(Part one) (Part two) (Part three)
This journey was so much more than we bargained for.
We were barely a day in and we had seen the power of the Lord take care of us in supernatural ways. He met us at every turn. He never failed.
Ryan and I feel it is time to go, and we prepare to walk around the lake (approximately an 8 hour walk) to our home in San Marcos.
As we get up to go, Sandra, a wonderful young lady who had been helping us throughout our journey, came over with a troubled look. As we spoke to her, we found out that she was having a big struggle with her leader in her church and needed wisdom.
After counseling and praying for her, Sandra’s mom came in for prayer.
Then we were asked to pray for Sandra’s uncle.
Then the uncle’s family.
Before me and Ryan knew it, we had been praying and blessing the whole family over the course of 2 hours!
Sandra and her mother
Sandra’s family is a very humble people. Like most Guatemalans, they are used to “gringos” coming to only to consume and are often left feeling unseen, beneath, and inferior to white people.
Life was being spoken over this family in a way that had never received before.
They were being seen. They were being restored.
Many tears were shed and many “thanks” were given.
As we departed and shared our plans with Sandra and Elena, her aunt, we quickly received frowns of disapproval. They encouraged us, for our safety, that we take a public boat.
Now back at the beginning of this journey, 2 of the rules I felt the Lord speak was :
- Do not ask anyone for anything.
- Do not spend any money.
Going to the dock and asking for a boat would be breaking both rules.
As Ryan and I made our way to the dock, all I can think was, “Father, I need you to come through again.”
As we approached the public boat, a man out of the corner of my eye jumped out of a boat shouting my name.
It was Quilino, our private boat driver.
Quilino, our friend and best boat driver ever
Since Lake Atitlan is so large, the main means of transportation is through boat taxis.
This is the conversation that followed:
Quilino: “What are you guys doing here?”
Gabe: “We are on a crazy journey from Antigua to our house in San Marcos with nothing but the clothes on our backs.”
Quilino: “Soooo…do you want me to take you home?”
Gabe: (shocked) “What?”
Quilino: “Come on, jump in the boat and I’ll take you home.”
Ryan and I were hysterically laughing at how absurdly good our heavenly father is.
As we got off the boat onto the dock, Quilino put the boat in reverse and sped off, never asking for money.
Seriously…
24 hours to the moment we left Antigua, we found ourselves at the dock of our home.
We started with nothing.
We always had water.
We ate every meal.
We had a roof over our heads.
We barely broke a sweat.
We saw people healed.
We saw people comforted.
We saw answered prayers.
And we had 275Q (roughly $40) given to us.
I’m learning that in my walk with the Lord, He is trading in other people’s revelations of himself for my own personal revelations.
He is a provider of all things. I know this because I’ve experienced this. I believe He wants to show himself to be in your life as well.
