It’s hard for me to even begin to write this blog, because
it’s hard to sum up all the things that have happened. The past two weeks have
truly been a blessing for all, and I know that God was at the center of it. It
is a wonderful feeling to know that you are where God wants you to be, doing
what He wants you to be doing, with the people He wants you to be with.
Most importantly, the past two weeks brought us all closer
to Christ. With long days and little sleep, we had to rely on Him for our
strength. With a language barrier, we had to rely on Him to give us the words
to speak. With sickness all around, we
had to rely on Him for our protection. He showed up every single time we needed
Him. Blessing number 1.
The past two weeks have also brought many reunions. Oh what
a blessing it has been to see everyone again. I went on this trip expecting
that most people would not remember me. It had been almost two years since I
was there, and there have been several teams in Puerto Barrios since I left.
But to my surprise, so many people remembered. People that I didn’t even
remember! Just goes to show you what an impact you can have on people. Blessing
number 2.
This trip also brought new relationships. It was a joy to
see my friends and family falling in love with the country that took by heart
two years ago. They loved everyone they came across, and they were blessed with
so much love being returned to them. It was evident how much love they had
poured out to the people of Guatemala. They gave them their hearts, and as a
result, it hurt to leave. But this is only the beginning of these
relationships. The people of Guatemala will always remember the love my team
poured out on them, because the love was real. Blessing number 3.
We got a lot done on this trip! We visited the nursing home
twice, the children’s hospital twice, the garbage dump four times, the garbage
dump school twice, the special needs school four times, the orphanage three
times, the park once, and went to around ten church services. And because of
the financial support we had been blessed with, we were able to bless these ministries even more. Blessing number 4.
At the nursing home, we bought shoes for all the residents
and bought them a supply of milk, which they were desperately craving but
didn’t have enough money to buy.
At the children’s hospital, we prayed with the parents and
handed out coloring books to the children. We also bought some toys, teethers,
and hygiene kits for the babies who were in the new addition of the hospital
that works with malnourished babies.
At the dump, we handed out cloth diapers to the moms of the
babies (15 babies!). I am in the process of working with our contacts in
Guatemala to set up a feeding program for formula and nutrient packets for the
babies at the dump. If you have any interest in helping, please let me know!
We also bought and installed a Rotaplas which stores enough
clean water for all the workers at the dump to have access to clean drinking
water. One of the local water companies agreed to refill up the tank every week
for FREE! What a blessing.
So much is going on at the garbage dump that it is hard to
put into words. But it has changed so much since I was last there. There is
joy. There is healing. And although it may be slow, change is happening at the
dump. I can see God’s hand working in so many ways at the dump.
At the special needs school, we helped build a new addition
of five classrooms. They were so grateful for our help and were impressed by
how fast we learned and worked! We were also able to buy two truckloads full of
stones that were needed to finish up the addition.
And finally, at the orphanage, we bought shoes for all the
kids, school supplies, and some toys. The kids were SO excited when they got
their new shoes. It was so cool to see. But more importantly, we showed them
love.
This was, by far, the best two weeks of my life. It was filled with blessings from our Heavenly Father. I didn’t
want to leave. But as one of the pastors reminded us before we left, we need to
be the light wherever we go. We need to shine for Jesus.
