God is good. God is good apart from His blessings. He is good just in nature of being God, intrinsically good, intrinsically worthy of praise. But I’m currently overwhelmed by His blessings. We arrived in Guatemala a little over a week ago. It felt like another country almost immediately after leaving the plane, but it didn’t really start to hit me until we boarded the bus to take us to our new home. The bus ride took us through busy streets, street signs in a different language dotted the side of the road. Traffic was hectic with lots of horns and motorcycles. We’re out of place here so people look at us and smile, children whisper about us to their friends.
Our home is beautiful. We’re in a large compound—although compound is too harsh of a word—that’s surrounded by mountains. There are two large grass fields in front of our base which gives us room for fútbol, football, and bonfires. Young saplings are strewn along the pathway that leads up to the base. The base has electricity, but much of our schedule is dictated by natural light. At 8 PM it feels like midnight and it’s led to really rich sleep. And our base doesn’t have WiFi. Which has been sick. It sucks not being able to reconnect with family and friends, but it’s been so good for being present with my team and being present with our ministry. Speaking of ministry. . .
We’re planting a church in a small town called San Luis. It’s both exciting and terrifying. I’m not entirely sure how to plant a church, but the Lord’s hand has definitely been over the process. It’s going to build both my faith and the faith of the people in San Luis. Many people from the town are Christians by name, but not necessarily by lifestyle and beliefs. We’ve talked to several people who are Christians, but admit that they don’t know Christ. The cool thing is that they’re hungry for Christianity. In the few days that we’ve been here we’ve had multiple people both give their lives to Christ. We’ve met a man, a new convert, who’s offered his house for a meeting place. We’ve played soccer with the local school and been invited to do sports discipleship with them. The harvest is plentiful in Guatemala and there’s been a lot of fruit just in the few days that we’ve been here. I’m really optimistic about the next 3 months.
It’s weird being a missionary because we are constantly ministering. People are constantly watching us, so even outside of designated ministry times we’re still ministering. But that isn’t a bad thing. It’s how I think Christianity is supposed to be. We’re a city upon a hill. It’s just exaggerated here because even when we’re playing soccer with local kids or going into the markets in Parramos, we’re blatant representatives of Christianity. The result is the need to be constantly filled up. My time with the Lord has been really good, and I’m living in constant fellowship with my teammates. All that is to say that I feel full. We’re giving a lot, but we’re giving from a full plates. Guatemala is beautiful. Ministry is fulfilling. There’s a lot of life here.
