Today was actually the first great day I’ve had in my 2 weeks of being in Guatemala. Since I’ve been here, I’ve really been struggling with feeling God’s presence throughout my entire day. I have had several moments that have been filled with the undeniable presence of The Holy Spirit, but there have been other moments that have felt lonely and empty. I’ve been praying that the wall around my heart would be broken and that I would be constantly aware of God’s presence around me and today He showed up.
This morning, I left for ministry at 6 am with 3 other girls. In order to get to our ministry location, we have to take 2 different busses. We were running late due to some complications early this morning, and I was worried that we would have to wait on buses (which can sometimes take up to 30 minutes) and that we would arrive to ministry way behind schedule.1st blessing of the day: we caught both busses right on time.
We got to ministry and passed out several flyers for English classes, but then 10:30 rolled around and we were exhausted. We had a small break, so we walked to a bakery with our ministry contact and I got a donut, several loaves of bread (on accident…thank you, language barrier!) and a cup of coffee for 4 Quetzales ($1=7Q). Blessing #2.
After our snack,which brought much needed energy, we went to a local school and passed out flyers for English classes that my squad will be teaching. Blessing #3: we passed out over 400 flyers! Our ministry contacts, Jessica and Nineth, were so sweet and generous today and blessed us immensely during our time with them. Their presence alone was Blessing #4.
After we left ministry, we walked around the town for a little bit and then headed to the bus stop. Again, we walked up right as the bus was pulling up, which was Blessing #5 (Seriously, you don’t understand how much of a blessing this is!)
When we got back into town, my teammates and I decided to walk around Antigua for a while before heading home, and we had such a wonderful time together. We went to a coffee shop where we ran into a girl who spoke English (Blessing #6), and that was pretty awesome. It’s always refreshing to hear fluent English! After we got coffee, we went and explored some shops we’ve never been in before and we found an organic chocolate shop where my teammate, Brooke, bought me chocolate covered coffee beans and chocolate covered guava. Blessing #7.
On our way home, we stopped by the market and picked up some apples and oranges. Fresh fruit is ALWAYS a blessing and I’m so thankful to be able to have fruit for dinner! (Blessing #8) We caught the bus right as it started raining and that was Blessing #9. We got home after a long day of ministry, and that’s when Blessing #10 happened.
A few days ago, I dropped my Iphone and completely shattered my screen. I was frustrated, but it’s not the end of the world. I still have my laptop, and so I’ve still been able to keep in contact with my family. Every time I pick up my laptop, I thank God for allowing it to remain undamaged and pray that He would continue to keep it protected. When I got home today, I pulled my laptop out of my bag, came into the living room and sat down to write a blog about all the blessings I’ve had today. I opened my laptop, and my screen went completely green. Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me….
I was sitting in the living room with my teammate Russell and he started to help me troubleshoot. I was crying, he was giving me chocolate, and neither of us could figure out what was going wrong. Whatever it was, I knew that it wasn’t good, and I was so absolutely frustrated. After 30 minutes of crying, freaking out, and not being able to figure out what was wrong, my computer fixed itself. I was sitting, crying, staring at my screen and the green completely went away without me doing anything. I know that it may sound crazy to you, but to me, it was an incredible display of the love that my Father has for me.
After having such a good day, I was beyond frustrated when my laptop broke down. I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but remaining in contact with my family is so important to me. I know that my Father loves me and wants me to come to Him for everything…even a messed up computer. I am so thankful that when I ask for Him to show Himself to me, He shows up in mighty ways. My God is really amazing and I know that He loves me so much.
He loves me enough to give me cheap coffee and pastries.
He loves me enough to provide an incredible day of ministry.
He loves me enough to give me good coffee and free chocolate.
He loves me enough to hold off the rain until I get home and send buses at just the right time.
He loves me enough to surround me with people who pray for me and selflessly serve me when I am frustrated and upset.
My Father loves me enough to fix my computer and show me that nothing is too big for Him.
My Father is so gracious and loving and continues to pour out His blessings even when I don’t deserve them.
These past few weeks have been difficult learning how to adjust to this new life. I’ve been struggling physically, emotionally, and spiritually and I haven’t felt very close to The Father. I’ve been praying that God would draw me closer to Him and show me new sides of His face. Today, He showed up and He overwhelmed my heart and my mind.
My Father is gracious, He is loving, and He never ceases to amaze me. I am so thankful to be loved by such an amazing God.
