Well it has finally arrived. These next few days, we are wrapping up our time here in Guatemala and it certainly has been a ride. It seems not that long ago we were just flying into the Guatemala. Ministry has been a little tough this month as well. The best word to describe this month is probably strenuous manual labor.
Okay, maybe 3 words.
We first started our ministry at a church in San Pedro, a town about 10 minutes from the hospital compound. Our host at the ministry site was an energetic and comedic Guatemalan character named Pastor Arnold. When we first arrived at the church, Pastor Arnold showed us around the church and described to us how God has revealed to him that a group of missionaries would come someday to help him grow his church. We exchanged greetings, smiles, prayer, and started our work the following day.
Our first task was to help build a walking path for the kids that went to the private school next to the church. For the next week, we moved cobblestones and slowly made progress. There were a few moments we had to add rows of cobblestones and finished work had to be changed when we thought we were finished, but fortunately we all remembered to wear our positive pants. Upon finishing the walkway, we were told about our next task for the final week of ministry.
The next goal Pastor Arnold had for us was to build a fence around a future Christian campsite the church has been working on. The work area wasn’t exactly the cleanest. To get to the campsite, you had to walk a quarter-mile across a road/field through ankle deep mud that might have been mixed with a few animal droppings. The task was a little more difficult than the first because the carrying loads were more strenuous. Our job was to carry a stack of concrete posts across the field to put into the ground to be used as fence posts.
The ministry has been fun this month, but the last day I felt myself losing my patience over the smallest things. I thought there could have been easier ways to do the things we were doing. I also started to feel the soreness my shoulders have accumulated from carrying loads for the past week, so that didn’t help the situation. As we were finishing up the last day and walking back to the truck across the field, I accidentally dropped one of the unused instant concrete bags and the bag completely busted open. I instantly lost my patience and got angry with myself. Then I began to feel guilty for not representing a more positive attitude and showing patience.
Maybe God feels the same way with us.
Imagine the patience God has to put up with us. Knowing there is a best way to do something, but we always insist on thinking we have the better way to handle it. I feel like God has so much to reveal to me this year. My team has spoken a little about the fruits of the spirit from Galations 5:22-23 and one of them happens to be patience. God has so much to show us this year and I cannot wait to see what He has planned.
This journey has been incredible and every day has brought a new memory. We plan on arriving in Nicaragua Wednesday, please pray for safe travels!
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