Entry 10: God’s Goodness in Guatemala

It’s been 4 days since I came home from Guatemala, and honestly, I’m still blown away by all that happened on that trip. It’s taken me a few days to get my thoughts together and try to put into words all that God did in that week.

On Sunday June 15th, after a 2:00 am wake up, a 10 hour layover in Miami, and some laughs along the way, we were finally on a plane to Guatemala. When I looked out the window of the plane, I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life. The only way I can think to describe it would be as if the heavens had opened up. It hit me, that this moment was finally here, and how long I had waited for it to arrive. I thought about everything I wanted to happen on this trip, so I decided to make a list. I called it my, ‘Guatemala Mission Trip Bucket List’. Little did I know how God would use that list the rest of the week.

On Monday morning, we woke up for our first day of work. After breakfast, devotionals, and a run-down of the day, we loaded up on buses to travel to one of the farthest villages from Guatemala City. As we looked out the window of the bus, you could see the palpable difference as we travelled from the city to the rural, moving deeper and deeper into poverty. I remember how nervous I was, “I’ve never built anything before, how am I supposed to build someone a home?” “I don’t know any Spanish, how am I supposed to talk to the family we’re building for?” “What if I don’t connect with the family I’m serving with, what if I don’t have the opportunity to share God’s love with them?” As we travelled, we started making stops to drop off other groups. I wondered if I was in the wrong group. If I was meant to serve a different family than the one I was assigned. At our stop, I got off the bus with doubt in my mind, but a resolution to trust in God’s plan anyway. We walked down the road a bit, and then down a dirt pathway as we made it to where we would be spending the rest of the week.

It was like stepping into a whole new world. There was two structures on either side of us. On the right side was a cement room with a tin roof and metal door with 3 bunk beds inside. The tin roof extended beyond the walls to create an outdoor awning. On the other side was a mixture of tin and wood laying together to create a larger room, practically outside with the amount of gaps and holes it had. This room had a stove and a table. There was animals EVERYWHERE, chickens in every size, pigs, and doves. Behind the two structures, there was an open plot of land, with a singular row of cement blocks in the shape of a rectangle. This was the humble beginnings of the home we were building. We met our masons, the workers who would help us to build this house. Their names were William Senior and William Junior (his son), but we just called them both “Willy”. And then we started working. Cutting wires, mixing cement, laying cement blocks. Willy Sr. was incredibly kind and patient, and started teaching us how to lay bricks correctly, telling us we were doing a good job (even when we weren’t). Since Willy spoke no English, a lot of our communication was done through pointing and the use of simple Spanish words. “Mas” (more), “agua” (water), “bueno” (good), “aqui” (here). But our communication extended far beyond this. At the end of the day, we stood looking at the progress we had made, and I looked over to see Willy Sr. talking to Michael (our translator). All of a sudden, Michael says, “Willy has something to say to everyone!” As we all turn to look at him, he points at what we’ve made and says in English, “this is beautiful”. When he said that, he was reassuring us that we had done a good job, but I think he was saying something else too. THIS, this group of people that had come together from different nationalities, different ages, different cultures to build a home by the will of God, this was something beautiful. Bucket list item #1: “learn one new thing about God’s character” Willy showed me, God is in everything, and God’s love transcends all language and cultural barriers. There is no earthly division that can separate us from the beauty that is found God’s presence. And it’s when we take a second to look around us that we realize this inescapable reality.

After we finished building, Michael introduced us to the family we were building with. The house was for Hose and Rosalba and their 1 year old daughter, Sara. They lived with Rosalba’s parents Leonardo and Anna Maria, and Rosalba’s 6 younger sisters. After some brief introductions, I left with a resolution to get to know those little girls.

The next day was much of the same. Breakfast, morning devotionals, and loading up onto the busses. With some sore muscles but eager hearts, we set out on a drive that was already starting to feel so normal. My friends and I came up with ways to spend time with the little girls and help them to be more comfortable around us. When we arrived at our site, it was amazing to see how much progress Willy and Hose had made after we left, and just how quickly this home was coming together. We spent the morning working as we did the day before, continuing to lay bricks while standing on makeshift scaffolding, until eventually we took a break to visit a Tienda (a small Guatemalan convenience store). The two youngest girls, Angelika and Maria Rosita wanted to come with, so I held out my hand, and Rosita put hers into mine. Neither of them said much as we walked, but when we asked them to pick out their favorite drink, their eyes lit up as they pointed to their favorites. When we got back, we brought out small puzzles to do with them, and showed them how to lay the pieces correctly. As time went on, more of the girls would poke their heads out the door and we’d beckon for them to come over. It wasn’t long before 12 little hands were eagerly putting pieces together. We asked them their names. Angelika, Maria Rosita, Monica, Elena, Rahinna, and Jessica. As we continued working, putting together cinderblocks and puzzle pieces, a storm rolled in. Lightning struck only a few feet down the hill, and rain began to pour. We decided it wasn’t safe to continue working, so we all took shelter under the awning. If it wasn’t for that storm, what happened next would’ve never come to be. Bucket List item #2: Experience a moment of pure joy. We beckoned the girls over to us, and told them we wanted to play a game. We all made a circle, and laid our hands, one on top of the other. We began to play obo-shen-a-ten-tat, starting slow as the girls learned how to play the game. I looked around me. Every single little girl was smiling and laughing. Rosalba and Hose stood holding Sara and a camera, grinning. Anna Maria and Leonardo stood off to the side, smiling down at their daughters. Willy and his son stood on the other side, also beaming. It was like a barrier had been broken down, and the joy on each face was a window into our outpouring hearts. We continued playing until the rain passed and the sun showed again. But our eyes were full of light long before the sun emerged from behind the clouds.

