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. :)