Hey friends!
Here we are in the middle of month 2 in Guatemala. It’s crazy to me that we are less than two weeks away from heading to El Salvador!
Where to begin..This month has been full of so much already; so much of the Lord’s revelations.
Backing up a bit, we finished our time in Honduras on a great note and saying goodbye to those kiddos was super tough. I truly fell in love with them and I know that the goodbyes this year will always be tough. However it’s comforting to know that those kids are in great hands and that when you are a believer in Jesus, It’s not really “goodbye”, but “see ya later”. That hope is such a beautiful thing.
We got to Guatemala Nov. 3rd and began our time in the quaint and magical city of Antigua where we had our squad debrief. All five of our teams are together this month and it’s been a really fun time for us all to be reunited and get a month to serve together. Antigua was beautiful; my favorite, really. Mountains surrounded the colorful walls of the city and the weather was perfecto. We had four days in Antigua to process what God has done so far and talk with leadership about how our teams are doing and where we are spiritually. It was a great time of filling us up so we would be ready to keep pouring out. We also got to rest and adventure around Antigua during debrief. We hiked a volcano, toured the cobblestone streets, ate wonderful food, made some local friends, and worshiped our Creator together. It was a blast.
On the 8th, our squad gathered on a bus to head 10 hours north to Peten, which is where the Mayan jungle is located and where we would be for the next three weeks of ministry.
Naturally traveling is always a process and we for sure took six different forms of transportation to get here. All through the night I might add. We arrived safely at 7am the next day and I realized that I left my computer on the bus during our 4am unexpected/random/quick bus change. So, I began this month with a lost computer and then also got some random sickness the day we arrived that felt like the flu. Those first couple of days here were a mess, but it was beautiful to see my squadmates rally around me through prayer and encouragement. In those couple of days I felt so much love. It’s crazy how God can take a computer to teach me about abandonment and surrender. It’s crazy how He can take sickness and remind me of my need to rest and spend more time with Him. I lack NOTHING with Jesus and it was so cool to be reminded of that when things don’t go so well. He has called me to be a disciple and leave my possessions to follow Him. So, I definitely don’t need that computer to serve him. I don’t even need my backpack full of clothes. (But I’m really thankful to have those clothes though :))
A couple days down the road I was feeling much better and ready to serve and work hard. Our ministry this month is called Hearts in Action. Their focus is their school of 300 kids on this property and training/equipping people for the mission field. This place is a BEAUTIFUL ranch in the Mayan jungle with bungalows, tons of green land, rolling hills, fruit trees, hammocks, teranchilas, monkeys, you name it. They have a carpentry business, a metal shop, and delicious empanadas. What don’t they have really?
The kids are on their break until January so it’s kinda quiet around here but there is lots of work to be done. We have been doing anything from taking machetes to cut down trees, moving rocks, organizing libraries, painting, harvesting corn, building obstacle courses, sweeping the heck out of some buildings, killing ant hills, doing outreach for village children, etc. Needless to say there is a lot to be done and a lot of upkeep for a place this big. It’s been awesome to get our hands dirty, work hard, and see the fruits of our labor. It’s been wonderful to bond as a squad and serve our hosts so they can better run their ministry here.
This weekend a group of people from all over Central and South America are coming for a conference here called the Great Commission. They will be in lots of sessions and trainings to be sent out as missionaries all over the world. We get to be a part of that and I can’t wait. I can’t wait to serve them and learn alongside them this last week and a half at Hearts in Action.
We leave Guat to head to El Salvador Dec. 1st and I just pray that I don’t miss a minute of this. Time flies as we all know and I don’t want to miss the fact that I am getting to experience God in the coolest of places and serve Him in anything and everything. What a privilege. I never want to lose the wonder of that. I never want to lose the wonder that God doesn’t need me but invites me to be a part of His marvelous work around the world. He is clearly moving in this ministry and hundreds of kids get to be educated and taught the gospel because of this ministry. Therefore, I will rejoice in the gift of getting to serve and support them.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Prayer warriors this is for you:
-Prayers for the Great Commission conference would be so great. Pray that the Holy Spirit moves and people are equipped to go out into the world to share the Good News.
-Prayers for our squad, that we would fall more and more in love with Jesus and that the Holy Spirit would radiate through us to those around us.
Love y’all lots. We are praying for y’all in America right now with all of the political change. We are praying that believers will rise up and fight for love and unity in the midst of the chaos.
Also, Happy Thanksgiving! Eat some yummy American food for us!
Love, Court
