekend, I’m planning to do a devotional for a group of teenage girls about their value in Christ. I’m nervou,s but so excited!
A few weeks ago in Guatemala, God told me to do something I really didn’t want to – help take care of 25 screaming toddlers.
For our second week in Quitche, Guatemala my team had the opportunity to go serve in a daycare for one week. I love little kids and I want to serve wherever I’m needed, but I was not looking forward to helping in the daycare.
Why?
Because more than half of the people who served in the daycare the week before got sick – very sick. Like spending-all-their-time-in-the-bathroom- sick. Not only that, but my confidence in working with children is not the best. I have no idea how to take care of them. So, I knew that week was going to be a big challenge for me.
In fact, at one point I had the opportunity to choose to go back to the clinic one day that week with Sally and not go to the daycare on that day. I was so excited at first to be able to go with Sally and learn more about medical missions – and the major bonus was that I wouldn’t have to go to the daycare one day that week and expose myself to germs.
But God had other plans.
On our first day of serving in the daycare, I asked one of my teammates to keep me accountable in making sure I signed up for an age group in the daycare that challenged me. So, I signed up for the babies. And it was hard. There was a lot of crying/screaming and little-to-no structure whatsoever in the playrooms.
Even with the 13 of us there, the facility was still understaffed and chaotic. I knew after the first day my teammates needed me. After all, when I was applying for the World Race, it I was I that said to God, “lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters, wherever you would call me.” The “wherever” includes a daycare full of screaming, germ-infested children.
So, I stayed. And I had the opportunity to love on 30 gorgeous Guatemalan toddlers.
Note: The little girl I’m holding, Angie, actually wanted me to hold her all the time, she just wouldn’t stop crying. 🙂
I also got a stomach bug. Yep, by the middle of the week, I was hugging the toilet just like several people from the week before.
And then it happened… one of the things I feared most…
I also developed flu-like symptoms which eventually led to pneumonia.
WHAT? Isn’t God supposed to bless you when you do what He says?
He most certainly did. Just not in the way I would expect.
I got to spend 10 days in a sick room with several of my other squadmates I would have probably not have gotten to know had we not been sick together. We prayed, listened to worship music, and laughed a lot. It was a blessed time.
Not only this, but I felt a lot of love streaming in from my teammates. My team leader spent over two hours with me running around Antigua, Guatemala trying to help me find the medications I needed, another teammate walked several blocks with me to the doctor twice and translated the doctor’s orders. The best part was both of them had fantastic attitudes about it. Several of my other teammates encouraged me with prayer and bringing me things when I needed them.
Not only this, but the Lord gave me major favor at the doctor’s office. The doctor was very thorough and professional. Not only this, but at the end of my visit, we realized none of us had enough money to pay for the consultation and they don’t take credit card. Amazingly, the doctor just told us to pay what we could and just return the next morning with the remainder. WOW! Talk about major favor.
The Lord never told me being obedient to His call was going to be comfortable or work out like I think it should. In fact, most of the time, nothing works out like I expect it to. But I am always blessed. I bless God for my sickness. During my sick time, I had plenty of time to wait on and lean into God. One of my greatest fears for the Race came true – I got pneumonia again – but the Lord was there to sustain me and help me overcome. I could feel the Lord loving me and encouraging me to rest in Him. He is so good!
*Note: If you want to hear a great sermon series on fear, go to ElevationChurch.org and click on the sermon series for “Room 101.”
*Another Note: THANKS to all your generosity (and my tax returns), I’m going to meet my next fundraising deadline for $11,000 by April 1st! God is so so good!!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
