Coatepeque

This was an amazing week...I enjoyed every single minute of working with the team from South Carolina, and the people of the village we worked in were so sweet. God has continued to work on my heart by showing me new things every time I go out. He is so good and faithful to provide for His followers, and I feel so extremely blessed to be serving Him in Guatemala. I have a lot of stories and pictures from this week, but I can't even begin to express the love I feel for these people and this country. God has given me a passion for them that I could have never dreamed of, and He has constantly touched my lips with the words I need to be an effective tool for Him. He has continually reassured me of my call to missions through the teams and people I have worked with, and the change in my heart is so evident. It is amazing what God will do when you give yourself to Him. He will bless you in ways you could never imagine if you allow Him to be your guide. 

I went into this week EXPECTING God to do great things--and He did!

Verse for the week:

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

2 Corinthians 4:18

I met these sweet ladies at our first church service. The mother is on the far right, and she is 81 years old. She told me she had 9 children and 15 grandchildren. She loves Jesus, and so do her daughters who are also in this picture. I sat by her in the church service, and she held my hand the whole way through. The people of Guatemala are so loving, and they are so hungry for love.

These kids met us almost every single day in front of the church before we would go out. They were so sweet, and they loved to play. Also in this picture is Mr. Dick. This man had an amazing week, and it was such a blessing for me to hear his testimony and work with him. He is truly on fire for Jesus!

The church sat directly across from a palm tree plantation. They were some of the biggest trees I have ever seen!

This home was such a blessing for my team and I. I was so blessed to work with Liz, Kristen, David, and Austin. We worked sooo well together, and the Lord blessed us with such an awesome week together! But anyways, in this home there were two sisters. One of them was a firm believer in Christ, but the other was hesitant about becoming a believer. There were many distractions because this home was right across from a place that ground corn for tortillas. Many of you have probably never heard what that sounds like, but trust me, it is LOUD! We planted seeds, and the sisters were open to a bible study in their home.

Liz and I were in charge of entertaining the children at one home, and we didn't do a very good job with keeping them quiet. They were so much fun, and their beautiful, toothless smiles made my heart happy.

The children carried their chairs into the school on top of their heads!

The opportunity we had to work in the school this week was one that many of us will never experience again. In the US, having a bible school inside a public school would never be an option. But in this school, Pastor Carmelino had connections that opened the doors for us. As we walked in, we were greeted by around 750 children! We got to share the gospel with 750 kids!--in a SCHOOL! How awesome?!

I was in the craft group at the school, and we were really worried about having enough supplies for 400 children on the first day. But we should have never worried because God always provides. We literally prayed over the papers as we handed them out to our last class of the day. Kristen, Tina, Martha, Jessica, Andrea, and I all got chills when we picked up 8 left over sheets. It was just like Jesus multiplying the fish and bread! We were so grateful.

This home was one of the most special homes for me. Three beautiful sisters lived here with their children. They knew very little about Jesus Christ, and my team and I got to share the Gospel with them. This visit was so genuine, and they truly listened to what we were saying. Even though they didn't make the decision to receive Christ, they were open to a bible study in their home, and I trust they one day they will all accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This young boy in the middle is named Daniel. He followed our team around the entire afternoon on our second day of work, and in every home he heard the message of Christ. Austin, a 16 year old on our team, felt the need to ask him some questions about the things he had heard throughout the day. Through that conversation, Daniel accepted Christ into his heart!

This picture is powerful...PRAYER IN SCHOOL.

This young girl made a decision to receive Christ as her Savior this week. We were attempting to minister to another woman in her home, but instead our words spoke to her heart. She was very nervous, but so sweet. When we asked if we could have a picture she ran and changed her clothes because she wanted to look her best.

Once again I was in charge of entertaining the group of kids who followed us around. This time I did a lot better. I painted fingernails, braided hair, passed out candy, and stuck stickers on little heads and hands. Kids in Guatemala are so sweet and loving, and it makes me so genuinely happy to be able to love on them.

This sweet family was such a blessing to us. Each of them were believers, and we were able to pray over them for healing from fever and cataracts. We stayed in their home for an hour and half, but we could have stayed the whole day. It was awesome for us to be able to minister to the needs of the people, and God gave each of us the words we needed.

Once again, I just want to stress how good God has been to me this summer. I could have never dreamed that this experience would mean as much to me as it has. I have formed so many Christian relationships, and my heart has been touched and changed by living among these people. I have learned the meaning of true needs, and I have seen the darkness in this country. I know that there are so many places in this world that have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, and I feel honored to have been able to speak His name to some of these people for the very first time. 

Please continue to pray for me as I serve for one more week with my home team from Beech Street Baptist Church. Pray that God will continue to do big things here in Guatemala. Pray that the words we speak would be only from Him. I also want to say thank you so much for the support everyone has shown me. Just reading my blog is support in itself, and I thank you for that. I hope that the work God has done here has touched your heart just as much as it has touched mine. I love you all!

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands."

Psalm 63:3-4