I had a very short + sweet week. I only had two days of ministry on Monday + Tuesday, because Squad W left for debrief on Wednesday, which lasts until next Monday. Debrief is basically a time to rest + explore some of the beauty of Guatemala (a blog to come from debrief for sure). Tuesday was a day in ministry that I + team Ekklesia will never forget.
On Tuesday We meet back up with Maria + David for our cooking class! Maria decided that for our cooking class we would be killing two of her chickens + making a type of chicken soup. To be completely honest, I was not very excited to kill two chickens because I love animals a lot + have a really big heart for them (obviously, I am known as the girl on the race who cries over dogs). I prayed to God that I would be able to be 100% present + enjoy what He is trying to teach me through this moment. Like always, God answers all prayers.
When I first got there, I played with Maria’s dog, Negra, through the fence + was just trying not to watch Maria cut off the heads of two chickens. As I was playing with Negra, I noticed the three chickens behind the fence. Before we got there, there was a total of five chickens that Maria + David owned. Although Maria + David did not have a lot of chickens, they killed two of them just so they could honor + love us well. God showed me a new perspective at this moment. The first thing God showed me as I arrived at Maria’s is to be grateful that I live a life where I don’t have to kill + prepare my own food. But the biggest thing God taught me at this moment, is that those with the least amount of material things are often the most giving + gracious. Maria + David, didn’t think for a minute about how killing two of their chickens would inconvenience them, but instead thought about how they could love us so well by preparing us one of their favorite dishes. They are servant-hearted + embody Christ like no one I have ever seen before.
I cannot explain how much I love this small family of two. They always make us feel so loved + welcomed. Maria made us feel even more special that day when she told us that she was so very grateful for our love for Christ + that she was happy to say that even though she had only known us for a small time that her small family grew from two to six. I love the love these two share for one another + the joy they embody when singing songs to glorify Christ. They represent strongly what a beautiful marriage you can have with your partner in life if you chose to always include Christ in your marriage.
Thank you, God, for this family who leans + depends on you so well. Thank you for giving them the hearts of pure Gold + for welcoming us into their family. I ask everyone that is reading this right now to pray for continual health in this family + to pray that they never lose their joy + heart for Christ.
