Guatemala Short-term Missions trip

Day 5

Our plan this morning was to split our team into two groups again, and send one group to a job site and the other group to visit families in their homes. God had other plans.

The job site we intended to visit is the one nearest to our hotel in Asuncion Mita. It is the location where we poured a concrete slab on our first full day in Guatemala. The goal today was to return to that site and erect a house. But as we approached the location, we ran into stopped traffic. Some conversations with locals confirmed our suspicions: the previous night’s rain had washed out the road crossing the river. It was impossible for us to drive to that site.

Our missionary partners decided to head back to the job site we had worked on just yesterday. We were loaded with the materials to build a house, and we had another concrete slab prepared, so we drove there. On the way, we tried to find other houses to visit in the area. But, because our local contact was at church, finding other homes to visit was impossible. So, just like we all worked together on the first day to pour a slab of concrete, today we all worked together to build a house. 

Today our whole team arrived at the job site that some of us had just left the previous evening. Together we hauled sheet metal, cut it, attached sheets to studs, put up walls and laid down a ceiling. Toward the end of the day, a number of people even took part in painting the house. The whole day was a series of opportunities to be patient, flexible, kind, and generous. And the team really stepped up in all of those areas. 

Finally, with the paint just barely dry, the team got to work inside the newly constructed house, preparing it for the family that would live there. We hung bunting and balloons. Sheets were put on the beds. Gifts were laid out. Moments later a formerly homeless mother and her two children entered their new home and almost immediately burst into tears of joy. Most of our team cried right along with them. 

Today was overwhelming in the best way possible. It was impossible to not see God working. He brought us to the right place at the right time to do the work that He wanted to be accomplished. It was a day that the Lord made; we rejoiced, and we're glad in it. 

When the team is back, make sure to ask them to share their stories about this day. Everyone was impacted differently, but significantly. Some made friends with the family who received a house and their many neighbors. Some learned new skills, and learned how they can serve God in new ways. Some of the team just grew closer to their teammates. But though every story is different, they are all worth hearing.  

Tomorrow? Tomorrow will start with us asking God what He wants us to do.