It’s fun when a place transitions from foreign to familiar. Our squad is finishing out first month here in Guatemala, and I’ve already seen how we have grown. We’ve become closer with our teams, we’ve become more conversational in another language, and we’ve gained a greater appreciation of the slow pace of life here.
My team, Qadosh, helps with two ministries here. The first is in Paramos. There, we help with the church Restaurando a la Familia. We help there on Tuesdays and Fridays. On Tuesdays we participate on their soccer ministry, while on Friday we have English class!
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, our team travels to Itzapa where we help with a school, Compartiendo Nuestros Bendiciones. In Guatemala, however, the school system is the opposite as in the U.S. – lasting from January to October. So we are helping with their out-of-school program. On Wednesdays, we normally walk to a variety of places on the outskirts of the town and play with the kids, read them a story, then pass out the story/coloring books to the children of Itzapa. While on Saturdays, we join the school’s book club, where the students from their school come over, we tell a bible story, and get to play with them!
On Thursdays, the AIM base has Activation. During Activation days we worship, then listen to a teaching. We individually pray about what we just learned, then practice ATL (Ask The Lord) the rest of the day. ATL is where we follow what we heard and ask him to lead us as we go out.
For Qadosh’s off days, Sunday and Monday, we spend them in rest, for Sabbath , or exploring, on Adventure Day. I’ve learned a lot about slowing down and recognizing when I need rest and how God moves through that. Guatemala is very wonderful, but has actually caused my to go through a rollercoaster of emotions. Getting here, the concept of 9 months away started to really hit. Homesickness set in and I felt completely weird because I was so happy to be here and to do the ministries I was participating in, yet I was exhausted and slightly upset whenever we got back to the base. God’s been teaching me to constantly put my trust in him. I’m relearning how to rejoice in the sad moments and not only the fun ones. It’s been a process but I’m looking forward to seeing how much more God is going to transform me.
