It’s hard to put into words what my time in Guatemala has been like. How do you explain what it looks like to be completely immersed by another culture and at the same time be completely deconstructed by God in the process. However, I want to share with you the best I can what God was doing not only in Guatemala but also in me.
Let’s start with Guatemala. Without a doubt the Lord is doing big things in Guatemala and I barely scratched the surface while I was here. We worked in the villages and got to help with tangible small tasks such as shucking dried corn or making tortillas. We also got to share what it truly means to be loved by Jesus to the children and explain how we share that love with those around us. In the process my soccer skills increased immensely. We also worked in the cities. We taught English to kids and would walk around the streets talking to people and praying for them. My team and I also spoke at churches, youth groups, and small groups whenever God would open up a door for us to speak. I felt honored to be the hands and feet of Jesus and watch the signs and wonders that followed us as we simply walked by faith (Mark 16:15-18). We saw new Christians born, people healed, broken hearts mended, generational curses broken, and people from all generations feel truly loved and seen by Jesus for the first time. This was certainly not the beginning of the work God has been doing in Guatemala and it is definitely not the end.
While I was in Guatemala God also spent a lot of time working on me. Guatemala was a time for complete demolition of the person I tried to be and the ways the world changed me. One of the biggest things the Lord taught me was to walk in boldness. All God asks me to do is listen and take a simple step of faith and He will do the rest. However, if I don’t take that simple step of faith and walk in boldness I have not given Him room to work through me. It is definitely not always easy; however, most of the time it’s actually not that hard. I just have the common problem of overthinking absolutely everything. That is why they call it faith! God is continuing to teach me this lesson and I can’t wait to walk in boldness at Jeffreys Bay.
Another big thing God did for me in Guatemala was break chains and He gave me the gift of freedom and newness in Him. Let me explain what that looked like for me. For many years I had believed the lies that I wasn’t enough and I wasn’t worthy. Many of these lies stemmed from the reality that I looked for reassurance in others. First, God had to teach me that as a Christian He doesn’t call me to please others. In fact, most of the time He calls me to the opposite (Galatians 1:10). As I learn to walk this out the Lord showed me that He has so much freedom to give to those who are willing to simply repent and ask. I had to repent of believing the lies that the world and satan had told me; that I wasn’t worthy and I wasn’t enough. I also had to repeat of living my life as though those things were true about me. When I gave those over to the Lord in exchange He gave me the ability to walk in complete freedom with Him. He showed me that His desire is to recreate me more and more into His image. He also showed me that the places Satan attacked us the most is where we are the strongest and the biggest alli to the growth of the kingdom of God. I am looking forward to stepping into this new season in Africa with these gifts from the Lord. I have complete faith that as I walk in boldness and freedom the Lord will walk with me and work in a way only He can. Thank you for being faithful in prayer for me as I lived in Guatemala.
Peace and Blessings!
