Feeding Time at the Dump

      Going to the dump never gets easier. Neither does telling a little girl that you are serving milk to that she can't have anymore because of the line of children behind her that need some too. Today was our last day in Guatemala but also my third time at the dump in the last three years. My eyes burn with tears every time we pull up to the feeding center there and see the crowd of people covered in filth that are waiting to get food for their families.
      Hope of Life feeds three times a week and people will travel for miles on foot all day to fill their plastic cups and bags with food. The kids wait in line to fill old coke and water bottles that they found in the dump with milk while their mothers wait for the food. We give them tortillas, chicken and noodles and rice milk. This time around, Eddy from our group was generous enough to buy 25 watermelons for us to cut and to hand out as well. My job was to pour milk into the containers that the children held but was only allowed to fill each one to a certain point. After I filled the bottles the kids would take them over to an even larger bottle that their family shares and would pour it in there and then would get back in line.
      The dump was exactly how it was the first two times I went, sad and hopeless. There were two houses that were made out of stick, tires and tarp in the middle of the dump. Our translator explained that Hope of Life offered the two mothers that live there each a real home on campus but they declined. The dump, believe it or not, is their comfort zone. They have lived there and raised their kids there for so long that they did not want to change locations. It absolutely broke my heart.
      The dump is by far my least favorite part about Guatemala because my heart breaks every time we visit it. Although it makes me grateful for what The Lord has blessed me with, it makes me almost sick to my stomach and I can't help but have sympathy for the people. When I walk back to the bus I never turn around and take one last glimpse and think, "I'm really going to miss this about Guatemala" because it is the worst place on the planet.

Prayer Circles

      Today we visited the village, La Colonia, that our church adopted. We went from door to door delivering care packages for the families. The pastor of the village came with us and explained that they were so thankful because they never have people come and love on them. It was awesome getting to meet the people that we are going to grow together with in the next few years.
      In one of the first homes that we delivered to, we walked in and two women were making tortillas. They asked us if we would like to try and make some, so we dipped our hands in the water and broke off some dough sitting in a bowl. They smash the dough with their hands very fast but I couldn't go half the speed that they were going because the dough kept sticking to me. Once we were done "shaping" the dough, we put it on a hot skillet to fry. Our tortillas turned out pretty pathetic compared to the perfectly round ones that the women made.

      In November we have two groups coming down to Guatemala to start building a church for the village because they don't have one. They have already cleared a spot for us to start building on that we were able to see today. My group of eight circled up with the village pastor and prayed on the dirt where the church will stand in a few months. This was my favorite thing that we did today because I'm reading a book called The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson which talks about drawing prayer circles around your dreams. The dream of adopting a village in Guatemala and building a church started with my mother and a few others from my church. That dream is going to become a reality in November because we have been circling it and praying about it for years. My mom prayed some bold prayers and God is delivering because she kept circling them.
      We organized a bible study with the women in the village that my mom and Mrs. Karen led while the rest of us played with the children. We made bracelets, read, played games and soccer with them. I got my butt kicked in soccer by some of the boys but learned some cool new tricks.
      Today was so much fun and absolutely amazing. My heart is overflowing with joy from being reunited with all of my kids yesterday to starting a new beginning in La Colonia today. It gives me chills thinking about how God is using each of us individually in this process of starting something new. I'm so thankful for the calling that The Lord has placed in my heart for Guatemala.

      "Drawing prayer circles starts with identifying your Jericho. You've got to define the promise God wants you to stake claim to, the miracles God wants you to believe for, and the dreams God wants you to pursue. Then you need to keep circling until He gives you what He wants and He wills."

                  - Mark Batterson 

Beyond Me

      We are here! The 12 hour trip felt like it doubled because I was so antsy to get to Guatemala and see all of the children. We were all pretty delusional by our last flight into Guatemala City since we all have not slept for a day and a half. I had my headphones in and kept dozing off and waking up the entire plane ride.
      When I woke up right before we landed, a song was playing on my iPod that I had heard many times but had never listened to what it was actually saying. I replayed the song a few times and felt exactly what Toby Mac was describing.

                                                    "Beyond Me"
                                                    by Toby Mac
     

Call it a reason to retreat
I got some dreams that are bigger than me
I might be outmatched, outsized, the underdog in the fight of my life
Is it so crazy to believe

That You gave me the stars put them out of my reach
Called me to waters a little too deep
Oh, I've never been so aware of my need
You keep on making me see
It's way beyond me
It's way beyond me
Yeah, it's out of my league
It's way beyond me
It's way beyond me
It's way beyond ...

Anything that I got the strength to do
In over my head keeps me countin' on You
I'm leaving the sweet spot, sure shot
Tradin' it all for the plans You got
Is it so crazy to believe

You take me to the place where I know I need You
Straight to the depths that I can't handle on my own
And Lord I know, I know I need You
So take me to Your great ...
Take me to Your great unknown

      This is how we are supposed to feel as Christians every day if we want to be obedient and rely on God. It was a good reminder for me coming into the week knowing that I'm going to need The Lord in every circumstance that I face this week and that I can't do it without Him.

