To be honest I’m not exactly sure what to put into this blog, I don’t necessarily have a specific story to share with you all. All I have are bits and pieces from our time here in Guatemala so far that contribute to a grander picture.
Our ministry here in Guatemala looks very different from ministries we’ve been a part of in the past. The staff here at Adventures in Missions Guatemala have a mission in mind; to bring the hills surrounding them back to Lord. All of our teams have been assigned to different villages around the city of Parramos. My team was placed in a small community that is just a short walk away from where we are living. Off the main road lies a small community, a city on a hill if you will. Only 50 families call this place home. It is a small village with one main road, one schoolhouse, and no church. Our “job” is to build relationships with the locals and go wherever the Lord leads us. We teach at the school twice a week and have started a few other projects here. On Tuesdays we have begun to cook dinner with one family a week. We bless them by buying groceries and in return they teach us how to cook a meal, this had quickly become one of my favorite parts of the week. On Fridays we decided to carry over the VBS programs we organized in India. This was such a highlight from our time in India because it allowed us to be crazy with the kids and really get to know each of them on such a deeper level. We play soccer, dance to worship songs, tell a bible story, and do crafts with some of the girls. The rest of the weekdays we walk around and do home visits.
Small stories:
- Our very first day in this community we ran into a woman named Rosa and her family making tortillas for their main source of income. We asked if she would teach us how to make tortillas and she said yes with a laugh. Since then we’ve come to know her and her family fairly well and visit them often. Every time she graciously shows us over and over the correct way to flatten out the dough into a perfect circle, and every day without fail we produce lopsided ovals at best (although I will say we are improving, come May I think one of us will get the hang of it). Rosa also ended up being our first family that we cooked with on a Tuesday afternoon. If I could describe that experience in one word it would be family. We chatted and laughed while we peeled veggies, ran around with kiddos in and out of the kitchen, danced around, and shared a wonderful meal. I felt as if I was with my family on thanksgiving day. They all have quickly become family to us.
- On my birthday we knocked on the door of a blue house with pretty pink flowers planted alongside the property. When the door open we were welcomed in by and elderly woman and her husband. He was a retired pastor of many years and they loved hearing about why we in Guatemala. My teammate Colleen mentioned to them that it was birthday and they sang feliz cumpleaños to me. Then we celebrated with soda and club crackers that he ran out and bought for us. By the end of the day we had grandparents in the village. Their kindness and hospitality made me feel so loved and encouraged that day.
- Occasionally we will run into two of the cutest boys while we are out walking through the village. They will see us from a distance and yell “gringas! gringas!” (white girls) in the most precious high pitched voices you can imagine. Then these two little boys will run towards us and say hi over and over. PRECIOUS is all I have to say about that!
- One Thursday afternoon we were at Rosas house again making tortillas and hanging out. Colleen and I were outside in the street playing with some of the kids that lived nearby. A bossy little girl with pigtails named Mellie grabbed me and pulled me around to play with her. While we were chasing after a tennis a ball with some other kids she tripped and landed face first in the dirt. I scooped her up and tried to calm her as she was sobbing. I sat with her for a while and of course when someone else asked her what happened she said that another kid tripped her. Attitude and all, I still love her dearly.
- Another day while we were walking around we knocked on a door and meet a young girl named Roxanna. We found out that she has just turned 21 the day before but didn’t have a celebration because she was busy taking care of her younger sisters while her mother worked. We decided to drive into Parramos and get her a cake. Then we knocked on her door and surprised her with a late birthday celebration. She invited us inside and we got to talk with her about all sorts of things. We were able to encourage her in her desire to serve her mother well by loving on her younger sisters.
Small stories about small conversations held over making tortillas, eating crackers, holding children, and through broken translations are most often the ones that matter the most. They may be small moments that can be easily forgotten, but they are also small blessings that often times go unnoticed. All of the hellos, and all of the conversations add up over time and turn into something more than small talk. It is through these types of experiences that relationships are built, and through relationships the love of God can be shared. Our time in Guatemala is moving along but with each day we are adding pieces to the larger picture. We have to have to zoom out from the day to day and see that a grand picture is being formed. One that involves the Father pursing His children. Now that is something that I am thankful to be apart of, it is only through Him that we are here, and through Him that we are able to be a part of His grand plan.
I’m going to end this blog with a quote I found while roaming around on Pinterest (a weakness of mine) because I think it wraps it up perfectly.
“I hope you come alive wherever you are traveling to beautiful and far off destinations, and I hope you also come alive in living rooms and heartfelt conversations because I promise you, light is shining there too. In all that is subtle and all that is grand, I hope you come alive fully present whenever you can.”
- MHN
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P R A Y E R
- to be intentional with these relationships we are building and to remain focused with only two months left of the race
- For the village we are in, for gossip to subside and for the community to unite
- Possibility of a church staring in this village, for a member to be willing to take charge of leading
- Unity and peace for our team
- For the health of our squad, many have parasites
- For me personally, to have peace with what unknowns future holds and to trust the Lord with it all. Also that I would have a discerning mind with some things I am experiencing her in the field
Thank you everyone! I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that I’ve been away for 7 months, and even more so that I’ll be home in just two months! Wow, thank you again to supporting my trip whether it be finically and/or prayerfully. Knowing that I have such a loving family and church family back home is such a comfort to me. Until next time! – Julie Anne
