I remember three months ago as I was packing up for the World Race. I was scavenging through a room of old stuff hoping to find some pens for my journal. Instead I stumbled upon this tiny, beaten up pallet of water color paint.
I studied it for a bit thinking about how much I absolutely LOVED art since day one of being able to pick up a pencil. I remember drawing and painting endless pictures and telling myself I would be the next Picasso. I was convinced I would make a huge impact with my art.
Sitting in that room holding the paint pallet I realized that as a grew older, I also grew busier, and my crazy obsession for art was ripped out of my hands.
I knew my passion for art was still there but the availability to sit down and actually enjoy it was absent. I decided to throw that pallet in my bag on a whim not expecting to get much use out of it. I said a quick prayer along the lines of “maybe you’ll give me some free time to paint again, maybe I can glorify you with my artwork.”
As we planted ourselves in Guatemala I found a surplus of time where I could sit down, play some worship music and paint the sights around me.
I prayed for more opportunities steward my love for art. Once my team settled in San Raymundo my host gave me the opportunity to become an art teacher. I’ve been building great relationships with my students that way.
During debrief as I was painting portraits of squadmates I was thinking God wouldn’t give me such a passion for my whole life for no reason. So I prayed for him to show me new ways to minister with art.
The next day my squadmate Abby Thomas and I sat on the side of the road while I painted the arch of Antigua. We ended up having people of all sorts (tourists, vendors, locals) come up and talk to us. We were privileged to pray for a handful of them. The kids of the street vendors also sat with us and wanted to draw with us. We gave them the back of my journal and some pens. One thing I love about art is that it’s a universal way to speak. We had barely any ability to talk to these kids but we were able to connect by drawing together for hours.
i vote the kids drawing as the best!
The same day we went back to the hostel we were staying at and the owner asked me to draw on his wall. He told me to leave our World Race mark so I left an original World Race logo – another amazing way God opened opportunities to be creative and leave something behind that people could be interested in. Who knows how many people will look up and maybe even join the World Race from that drawing!
After we got home from debrief more artsy ministry popped up. Kids were asking to paint and draw outside of the classroom. I’ve had a teacher and students ask me for a portrait – which leads to building relationships without worrying about the language barrier. Also my students passion for art is visibly growing when I see them drawing portraits and pictures during their free time.
Maybe from the naked eye it just seems like I’m painting but my heart has been overflowing with the amount of connections I’ve made through a paint brush. I cannot speak to people through words here in Guatemala, but more than you can imagine has been said through artwork.
I’m realizing God has a lot for me to use my passion toward. Ministry and a paint brush are more related than I thought. Love has been poured out in ways I can’t even explain.
Who would’ve ever thought that little old pallet would have such an impact?
tracing their little hands was one of the most heartwarming moments of ministry.
