San Jose El Idolo

My verse for the week:

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 10:23

This week has been a little different for me than the last two. My heart is broken for the town of San Jose El Idolo, but I am still full of so much hope for the work that the Lord is doing there. The part of the community that I got to work in was located right on a river. You may be thinking "oh how pretty" or "that's awesome," but in reality, this place was hurting. 

During our prayer walk time on Monday morning, I felt a sense of heaviness in my heart when we got close to the river. Larry and Sarah told me that the people who live closest to the river are usually the poorest people in the community because the homes flood often. Unlike in the States, when these peoples' homes flood, they have nowhere to go. Their entire family may live in one house. This means that these people live in conditions that none of us could ever dream of. They just have to deal with water in their homes until the river goes back down. Power lines are so close to the ground that people are easily electrocuted, and ever single time it floods, they have to start over.

Not only were the homes of the river community heart-breaking, but also the health of the people was pitiful. It seemed like every single house we came to someone had prayer needs for sick family members. At the end of our prayer walk on Monday morning, Larry spotted a lady who looked very sick who was trying to get into her home. There were several people surrounding her, but he felt a need to pray over her. The lady's name was Elsa, and her condition tore my heart into pieces. She was in so much pain, and as we placed our hands on her to pray, I could feel the tightening of her muscles in her hand and arm. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Both her and her husband accepted Christ into their hearts after one of the most powerful prayer times I have ever experienced. 

This precious little girl Fernanda has already gone through a lot in the 2 years she has been alive. She suffered from severe malnutrition and this picture doesn't show it very well but her little belly stuck out and her eyes bulged. Her teeth were just barely hanging on. Her family was extremely poor and didn't have the means to get her proper help. She was clearly not so happy in this picture. She wasn't very fond of me :(

These pretty little girls were so sweet. They loved some stickers, and I braided the one on the left's hair probably 4 times because it kept "falling down." She really would just pull the ponytail holder out so I would start over. 

This beautiful girl's name is Doris. She is very special to me because she is 19 years old just like me, and I had the privilege of leading her to Christ. She has ovarian cysts, and it broke my heart because she is so young and her family can't afford to get her the help she needs. But she has Jesus in her heart now, and He is the ultimate provider and healer.

I got the opportunity to work with, not one, but TWO Goliaths this week. James and Doug are obviously both very tall guys, and the joke of the week was that Samuel (in the middle) was David. When we would visit door to door, the guys would have Gustavo ask the women if they had ever been hugged by a bear. When they would say no, he would say well now's your time! and the guys would give them bear hugs. It was really funny and the women in San Jose really got tickled. These guys were great to work with and they both have big hearts for Jesus.

Danny and his grandmother were very sweet people. On our first day of door to door, we walked by Danny and his friends, and in English, Danny said, "It's pretty hot isn't it?" I was surprised and little did I know that we would be invited into his home to share the gospel. He had gone to school and lived in Phoenix, AZ for 10 years and spoke excellent English. He made a profession of faith and his Christian grandmother was so excited. He was a mechanic and going into his shop reminded me of my dad.

This is Analee. She is also very special to me because she is 17 years old, and I got to share my faith with her. God really spoke through me during this share time because she was very timid, and I wasn't sure of how to approach her. I shared my personal testimony with her, and like me, she lived in a home with a single mother. Since we had that in common, God really opened a door for me to tell her about Christ. At the end of the visit, Analee prayed the prayer of salvation.

Sonya, Ava, and their mother were very welcoming to us, and we had a really good visit with them. God knew exactly what he was doing because initially, James began talking with the mother, and she told us that she was a Christian, but for some reason, James felt the need to share his testimony. While he was sharing, the two daughters came in the home. If James hadn't have shared his testimony, I would not have had the opportunity to lead these two women to Christ. It was a divine appointment to say the least. This is proof that everything happens in God's timing.

This is the group that I worked with this week. I love each and every one of these people. They gave up their time to work for the Lord, and I know that God has big plans for a church in San Jose el Idolo because of their efforts.

As I said earlier, we were assigned to work closest to the river. The homes we saw were mostly tin shacks with dirt floors, and there were several alcohol stores along the road. We came to one house, and the guys told me that they could smell marijuana. Even though I had no clue what that smelled like before, I knew it wasn't good. 

Along this road, I could feel a spiritual stronghold in my heart. It is hard to explain the burden that I felt for these people and for their salvation. It just seemed like a really dark place with no hope or joy, and I know that those people must have been miserable because my mood was affected by being there.

This is my new friend Brenda. She is such a sweet girl, and she was pretty much my shadow on the last day of door to door. She was the target of my Spanish efforts this week.

These are all of my church buddies. I wish I could tell you their names--but I can't so I'll just tell you how much I enjoyed them. They think I am so funny because I can't tell what they are saying. Gustavo says I look confused all the time haha. But in this picture, I tried to get them to make a funny face, obviously that didn't work so I look goofy and they all look adorable.

More of my sweet little friends.

pretty girl!

I feel like God has been speaking to my heart a lot this week, and I know that there are many lessons to be learned from the things that I saw.

