Guatemala is full of beautiful people that are hurting.
Our team had finally planned some time to go shopping and go on the internet to post our blogs, and we were ready. All of a sudden, Cori called me over to talk with this lady because she couldn’t understand her. I ran over and sat at her feet as she wept. Her heart was broken for her. Her name was Florestina. After listening for awhile, I started asking her questions. She told me of all the pain in her life and how she wanted to die. She told me how her husband didn’t want her and a lot of bad stuff was going on. I started desperately praying for her in Spanish. I spoke to her that she was beautiful, amazing, and an special child of God. So much pain and despair covered her heart. It had started pouring rain, but she didn’t even care about anything. She wouldn’t move, she only cried harder. She was hopeless, but as we watched the lake waters rage and talked, God began to soften her heart. She had no place to go and was scared. I told her that team Fuego would take care of her and God would never leave her. She grabbed my hand and we all took a long walk in the rain back to Solomon’s Porch, the coffee shop of our contacts in Panajachel , Guatemala. I sat with her as a guy from the ministry talked to her in her native tongue. We took her to a quiet place and prayed fervently for her. She was so broken and hopeless and we prayed against all those bad thoughts and the horrible past that consumed her. God began to breakthrough. I asked God to take her pain and give it to me. I started feeling horrible and she felt a peace. Once she told us she felt better, we gave her enough money for food, a bus ride to a safe place (her mom’s), and money for her mom. The ministry here will be able to follow up with her when she returns but I will be gone by then. This is part of me learning to trust God. I left her knowing that God will take care of her. As soon as she left, I started weeping. I knew she would be ok, but it was just a lot of pain to hear about and I really felt like God gave her burdens to me. I will never forget Florestina. I can tell that God used that perfect time to save her and reveal His great love and compassion. If God does not allow me to help anyone else on this trip, it will be worth it because Florestina is alive and has hope.
Our team had finally planned some time to go shopping and go on the internet to post our blogs, and we were ready. All of a sudden, Cori called me over to talk with this lady because she couldn’t understand her. I ran over and sat at her feet as she wept. Her heart was broken for her. Her name was Florestina. After listening for awhile, I started asking her questions. She told me of all the pain in her life and how she wanted to die. She told me how her husband didn’t want her and a lot of bad stuff was going on. I started desperately praying for her in Spanish. I spoke to her that she was beautiful, amazing, and an special child of God. So much pain and despair covered her heart. It had started pouring rain, but she didn’t even care about anything. She wouldn’t move, she only cried harder. She was hopeless, but as we watched the lake waters rage and talked, God began to soften her heart. She had no place to go and was scared. I told her that team Fuego would take care of her and God would never leave her. She grabbed my hand and we all took a long walk in the rain back to Solomon’s Porch, the coffee shop of our contacts in Panajachel , Guatemala. I sat with her as a guy from the ministry talked to her in her native tongue. We took her to a quiet place and prayed fervently for her. She was so broken and hopeless and we prayed against all those bad thoughts and the horrible past that consumed her. God began to breakthrough. I asked God to take her pain and give it to me. I started feeling horrible and she felt a peace. Once she told us she felt better, we gave her enough money for food, a bus ride to a safe place (her mom’s), and money for her mom. The ministry here will be able to follow up with her when she returns but I will be gone by then. This is part of me learning to trust God. I left her knowing that God will take care of her. As soon as she left, I started weeping. I knew she would be ok, but it was just a lot of pain to hear about and I really felt like God gave her burdens to me. I will never forget Florestina. I can tell that God used that perfect time to save her and reveal His great love and compassion. If God does not allow me to help anyone else on this trip, it will be worth it because Florestina is alive and has hope.
