One day while we were in Guatemala we went walking in search of a coffee shop. We had no luck finding one, but found a cafe that sold something like smoothies. One of our friends, Ryan, happened to be there and raved about this cafe. They served healthy meals for the price of what it would cost for someone to purchase rice and beans. I was curious how and why someone would do this since there were no other places like it. I asked Ryan about the woman who started this cafe and he told me that she wanted to offer people a healthy meal in order to ensure they were getting the proper nutrients. I went up to the woman and started conversing with her. She is a Guatemalan and spoke fluent English. She has such passion for her people and wanted them to eat nutritious food that would sustain their lifestyles.
Her name is Isabel and I loved every minute I got to spend with her. She is a Christian woman and has accomplished so much. She was a teacher and always included cooking in her teachings. She wanted her students to learn to cook different foods than they were use to and experiment with them. Most Guatemalans are scared to try something different than what they were taught by their parents and she wanted to break the cycle since produce was so affordable and easy to cook. She also taught cooking courses at the market so people knew how to prepare their vegetables.
I would go to her cafe for lunch and would end up spending three to four hours talking to her. Isabel spoke so much truth and life into me. She taught me to enjoy every moment and not worry about the future. One day when I was talking to her I asked her if she was married or had children and she told me she forgot to get married. She had been so busy with all that God called her to do and had not let the idea of marriage control her mind. Isabel said that she wants to get married now and talked about how much compromising goes into getting married. She is so independent and has a hard time fathoming what it would be like to be to put someone’s needs before her own. I think her idea of marriage are similar to what it means to be a Christian as well. We need to put others before ourself and be willing to sacrifice everything to bring people closer to Christ. It is a constant and daily thing we need to do, submit all we have to God and bless others with what we have because it is all from God and a gift. Guatemala was definitely one of my favorite places to visit and I can’t wait to go back.
As of right now I still have $2311 for my January 1 deadline and I am praying that God will continue to provide for me like He has done so faithfully for me. If you feel led to give I pray that you do so as God has called you to do. Thanks for all your support and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.
