January 2021: Bienvenido a Guatemala

We are in the air and land in Guatemala in T-2 hours! By the time I find WiFi  to post this, most likely we have been on the ground for a few hours and I have already encountered so many beautiful people and had opportunities to practice my Spanish (practicar mi español)! Once again, I want to invite you on this journey with me!! 

I have been fasting and praying in the weeks leading up to Launch, in hopes to prepare my heart and mind to go. Something that has helped me do that is some creative journaling. It causes me to do some research, so I’m familiar with the geography and culture, but also allows me to focus my prayers about our time there. Recently we found out where our team will be serving, so I have been able to fill in the blank space and focus in my prayers. I would love to share some of that with you, so you can join me in prayer for our time in this beautiful country! 

My team will be in the city of Mixco, working with Casa Guatemala. The goal in our time there will be to share the love of Jesus in tangible ways to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. As you can imagine, the ways we will be doing that span almost every aspect of inner city ministry! Cleaning and repair, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, evangelism, working with the church plant, women’s and children’s ministry. As I sit here and imagine all of the possibilities, I am convinced my team was literally made for this. Every day, each of them show up with a heart of passionate love and tender care, a diligence and resilience, willing to do hard things and endure long days, all for the sake of others. Thank you Lord for what you are going to do!

[PRAY: they would experience the love of God and respond to the gospel!]

Here is something that I was prompted to pray over our time in Central America, way back in October, that you can join me in. 

[PRAY: the testing of our faith would result in blessing (Heb. 11:20-21), not only for ourselves, but for everyone we encounter]

“And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy— wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Hebrews 11:32-38

I can only imagine what we will be able to add to this list, as we move forward in faith.