Throughout this month in Guatemala I have been grateful to witness many wonderful blessings:
*A few teammates and I went to visit a window in her home. As Jarrad, Kathryn, Dani and I entered the widow’s home, Dani immediately received a fervent hug from the widow’s granddaughter. The little girl remained close to Dani throughout the visit, often repeating the hugging process and joyously bouncing about. This boundless joy spread to the little girl’s parents and to her grandmother, evident by the shared smiles throughout the room. It was explained that the little girl had met missionaries before and Dani resembled one that become very close to the little girl. As I watched them interact with one another, I knew that the little girl did not only recognize the appearance of the previous missionary. She also recognized a kind heart filled with love; she recognized a spirit shared by these two people who had come all the way across the world simply to show love to her family. As we exited our visit, the little girl and her friend came with us. We began to walk to a park to play with them, then Dani wished aloud that she could buy them some ice cream or something. Jarrad pulled his wallet out and joyfully shared what he had. As we reached the park, I had a meeting to go to, so Jarrad and I said our goodbyes. Dani and Kathryn were each sitting with a little girl beside them on one of the many benches. From the time we had originally arrived to my last look behind me, I never saw the little girls stop smiling.
*We have been hosted by a wonderful man named German and his family throughout the month. German guided our work with the local widows and orphans. He took us directly to each house, provided gifts of corn or beans to give to them, told us their needs and organized our visits to feed many schools. His family took care of any needs we had for housing, cooked our food, and cared for us as though we were no further from kin to them. I regularly observed Kelly, my teammate, going to their house before the food was presented. I complimented her on this and she humbly said that often she ends up just chatting with them, rather than helping make the food. As the month went on, I noticed she was going over to their house at times when no food was being prepared. She became more than a helper to them and had grown far from someone they were there to serve. Kelly built a relationship with German’s family based on shared experience, compassion and love. It is with these building blocks that a kingdom that cares for one another throughout the world can stand.
*While singing, worshipping, and sharing community with German’s family one night, he asked for one or two volunteers to help him if they desired. My hand immediately went up. Jarrad stated as we were walking back to our house that he would like to go as well. The next morning we met German at his house at 5:30am to go check on a donation that had been offered to him from a priest in another city. He expressed that this was a significant blessing because he had never received offerings of donations from local priests before. As we began our journey from Santo Domingo Xenacoj to Guatemala City, he stopped to pickup his brother. This was a pleasant surprise which afforded Jarrad and I lots of opportunity to practice our Spanish because German’s brother spoke no English whatsoever! We rolled up to a seminary school and were invited inside. As we were led around the corner, we spotted dozens of boxes stacked on top of one another. After a few moments, I pointed out to Jarrad that the boxes were labeled “Tom’s”. Sure enough, as the boxes were opened, these were shoes donated by Tom’s Shoes to the seminary school. They were given more than they needed, so they shared about 150 pairs of shoes with us to give freely to the widows we served in Xenacoj. “It’s pretty cool to be on the other side of this process,” Jarrad commented. I had to agree. As we made our two-hour journey back, German joked that Jarrad was buying us all breakfast. Then German asked us where we would like to stop. As he went to pay, Jarrad again pulled his own money out of his pocket. It was a wonderful way to say thank you for all of the kindness that German and his family had shared with us. But more than that, it was a wonderful breakfast in which we got to speak more candidly and comfortably with German and his brother. They shared concerns that mirrored our concerns; we shared joys that mirrored their joys. It was a lesson in the universal nature that is shared by all of us. As I shook German’s brother’s hand goodbye and he cupped his other hand around mine, I knew I was saying goodbye to a kindred spirit.
*In Santa Cruz Ayapan, our whole squad was spending time playing with a school full of children. I noticed one of my teammates, Amanda, in a group of children by herself. As I went to join her, she was asking them how many of them knew the guitar. A few hands went up excitedly. She asked next who wants to play the guitar. More hands went up with more excitement. She jogged off towards the van we came in on. The kids began to ask me if I could do backflips. As I said no, they seemed disappointed. (I found out later Amanda had been entertaining them with gymnastics.) She came running back with her guitar. The kids swarmed her! She asked, “Who wants to play it?” Every hand went up! As she pushed hands away from her face, I motioned for the children to move back and commanded “Mas espacio! Mas espacio para ella!” The children moved back a little, but every hand was still pressed forward as close as possible. Amanda told the children to close their eyes. She chose a hand at random and allowed them to play her guitar with her hands guiding theirs. She repeated this process one more time. This time, after she chose the hand at random, she said “Abrir sus ojos.” The child said he couldn’t. She instructed again for the child to open his eyes. The other children said he couldn’t… because he was blind. She reached out and took his hand. She guided his hands to her guitar and, with her help, he played beautifully. That child shone more brightly than any star I have ever seen. As we were called back to the van t at o prepare to leave, Amanda and I thanked the Holy Spirit for his guidance… to the hand that needed the music the most.
*One night, we hosted an invitational widow gathering for singing, food and fellowship at our house. We were amazed as widows never stopped coming throughout the night. Although the gathering was meant to have started at 6:30, we were searching for more seats to borrow from neighboring houses after filling all we had at 8:30. One of the last widows to arrive was especially moving to see come join us; she was riding in her wheelchair being pushed up to our house by her daughter as night drew darker. As the service closed and the widows exited, I made my acquaintance with her and her family. As we talked, I helped wheel her out into the street. Her daughter expressed gratitude for the help and I asked her if she would like me to push her all the way home. “Si!” she exclaimed gratefully. So we began to walk down the hill together. I hollered at my squad leader, Greg to come walk with me and he obliged with graciousness. As we walked, the family and I talked about my journey for starting the race, how the mission was going, what it was like to travel to so many places and serve in love. They expressed significant gratitude for the care we showed the widows in the community, expressing how difficult it can be for them without help. Eventually, they asked how we will travel from one country to another. I joked that Greg was the boss and only he knew. They smiled. Greg joked that he was taking a bus, but I would be walking. They laughed uproariously! I cannot express what a joy it is to see people who have suffered greatly experience happiness because of something as simple as the words you share with them. After reaching the widow’s house, we said our goodbyes. As we walked across the city back to our house, I told Greg that was one of the best experiences I’d had in Guatemala. Wisely, he encouraged me to share that with the squad; it would be good for everyone to hear how wonderful it is to go the extra mile.
These experiences and many others have demonstrated to me that this journey is not about what Adventures in Missions tells us it will be about. It will not be about what the contacts we are visiting have prepared for us to do. I have not been called to accept opportunities that are presented to me. I have been called to create opportunities to love and serve others. My service will never be in the boat that the World Race committee has built for me. My service will be out there in the waves where people don’t have a voice to cry for help because they are drowning. I will have the faith to walk out onto the water. I will put my hands down beneath the depths. I will pull them up.
