Hey everybody! Here is just a wrap to how leaving Guatemala went and some little lessons we are taking to Thailand with us!
I guess you can say that Guatemala left good impressions on my team and I. The last few days were spent recounting fabulous memories, both funny & sad. We reached the point where we could smile about how we spent our time. We reached the point where we could laugh at the stories of when we made a fool of ourselves while teaching English, saying the wrong Spanish words, having diarrhea in our pants, the countless nights of craving ice cream, the countless amount of bug bites. It all adds up to something. 3 months is a decent amount of time. It gave us time to not only create funny memories with each other but to make deep relationships with people we couldn’t even speak to at the beginning. These people we saw every day quickly became… not trying to sound cheesy here… but honestly… close to our hearts.
Leaving Zone 18 (aka Paradise, where most of our ministry took place) was really hard.
Any kind of mission work requires faith. Short term mission work requires a unique stem of faith. We planted new seeds, we watered baby seeds, and we nourished “matured plants”. Realistically speaking – it is hard to just hand over all of our hard work to an unknown future. We are no longer there in Zone 18 to play soccer or sing the Hokey Pokey. What kind of impressions are we leaving these kids with? What kinds of choices will these kids make differently based on what we did with them? Who will they become at the end of this year? Who will they be in 5 years? All of these questions (and many many more) race through my head. However, something that my (very wise) squad leader once told me is that God does not need us to do anything to further His Kingdom. It is all in His hands. Nothing we do will ever change His plans. Knowing that… God gets so excited and invites us to BE A PART of bringing the Kingdom. He wants us (us!) to be apart of what He is already doing! He delights in giving us a responsibility even though He could do it all by himself. He delights in showing people how He loves through us (us!). We don’t have to be a part of it – but we get to. How comforting is that? I don’t have to just live half heartedly, but I GET to live on fire for God and in the fire with him. How inspiring is that? Knowing that God is good takes away those questions or fears. God will use all things to work together for His good!
I have confidence that the work we did in Guatemala was not waisted… nor will it go to waist… nor will it ever be forgotten. But the FAITH of knowing that what we did in Guatemala will someday grow even bigger & better than where we left it is where I want to stand.
When we left Guatemala we left a variety of daily life routines: 5:30AM quite time with God, hour long van drives to ministry, eating PB&J (every day), dancing in the kitchen before dinner, the Engadi group hug at then end of every prayer, many grocery list, the amazing Geronimo team (miss you all), walking to the fruit market with Anna. We left Cali, David, Manuel, Tatto, Chino, Nathan, and all the other people who work with Engadi. We left the kids in zone 18. While we were in Guatemala, God opened my eyes to just how much God is not only a big part of our ministry but also SUCH a big part in our daily lives.
We 13 people could live together because God gave us brotherly love for each other.
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor (definition: intense and passionate feeling), serving The Lord. Be joyful in HOPE, patient in AFFLICTION (definition: something that causes pain), faithful in PRAYER. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; morn with those who mourn. Live in HARMONY (definition: different notes that sound beautiful together) with one another.
Romans 12:9-16
Guatemala gave us a chance to live like that. In a community that God desires and we seek for.
Tears from the goodbye were also shared.
My english teacher always told me that the last paragraph should answer the question “so what?” But instead of using a paragraph form… I will just bullet note them for you! Basically what I really hope you guys can take away from this are three main points …
1) We get to be apart of Gods plan because he wants us to not because we have to.
2) Everything is in God’s hands and we don’t have to worry ( for me I don’t have to worry about how we left Engadi Ministries because I know it is in God’s hands )
3) Living in a Godly community is something so beautiful and is something we can all strive for in our everyday lives.
So good & so beautiful!
