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