Under the Shadow of His Wings – Guatemala

On the race I find that I don’t look ahead to the future as much as I do at home. Maybe it’s because we are constantly adjusting to the new status quo. We spend so much of our energy taking in the newness around us (like “what are these hoses in all the bathroom stalls?) that we don’t pass much time wondering what next month is going to be like. At least that’s been the case for me.

In Nicaragua though (month 2), I remember a thought that came through my mind when I imagined what Honduras would be like. The thought was this: “The ‘h’ stands for hard. Honduras will be hard”. I didn’t really know why, but I just had a sense that it would be. And I was right. Physically speaking it was challenging with the bucket showers and no running water, but I think the real challenges were the things going on in my heart.

In Honduras (month 3), I wrestled with believing truths about myself that the Lord had spoken over me in Nicaragua. Truths that I was accepted, loved, a Daughter of the Most High. The truth that I didn’t need to prove myself or perform or always be right in order to have value. Honduras was hard because I felt all those things being called into question everyday. It was a battle to believe that I could relax, just be myself and not have to compete with anyone around me for attention or affection or affirmation.

Honduras was hard on an emotional level, but the Lord started speaking something new over the future while I was still there. One day I stumbled three separate times upon three different Psalms that all talked about resting in the Shadow of the Almighty. I wasn’t even looking for it, but every time I opened my Bible a different passage came up saying the same thing. “Those who live in the Shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1) “Hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8). I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 57:1).

I was surprised by how similar all three of those Psalms were, and I tucked them away believing that the Lord was saying something bigger than just for that moment. I believed he was saying something for me to lean into and rest in. It’s like the answer to all of those things I was feeling was found right there in those words. 

After we left Honduras, the men of our squad headed to Belize for the month, and the ladies stayed in Guatemala. The previous co-ed teams were shuffled around, and I got placed on a new team of all girls. We decided to call ourselves Team Thunder. 

This is Team Thunder in Antigua right before our month in Monjas started. (P.S. The volcano behind us is called Fuego and it is apparently one of the most active volcanoes in Central America).

Our ministry in Monjas was painting this school on the property of an orphanage. We painted the whole thing in two weeks and didn’t even fall off the scaffolding..not even once!

We also got to spend some time with the kids living at the orphanage. As usual I got to translate!

Team Thunder takin in the views.

When we arrived in Monjas, we walked into our hosts’ home and found out that the name of their ministry, an orphanage, was called Shadow of His Wings. I realized that maybe the Lord had been preparing me for this in Honduras and that he had been speaking rest over the month before we had even arrived.

Our hosts shared with us that we would be staying in their home. There was hot water. Wifi. A washing machine. There was a coffee shop we could walk to. We were befuddled. Our main ministry was painting a school on the property of the orphanage, and we got to develop relationships with other missionary families that worked there as well. It was so much more than any of us expected going into the month.

Month 4 quickly became a month of R – E – S – T. It wasn’t a total rest physically speaking, but there was a deeper rest that we all settled into. We had space to breathe. To encourage each other. To rest from the feeling of striving. We all started to wonder what we would be in for in Malaysia since Guatemala seemed so cushy.

I actually don’t think the Lord gave us the blessings of a good team and ministry host in Guatemala just to let the bottom fall out later. I think he ushered us into a season of resting in his goodness that has carried over into Malaysia even if things get hard again in some ways (and we know they will).

 

Hangin out with some of the girls at Shadow.

Sometimes in your spare time you meet a miniature horse. 

…or you caravan to the beach with a bunch of missionaries you know. 

If you ever decide to play basketball with these girls, be prepared to get smothered. 

…or you can always have your hair undone by this little one. 

 

Month 4 is over, and now I have another new team – Team Parkour – Yes. That is our actual name. This one may just be the team that continues on until the end of the race. We are currently getting settled in Kuala Lumpur and easing into doing Unsung Heroes this month. There is a refreshing quality to a month of UH since we will be networking and discovering new contacts for teams coming through as well as connecting with some current ministry partners a few hours away. (You can email me if you happen to know of any organizations nearby that may be looking for teams)!

After a 30 something hour journey to get here, I feel (mostly) rested, refreshed, and ready to get out and do the thing with a group of people that I think are feeling similarly. Phase Central America is officially over and East Asia is on! (And I have my bangs and taco cat shirt to seal the deal).

Love you all, and I can’t wait to update you on what we encounter in Malaysia this month!

 

Here’s Team Parkour at our month 4 debrief in Guatemala. 

Oh…and some really cute girls selling gum in Antigua. 

And I’ll throw in one more of our place in Monjas. Maybe this can be my next album cover. 

 

Thanks for all of your continued love and support! I couldn’t do this without you guys. 

Mucho amor, (I can still speak Spanish in Malaysia)

Heather