* I wrote this blog about 2 weeks ago but was just able to post it now – sorry for the delay
The Move to San Marcos: Month 2 in Guatemala
Well here it is already month two of my journey in Guatemala is coming to an end. It has been an exciting month where we finally are living where we feel The Lord has led us to live and start the discipleship ministry that He is calling to. San Marcos is one of the town’s that is located around Lake Atilian. It’s a relative small town, but in all reality it seems much more like an island because the only we get here is by boat (otherwise it’s a couple hour drive through the mountains). The town is about a half an hour boat ride from the larger tourist area of Panajchel where we were living last month.
Now our team is living in a house which has been an unusual blessing for me personally in helping me to really be focused in seeking and spending time with The Lord. We currently have no internet or anything. Don’t get me wrong, I love having access to wifi where I can check out my favorite sports teams, message my friends/family, and of course go on facebook. But I will admit, not having wifi has been so refreshing. Being in this house has blessed me to not get so distracted and has helped me make better use of my time to really seek the heart of my Father.
One of the biggest reasons I believe The Lord has brought myself and the other team members to Guatemala is to know him deeper and more intimately as our Father. We wake up every day with that being our focus and purpose of being here. We are learning that when we know the heart of our Father, we walk and live lives of being more in tune and in flow with his heart and ministry that He is already doing. We are all learning that this is critical in serving The Lord, living our lives, and in reflecting God’s love to others.
In John 5:19-21 Jesus explains that He only does what He sees his Father is already doing. Jesus lived in a constant oneness and connection with our Father. The more that we learn, spend time with him, and walk in oneness with our Father…the more of His life, love, and ministry will overflow naturally from within us. We are learning that ministry is not just a set time that we make on Sundays or others times within our lives, but true ministry happens when we are walking in oneness with The Lord through His living Holy Spirit that is alive within us. When we are living like this and were open for him to move, he will use us wherever we are within our lives. He will use us in our businesses, schools, grocery stores, families, and our individual day to day lives in ways that we least expect it. When we live this way, each day is truly an adventure of living with our Heavenly Father!
Our ministry being here in San Marcos has looked a lot like this so far. Unlike being on the world race, I am not coming to a place where there is ministry already established and waiting for us. Our team is being blessed to pioneer something new, something different, and something that has not been done here before. So we are going out and asking The Lord to show us what he is already doing here in San Marcos. We are letting him lead us to the people who he wants us to meet, know, and work with. As we do this God is continually giving us more vision of the ministry that He is already doing here and the ministry that he is inviting us into to walk out and live within this place.
One particular day as the team and I were out praying for turn by turn directions from The Lord. We felt The Lord was leading us to meet a specific man, “a man of peace.” My three friends and I were on what it seemed like a rabbit trail, going through a distant trail leading up into fields into the mountains. We would stop after turns and re-collaborate to listen to what the Father was speaking to us individually and then we would make a decision as a team in what direction to go. As we were walking we suddenly felt lead to stop at a certain door where we felt a deep peace resting on the house.
As my friend Gabe (who is fluent in Spanish) starting talking to the man who was working outside. We learned that this truly was the man that The Lord was leading us to. We got to talk with him and found out that he is a strong Christian who has a vision of helping young people who struggle with drugs and alcohol. Since then we have met with him again and are in conversations and prayer about how we can partner together to share the love and hope of God to the young people in San Marcos. The man we met was in fact a man of peace who The Lord truly lead us to, and his name was Samuel!
Gabe and I have also spent a lot of free personal time playing basketball with the local teenagers and young adults here. I absolutely love how The Lord can work through sports to connect people and cultivate relationships in a way that only he can. Gabe said it best, he explained how no matter where you and who you are, sports has a way of helping everyone speak the same language and connecting people together. I love how God can and does work through sports. We have felt called to invest into the young people who we have met and became friends with while playing basketball. I hope and pray that these relationships will lead past just playing basketball, but turn into disciplining, mentoring, and helping them to become fully alive in Jesus Christ in knowing the true son-ship, freedom, and love that their Heavenly Father offers them.
Thanks for being a part of this journey with me and know that where you are in this life, that your Heavenly Father is there with you…
” Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” – John 5:19
God Bless everyone and here are a couple of pictures from this past month:
ps – we all started Spanish school this week, so for four days a week we go to Spanish school for two hours a day!
Picture of an amazing place of God’s Holiness and Peace looking over the town of San Juan on Lake Atilian
New seasons come and old ones pass…it’s a start of a new season spiritually and physically…so I faced some fears and cut my hair!
A buddy of mine that I met an amazing orphanage that our friends Dave and Deborah run
Morning worship and prayer with our team at the house to start off our day!
I met this awesome little guy at an orphanage that we visited and spent the day at.
Our awesome Spanish teacher Francisco teaching Josh and I Spanish
My two roommates, friends, and brothers in Christ Javi and Josh
The man of peace that the Lord led us to…Samuel – We were on a prayer and worship hike where we prayed over the town of San Marcos
Most of team Lake Atilian on a prayer and worship hike over the towns of Lake Atilian
A group picture with the CGA worship track from Adventures in Missions
A picture I took while laying in my tent being sick with the stomach flu. God spoke to me through taking this picture about how no matter what were going through there is always hope…His light shines through all darkness! Listen to the song called “He is the Light” by Bryan and Katie Torwait
* I know some of the pictures look like I’m on vacation, but it’s really hard to give an accurate description of whats it’s like here and what were doing. It’s hard to take pictures when your in the midst of ministry, but I hope at least some of these pictures provide an image of the people we are meeting and the places that we are living. Thanks again for reading and thank you all for supporting me like you do. I could not do it without you.
Sincerely,
Ryan
