Bringing down the walls.
First week in Guatemala and I feel like I could already write 100 blogs. Since I only have a bit of internet today though I will try and highlight some key points !
We are in a little town of Quiche In the Hills of Guatemala. It is soooo beautiful . We took a 4 hour bus ride through the mountains and I have never felt my ears pop so much. Where we are staying is at a hospital and we are camping outside taking turns cooking meals for each other. The first few days here we really felt the change. Not just because we are 7000 ft above sea level.
We were able to spend time in the local market and one of our ministry hosts, Sally showed us our way around, what not to buy, what is delicious and safe to eat and when you are walking you are not out of harms way unless you are touching the walls of the buildings around you. I have never seen driving like this before.
Our Squad has had some amazing briefing time with nights full of worship ( THANK YOU mom for that ukulele!) and talks and testimonies that our Squad mentors and parents have poured out to us to better equip us for this year. We have been so vulnerable with each other and I have seen so much healing in myself, my team and the entire squad.
Today was one of our first days of ministry and we started by unloading 2 huge truck loads of hospital supplies that was donated. Whoever invented the assembly line was brilliant. Later my team along with another took a truck with pastor Arnaldo to our site. We squeezed 14 people into a back of a pick up truck and after a lot of bumpy roads later made it to a piece of property. Arnaldo explained that this would be the site for a conference center so that people from all churches in the area could come to meet.
We were able to pray over the land and then spent the next 2 hours digging holes and ripping out weeds to clear and area. There was an old building standing with a wall that was made crooked and so with cement poles took runs at it and eventually knocked it over. Paster Arnaldo said that we were the first Americans to visit and the first to ever help out and it was a true privilege. We will be spending a lot more time there working construction and I learnt my lesson today to always wear sunscreen even on cloudy days.
Seeing our team break down the walls in order to build something beautiful and uproot the bad weeds so that something healthy can be planted was such a testimony of our team and the transformation the Lord is doing in our hearts. It is crazy to think that my race has started and that I could be so blessed to be where I am.
The highlight of my week so far though would have to be meeting my new friend Jocelyn. She is 7 years old and came over to our group when we were playing soccer. We were able to find out that she was there to help her mom sell mangos and that she did not have a dad because he passed away. I had asked her if she had ever heard about Jesus and she said no. I was able to tell her that she does have a dad and because of that we can be sisters. I shared with her the story of Noah and told her that the bible was full of how much her dad loves her. I was able to tell her how much I loved her and that she can talk with her dad ever day. When the Lord said let the little children come to me He was so serious and the result of obeying that is beautiful .
I am so excited to grow so much this next year in faith, community, intimacy, trust , love and in anyway I find myself being stretched. My heart is open to receive and open to love and I have never felt so taken care of and protected in my life because I know that all I really have to depend on is my God!
Love everyone so much and I am so blessed to be in your prayers and to have you in mine. God Bless !!
