Life on the field is different. Resources available to you are different, sleeping arrangements are different, food is different, and even each day is different from the last. Being flexible has been a part of every day of my life since leaving in September and I have been thriving. Change is one of the things I was most nervous about. Typically, I am not good at change. Going with the flow is just not my jam. I want things to be planned and organized and I want to know what to expect before entering into something. But life just does not function in that way in Guatemala or honestly in the missionary life.
A lot has happened over the last week and I want to update everyone while at the same time keeping this short. So, here’s a quick recap of this whirlwind of a week, followed by some newfound gratitude I have after living in Guatemala for 6 weeks.
Last Monday was my last day of ministry with OneWay community. My team and I did our final house visits and were able to tutor and play with the kids one more time that afternoon. I also rode one of the village horses bareback, but that’s a story for a different time. Leaving the village that day was hard. There was joy in the fact that we were able to pour so much into these families, but sadness that our time had come to a close. Tuesday was our last day in Peten, and we drove down to Antigua starting at 2 a.m. Wednesday morning with 3 of our hosts. After 13 hours in the car and a small fender bender in Guatemala City, we made it to our hostel for debrief with the whole squad.
As a part of the logistics team I, along with my two teammates, are in charge of making sure things run smoothly at debrief, so once we got there I jumped into work. We have had teachings, worship, rest time, and time to process what our last month has been like on the field. God has shown up for me in this time despite my busyness. One way that He
showed up for me was through a vision. Oftentimes when I pray I picture myself greeting Jesus with a hug and one night during worship as I was praying I walked towards Jesus to hug him a dark figure came in my way. I tried to push the figure out of the way but nothing I did worked. As this was happening, one of my teammates came up to me and began praying over me. She told me that God sees me and values the details of the things I do for him. She said that God sees my servant’s heart and the things that I do in secret. Hearing this was so amazing. I immediately felt so loved and seen and so I went back to praying and this time when I tried to hug Jesus the dark figure left and I saw Jesus shining like the sun as I hugged him. Praise God for his love and his goodness!
A different learning experience happened this Tuesday and Wednesday when most of my squad hiked a Volcano together. Little did we know we would be hiking during a tropical storm. The heart behind doing this hike together was to grow together as a squad, and God definitely met us in that. He also grew our trust in him because we would not have made it off that mountain without him. Typically this hike takes about 4 hours to hike to the cabins at the top and then after staying the night, you hike 0.6 more miles to the summit where you can see a different volcano erupt during sunrise. It took my squad 7 or 8 hours in the fog, wind, rain, and cold weather to make it to the unheated cabins at the top. Our team back at the hostel prayed for us throughout the night and God answered. Miraculously we all made it down the mountain with no injuries and in just 3 hours. Praise God for his protection!
Most recently, yesterday our squad leaders and mentor changed our teams up. So, that means I will be saying goodbye to Team Agape and joining a new team. Another bittersweet change and another way God is growing me in gracefully transitioning through change. I am sad to say goodbye to the little family that Team Agape has become, but I am also excited about the opportunities that being on an all-girls team will bring. Along with that comes some role changes. I will be giving up my role as logistics to be the treasurer for my new team. Again, this is bittersweet, but I am so grateful for these new opportunities.
If you have read this far, thank you for bearing with me through the patchwork of updates. The last thing I want to say before I share my list of gratitude is that I am still in need of some funding. I would love for more people to be able to partner with me in my journey and be able to have a part in these amazing testimonies that God has given my squad and me. Currently, I am 88% funded and need $2,118 more to be fully funded. Praise God!
I am grateful for…
Loving hugs from sweet children
Washing machines (even when you have to fill them up with buckets)
Western toilets that flush without a bucket
Dry clothes
Communion
New friends
Mattresses and pillows
Water, Peten the water randomly shuts off with no warning
Hot water in showers
Good food, Guatemala has had amazing food
Miracles and new testimonies
Communion
Church and worship
Weather, rain to cool you off and clear skies to keep you dry
Fun adventures
Washing dishes with the team
Health
So proud of all you are doing. It isn’t easy but you are persevering and keeping love, grace and gratitude shining brightly.
Thank you so much for sharing what the Lord is doing in your life! Change can be challenging, but in the midst of change we become much more dependent on God, through prayer, reading the word, praise, song, worship and the list goes on.
Praise the Lord for change!
One of my favorite verses that I depend on in my life is;
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
That is probably one of the first verses you learned in Awana!!
Love you,
Grandma
It’s so encouraging to hear all that the Lord has been doing through your team these past few months! Praying that He will continue to work mightily in and through you over the course of your time on the field.