Guatemala round three; What our week looks like

      It's that time of the year again when I pack up and head to the country that has a special place in my heart. As I prepare both my heart and mind for my third summer back to Guatemala, I can't help but to reflect on how much the Lord has blessed me in that country. I've been looking forward to this week since I stepped foot back in America last summer. This trip to Guatemala will be different because I unfortunately won't be able to stay for a month this summer due to my job. Although I'm sad that I won't be spending more time there, I am still very thankful for another opportunity to travel to Guatemala again!
      Many people have asked what we specifically do during our time in Guatemala so I decided to share our itinerary for the week.

Sunday: 
- Arrive in Guatemala City (@2 pm)
- Drive to Hope of Life (4 hour bus ride)

Monday:
-Tour of Hope of Life for new members
         *Elderly Home
         *Baby Rescue Center 
         *Special Needs Home
         *Orphanage 
         *Liberty College
         *Warehouses
         *Tilapia Ponds
         *Greenhouses
         *Hope of Life Village/ Causelife Village
         *Baby Hospital
-Lunch
-Choose a place on campus where you would like to serve for the rest of the day

Tuesday:
-Depart for La Colonia
-Go door to door with gifts to meet the people and pray for the families
-Lunch
-Activities with the children
-Bible study for the women

Wednesday:
-Ministry at Hope of Life
-Lunch
-Depart for the feeding center at the dump
-Return for afternoon of ministry at Hope of Life
-Have dinner with sponsor children

Thursday:
-Depart for La Colonia
-Go door to door with gifts to meet the people and pray for the families
-Lunch
-Activities with the children
-Bible study for the women
-Fiesta dinner

Friday:
-Ministry at Hope of Life

Saturday:
-Depart for airport (@4 am)
-Depart from Guatemala (@ 1:30 pm)

      When we are on Hope of Life's campus we are able to decide where we want to spend our day ministering. La Colonia is the village that my church adopted last summer. We are investing in that village in the next few years and will start building a school and church for them starting in November. During this trip we really want to get to know the families that live in that village and start relationships with the people there. 
      The feeding center is a place where many travel on foot for miles to get food for their family for that day. The dump is just like any other dump where trucks from the city will empty their garbage but it is also home to a lot of families. The dump is also where the feeding center is located. It is definitely the saddest place that I have ever been to and my heart breaks every time I return. Our job there is to feed the people and fill their containers with food and water so that they can take it back home with them.
      My family has been sponsoring a little girl from Guatemala named Ilda for the past 7 years. Our first trip to Guatemala in 2013 we had the opportunity to meet Ilda and her dad in person and have dinner with them. On Wednesday we are going to see Ilda again and spend some time with her and her family!
      I am itching to get back into those beautiful mountains and have my kids back in my arms again that I can barely wait to board the plane in 7 hours! Please keep my group in your prayers as we start our long and exhausting trip tonight and for the rest of our week ministering to the people of Guatemala.

Guatemala 2015 round three, here we go!

Living in Obedience

      Spending a month in Guatemala was one of the easiest yet hardest things that I have done in my twenty years. It was the easiest because I knew that it was where God had called me and that it was His will to send me there. It was the hardest because it was so far out of my comfort zone and because I was not emotionally prepared for what I had experienced.
       Since my first trip to Guatemala in July 2013 the country has always had a special place in my heart. A lot of people do not understand the reason for me going back year after year. Some have pointed out the obvious, that there are people here in our own country that need help and it would be a lot cheaper than traveling all the way out of the country to do the same thing. My response to people that tell me that is this...
        A person is a person whether they live in the United States or on the other side of the world. Spreading the love of God should not be limited by borders, oceans, or comfort zones.The Lord calls everyone to different places. While some are called to stay in their own country and be a light to their own people, others are called to different parts of the world.  If a Christian shares the gospel to somebody and they become saved then why does it matter if they are African, German, American or Guatemalan?

        There are times when I begin to talk myself out of going just once because I do not have the finances. In less than two years I will have to start paying off my student loans and good heavens I am already overwhelmed by that. Soon after I have these thoughts about not being able to go, God reminds me of how sovereign he is. I trust The Lord and I constantly have to remember that if it is His will then He will make it happen.The Lord always reminds me that he is in control.
         As I get ready for my next trip to Guatemala in May, I often look back at the memories that I have made there in the past two years and the people that have changed my life. Each time I go down there my number one goal is to teach the Guatemalans about Jesus Christ. Each time I return back home I realize that they taught me more about the love of Christ than I could have ever imagined.
          As Christians we are supposed to be each other's support system and encourage one another to follow where God is leading us. My challenge to you is that if The Lord is calling you somewhere then go. Don't worry about how or when because God will make the arrangements for you. We all have different callings; imagine the world if we all had the same.
        The Lord has called me particularly to the country of Guatemala and I will be obedient and go until he calls me somewhere else.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
          -Matthew 28:19