A month ago I was staring up and a full Canadian moon hovering over acres of bush and cornfields, listening to the distant bawl of a treed coonhound. Now I’m staring up at a Guatemalan volcano, over a historic city listening to the cry of every front-end part of each car that limps it’s way past me. Life has changed. Thankfully the Lord has not.
It’s been almost three weeks in Antigua, Guatemala and we’ve been gettin’ it done over here. Three teams under one roof, all taking the spirit out to the markets, farms, coffee shops, city streets, schools and everywhere in between. My team has been jumping between ministries over the last week. Our primary task is in the school system, sharing the gospel through morality classes. Apart from that we’ve plastered and painted a house, and are working now on the second story of a house for a widow’s family. In the gaps between ministry, team members have been roaming in groups with open eyes to see where the Lord is calling them. Through these walks we call “ATL”, many opportunities have come up for conversation about Christ, as well as doors open for other ministry opportunities.
The weather is perfect, the landscape is stunning, and the Lord is working, but it’s not all peaches and cream over here. As a team we are still working out the dynamics of living in a household together; struggling at times to communicate, work as a team, and live selflessly with love. Much of the team has come to realize that while there may be a lack of fruit in ministry, there is plenty of room for growth in our interaction with each other. Of course Christ’s emphasis in His Word is to spread the Gospel to all the nations, but we are also called to show love to each other, have genuine affection for the brothers and sisters beside us. It could be that our ministry starts under our own roof.
Personally, handing over more of my life to the good Lord every day has been a struggle. A realization of how much I think I have control is being replaced by a healthy clarity of the Lord’s sovereignty. Genesis 22 has been my go-to this week. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son Isaac at the Lord’s command has been an inspiration to me. I pray for faith like that. For those who haven’t read the story, read it. You’ll see that Abraham’s lack of hesitation to sacrifice all that he held dear resulted in the Lord’s blessing on his life. Despite the doubts that crowd me every day, I have come to realize that faith in Christ is only as valuable as what you are willing to sacrifice. The thing about the Lord is, His purposes will come to pass with or without you, but He has given us the choice. I realize that this seems vague, but what this looks like is different for everyone. I challenge you to assess your life, and look at what you are holding on to. I’m not telling you to sell your house and fly to Africa, I’m saying that whatever is in your life that you hold tightly to, would you be willing as a follower of Christ to give it up if He asked you to. This is heavy, but necessary for growth. I want to have the stones that Abraham did. Read the story and see what happened to him as a result, I hope it does for you what it did for me.
Thank you all who are praying for me whether it be once, or daily. Those who have sent me messages of encouragement, keep it up I love it. Continue to pray for endurance, as I’m still missing the people I love, and I don’t plan on stopping. Just that I would stay focussed on the task at hand while I’m here. Also pray for health for my team. Many of them have the hershey squirts, somehow I’ve avoided it despite eating at every street meat stand I see and brushing my teeth with the garden hose. You all are a bunch of beauties.
Jake