Things I took away from this week:
#1- NEVER TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED. Your health, your home, your happiness, and your SALVATION are things that you should thank God for every single day.

Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

#2- This world needs hope. So many people this week were just living without any purpose. Your life has a purpose that can only be found in God's will.

#3- I am very selfish. I constantly want more and more when so many people have absolutely NOTHING and still have EVERYTHING because they have Christ.

James 2:5

"Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?"

San Martin Jilotepeque

Im just going to warn you before you begin reading that this blog is going to be longgggg. veryyyyy longgggg because "God showed up and showed out this week!" and I want to tell you about it :)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge." 

Psalm 19:1-2

These two pictures are views from the roof of the hotel. I got up each morning at 5:15 to watch the sunrise, and let me tell you, there is no better way to start your day with a sunrise like these. How could anyone deny the existence of God when he creation is as beautiful as this?

This was the very first visit of the trip. Katelyn, Tori, and I got to braid these beautiful little girls' hair and share Jesus with them.

After our first full day in San Martin, the pastor told us he needed a few more people to go and share with someone who needed prayer. I volunteered and so did Mrs. Sarah and Adrianne. We had no clue what we were getting into...but God did. This woman was going through a divorce, and after asking the men to leave, we were able to share with her. As most of you probably know, my parents are divorced, and Mrs. Sarah had gone through difficulties in her marriage a few years ago. Between the two of us, we were able to let this sweet lady know that she is never alone, and that God has a perfect plan for her life. We all cried and loved on her children, and I considered this a divine appointment. God knew exactly who to send.

My new friends Tori, Katelyn, and Krystal

This is Katelyn and I with Pastor Julio. This man has more passion for Jesus Christ than anyone I have ever met. He is so full of joy, and his life is definitely a reflection of someone who is in love with Jesus.

After Mr. Phillip shared with this lady's grandfather and he accepted Christ, I got to paint their fingernails and pray for her husband who wasn't a Christian. She was so sweet and she gave us some really good, really big, bananas.

This is a special picture to me because the grandmother and the lady in the blue both accepted Christ as their Savior. After sharing with the grandmother, the lady in the blue came up and asked for prayer. I could tell that she was hurting but also that she was shy, so once again, I had to ask the men if they would step out. You just cant get personal with women when me are there because the truth is--most of the time they are the problem!! just kidding but in this case this woman was also going through a divorce. She was so hurt because she is now a single mother to the 9 month old baby I am holding in the picture. I tried my best to let her know that God is the God of all comfort and peace, and she admitted that she couldn't handle this without him. Her confession of salvation was one of the most genuine I have ever seen. She truly desired the Lord and had nowhere else to turn.

These three pictures show me and my sweet friend Raquel. She stole my heart this week. She worked at the hotel where we stayed, and I got the privilege of seeing her several different times. On Monday, I saw her with her hair braided beautifully and I told her (yes, in Spanish) that her hair was so pretty. On Tuesday night, the girls from this weeks team and I sat down to share Jesus with the gorgeous women who had been serving us all week. Mrs. Sarah told them of the gift of Christ, and that night 6 of the 10 women she spoke to accepted Christ. How amazing! After they prayed the sinners prayer, we kind of split up and each got to know one of the girls. Raquel was the one I got to visit with, and she had so much on her heart that night. Once again, she was a victim of divorce. She didn't make much money and she worried a lot about how she would take care of her son Marcos. I shared a lot of scripture with her and prayed over her, but Raquel was hesitant about accepting Christ. As far as I know she never did, but I wrote her a letter and had it translated so maybe one day she will make that decision.

This is Marcos, Raquel's 8 year old son. He also got a piece of my heart this week--a pretty big one. He learned my name and each time he saw me he would give me the biggest hug. I know that his heart is broken because he misses his dad, but I told Raquel that it was her job to make sure he knew that he has a Heavenly Father that will never leave him. I can't tell you how hard it was for me to say goodbye to him. He got a lot of candy from me, but I wish I could have given him more.

These are some of our awesome translators--Tony, Manolo (AKA MO), and Shalom. What we did wouldn't have been possible without them.

This is Mrs. Sarah. She has a big heart for Jesus, and I enjoyed getting to know her this week. She gave me two rings that say FAITH and HOPE, and I don't think she realized how much they mean me.

I have enjoyed this girls so much this week. Tori Katelyn, Adrianne, Krystal, and Colleen--you girls made this week special for me...thank you!

yeah...this Guatemala doorway explains just how small the people are! and Im standing straight up I promise.

These guys and girls were 9th graders in a school that we visited. 

Okay...I have a confession to make. I found a man in Guatemala ;) now dont worry, Max is only 11 so its nothing serious! He is in the picture on the left, and these are his siblings William and Serena. Max was pretty good at English, but he wrote me a note in Spanish that said, "Max y llena juntos por siempre." Now for those of you who don't speak Spanish, that says "Max and Jenna together for always." I got emotional during the church service on Wednesday night when our girls from the hotel came in, and sweet Max got up and got me tissue. He was a sweetheart and so were his brother and sister.

