As I reflect on my ministry in Guatemala I hope to fill everyone in on my first month on the Race. To give you a brief overview I was staying in Antigua, Guatemala with a total of 14 girls (2 World Race teams) and a married couple from Canada, Matt (2008 WR alum) and Cheryl, who happened to be doing ministry with our contact while we were there. Our host, Luis Castillo from Neuvo Generacion (A New Generation) was phenomenal! He believed that by integrating us into the culture we would be able to better love and connect with the people in Guatemala. To accomplish this he took us on many tours of the city and surrounding areas, immersed us in various ministries, and even had us stay three days at a local family’s house to better understand what the normal living conditions are like in Guatemala.
Thursday, January 9th at 8:30 pm I arrived in Guatemala City to officially start the World Race.
I partook in various ministries in Guatemala including: helping at an elderly center, helping at a daycare and special needs home, teaching values and morals to junior and high school kids, translating the lessons from Spanish to English that are taught at the schools, as well as assisted with a 270 student youth rally. To learn more about the youth rally check out my teammate Sarah’s blog!
Lots of ministry and loving on God’s people took place this month but I am going to highlight two occasions that hold a special place in my heart.
This beautiful boy is, Alex, a 5 year old at a local daycare I helped at. In just a few minutes I noticed how reserved and shy he was compared to his classmates. I used my time with the class to show him he was loved. I was blessed to go back to the daycare one more time and show Christ’s love to him again. The second visit to the classroom he was much more open and seemed like a completely different boy. He was happy that I chose to sit by him instead of his more outgoing classmates.
The last week I taught a class on values and principles to sophomores. I had met the class the week before so I knew one young man loved fútbol (soccer) more than anyone I had ever known. Most males in Latin America like fútbol but his passion was deeper than any I had ever seen. Because of this I was able to connect on a deeper level with them during my lesson as I asked them to brainstorm morals they use while playing fútbol.
The list consisted of values such as respect, dedication, teamwork, punctionality, hard work, determination, and compassion. I then posed the scenario of a teammate who missed the shot on an easy game winning goal. I asked the class to think of the values they should act out in this scenario and how they would go about doing so (principles). An in-depth conversation about how to treat the teammate with compassion and be an example of love towards him even if the initial reaction was anger or disappointment commenced. I challenged the students to remember this lesson the next time a similar scenario occurred. Their reflective demeanor showed how deeply I touched them. I knew I didn’t just teach another lesson, I taught them a life lesson they will remember forever.
