Much to be thankful for..
Last year at Thanksgiving I would not have imagined that my next one would be in Guatemala, or that I would be on this thing called the World Race. The Race was only a tiny thought that God had placed in my mind at that point.
When the day came this past Thursday, I thought I would be desperately homesick for my family and friends. However, that wasn’t the case at all. I did miss my people back home, but I realized that I had new family around me, my squad family. These 29 people, although I’ve only been with five of them for a month and a half and the rest for just three weeks, have become family.
I Am Thankful for Community
There are a lot of hard but good things that come with the Race, community is one of those. It takes effort to find a balance between building relationships with people while learning how to live with them. That’s one of the beauties of the Race because these people don’t just become your friends, they really do become your family. No family is perfect though, it takes work. Honesty is important, being vulnerable is important, and trust is important.
I Am Thankful for God’s Provision
When I chose to heed God’s calling for me and do the Race, the overwhelming cost of the mission loomed over my head. How could I possibly raise nearly $17,000? The answer was simple, I couldn’t: I had to let God do it. When I converted my worries into prayers God showed up. Almost $8,000 was raised in a matter of three months, from July to September, to get me to my October launch. Only God could work that out.
I Am Thankful for Ministry
This month my squad has been at a ministry in Petén, Guatemala called Hearts in Action. The ranch is host to The Jungle School, which our hosts and founders of HIA began in 1999. We have aided them this month with our young, able bodies. Our tasks have been administrative, creative, construction, wood working, cleaning and organizing, cooking, painting, etc. We are their first ever World Race squad, so it has been a learning experience for both us and them. It has been hard and tiring most days, but felt good to help them in such pivotal ways on the ranch while the children are on summer vacation.
One of my favorite days so far was our outreach day. We prepared a small children’s bible lesson on David and Goliath and went into one of the nearby villages. There was easily 50+ children that came out to that field for our lesson and games. On our way back to the ranch we made an impromptu stop at another field where some kids were gathered, just so we could play with them. They weren’t afraid of the random gringos getting out of the back of a truck, they accepted us and let us love on them.
Below is a blurb I took from their website, heartsinaction.org.
“The Jungle School is a thriving elementary, secondary, and vocational school that opened its doors in 1999. It is located on the Hearts in Action ranch in the jungle of San Andres, Peten, Guatemala, and has recently become a private school so that HIA can better teach and incorporate Christian values in their work with the children and the staff. In fact, TJS has a focus on the Creator and His creation, with emphasis on ecology and the environment, creativity, and cleanliness and order; all of which enhance the quality of education. TJS is unique in this remote part of the world because it teaches computer science, English, art, music and band, Bible classes, and sports. It also has vocational training for teens. Students are actively involved in reforestation projects, starting micro-businesses, practicing organic gardening, and exercising their faith.”
I Am Thankful for Vulnerability
My squad has learned a lot about being vulnerable since the start of our journey together, with most of our learning at debrief in Antigua. We had to learn to be “capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt, open to moral attack, criticism, assault” (dictionary.com). That means sharing our stories, our past mistakes, the good and the bad, the deep stuff that we don’t typically share with others. For most people that looks like being naked in front of a crowd; it’s uncomfortable and scary. You can be in a group of people you love and know love you, but be so scared of what they might think of you if you share something deep about yourself with them. That’s how we felt, but we chose to do it afraid. Facing that fear head on has brought us all such freedom and acceptance.
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I’ve learned a lot this month about relying on God and my squad (didn’t know I was a poet did you?)
There is no Wi-Fi at the ranch, and we get one day a week to come into town for internet access. So, whether spiritual or relational, there’s no running away from life’s issues. We must face them with God and each other.
This month God has also been teaching me how to accept His love and others’ love. I’ve never felt that I receive love well, most of the time it is uncomfortable for me. I shared that with my team, who was encouraging and even stated they thought I received love better than I think I do. Even still, it is something I know God wants me to grow in. Just to realize that I am worthy of love, that I am not unlovable.
My faith and trust have also been tested as I don’t have the capability to share on social media everyday about my finances for the Race. Praying and believing without knowing what funds were coming in has really given me a glimpse into blind faith, that itself is an oxymoron.
I’m thankful for you too, for choosing to stay involved in my mission. Thank you for praying, giving, sharing my stories, and helping spread Jesus. I covet your continued prayers as we prepare to travel to El Salvador on Thursday next week. We will bus for 12 hours to the city of San Salvador, I will share more about our next ministry very soon.
I also covet your financial support, as this mission is not free. God has helped bring in nearly $11,300 so far, and my next goal of $13,000 is due very soon. Seven of us, myself included, are still in need of meeting this goal. Please be in prayer and consider supporting any of us to keep us on the field.
Many blessings to you,
Hope