You saw this beautiful girl in one of my previous pictures, but she was so so sweet. She loved stickers and I think she had one on both hands, her shirt, and her cheek before the night was over.

Painting a sweet lady's nails neon pink...haha

sticker books were a success!

Some of the girls who received Christ at the hotel and Marcos.

If you can't tell, this was an amazing, humbling, heartbreaking week. My God is so big and he knew the needs of each and every person before we even thought about coming. A verse that stood out to me this week was 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you; my power is made perfect in weakness." These women and the people of San Martin needed grace, and they needed people to love on them, and I thank God that I was one of the chosen ones to do that this week. He is so good, and he never ceases to amaze me.

I just thought I would show ya'll this picture because Manolo thought that he was very, very good at Phase 10...so good that Katelyn told him that if he lost we could paint his nails pink...needless to say-Mo lost. :)

First Full Week!

I survived my first week on the field...yay! I was so blessed to be able to work with a team made up of 5 people from Virginia and 1 from Alabama. They were a joy to work with and we definitely had a good time sharing Jesus with the people of San Bernardino.

I feel like I have sooooo much to talk about so Im just going to hit the highlights of the week so here goes nothin'...

We arrived on Sunday at "the monkey hotel" as Larry calls it, and we attended our first service with the Mahaniem mission church. We worshipped with the sweet people, and the kids laughed when I tried to ask them questions...knowing words in Spanish and speaking it are two completely different stories haha. During our debriefing time, I shared a scripture that I found in my quiet time on Sunday morning and it became my verse for the week.

Luke 1:76-79

"...for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

On our first morning, we set out to prayer walk around the city. We must have been a site to see because there were 7 gringos and probably 20 nationals in a single file line. As soon as we formed our line, I saw a beautiful butterfly. This was special to me because Mrs. Carla told me to pay attention to them because they seem to be a reminder of God's presence. We prayer walked for almost 3 hours, stopping on almost every street corner to gather and pray for the doors to be opened and walls to be torn down. This was such an amazing time because we all came together as one unified group.

That afternoon, we began going door to door and visited some church members who hadn't been active in the church in a while. This marked the beginning of an amazing time of sharing the Gospel with the people of San Bernardino. God really blessed our time with these people and God worked in the hearts of those people. We saw many professions of faith, and I was so humbled because God used me to lead 5 people to salvation this week. I was amazed at how lost these people were. Many of the homes we visited had never even heard the name of Jesus before, and to be given the opportunity to plant those seeds was so overwhelming. The majority of the homes we visited couldn't be reached by car, and most of them had dirt floors and were made of random pieces of tin. They lived so simply, and it opened my eyes to how spoiled we are in America. We take so much for granted and still want more and more when people in Guatemala have never had a new pair of shoes and children cant go to school because they have to work. Why do we seek to find our treasures in this world? 

Matthew 6:19-21

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thievs break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is there your heart will be also."

We had a service on Wednesday night at the church, and it was so encouraging and exciting to see the faces of some of the people we shared with during the previous door to door times. It was sad to say goodbye to the people of the church, but I was also full of joy because of the work that God did in San Bernardino this week. I am so blessed to be here, and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the weeks to come! Thank you so much for your prayers and support...I love each and every one of you!

And the team would want ya'll to know that I fell over backwards off of a stool...during a share session. It was definitely a moment that should have been captured on film...needless to say, the locals made sure that I had a sturdy chair in the other homes we visited.

these kids are "hermanos" and they were so sweet

i loved her

This is Marilyn. She is a young mother who is a seminary student in Guatemala. We got caught in the rain...and I mean a down pour :)

This is a street in front of the church. The trees and plants were beautiful in San Bernardino.

This is a very special family. Two members of the team shared the Gospel with them and this 92 year old woman, her grandson, and his wife all accepted Christ. This was an amazing time for our team. We were all so humbled because we knew that God was working in the city.

These are my new friends Katarina, Cristian, Erick, Bro. Chet, and I can't remember the name of the one on the far left...and of course Gustavo. I really enjoyed meeting these guys. They endured my awful Spanish, and we laughed a lot.

Yep, I tried to learn to make tortillas, but I failed miserably. It is wayyyy harder than it looks. Mr. Don told everyone that my esposo (husband) will be very skinny.

Our hotel had 2 monkeys, and this sign says "careful with the monkeys." If any of you know Larry's history with the monkeys you would understand the need for this sign ;)

This is Hotel San Pablo. It was really pretty...and pink.

This is the team I worked with this week. John, Mike, Brad, Missy, Chet, and Don. They were great to work with, and I really enjoyed being able to be a part of this team.

This is pastor Jaime (pronounced HIGH-ME) and his wife Suzana and their three beautiful daughters Mitzy, Kayla, and Susan. They are such a sweet family.

The mother of this baby wanted the "gringa" to have a picture with her.

Jennifer, Alexis, and Haley. They were the funnest kids I met...they had big personalities.

My buddy Erick

so cute :)

seriously, if you know Gus this is the best picture EVER. Katarina had a minor crush on him and this made her day.

she really thought my Spanish was funny

beautiful kids...