I’ve only been in Guatemala since the 12th and God is already doing a great work in me. It’s only been a little over a week and I feel as if my life has been changed forever. If God can do such a work in only a week I can’t wait to see what He continues to do in me over the next nine months.
First off, it’s crazy to be here in Guatemala. The Adventures and Missions (AIM) base is so nice! It is located about 30 minutes from Antigua in between two smaller towns: Parramos and Chimaltenago. It is less than a year old so we are only the third squad to be here. Each team has it’s own room with four bunk beds and a bathroom with a flushable toilet, a shower, and a sink. Definitely not what I was expecting! There are two large fields of grass to hang out in, a few soccer balls, volleyballs, Frisbees, and footballs. There is a big common room with a kitchen which is where we have all our meetings. The weather here is much milder than I was expecting. I was expecting it to be similar to Georgia humidity and heat; only much worse. In reality though it is quite cool in the mornings and evenings and not very hot in the afternoons. I don’t believe it’s gone above 90 degrees. It’s not nearly as humid as Georgia either. Though it is the rainy season here right now so it’s been raining almost every other day.
I’m just finishing my first week of ministry so I don’t know 100% what my schedule is going to be but I have a pretty good idea. So I’m going to dive into that.
Mondays through Fridays the Guatemalan cooks, who work here at the base, will serve us breakfast and dinner. Breakfast is at 7 so I normally try to get up around 6:15 to have some time with the Lord. At 7:45 we have a scheduled devo time so I just continue where I left off at breakfast. From there it depends on the day how much free time my team and I will have before we meet as a group, talk about how we are feeling, receive a teaching from Gabe, and then head off to ministry.
For ministry on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays my team and I are going to be going into a little town called San Louis to do what we call ATL (ask the Lord). We split our team in half and go off and follow the Spirit’s leading to go speak to people, share the Gospel, and pray over people. One team has Roberto and another team has Gabe both of whom are fluent Spanish speakers. Both live in Antigua but work here at the Adventures and Missions base. They are our ministry leaders. Gabes vision for our ministry is that we would create a revived church in San Louis whom would walk alongside us as we continue to do as the Holy Spirit leads.
Also on Mondays we are going to play soccer ball with some Guatemalans around our age. On Wednesdays we are also going to have activities in San Louis. That may be playing soccer with kids, playing music with kids, and probably having a Bible study or teaching. Generally attracting as much attention as we can to ourselves in order to draw people to us and love on them. On Thursdays the guys will be split up between different girls teams to do “church activation.” I’m unsure what that will look like every week, but this week for example was hearing the Holy Spirit. We had teaching on that and then went to the corresponding girls teams’ ministry sites and did ATL. On Fridays we will get to choose our ministry somewhat. This week we went into Antigua and did ATL to English speakers.
Normally us guys get back from ministry around 4 and have until dinner at 5:30 to hang out. Team time is sometime after dinner. During that we have the chance to share how we are doing and give any feedback if necessary. The rest of the night is normally free. Normally I will do some sort of Beachbody workout during this time with several other squadmates. There may be a time of worship. I may have a conversation with someone or play some card games with people. We may watch a movie some nights.
Saturdays will be adventure days. That means we’ll get to do pretty much anything we want as long as it gets cleared by our leadership and doesn’t break any AIM guidelines. This last Saturday we simply went into Parramos to get a feel for Guatemalan culture. Sundays will normally be Sabbath days (we’ll go to a church and then come back to the base to rest and spend plenty of time with the Lord). This Sunday though we went into Antigua (the nearest touristy town) to get a feel for that and scope out some of the adventures we will most likely be having in the future.
We have to be in our rooms by 10 and lights out is at 11. Before bed I have made it a habit to do at least three Vinyasas (it’s a Yoga term) which I find very relaxing and feels good. I also journal about my day and read a little. Last I talk to God about the day: praising, confessing, thanking, and asking.
When I heard that my ministry would mostly be asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and following His will to talk, pray, and tell the Good News to people, I was terrified. I am a very task oriented person. I am an organized planner and love getting things done. I thrive in a setting of service and helping people in very tangible ways. Listening to the Holy Spirit and following His voice for several hours a day was 100% outside of my comfort zone. And the fact that I don’t speak any Spanish didn’t boost my confidence. Hearing the Holy Spirit is a big part of the ministry and that has always been a struggle for me. I don’t often hear “clearly” from the Lord. Despite my uncertainty and fear of this ministry I am actually really beginning to enjoy it! My anxiety has greatly gone done now that the first week is almost over; God has filled me with a peace and a great wonder for what He has in store for me. Through this ministry the Lord has already begun to stretch me and grow me in ways I never imagined. He has revealed things about myself that I never knew. He has shown me how much bigger He is and how much grander, more exciting, and more wondrous a life with Him can be.
Gabe gave a talk on one of the first days with three points that will hopefully define my nine months on the Race. #1: “You can live above your feelings.” During the Race I am going to be afraid. I am going to be sad. I am going to be frustrated. I am going to feel stretched and uncomfortable. But I don’t have to live in those feelings. I can choose to take those things to the Lord and live in the peace and joy of knowing that He has overcome those things and has brought me victory over them. #2: “Live out of truth, not out of experience.” God has given me all authority to do all things in His name. He has promised me many good things. Often my experiences aren’t full of good. Often the power of God in me seems to fail. My prayers aren’t answered and I fail at what I attempt. But I must not live in the experiences of my failure. I must live in the truth. The truth that I am a child of God with power and authority. I need to live in the knowledge of God’s goodness and the truth of my identity. #3: “The fire of God is your friend.” I always seek to run away from pain, suffering, and discomfort. But really those things are my friend. They shape and form me into the man God wants me to be. The fire isn’t always from Him but it is always allowed by Him and used for my good. Lean into the fire and seek it out. I will grow.
Thank you so so so much for your prayers. I would appreciate prayers specifically for the town of San Louis and for God’s glory to be on display there and for much good for the people there. Also prayers for myself and the courage to step out in faith and be attentive to the Holy Spirit and have an obedient yes in my own spirit even when I am unsure of the outcome.
I will be putting out another blog shortly more specifically about ministry and how I have been growing.
God bless you all! Apologies for not being prompt to reply to comments; WiFi is just about the only thing this base doesn’t provide me with.
