God is doing great things here in Los Guido. It’s great living here at the finca and getting to see the ministry of Christian Light Foundation. They have discipleship classes on Monday nights, prayer meeting on Tuesday nights, worship practice on Wednesday nights, and a women’s group on Fridays. They also have a feeding center open Monday through Saturday from 11:00am-1:00pm. They feed hundreds of kids every day. Many children come for their only hot meal of the day, and they stay to play. The church is one of the only safe places for the kids to come and be themselves and be loved, as about 80% of them experience violence and abuse in their homes. We had a movie night for the children last night. We invited kids from the community, made popcorn and showed Shark Tale projected on a wall in the church. There were about 100 kids that showed up for the movie. The finca is a safe haven in this dark area. God’s Presence is so tangible here.
Three of the six teams on our squad have been doing ministry in the three elementary schools in town for a week now. The school in Sector 3 is a Christian school, and the team there has been received with much enthusiasm. The team in the Sector 2 school has also been received well and they have gotten to play with the kids and teach English, as well as help the teachers with tasks. The team going to the school in Sector 7 was told that their school would be the most difficult to get into, as missionaries have never been accepted there before. Our ministry host told them at the beginning of the month that he hoped they’d be able to get in, but it wasn’t very likely.
One of the girls on my squad, Keri, had a vision of the kids in Los Guido flocking to us in the streets. She said it was beautiful as the kids were drawn to the love and joy of God’s presence in us. She shared this vision with the whole squad one of our first days here. Last Friday my team (the prayer team this month) went with the team assigned to the Sector 7 school to pray outside their school because they weren’t meeting with the staff until Tuesday. We prayed for God to open a door for ministry in this school and for the kids to have the opportunity to hear the Word of God and encounter His love. While we were standing outside the school praying, Keri’s vision came to life before our eyes. Kids started coming from every direction. We started playing tag with them in the street, which attracted more kids, as well as the attention of the adults in the neighborhood. One man stopped me and asked who we were. I told him we were a group of Christian missionaries, which seemed to settle his suspicions of us, and he thanked me before he continued on his way. We played with the kids in the street for about an hour before returning to the finca for lunch. We were all encouraged by the events at the school. When the Sector 7 team met with the school staff on Tuesday, they were received and scheduled to come back every day for the rest of our time here. Praise God! Ministry is now happening in the school that was supposed to be the most strongly opposed to the Gospel–no problem. 🙂
Yesterday, two of my team members (Britteny and Lindsey) went with the Sector 7 school team, while I went with my other three teammates (Megan, Megan and Jenna) to the Sector 3 school with the team doing ministry there. This is the Christian school in Los Guido, and it was an awesome experience. We got there and the kids were in an assembly, celebrating their Culture Day holiday. Then the kids had a break (similar to recess), so we just played with the kids for an hour. An eight year old named Rachel grabbed my hand and brought me with her as she ran around the school playing with her friends. She even bought me a bracelet from the school store. Then Megan and I played jump rope with the kids until it was time for them to go to class. We performed a skit of Daniel and the Lions Den for a class of 4th-6th grade boys. I got to translate for Craig as he shared the story, and the rest of my squadmates acted out the story. After we finished the story, the teacher, Luis, thanked us and told the boys that the missionaries were going to go around to each of them and pray for them. He turned on worship music and he walked around the room praying out loud over the boys. We went from boy to boy, laying hands on each one and praying for Holy Spirit to touch them. That lasted about half an hour, then Luis called us back to the front of the room, so he and the boys could pray for us. The boys repeated after him as he led them in prayer for us. Then we prayed for Luis. What an awesome man of God! He is so emotionally invested in those kids and prays for them on a daily basis. He knows how hard their lives at home are. What a blessing that they get to experience God’s presence at school each day.
Twice a week we start off our day with a devotional given by Mark, our ministry host. Thursday morning he shared 2 Peter 1:16 with us, which ends with “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” He explained that we are eyewitnesses of Christ’s majesty just as much as the first apostles were, because God is still alive and active today. He challenged us to make a habit of looking for His majesty every day. He said if we can’t see it everywhere we look, then we’re not really looking. He challenged us to ask God at the end of each day, “God, where did I see Your majesty today?” If we are aware of God’s majesty all around us, we give Him more glory. If we just focus on the violence and the work of Satan here in Los Guido, we end up glorifying the darkness instead of glorifying God.
God’s majesty is shining in Los Guido and we are eyewitnesses of it.
I see the majesty of God in a little girl excitedly dragging me around by the hand, in kids laughing as they jump rope, praying for a class of boys, playing tag with kids in the streets, in the safety of the finca, in the discipleship training center, in the loving care of the women who work tirelessly in the feeding center kitchen, in the dedication of the worship team, in a homeless man worshiping Jesus with his guitar on the street corner, in the goofy activities we do with our squad, and all around me. Wherever I am willing to look.
Where have you seen the majesty of God today?
