It’s hard to believe we have only three days left here in Guatemala before we head out to Ethiopia on Thursday. The Lord has done so much here in the past three months, and I wanted to dedicate this blog not only to all the Lord has done but also to those who have supported me in prayer, financially, encouraged me, or have been a part of this journey in any way and invite you in to taste and see the fruit that your obedience and support has produced here.
Guatemala is a country of abundance and revival. The spirit is moving and breathing in this place, and the people here are hungry to know the Lord deeper, to experience the community we were all designed for, and to see the spirit move in miraculous ways. The people here love like Jesus. From the beginning, we were invited into their ministries and homes with open arms and unconditional love and encouragement despite cultural barriers. Guatemala is a country of unity and hospitality; every home we entered we were provided places to sit and commune, often times a meal or a drink as well because the people here have a heart to make every soul feel seen and known.
The kids in the villages of Cajahualten and Chirijuyu taught me about what unconditional love is and how to live freely in the arms of the father. The precious kids we had the opportunity to teach, play soccer with, and disciple in VBS taught me about how the Lord sees me. They showed me that if my heart breaks to leave them after only knowing them for three months, how much more does my father’s heart break for me. They taught me that just like I simply wanted to be with them, to love them, to speak truth over their lives and declare how worthy they are of love and abundant life, how much more does my Abba declare these things over me. They taught me that just like I simply wanted to play with them in the open fields of the soccer camp, my Abba also just wants to be with me and let me be his daughter, running in the freedom of his love and grace. My heart breaks to leave these kids that have become like family, but praise Jesus his love doesn’t stop because we’re leaving. The Lord doesn’t need us to move, but he invites us in to be a part of it all because of his love for us, and we are simply called to love others and walk in obedience, and the Lord does the rest. Although my heart breaks to leave, I have a deep peace in knowing the Lord is always going to care for Cajahualten and Chirijuyu so much more than I ever could, and I can’t wait to see the little world changers our kiddos are already stepping into becoming.
The relationships we got to build here taught me about what community and the global church looks like. That despite our many differences that could have driven us into disunity, we can all be of one mind because of the Holy Spirit we all know. Our precious friend Francesca taught us that living missionally really is just loving people as she wept because we simply chose to sit with her, feeling seen even when she had felt abandoned by her family because no one had taken the time to see her through the eyes of Jesus. Our friend Helida always invited us into her home and prepared food for us. She taught me about the honor it is to be a mother and woman of God in caring for her home and children while her husband was away providing for their family. She taught me about the value in true hospitality and making every guest feel seen and loved. She taught me about what a deeply rooted joy in the Lord looks like despite circumstances. My friend Paulina taught me about what my role as a woman in the church could look like. She pastors a church in Cajahualten and her fire and zeal for the Lord is something I can only hope to have one day. Paulina inspired me through the way she empowers women and provides for her family while also pursuing the Lord with everything she has. She is willing to give up everything for the sake of the gospel, and I look up to her faithfulness in so many ways. Our friend Aura taught me about intentionality as every moment we spent with her, she chose to get to know us deeper even through the language barriers and she chose into being a sister to us and inviting us into her life. These amazing women inspire me through the way they love others and seek to please the Lord, and this only scratches the surface of all they have taught me, but I am so honored to know them and to have been invited to see all the Lord is doing through them.
We had the amazing opportunity to be a part of a ministry here called worship room, where every Thursday night, we would meet in The Refuge coffee shop here in Antigua and sing praises to our God, jumping and screaming because of his goodness. Guatemalans and gringos, together we have unity as the body of Christ. we would sing some in Spanish, some in English, but the spirit transcends language barriers, and the unity we got to experience despite our differences was the kind of unity Paul challenged the church in Philippi to embody: to “stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” – Philippians 3:27
Here in Guatemala, I learned that love is the most important thing we can offer. It’s the only thing that matters. People are starving for the deep love and satisfaction that Jesus provides, John says that “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35. I still struggle to do nothing out of selfish ambition and value others above myself, and I am still learning how to love sacrificially every day, but here in Guatemala the Lord showed me what his abundant love is and how to see others through the eyes of Jesus. I learned what grace is for the first time in my life. I learned how to choose into community and love others when I don’t always want to because believe it or not, living with 45 other people isn’t always easy haha. I learned that suffering for the sake of the gospel is actually an honor, to love like Jesus and to serve in humility is the highest honor we can have. Because of Jesus, we can taste and see of his goodness right here and right now, because the kingdom is already here! What good news! The Lord is here in Guatemala, he never left, and he always will be here, alive and moving whether my squad is here or not.
Thank you so much for reading this today. Please be in prayer over my squad as the goodbyes are beginning and as we prepare to travel to Ethiopia. Pray for safe travels and that the Lord would continue to bring his work here in Guatemala to completion. Pray over the people of Ethiopia and that the Lord would already be preparing their hearts for what he has in store. Pray for open hands and hearts for my entire squad for all that the Lord has for us as well. If you feel led to donate, I still need $2,000 by January to stay on the field so every little bit helps, I would love to partner with you in my ministry! And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out and email me! You are seen and loved by the creator of the universe, never forget it!
Til next time,
Mallory Sailer
