Guatemala Short-term Missions trip

Day 6

Jane,

Today was the last day of our second house build and home visits. I loved starting today with a team breakfast. While we were all a tired from the work this week, we still had energy to share stories of what God has done this week, laugh together, and have fellowship with each other.

On the way to the build we stopped at a nearby grocery store to get food for lunch. While Nick and Ben (two of the missionaries we've been working with) got the food, Izzy led us through a devotion in the parking lot.

We arrived at the house build after taking the 10 minute trek up a narrow paved path, and then up a hiking trail into the nearby hillside, and the family receiving the house came out to greet us. While we did have to carry the tools for today's build with us, some kind city workers had already brought up the aluminum siding and studs to the job site the previous day (saving us several hours of hauling materials).

The build went smoothly, with the home visit team joining us for lunch and all of us finishing the job together in the early afternoon. We were able to move the family in, pray over them and head back to the hotel for some relaxation time. It rained for a while on the drive back, but let up just before dinner so we were able to swim a little bit.

The experiences and lessons that God's taught us this week will always be in my mind. Not only did we help others grow in their faith, the trip has also helped me in my faith--listening to Ben talk at home visits and seeing the weight of people's circumstances melt under the power of God's love and faithfulness in Christ. At the end of every visit people have smiles on their faces because of their hope in the Gospel and our help despite their circumstances.

Jacob,

This morning the team split into two groups, the first to complete the finals steps of our second home build, and the other (which I joined) to visit two families before joining the home builders that afternoon.

The first family we visited was a single mother with four children (her husband abandoned them when their youngest was 18 months old). When we first arrived she appeared to bare the weight of the world on her shoulders. She described to Ben (in Spanish) how she'd been selling tortillas but that the transportation costs had more than doubled during COVID. She had a strong business sense and seemed to have a plan to start her own small business selling tortillas (and other food) out of a small road-side store.

Her eldest son, 12, was doing homework when we arrived. We quickly learned that he will finish 6th grade in a few months, and that 7th grade has significantly higher costs that the family would not be able to afford. Ben spend time talking directly to this boy, having him read out of the bible we gave them, and talking to him (and his mom) about how God has a plan for them, and they weren't a mistake. We read several other verses, encouraging them in their faith, prayed with them, talked them through the supplies we had brought, gave each family member several sets of new clothes, and then headed to the second house visit.

At the second visit was with a multi-generational family with several children and grandchildren. This family attends church regularly and had a small alter for prayer in their home. We quickly learned that while the husband was able to work, the medical expenses of several children in the family were making it difficult to make ends meet. Again here, transportation costs were a central problem for the family. Medicines found only in Guatemala City (about a 3-4 hr bus ride + taxi) cost about $100 round trip. The burden has been so significant that the family has been buying food on credit at their local market. We read several bible passages, prayed together, and gave them supplies and new clothing. After we'd left, the Bethel missionaries we were with discussed the possibility of shipping the medicines directly to the family, however there appeared to be several logistical challenges to overcome.

This past week has demonstrated the immense power of the Gospel, even to those in the most dire of circumstances. In fact, it seems that the Gospel is more tangible to the destitute and the impoverished here than for many in our own country. But one thing is clear:  if the saving work of our Lord Jesus can bring hope and joy to those facing death, crushing poverty, homelessness, and starvation then its promises are just as real and powerful to me also.