I Am Back In Guatemala

Will I have been back in Guatemala for a week now. I had a really good visit home; it was nice to see my family and friends. But it is really good to be back too. There are two more interns here now and all the hard work has started!

When I was home I had some time to reflect on what God had taught me in the last two months I was in Guatemala. It was the hardest and best thing I have ever done; spending two months by myself here. God showed and taught me so much. I have to say the underlying theme of that time was, get over yourself this life is not about you. God showed me to lay myself completely at his feet to die to myself and pick up my cross, whatever cost it takes. That I need to get out of my comfort zones and to stop making decisions based on myself and what makes me feel good or that builds up my image. I am to make decisions based on what glorifies God and proclaims His name. Sometimes that means making the hard decision and laying myself and my image at the cross and dying to selfish ambition. Being humble and letting God do what pleases Him at any cost. Because no cost is too great.

Me holding a 10 day old baby.

Some people for a team that came last week.

Visiting a family in the village.                     

Hiking in the mountains. With a team the was

here last week.                                                  

Booting! The other two people in the pitcher

are the other interns that are here.                  

 

 

3 months

Well, I have been in Guatemala for the last three months. It has been absolutely amazing! I spent the last two months there by myself. I was living in a dorm with high school kids that are brought down from the mountains to get a better education and to hopefully break the poverty cycle. As hard as the last two months have been, I would not trade what happened for anything.

God did so much in my life! He became very real to me in a way I have never experienced before. One of the biggest things that He taught me was to give up on the” American Dream” to not live for myself and what I want to see happen in my life, but to live for Him. To be completely sold out for Him to the point that all I want to see happen in my life is whatever glorifies God.

He has been teaching me to take life a day at a time; that I am not guaranteed tomorrow so not to plan away my tomorrows but live for today and to live as though this moment was my last. When you live this way you start to see what is actually important in life. He has shown me that I don't have to have a five year plan with every step planned out and how I am going to get there. To be honest I have no idea what I will be doing after my year here is over but I know God has that plan all worked out, all I have to worry about is today and what He wants to accomplish in my life and the lives of others around me today.

For the last week I have been back home in Colorado and I will be here till the 17th then I go back to Guatemala for nine more months. It has been a good visit back so far. It been pretty eye opening to see the differences between the US and Guatemala. The culture is a lot alike; people are people where ever you go. The major difference is that Guatemalans are a lot happier, relaxed and not stressed out. They don't have as nearly as much as we Americans do, but they are so much happier. They live life at a much slower pace and just take life as it comes. They put family and friends before everything and truly care how you are doing.

2 months

It’s been 2 months wow!!

I have had some of my harder days since being here in the last four weeks, living with the Guatemalan dorm parents. It has also been amazing and I would not trade this time for anything.

I have learned so much about myself and a lot about the love, grace, and mercy of God! I have really grown to love life here; it is a much slower pace… nothing is run on a schedule. Everyone is so sweet, whenever they see someone they know, even if they need to get somewhere, they stop and talk to them to see how there doing. If they need help they do what they can. It shows me how fast we live our lives in the U.S. we don’t even have time to stop and make sure the people around us are ok and doing good. We are too lost in our own worlds, schedules and making sure we get every task complete to even notice the people around us.

So, I have learned and mastered the ability to eat my food without using any utensils, just tortillas, without looking like a two year old (it’s a lot harder than it looks). I am still mastering the task of tortilla making it’s a lot harder than it looks too, but for now I am making a very entertaining evening show!

As my Spanish is starting to get better I am starting to get to know all the students that I am living with, they are all so sweet, always making sure that I am doing good and that I am happy since I have no American friends here.

God continues to show His love to me in new ways every day and knows just what I need and gives it to me just when I need it. He is truly the best Guy ever and I love Him! Thank you all for your prayers and support for this new chapter of my life. I know this time here will impact the way I live for the rest of my life.

Two of the students and me on the roof.

The sun set.

One of the students and the dorm parents doter.

The house I am living in.

One of my new friend.

One of the students and me.

 

Well it has almost been two weeks of me being the only gringo and English speaking person here. It is going pretty well. Some days are harder than others but I love every moment I get to spend with my best friend and lover of my soul, Jesus. I have learned so much and God is really dealing with some things in my heart and uprooting old sin so new things can grow. The language barrier is harder some days then others but I am starting to get Spanish. I think I know how a baby feels when they are learning to talk they can understand what you are telling them or asking them but don’t know how to put in words what they want to say. I have been sick and in bed most of the day so I had some time to write down some of the things God has been teaching me. All of the students and dorm parents are so sweet, making sure I am happy and not depressed since I am the only gringo here. They have made me feel so loved. And God has been giving me all the comfort I need. I am truly finding Him to be all I need and desire which was the biggest reason of staying here for six week by myself. He is truly developing a full dependency on Him in my heart. In 100% surrender to him comes so much beauty. Solitude is definitely the channel of intimacy with God! Every day I grow closer to him and fall in love with him more and more every day!

Matthew 18:3-4

Matthew 18:3-4
And He said "Truly, I say to you unless you will turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven for whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."



To become like a child is what God has called all of us all to. When reading this I ask myself what it means to become like a child. So I thought of some characteristics of a child. And this is what I came up with...
•They do whatever comes to mind and doesn't care what others think.

•They speak exactly what is on their minds.

•Their trust is easily gained.

•They are fun to be with.

•They don't care what people look like they just care about who you are inside.

•They are fully dependent on their parent's.; like we should be fully dependent on our father in heaven.


God is showing me the true importance of fully depending on Him of making him my everything, just as a child fully depends on his parents for food, protection, and guidance. God wants us to fully depend on him for everything we need. He wants us to find all contentment in him. And just as a child is very free in spirit and does not care what others think, God want's us to live for him and him alone.

The Heart

The heart is what controls every action, ever word we say and motivates us in all we do. The heart is the central part where everything pours out of our lives. A thought that is not backed up by the heart does not tack action in our lives. We do everything based on some kind of feeling if it is fear, love, happiness, hate or anger; it all out pours from the heart. So if your hart is entangled in some kind of sin every thought, action, and word that comes from you will revolve around that one central sin. So it’s not the thoughts you have to deal with it is the heart. Dealing with the human heart is the most painful thing, but is absolutely necessary to deal with if you desire your thoughts to change and your words to speak life. You have to let God deal with the root of the matter. If you want new growth then ask God to deal with your heart. It is painful for a season but what comes after the pain is a beautiful new heart that has a new outlook on life. Which from it can follow beautiful things.

Mark 10:17-30

Mark 10:17-30

So many of us that have grown up in the church have lived out what verse 19 says. We have lived it out our whole lives; it’s been drilled in to us by our parents, pastor, and Sunday school teachers. For a lot of us we can repeat these commandments like we repeat the ABC’s. So we think we are going to heaven because we have lived out these commandments and are a good person, I mean, that is what my Sunday school teacher said. But then we get to verse 21 sell all you have and give to the poor and follow me. In other words live radically don’t store up stuff on this world live life for Him. Let go of this world and temporary satisfactions and find full contentment in Him. We are all called to the same pursuit to live 100% surrendered to him and to preach His name to everyone. We can take nothing but souls won for his name to haven with us.