What Am I Doing Here??

What a great question. Many ask me this along with ‘why go to Guatemala? and ‘for how long?’

As I ponder these questions, I can honestly say that I don’t have answers for them all. However, what I can do is give you some background on how I got to this point and then maybe the Lord will reveal to you what He revealed to me: to share His love and good news to those that are lost and in need, following after God wherever He leads me. Getting to this point of being willing and open to leave everything I knew as normal and being away from my family and friends to move to Guatemala took some time, a lot of prayer and constant faith that God knows all things and that He has a bigger purpose for my life than I can ever imagine.

 Six years ago I can honestly say that I never in my life would have ever thought about doing missions work or moving to another country and yet here and today that is exactly what I have done.

 But how and why choose Guatemala?
Well, I have to say that God started this plan for me almost six years ago in 2007 when I started attending Roberts Wesleyan College. In 2008 I became a member of a group formerly known as SIFE (currently known as Enactus), and I had heard from a friend that this group had sent teams down to Guatemala for the previous five years focusing on a small village named Santa Cruz. While in country they taught a simple business program called Biz World to middle school aged students demonstrating the basics of how to run a business from beginning to end by producing a product as simple as a bracelet and selling it for profit. They also did VBS activities with the younger children teaching them about the Love of Jesus. This sounded pretty awesome to me and since I had never been on a mission’s trip before, let alone out of the country I thought “Why not?” I joined team Guatemala in 2009 not knowing what to expect. I should also note that I knew (and still know) very little Spanish. But going on this trip opened my eyes to opportunities that I was completely unaware of. I had the chance to minister and bring a smile to so many little children that were ready to love on me with open arms even if I couldn’t speak more than two words to them. I met people willing to give up everything even if they had nothing and I desired to be able to do the same.

When RWC SIFE started going to Guatemala, they created a seven year commitment plan so that while working with the people of Santa Cruz, they would not become dependent on the services we were helping to provide but rather become self-sufficient. Therefore in 2010 RWC SIFE traveled to Santa Cruz, Guatemala for the last year of their commitment. I knew I was not going to miss out on an opportunity to travel to this place I had come to love, so I signed up and traveled with the team for probably the best trip I have ever been on.

We started the week out working in Santa Cruz with the kids and by the end of the week no one wanted to leave because we had come to love these kids and people so much. We left the village shedding many tears, but prayed that God continue to use us as His will be done in hopes that more opportunities would open up for us to serve, and I’m pretty sure God heard our prayers. That Friday morning we were supposed to travel down to Guatemala City and do some tourist activities including climbing Pacaya- an active volcano. However, that morning we found out that Pacaya had erupted leaving black ash EVERYWHERE and closing down the airport. We traveled down to the city only to find out that hurricane Agatha was also making its way into Guatemala. So we accepted the fact that we were now trapped in Guatemala for a few extra days and we prayed that God open opportunities for us to serve.

We stayed four additional days and were able to:

• Serve at Hogar Mama Carmen’s, an orphanage in the city providing a home to approximately 35 orphans.
• Help build six homes for families living in the City Dump that had been destroyed by the aftermath of the volcano and hurricane.
• Be an answer to prayer for the Church of Peace (Iglesias de Shalom) where we helped provide supplies and created murals so that the church could have a more kid-friendly atmosphere to hold children’s church.

Each day was a new adventure and had its challenges, but I am so thankful to have had experienced it all because God truly opened my eyes up to several needs in this particular country while at the same time I think He was preparing my heart for the plans He had for me yet to come.

Flash forward to the summer of 2012 when I traveled back to Guatemala on my own, this time with the intention to find where it was the Lord wanted to take me. I had made plans to meet up with my friend Mark who was staying at Hogar Mama Carmen’s for the summer and our friend Liz who was going to fly down as well for a little over a week visit.

This trip was my confirmation that God wanted me to serve in Guatemala. I was expecting some big sign telling me ‘Stay here, come here, this is where you’re supposed to be’, but I’ve come to learn that God shows parts of His plan for our lives in the little things. I spent eight days getting to know some of the sweetest, kind-hearted and loving kids that stole my heart away. We played, we laughed and I got to help treat my new friends to the movies, smores and some pretty tasty meals. I remember praying ‘Lord just give me your sign that this is where you want me to be a servant and help your people’ and as the week went on I felt as though this place was like home. I didn’t feel out of place, even though I barely knew the language, and there was just something there that made everything feel alright. I knew that God was with me and that he was preparing my heart even in that moment to care and love these people that I had just come to know. The day I was supposed to leave I remember telling my friend Mark that I didn’t want to go and he said ‘ok, you can stay’. I knew that wasn’t possible for me because I had to get back for work. So I got on my plane and as I looked out the window my heart broke; it hurt to leave this place I was starting to love.  I envisioned the kids’ faces and thought about all the stuff I had done over the last eight days and I cried.  It was then that I knew for sure that God wanted me to serve in Guatemala. I wasn’t sure when or for how long, but I did know where.     

I prayed a lot, and a lot was spoken into my life about being a missionary and going out and making connections. Once those were made God would provide the finances needed and he’d open doors for me do His will and plan. So in December I finally felt at peace to leave my job at Walgreens, I booked a ticket to Guatemala, and on January 14, 2013 I started my adventure in Guatemala.

So you ask “What am I doing here?” I’m being obedient and accepting God’s plan for my life. I don’t know how long I will be staying Guatemala but I suppose I’ll take it a few months at a time and see what opportunities open up. I ask that you keep me in your prayers as I continue on my adventure and I pray that you are able to experience the plans that God has for your life, that you may also be an instrument for God’s Kingdom Building. Be blessed.