Guatemala - A Lesson In Hope

 

     Just like that, our outreach time in Guatemala has come and gone. Guatemala is a very interesting place indeed, full of great contrasts. Not only is the geography exceptionally diverse, but there is also great leaps between different economic and social groups. We spent time in the slums and dumps ministering to people, as well as in beautiful touristy Antigua, and at a private Christian high school near an area that is modeled to look like a mini Italy. It was a surreal experience jumping from extreme poverty to extreme serenity, but of course God's presence and the need for Him was strongly felt no matter where we were or what we were doing.
     We were hosted by 'The Street Revolution,' and we were greatly blessed to be a part of the ministry work they already have running. Assisting where foundations have already been lain and relationships have already been established is so key, especially for short term missions trips! You can learn more about their work by visiting their website here: http://www.thestreetrevolution.com
     From just two weeks of outreach our team has an overabundance of stories I could share!  Below I will briefly describe the different ministries we participated in and I will give just one testimony from each as well. Please know that this is just a snippet of what God has been doing and that I am always open to sharing more in person or through messaging!

Church Services

     Both Sundays while we were in Guatemala we lead church services. This was an awesome opportunity to hone skills and share messages we learned during lecture phase. It was also really great to encourage a church family in another country, while they then encouraged us in return! We performed dramas, shared testimonies, two of our team members got to preach, and we prayed for people.
     Our first service, day one of outreach, for the first time ever, I experienced God heal someone I was praying for! A pregnant woman came up to a group of us needing prayer because she had been suffering from severe UTIs and no antibiotics or any other treatments were curing her. She was in a great deal of pain. We laid hands on her, prayed, and saw that she had started weeping. When we got the translator, she told us that the woman said she had been filled with a great warmth and that all her pain had disappeared! Boy, were we all super excited! God is so good!

Park Ministry

     Twice while in Guatemala we visited central parks, played worship music, performed dramas, shared testimonies, had prayer 'treasure hunts' and prayed for people. One of the parks was in Guatemala City, surrounded by the government building, a major church, the commerce block of town, and an amphitheater. It was the perfect place to reach a diverse multitude of people. The other park was in scenic Antigua.
     I thoroughly enjoyed just having time to worship God out in the city, and it was also really cool seeing how He touched people in our casual encounters with them. Myself and another team member who knows Spanish went up to one lady and I just sort of stood there not understanding what they were saying while they conversed in a language that I do not know. God shared with me that this woman was a strong fighter and that I should tell her she would persevere with God at her side. Through translation I found out that the woman had been going through some struggles and just that morning had asked "God, where are You?" Despite any language barriers, God used myself and the other girl I was with to encourage this woman in her time of need and show her that God was right there with her all along!

Street Ministry

     For street ministry time we visited two different locations where groups of homeless hang out and the abandoned train tracks that have rows of small rooms where women work as prostitutes. We played worship music, performed dramas, sang songs, played games, painted nails, colored, prayed for, and just generally loved on people. The numerous street youth of Guatemala and their great need was what first sparked 'The Street Revolution.' It was both inspiring to see how God was working through our host family and the heart they have for the people of this city, and at the same time devastatingly heartbreaking to see people we would befriend living in absolute poverty, homeless, often addicted to drugs, some working in prostitution, seemingly without any hope of a better life.
     We did see hope however. God blessed us with a glimpse of some of the fruit this ministry is producing when one of the guys gave his life to Christ. This particular kid was new to the streets and he had something obviously different about him. He was very tender hearted and was one of the very few people I saw on the streets not huffing solvent or drinking rubbing alcohol. On our last visit to the streets, he asked for prayer, asked about what it meant to give your life to Christ, and then said he wanted to do just that. It was such a beautiful moment welcoming him to the family. He was absolutely glowing and he even gave his special necklace to the teammate who had been praying with him! It was the first salvation of our outreach trip, and this one boy being saved alone makes our whole journey worth it!

Kid's Clubs

      While my heart felt most drawn to working with the women stuck in prostitution, it was filled with joy the most while we were running kid's clubs. We visited four different areas and prepared two different lessons to share with groups of local Guatemalan children. We taught about creation and the fall, sang songs with actions, did an interactive craft, performed skits,  and got the kids to pick up a few words of English as well! One of the gals on my team is a teacher so she was able to really flourish and get all the little munchkins to pay attention.
As a quick side note, one of the coolest things about outreach is seeing God use our multitalented team through each of our individual gifts!
      The children were all just so dear. By the second time we visited each place, we had kids racing up to us and jumping in our arms. This was so special, we really bonded with the children, and it made their living conditions all the more heart wrenching. One of our locations was the dump and the kids there lived with their families in piles upon piles of waste. It is hard to even comprehend the fact that people would be growing up amongst all the filth that is tossed out, but it definitely makes you want to love those kids all the more and be inspired by their smiles and desire to learn. Every child deserves to be told they are special and wonderful. So even if I wasn't able to kidnap them all to take back home, we definitely did share an abundance of love and Jesus with them!

