This will be my last blog entry from LaCama Guatemala, where
I have been living for the last 3 weeks. My team and I are heading to Nicaragua this next Saturday. We have learned that our particular
mission will be working in an orphanage on an island in the middle of lake
Nicaragua. There, we will not only
be working with the kids (of whom I am so excited to meet) but we will also be
helping cook their meals, work in the garden, and partnering with the local
church to do evangelical ministry with the community. This may include preaching or vacation bible school.
I want to apologize for not posting and sharing this
information with you last week, my computer needed to download a particular
software to post the blog, and the internet connection wasn’t strong enough to
do so.
Well, I am one month into the World Race, and I can hardly
believe it. It seems like for so
long it was, 6 months till I leave, 4 months till I leave, 2 weeks till
training camp, 1 week till we fly out, now 10 months and I’m done with it!….
it barely seems possible.
This journey is already flying bye, yet I feel as though I
have experienced so much, no experience more impacting than the one in which I
have been able to be blessed and welcomed by such a warm community of
believers. Especially our host
family, the pastors of the community, who have gone more than out of their way
to bless us and make our stay so enjoyable.
This family has truly served us with all they have. They have opened up their home to us,
which is little more than cinderblocks and perforated metal siding. ( When I
say opened up their home, I mean that they have emptied their home of
everything so that we could fill it up with our tents and backpacks!) They have fed us, although usually this
has meant that they have not only given up their time, for building over a wood
burning stove for 17 people takes awhile, but they have also given of their own
food to make sure that we have had plenty to eat. They have also shared their church family with us.
As I think about all that they have done, and the happy
hearts in which they have done it, I can only wonder “why don’t I serve like
that”, “what is it that they have understood that I have yet to grasp”. They give all they have so unreservedly. My hope is that I will be able to
remember and learn from the lesson that they have taught me, and that I would
be able to live it out at least ½ as well as they have.
In the last 3 weeks that we have been here we have helped
dig trenches for their church, mix and lay cement, and this last week we have
helped to put up the foundational walls of the church. There is still much to be done,
however, the pastor hopes to be finished with this project in about a years
time.
This pastor believes with all of his heart that this church
is to be built and will be in God’s timing, although it has taken 3 years, just
to this point, to acquire enough finances to even get where we are. He informed us that if he had 16,000
dollars he could hire a contractor and have it done inside of 3 weeks (the
length of time that we have been here). However, he has no way of acquiring these funds, unless he were to go
out of the country to get a better job. Without a miracle, he can’t do this because in Guatemala, in order to
obtain a passport you have to have certain credentials, one of which is a
particular sum of money in the bank, of which this pastor does not, and can’t
afford to have or obtain.
So this week, when you think to pray for me, please also
pray for this family, for this community and for this church. They work daily at building this
church, although at times it is very clear how discouraging it can be. They are hard workers, and have so much
faith. They have not given up, and
won’t, but the funds have to come in for this project to be finished!
Thank you guys for taking time to read this….. Love and miss
you all and I’ll write from Niceragua. J
Jordan
