International Ministry - Guatemala 2017

I sat on the edge of a lake, bordered by volcanoes on the opposite shoreline, and I was so incredibly grateful. I've had some amazing opportunities and experiences in the last decade. I feel a responsibility to steward my time, resources, and giftings in the most fruitful ways possible. In the last 8 years it has led me to Central and South America.

This June was my 8th mission trip, my 5th to Guatemala, and I've seen God do some crazy cool things in me, through me, in others, and through others.

This year was a reminder that God doesn't need me and I am not the savior of the people we went to serve. But He wants to use me, and He chooses to use me.

God asked me to go, I went, and He chose to use me. But the ways He used me on this trip felt different than they have in previous years. I've had 7 trips worth of opportunities to be super hands on, working directly with people, hearing their stories, praying with them, etc. The longer I serve the more leadership I've been allotted, which actually ends up giving me more opportunity to serve others...in a capacity where I step back and let God empower others.

On this trip, that looked like taking care of details so others could tangibly serve hands on. And this has been a great reminder that even the tasks that seem mundane and insignificant are necessary to the larger mission coming to fruition. In a rural community our team provided a medical clinic to those with limited access to medical care. In the clinic I served in an organizational capacity to help the flow of patients and help them know where to go. Then the doctors, nurses, and individuals fitting for glasses could provide the necessary services. I remember feeling as though I was useless in the clinics at one point, but then realized organization helped the flow of the larger mission. While in felt like a menial task at first, there is significance in these roles and they still honor God. I'm not too big or too significant to take tickets and point people in the right direction.

This role even allowed me to have time to talk to a 16 year old girl, Melissa, who was volunteering through her church from Guatemala City. I got to know more about her, her family, what her dreams are, and what her current struggles are. There is always something meaningful about being present to others and taking the time to know someone. I was really glad to have this time with Melissa and now have ongoing points of prayer for her. Maybe my purpose for the clinic was to go deep with this one person. Our impact is not always seen, but there are eternal ramifications to how we choose to proceed.

Hundreds of people were seen in the medical clinic, and it was a pleasure to be able to watch the nurses and doctors use the knowledge and skills God gifted them to care for the health and well being of others. A girl who just graduated high school is preparing to go to school to be an ultrasound technician and she got to shadow an ultrasound tech that came. This girl felt so affirmed and excited to go into the field. I love being able to watch others step further into their calling, and it brought me joy to see her excited for the path God has ahead of her.

I originally was supposed to provide a children's program, as I have the last few years, but our contact in Guatemala ended up in the hospital and communication on this project was disjointed and caused us to cancel this project. That left me free to experience new things and wear different hats than I usually wear. One of these experiences was construction team. I had the opportunity to go into homes in this rural community to assist in installing stoves, solar panels with lights, and water filtration systems. These people live in extreme poverty. Over 50% of Guatemala lives in poverty, and much of it is rural poverty where families have few opportunities to work and generate income. To be able to spend time with families as we provided things I take for granted everyday - being able to cook over a controlled flame where smoke isn't charring walls, ceiling, and lungs, having clean water to drink without worrying about ingesting parasites, or having an unlimited energy source for lights and other electronics - was my favorite part of the trip this year. I even got to serve with my dad on this, who is always on these trips with me but we don't usually see each other much while in country.

The last project I participated in was a field trip for kids from La Limonada. We partnered with Lima Academy to take the kids to a children's museum. This museum was an interactive learning experience and the kids had so much fun. I was talking to my friend, Jessica, who runs the operations of this school and she shared on the recent surge of violence in their portion of La Limonada. La Limonada is a "red zone" in Guatemala, marking it as highly dangerous. It is one of the most notorious slums in Central America due to poverty and gang violence. Recently, some individuals were released from prison back into this community and have been causing conflict and acts of violence. The kids of La Limonada live under the stress and tension that exists in their streets, so to be able to take them on a field trip where they could just be kids for a day was such a joy. La Limonada and Vidas Plenas continue to be a place and organization that God is stirring a passion for in my heart. I sponsor a girl in this neighborhood, but the weather conditions kept me from seeing her while I was there.




To end my time in Guatemala, I went on an excursion (self funded :) ) to Lago de Atitlan, a few hours west of Guatemala City. It is a large, natural lake nestled next to Volcan de Atitlan. There are 12 Mayan villages around the lake, each names after the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, and we visited one of them - Santiago. On the way to Lago de Atitlan we stopped through Chichicastenango, a community with several Mayan cultures and traditions. This trip was fun for me, as I got to know more about some of the cultures within Guatemala. There are 24 Mayan tribes in Guatemala and all have their own Mayan dialects. In the last 4 years I felt as though we were only scratching the surface of learning and experiencing Guatemala. This trip allowed me to learn more and see more of Guatemala. These cultural experiences are important to me because I see more of who God is in the process. We are all created in His image, so each culture is another piece of the puzzle of understanding God. The time on the lake, just simply looking at it with Volcan de Atitlan behind it, was the most peaceful moment I've had in several years. I've struggled with high anxiety since I was 14 years old, and have recently had a dark presence in my dreams and room as I try to sleep, but this trip was a time of peace and feeling God's presence - I've always felt closer to Him in the midst of His creation.

My friend, Cassie, joined me this year on the trip. It's the second time I have brought a friend, and it is always so much fun to have friends see these places that mean a lot to me and meet the people that are very important to me. I love watching them serve and discover a new joy and passion as God moves in their hearts in new ways. God has a way of using these trips and experiences to reveal new things to us about ourselves and about Him. I can't wait to see how God will continue to use our time in Guatemala to do amazing things in Cassie's life.


Another short term trip has come and gone. But God is still doing a new thing in me and will continue to move in the lives of those we encountered. Thank you to those who supported my trip financially and through prayer. Your investment has touched the lives of many whom God so deeply loves and that continues to humble me - that friends and family would bless others so generously. I look forward to sharing more of these adventures with you in the future.