The next day, I crossed off bucket list item #3: Suffer while you're serving. An entire day of mixing and pouring concrete. Hours of lifting heavy bags of sand and concrete mix, mixing with continuous shoveling, and carrying buckets over to be poured for the floor. But even as the work was so incredibly difficult, everyone had the same laughter and happiness as the days before. We may have suffered physically, but our spirits were radiant with God’s joy. As the work began to slow down, we pulled out our new activity for the girls - coloring. They all immediately rushed over as they saw us pulling out pages and markers, and they were eager to sit down and start coloring with us. As we sat and watched them color, my friend Maddie and I asked them many questions. They usually only responded with a few words, but their smiles showed us that this was not due to apathy. At one moment, Maddie asked one of the girls, Monica, a question. “Estas Feliz?” (are you happy?). She said that she was. Maddie asked “por que?” (why). “Because you are here, building us a home”. I will forever be blown away by the gratitude and love that those little girls had. They live on a dirt floor, with a home made up of tin and wood boards. The house we would build for them was but a singular room made out of cinderblock. But those little girls, they were grateful for everything they had. Going to school each morning, each other, the puzzles and coloring sheets we brought them. In earthly terms, they had nothing. But at such a young age, they saw God so clearly, they depended on Him every day, and as a result, they had such an overwhelming outpouring of love. They had more than most Americans ever will.

On Thursday morning, we arrived at our site for the last time. 4 cinderblock walls now had a roof, two windows, and a step. I never knew such a simple structure could take my breath away. It was like a physical manifestation of God’s promises. A tangible reminder of His provision and His power. Our last day of work didn’t feel like work at all. Putting on the finishing touches, we watched as God’s spirit entered that little room that we had built. Through prayer, hands laid in cement, laughter and rejoicing, God’s spirit seemed to settle on each stone. Our last day was spent with those little girls. They held our hands, and sat on our laps, and smiled up at us. We taught them how to make bracelets out of colorful string, and they joyfully (and quickly) made bracelets that they eagerly gave to us as gifts. I laughed with little Elena as we both tried to learn how to say colors in the other’s language. I talked with Monica about the things she loves to do. I tied Rosita’s bracelet to her wrist as she beamed with pride. When other groups arrived, we showed the girls their new home, as everyone prayed and worshipped at the wonderful glory of God. And as I experienced that moment so radiant with God’s sovereignty and goodness, I asked Him a question. “God, I’ve been asking you this question for a long time now. And I’ve never been sure of the answer. Will you please answer me today? Am I called to spend the rest of my life in missions work?” Maybe it was a hunch. Maybe it was blind faith. Maybe it was the spirit of the moment, but I knew in that moment that God had an answer for me. When the ceremony ended, and it came time to say goodbye, I looked at one person. Elena looked back at me, and I was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She knew we weren’t coming back, and as she came over to hug me, I heard God’s voice more clearly than I ever have. “Yes”. As I looked, all those little girls were standing around me, wiping the tears from their eyes, saying “adios”. I leaned down to look them in the eyes. I pointed to Elena, “Jesus te amo”. I pointed to Rahinna and Monica and Jessica and Angelika and Rosita. “Jesus te amo. Dios te amo. Me te amo.” All that I could say to them, the last thing I would ever say to them was, “Jesus loves you. God loves you. I love you.” As I walked away, I knew that I would never see them again. Atleast on this earth. But as I looked back one last time, I heard God’s voice again. “you will meet again. In heaven.” Bucket List Item #4: Help the family that I serve to know that they are loved by God. Share with them the love of Jesus.

My week in Guatemala was filled with so many unforgettable moments where God showed up. That experience changed how I view the world, the people around me, and the God above me. I learned that God really is in everything, that everything works together for the fulfillment of His divine plan. I learned that wherever I am, that is exactly where I am supposed to be, and so I have to make the most of every situation I’m in. I’ve learned that every person has a story, and these stories, well, they point back to God. I learned to never taking anything for granted, that true joy can only come from gratitude in what God has already given us. I learned that God can use anyone, a short-term missionary, a high schooler, a mason, ANYONE to spread his kingdom. I learned that love extends beyond cultures, beyond language, beyond words. I learned that God uses the ordinary to display the extraordinary, that the simple and the everyday can be life-changing. I learned that God desires justice for the poor, the exploited, the forgotten. I learned that God is faithful, that He answers our questions, he hears our cries, and that his answer can be manifested in the eyes of a little girl.

It’s a little hard to believe, but I am overjoyed to say, that after graduating, I will go onto become a full-time missionary. I’m not quite sure how to get there or what lies in store along the way, but Ephesians 3:20 says, '"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!” So I will have faith, because I can hardly wait to see what God could use me for.

I’ll leave you with this. Bucket list Item #5: Find one bible verse to sum up the trip. This was an easy one to check off. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19.