Sunday, June 14
I felt so privileged today. Its been an hour ride on the back of the truck, up a long winding unpaved mountain road. After what seems like forever we arrive: jump off the truck in our church clothes and start snapping tons of photos with our fancy cameras. The people here are different than others I’ve seen in Guatemala…maybe its just that this is the most remote location we’ve been to…they seem poorer and more timid. Hands almost lifeless when you greet them and say “Buenos” or “Dios le bendiga.”
We wander into the church…and all sit together on the left side- its not until a few songs later that I realize that church is segregated by gender…women sit on the right and men on the left…beginning to feel out of place. They sing. I don’t know the songs and so I start observing the people around me. I notice the three men in front of me playing guitars, and am reminded of a Picasso painting of 3 musicians. They seemed so engrossed and alive in the music. Joyful.
I begin to think how privileged I am. It took us one hour to drive up to this church…just yesterday many of them walked to where we’re staying to get basic foods. Their clothes are dirty, old, and torn. My dress is new. I bought it the week before I left and this is my third time to wear it. The cameras we’re using to capture moments of their lives are probably more expensive than any single item they have. Those guitar players remind me of a work of Picasso. I’ve been so blessed to travel and see works of famous artists like Picasso. Don’t think they know who Picasso is. How often do they even leave the mountain? Go to Chiquimula (nearby city), or even the capital? Wondering what am I doing here. How can I possibly do any good? Or relate to them? Just seeing their poverty breaks my heart. Thinking…I’m going to be seeing the world …seeing the poverty and desperation of the world so much in the next 11 months. As they sing they cry out to God with heavy hearts, but with a level of authenticity seldom replicated.
Warren begins to preach, and choosing to follow the Spirit rather than his original plan, he throws away his sermons notes and begins talking about the love of God and His sovereignty, despite our most difficult trials. At the end he invites people to come to the front and we’ll pray over them. Several people came forward and just poured out their hearts before the Lord. I prayed for a lady who was sobbing the entire time. Towards the end of this prayer time, one of my teammates, Damaris came over and we talked to her. Her name is Raquel, she’s 17 and a few months ago her older brother died. She feels alone and despised. Her family members do not share her faith. She used to sing with her brother but now there’s no singing. She is mourning and broken. Yet there is a glimmer of hope evidenced by the twinkle in her eye and then the smile that covers her face. We continue to speak and pray life and love over her. Believing God to heal her wounds and use her in a tremendous way. Having the opportunity to meet her and minister to her and seeing others in the congregation pour out their hearts made the long, uncomfortable, in-the-back-of-a-pick-up-ride completely worthwhile.
Please be in prayer for my team’s health. Of the 13 of us here more than half of us are sick, sick like diarrhea and vomiting, etc. and this has kept many of us from ministering today especially. Over the last week I don’t think there’s anyone who has not had diarrhea or vomiting. I’ve been fortunate to have diarrhea only once but I have a teammate who has had it constantly for the last 5 days. And last night about 2:30 I was woken up and all of us prayed over Warren…who was literally lying on the floor and shaking, throwing up too because of sickness…and he was fine yesterday. More than anything I think it is a spiritual battle because we have taken every precaution in avoiding street food and even brush our teeth with bottled water. We did have a doctor visit today and hopefully meds will help. Please pray for health and renewed strength for my team.
