Wednesday, October 17 marked my first month in Guatemala. In honor of completing 1/9th of the World Race I am excited to share with you my month 1 ministry and day off highlights, along with what the Lord has taught me this month.
Month 1 ministry highlights:
Synovia is a Mayan woman who has 5 kids. Danny (age 8) and Marcos (either age 2 or 3, we’re told different things) are her two sons who we have come to know well over the past month and a half. Marcos is one of our favorite kids. He is full of life, enjoys showing off, being the center of attention and playing games. He also loves flowers which I find precious. His brother, Danny, has what we believe to be a tumor in his brain. It is visible from several feet away and causes him pain when he eats. We continue to pray complete healing over him when we visit and have seen slight shrinkage since then. Synovia has a beautiful mother’s heart and has told us that she feels responsible for Danny’s tumor, like something she did during her pregnancy might have caused it. My team and I have had the opportunity to speak truth into this lie that she is believing. We shared the gospel with her and explained that the tumor is a result of the sinful word we live in and that God does not punish His children like that. We encouraged her to pray over her son daily and reminded her that Jesus desires for us to talk to Him and tell Him what is on our hearts. One of the last times we visited her she told us that she has been talking to the Lord more and encourages her family to do the same. She prays over Danny and now Danny, an 8-year boy, races home from school to ask his mom if they can pray again.
One home we’ve been in multiple times to belongs to a precious family of 10. The first time we met them the mother sent her oldest daughter to buy a 2 liter of Pepsi and crackers for us all. At the time we had no clue how big of a sacrifice buying us a snack was for this family. The mother has since shared with us that she works in a rented field all day, 4 days a week and earns 10 Quetzales a day. This is equivalent to $5.33 a week. This is a Christian family who does not go to church because the mother believes her young children are too disruptive. As soon as she told us this the Lord spook to me and said that my team was to bring church to her. We went back the next week and did an in-home bible study with her and sang worship songs on the ukulele.
I don’t feel like I can end the ministry portion of this blog without telling you about our most frequently used ministry tool…Bob the weasel. Bob the weasel is children’s game we play almost daily. Everyone stands in a circle shoulder-to-shoulder passing a stick around behind their backs while one person stands in the middle and is guessing who has the stick. “Bob the weasel, keep it going keep it going.” These are the words that you bounce to while the game is being played. “Bob the weasel, keep it going keep it going.” These are the words that you repeat over and over again until the words get sloppy and you string them together. These are the words that you will be singing in your head at 10pm when you’re trying to fall asleep.
Month 1 day off highlights:
As I’ve previously shared, my Guatemalan ministry schedule allows for us to have both Saturday and Sunday as off/rest days. The first few weekends here I spent my time discovering the Wi-Fi?? I called my family and talked to them from 10am-4pm. After sitting and talking to them for so long 2 days in a row I had a difficult time bouncing back into ministry and being with my team during the week. The Lord convicted me about the way I was spending my time and made it clear to me that until He releases me to do so, I am not to talk to my family on the weekends.
Since then I have been filled my weekends enjoying the different things that Guatemala has to offer that I never would have found in a coffee shop. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my eyes off myself and giving me opportunities that I otherwise would have missed.
One weekend I spent Saturday going to Hobbitenango (Hobbit Town) with 3 sweet girls, Hannah, Syd, and Tylynn. I have never seen the Hobbit movies and neither had they, but we had fun being with each other and hiking the trails. The best part of Hobbitenango is that it is so high up in the mountains that you’re actually in the clouds! At one point we couldn’t see more than a few yards in front of us because the clouds were so thick. During our lunch there, we sat and watched the clouds float through us. I never realized how much depth there are in the clouds until I sat in them watching them pass by me slowly. I was and still am in awe of our creator’s design of beauty.
Here are pictures from my day at Hobbitenango:
I also spent 2 hours in a chocolate museum. We learned the history of chocolate and how to make it, most of which I do not remember now. The tour was fine, but the best part was making our own chocolate and pouring it into molds.
At debrief, I went kayaking and cliff jumping on lake Atitlan. Cliff jumping was a bucket list item for me, so I am happy to mark it off.
What the Lord has been teaching me:
I can’t believe all the ways the Lord has moved in my life in just 1 month. As I was sharing with a teammate this morning I realized that going back to who I was before last month would be such a disappointment to myself and to the Lord. As I was thinking about it, I realized that must be how the Lord feels when we choose to stay where we are instead of allowing Him to grow us. Because He knows how far I have to the potential to go, it must break Him when I choose not to move forward.
This month the Lord has been teaching me how to be a better listener, both to my team and to Him. This is an area I still of a lot of growing to do in, but Jesus, I’m ready.
I am learning how to be emotionally independent from people and instead dependent on Christ. The Lord is not just taking people out of my life and expecting me to rely on Him. No, instead He is teaching me how to use the people He’s given me in a healthy way. There so many people here to help support and encourage me but I’m learning the balance of leaning on them and letting them into my struggles without using them as a crutch when I’m able to walk.
The Lord has also been using my team to remind me that my worth on the race and to the Lord is not found in what I can do for my team or anyone at ministry. This is a portion from my feedback letter a few weeks ago…”Emma, Keep reminding yourself that your worth on this team isn’t dependent on your acts of service towards us. We love you as you are, whether you make our sandwiches for lunch or not.” Thanks Jesus for gentle correction.
And that’s month 1!
Friends, there are other little moments of the month that I wish you were all here for, like sock wrestling, swing dancing and movie nights. But as I struggle trying to capture every moment to relay details to my family, the Lord has been whispering to my heart that some of these moments are just for me. There are many memories that despite all the pictures I take and the most detailed blog I could possibly write, not everyone is going to have experienced with me. These moments are my reward and I am treasuring them in my heart to tell you about in person someday.
