Hola friends and family from Antigua, Guatemala!
There has been some changes in my life the past 17 days and I wanted to give you all an update!
So first things first, our squad had some minor team changes and I have been placed on an all girls team with 6 other beautiful women! I loved my old team with all my heart, but it has barely been 1 week and I already care for these girls so deeply. Their names are Ashley, Julia, Taley, Drew, Emry, and Lexi. They love Jesus deeply. I am truly so excited that Jesus wanted me to be apart of these girls lives and on their team. He is working in us and through us already!
Next, we have been hard at work at our ministry for two days now and I am seriously in love with it. We are teaching English for the next 2 months at a small elementary school outside of the city. I am teaching 1st grade with my teammate Lexi. These kids are precious, they have my heart already. The little girls in the class love my hair so much, and the little boys LOVE to arm wrestle (they always beat me). When ever the sweet little souls see me they run up to me, hug/kiss me, and rub my hair on their faces saying “suave” (soft/smooth in Spanish). It is honestly so freaking cute. Today during my class’s lunch break, one of the girls just sat beside me and hugged me for maybe 15 minutes. I seriously can’t get enough of them! How is this my actual real life? Jesus is to good to me.
Speaking of my sweet Jesus, let me tell you something so special he has been telling me. Okay, so, when I was in Cambodia a friend of mine asked me to ask Jesus what He thinks about me. I did, and he told me that I was His sunshine. This meant so much to my heart, and now every time I talk to Him, He calls me His sunshine. A few days ago our squad was having worship together with some Adventures in Missions staff members and they wanted to bless us with prayer. There were probably 10 staff members who could have prayed over me, so I asked Jesus which one I should go to, and He told me to go to the one my spirit felt drawn to. (Before I worked up the courage to go and be prayed over I had maybe a 5 second long train of thought doubting that Jesus was calling me His sunshine). I chose a sweet lady and when she started praying over me this is what she said “Jesus, thank you so much for Sarah. Thank you that you call her your sunshine. Thank you for giving her your spirit of joy. Sarah do you know that the angels in heaven refer to you as sunshine a warrior of joy?” Friends, I did not know this lady from Adam, and when she spoke those sweet words to me it ignited my spirit. Jesus spoke through a stranger, His truths to me, even when I had only 5 seconds of doubt. What a kind God. I asked Jesus after this how I could step into this title more and He told me “Sarah my sun provides light where there is darkness, warms people when they are cold, and even has the power to start fires. I want you to do the same.” I am so in love with my God. Ask Him who he says you are.
Side note, I just want to paint a quick picture of the public transportation here in Guatemala for you. We ride these things called “chicken busses” everywhere. These busses are old school busses from the united states that they gut and make into what I think could possibly be the worst transportation system ever. They put bigger seats in the bus so instead of fitting two people comfortably, you can now fit 2.5 people sort of. This then results in having maybe a 2 inch aisle to walk down. They also blast terribly trashy latino/American rap music. On our way home from ministry yesterday, it was the most hilarious/miserable experience of my life. Every seat was filled with 3 people and people were standing up in the aisle and spilling out of the door to the bus. My entire backside was shoved onto the bus driver, he could barely operate the gear shift because there were so many people falling on him. I am not exaggerating when I say I think there were 50 people on a bus made for 30. When some people got off the bus I was able to sit down as the third person on a seat and behind me sat 4 little girls. They were mesmerized by my hair that is so unlike theirs, and they just played with it for 20 minutes. Their cute little giggles were so exited to play with the gringa’s (white girl in Spanish) hair.
I wish I could give more justice, through my words, about my precious time here so far! Thank you for reading my blog, and I’m sorry this is so long!
