As of today, I’ve been living in San Pedro, Guatemala for one week. San Pedro is a small town located in the outskirts of Antigua, which is more urban and marketed towards tourists. Walking to Antigua takes about 30 minutes and the bus ride is only about 10, so my team and I have been visiting the city center quite frequently. Guatemalan Independence Day was Monday, so my team and I spent the day in Antigua watching the parades, visiting street markets and vendors, and trying coffee in several different internet cafes. I really do love the town and the area that I live in and I am continually amazed by the beauty that surrounds me. The buildings are all vibrant, the streets are cobblestone, and so much heritage and culture can be seen in the architecture and city structure. In addition, the geography that surrounds me is absolutely breathtaking. When our plane began to descend over Guatemala City and I could see the mountains, volcanos, fields, and buildings from overhead, I was so overwhelmed by the beauty that it brought me to tears.
The house that my team and I are living in is situated at the base of 2 volcanos that are beautiful to take in from the rooftop patio. I try to start each morning by spending quiet time with God on the roof and it is always a peaceful, refreshing experience. The house we live in is an incredible blessing and I am so thankful that God provided this place for my team and 2 others to stay for these next 3 months. Our house is surrounded by a high concrete wall with gates that we feel very safe in. We have a beautiful yard with several hammocks, a porch, and lots of shade. In our living quarters, we have a kitchen in which we cook for ourselves, guys and girls rooms with bunk-beds, and bathrooms with hot showers. It has been a very comfortable transition, and as weird as it may seem, that’s what has made this week very hard for me.
When I left for the world race, I was prepared to be living out of my tent surrounded by poverty. I expected there to be a lot of hands on dirty work, but that has not been the case at all. My team has been working on translating Spanish textbooks to English, planning and marketing a month long soccer tournament, working in a daycare and special needs home, building a home for a family living in poverty, and teaching value classes in local schools. Several of these jobs are some of the things I was expecting to do, but the job that I have was not something that I envisioned myself doing when I left for Guatemala. My ministry has been to plan the soccer tournament with a few other girls and a man named Melvin who works for our host. So far, we have created a flyer, printed it and handed it out to several young men and women in Antigua and many schools all over the area. The soccer tournament will consist of 32 guys teams and 16 girls teams, each with 22 players, and will be held from October 15th through November 20th. Each day, 3 games will be played and our team is responsible for planning the opening ceremony and the half-time entertainment where we intend to share the gospel to the large crowd we are expecting. I know that the tournament is going to be huge and the God plans to speak to many people there, and I pray that many who don’t know Christ will come to know His love during the month we will be sharing the gospel. I believe that God is going to show up and do big things and the fruits of our labor will be evident then, but it has been a struggle this week.
The first day of ministry, the marketing team sat at our dining room table and designed a flyer. I know that a flyer is a very vital part of the process, but at the time of creating it, I didn’t feel very effective. At the beginning of this week, it was very hard for me to understand why God placed me in a comfortable environment with an easy job when I was prepared for so much more. I didn’t understand how I was being effective by sitting at a table watching someone else design a flyer, and I was frustrated that I had come so far and left so much for this. I struggled for a while and spoke to God and he helped me realize that He has placed me where He wants me. I trust that He is going to move in huge ways and I am learning to have patience until that day comes.
Outside of our allocated ministry time, my team has begun to see God working in the lives of us and several people around us. When my team was in Antigua on Monday, we ran into a crippled man named Edwin. When I saw him, I immediately felt something in my heart and I knew God was calling me to talk to him. My team spoke to him for a while and then we parted ways and went home. The next day, my team ventured into the city again and spoke to Edwin once more. During our team talk that evening, my teammate Jacqueline shared with us that she had felt the same tug on her heart for Edwin on Monday and had prayed that if the feeling was from God, that we would run into him the next day. Hearing this really helped me realize that God placed us in Edwin’s life for a reason. I believe that God knows what Edwin needs and He wants to use my team to show His love and faithfulness to him. I have no idea what that looks like, but I believe that God wants us to develop a relationship with this man so that we can carry out whatever God would like to do in his life. I am so excited to see where this relationship will go and to see God’s plan come to fruition.
Overall, this week has been incredible. I keep realizing over and over that this really is my life and it is an incredible thing to live out the life I have always dreamed of. God has blessed me so much by choosing me to carry out His plan and He continues to bless me every day. The geography that surrounds me shouts His majesty and awesome power. The place I live is such a blessing and the community in which I live is full of beautiful relationships that prove Gods love is real. I am so happy here and I am so excited to see how God uses my team and I these next 3 months. God is drawing me closer to him and showing me new side of His face and I am so thankful. I know that these next few months aren’t going to be easy, but I know that they are going to be good because God has a plan and He is always good. Guatemala is beautiful, God is incredible, and my life is pretty awesome.
