Month two complete.
Teams Seventh Sparrow & NORIA were paired together this month.
All 13 of us lived and served together for three weeks with our contact Victor.
[Our group minus Emili who took this photo. From Left to Right: Trish, Lisa, Daniel, Mary, Seth, Andi, Liz, Myself, Fetah, Cody, Ben, Carina.]
We passed bags of food out to families living in poorer communities near our neighborhood in Apastepeque.
We spent time getting to know these families, engaging in coversations, asking questions about their lives and who they. Taking that extra time allowed people to feel more comfortable opening up to our groups and we were able to prayer for specific requests that each person had. In addtion, we would also lead worship and preach in these communities.
[ This is Gabriella and she is sick with a kidney infection that her mother cannot afford to treat becuase the hospital treatments are too expensive. My group: Me, Jeremy, Mary, Norma prayed over her for complete healing in her body. We also prayed that the Lord would provide for this family and that if she does need to go to the hospital that, that expense would be taken care of through the Lord's provision.
[ This is Kenny & he is a little over a year old. Like many children around our world, his father is not involved in his life at all. We prayed for his father to return to his family or that a father figure would come along side him during his life. That he would come to know God as he grows up & be a man that would bring others to Christ. We also prayed for Kenny's mother as she is having to step up as the family provider to fill the void of an absent husband.
[ This was one of the most humbling sights all month.]
We visted two schools throughout the three weeks we did ministry. We went from classroom to classroom sharing a litle bit about ourselves with the students, performing skits, and talking about God with them.
During their recess we played soccer with the kids, played tag, talked, etc.
[ Boys are the same in every country]
[Me, Oscar, Cody]
We attened several church services during February. Six nights out of the week our group as well as four other groups from our squad attended services at Primero Templo Christiano. Some nights we led worship, performed skits, and/or preached. Other nights we received messages from the different staff members.
[Photo Credit: Lisa Rodas]
We experieced a lot more down time this month compared to our time in Honduras. Honestly, I appreciated that time. I felt like I was able to process and think about things. I spent more alone time with the Lord as well.
There were some days when this time of "doing nothing" really bugged members of our two groups because we had signed up for the race to serve. However, Jeremy reminded us one night in feedback that minstry comes in different shapes and forms and that just because it may not look they way we think it should does not mean it isn't ministry. That our down time is an opportunity for us to minister to and serve each other on our teams. That it is time to grow as teams and as individuals. That it is time for us to spend time in the God's presence.
