We made it to Guatemala City! That’s right, my team is officially living at the YWAM base in Guatemala City. This is the place we will call home until November 5th, when we fly to South Africa. I am sure you are all wondering how the ticket sales went. Well, my team sold three, and other teams sold a few more. Our squad ended up buying a bunch of tickets and we went to the show ourselves.
(Waiting for the Chicken Bus in Antigua)
My biggest takeaway from our time in Antigua and San Pedro, is that ministry is what you make it. Our best days of ministry ended up being our team’s free days. We were able to talk to and pray for so many people we met during our day. One day, we met a lady named Jessica. She owns a gelato store in Antigua, although she lives in Guatemala City. We talked with her and prayed for her one day. After that, she was one of our best friends in Antigua. She even gave me her phone number so that I could contact her if I needed anything while we are Guatemala City.
Another person we were able to talk to was a man from Germany named Mark. He had just moved to Guatemala to teach physics and German at a school here. We talked with him as we hiked up the hill to the cross in Antigua. We prayed for him before we left, and it was one of my favorite moments during my time in Antigua.
(My Team with Mark at the cross)
I want to live a missional life. I am on a mission trip, but living missionally goes further than that. I don’t want to be stuck doing ministry merely during ministry hours. I want to impact every single person I meet, and give them a glimpse of God’s love.
I am still a long way from successfully living out that kind of life. There are always fears that stand in my way. I don’t like to look stupid. I don’t like to put myself out there. I am not comfortable with putting myself in a position where people could think bad things about me. I like for people to think that I’m awesome, and living missionally doesn’t ensure that. In fact, quite often it could mean the opposite.
I have to constantly remind myself that sharing God’s love with people is more important than your reputation. God loves me, and he thinks that I am perfect. If the Lord of the universe, who knows the names of all the stars in the sky, thinks only good things about me, why should I care what strangers think of me?
That idea is much easier said than lived out. God is still pushing me outside of my comfort zone. He keeps calling me to trust him, to place my identity in his unfailing love for me, rather than in what other people think about me. It is a daily struggle, but it is completely worth it.
