Travel Day: Morning/Afternoon
Our travel day from Atlanta to Guatemala City began very early in the morning. We left our hotel at 5:00am to make our 9:45 flight. After a long few days at Launch I was exhausted and looking forward to the plane ride. I was extremely blessed by my teammate Kristina who received a free upgrade to First Class and gave me the seat. It was my first time in First Class and as comfortable as it was (great service, food and space), I most appreciated the time I had to myself. It was so restful and gave me much needed to time to process and rest before landing in our first country.
I was so encouraged when they announced us on the plane and welcomed us into the country. Additionally, while I was waiting for my squad I stood next to a woman and made small talk. When she asked what we were doing in Guatemala, she grabbed my arm as I explained and said “Thank you so much for coming here and serving my people.” Her sincerity made me so excited for what was to come this month.
Travel Day: Evening/Night
“Freedom reigns in this place, showers of mercy and grace, written on every face, there is freedom.
Jesus reigns in this place, showers of mercy and grace, written on every face. There is freedom”
This was the song in my heart during our first night in Guatemala. After a long day of traveling in vans, we experienced a major delay only 30 minutes away from our ministry site. There was a major accident and stopped traffic turned our 4 hour drive into 6. We were told by our driver that “the road fell in.” We weren’t quite sure what that meant at first, but it turns out that because of the rain, major flooding caused the road nearby to collapse. We later found out that tragedy had struck as five people perished, including two emergency responders.
Before we knew this, many of us got out to walk around and stretch our legs. It turned out that our vans had stopped right in front of a small church. We went in and some of our group played with the kids in their class, while the majority of us sat in the sanctuary and worshipped and prayed with a small group of people. The service was being led by a small, but mighty women. She sang and prayed with such conviction, passion, and emotion. Although I didn’t understand much (she was speaking in Spanish), I understood that she was crying out to God in pain, desperation, and joy. I knew that something of great significance was happening in this place.
It’s hard to explain, but something beautiful took place in that moment. I felt a strong sense of love for those around me. I prayed earnestly for peace, hope, and joy to abound among the people there and in our squad. I asked God to maintain a teachable heart within me as I know I have a lot to learn from the people of Guatemala. I mean the church was so small with plastic lawn chairs. It was stripped of everything the U.S. church believes it needs to be relevant, impactful, and meaningful. It was humbling no doubt to feel the manifested presence of God so strongly in a place I’d never been and through a language I don’t fully understand.
Soon after we left the Church, we were given the news of the lost lives not far away from us. My team along with another immediately began to pray for peace and comfort for the family, friends, and community of those lost. We began to sing to God. It was a weird feeling to be in this new and strange place in the midst of tragedy. However, God did an incredible thing that night. He gave me a glimpse of how much He loves the people of Guatemala. It was far beyond a generic “God loves everyone” vision. It was a deep revelation and sensation specific to this place and the people here. I felt consumed with love, a love I could not contain. As we sang “Pull me a little closer, take me a little deeper. I want to know your heart, I want to know your heart,” I heard God say, “Look around. You’re at the center of my heart.” I plan to write an entire post about the implications of this statement, but I’ll just say it put into perspective what this year is really about. Seeking after the heart of God and living out of His love for me and all of creation. I am still in awe and shock at the depths of God’s love for us and I desire to live, and serve, and rest in that love.
After such a day, I entered this month with high expectations of seeing the unique and mighty work God is doing here before we leave. I look forward to sharing that with you all very soon!
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