The last night of sharing is always particularly special. We have especially been blessed having Daniel, our adopted "Guatemalan son," with us on both teams. He is an amazing young man; God is doing wonderful work in his life, and we are so thankful for the relationship we have with him. His mother, Maydy, and their family, have also become a special part of our "family." Maydy joined us for the last two days of outreach in Palencia, and she was a tremendous asset to the ministry. She could instantly relate, of course, and speak to them in specific ways that we could not. She is such a prayer warrior, and her prayers made huge impact on the people. She and Daniel stayed with us for our sharing session, and it was so sweet to hear their impression of the ministry and appreciation for the concern for their people. Made us all consider how concerned we are for our own. This was the first time Maydy had been able to join in a mission outreach, and it was really good for her to see and experience it for herself. We are truly thankful for the people the Lord has brought into our lives to share with, pray with and for, and learn from.
As each person shared, there were common reflections: sense of gratitude for the opportunity to serve, appreciation and admiration for the workers here, greater understanding of what it means to flesh out our faith, challenge to have a deeper walk with the Lord, desire to be more involved in global missions, appreciation for family, gratefulness for our abundance of material blessings in the US, and new experiences with the Lord as He spoke to each of us in special ways. As often happens, most people on the team didn't know each other all that well; there is nothing like serving together in this kind of outreach to truly get to know one another! When you minister together and pray together, there is a truly special bond. No longer will we see each other at church and just recognize a face; we now know each other...true community.
We've packed our bags, done our last minute cleaning up, and getting ready to head to the airport to return home. We will all leave a bit of ourselves here in Guatemala, and we take much of it with us in our hearts. We'll enjoy getting back to our own beds, and we'll have a lot of dirt and sweat in the dirty clothes we'll be glad to wash away, but there is a lot we don't want washed away as we get back to "life" as we know it. Colors may fade from our clothes, but we are praying that what we have experienced here will not fade, but will only become more intense.
Pray with us as we consider future development of the outreach ministry here, for Dr. Tito and his staff, for all the volunteers who assist them, and for the precious people of Guatemala. You can not only pray, but you can GO! Pray about coming with us next year as we follow His command to go to the nations.
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