Teen Challenge

      Teen Challenge is an international Christian organization that helps people of all ages overcome addiction by bringing Jesus into their lives. It is a place where they can both learn about God and be rehabilitated. The group we ministered to was all male and they varied from around our age to senior citizens. This was a place where we once again got to see the hope Christ brings. Here was a group of people who had made it off the streets, out of the deep drug addiction which was so prevalent in Guatemala, and into the arms of our mighty Lord and Savior.  You can learn more about Teen Challenge by following this link: http://teenchallengeusa.com/about/history
       While we ministered here we performed dramas, shared testimonies, and played games. I was even blessed with the opportunity to share a short devotion on God's unconditional love for us and how we never can or have to hide our true selves from Him. It was so encouraging hearing a bunch of the men shouting 'amen' and the like while I was speaking. Even though we are from totally different paths of life, we could relate so strongly to the love, forgiveness, and redemption Christ brings.

High School Visit

         For our final ministry in Guatemala we visited a Christian high school and we hosted an hour long assemble. We ended up performing three dramas, two of us shared ten minute testimonies, and one of my team members did a very relevant teaching on identity. We ran out of time, but because the students had recess next, we invited them to stay for prayer if they wanted. We had prayed the night before and had gotten a few pictures/names, so we first asked if there were any students fitting what we got, and we found the majority of them! Pretty much every single student stayed for prayer instead of going on their break!
        It was an absolute joy praying for these young men and women of God! A lot of them wanted prayer for their future, so it was really exciting to pour into them and encourage them on how they could use each of the career paths they were looking into for the Kingdom. I was one of the people who shared a testimony, and from what I heard, it sounded like quite a few students could relate to some of the stuff I spoke about. I had one student tell me what a strong woman she thought I was and that she hoped she could be just like me when she grew up. This statement almost brought me to tears of elation. If the things of my past help even one person in their walk with the Lord, then it was worth going through them, and I really can see how God has completely redeemed those experiences. Before we left we prayed over the senior class. And there is was again. Hope. Even though we were already leaving Guatemala, here were a bunch of young people on fire for Jesus, who wanted to make a difference in their country, and who I have no doubt will be used by God in big ways as long as they keep pursuing Him!

Free Days

        On top of all these amazing experiences, we were also blessed with two fabulous days of relaxing and enjoying Guatemala from a touristing point of view. Our first free day we drove 2.5 hours to a black sand beach. The drive was stunning and we even got to see the lava flow of an active volcano! When we got to the beach we hit up a little hotel and rented out a room for the day so we could use their pool, showers, volleyball net, and have access to their hammocks and drinks, right on beach! Besides the mountains, the beach is the other place I feel absolutely in my element. Even though the waves were really big and broke right on the shore I thoroughly enjoyed getting whomped on and covered in sand. Everyone else thought I was nuts, but I am telling you God was rejuvenating me with each wave that crashed and tumbled over me!
        Our final day was spent just cruising around Antigua. We visited the different ruins and famous landmarks, took a ton of photos, danced about, shopped in the markets, bartered with the locals, and just enjoyed one another's company. This trip was so crazy blessed, but I'm not too surprised because I know how great the God is who has our backs!

     
     Overall, what I most enjoyed about Guatemala was the people. They were so warm and friendly, open to prayer, with at least some knowledge of Jesus. They were so patient and would just laugh along with us as we struggled to communicate with translators, a few words in Spanish, and miming. I will be continuously praying for 'The Street Revolution' and our amazing host family. I already have so many people to miss. I can't believe this is only stop one of six! I will write one post for each place we visit, so next up is Budapest! Glory to God for this amazing opportunity! May He bless each one of you, on each of your own journeys, too! Thank you for reading!

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Romans 5:1-5 

P.S. All the amazing photos that you are probably totally blown away by were taken by my beautiful, wonderful friend Nicola Easterby. If you want to see even more awesome photography you should totally visit her page: http://www.polkadot-passport.com