My most frequent prayer since landing in Guatemala has been “God, please deposit in me your heart for this nation”. God loves Guatemala. He created every person who lives here in his image. He wants to minister to their hearts.
On Friday, my squad landed in Guatemala. We will be partnering with local ministries here for the next two months. Saturday, we had a beautiful time of worship led by a local Guatemalan named Junior and his son Mateo. Then we had a cultural briefing and learned that Guatemala means the land of trees. Guatemala’s population is 18 million people with 1/3 of its individuals being under the age of 15. It is a young nation, which is why I am excited to partner with a ministry that specifically serves children and teens.
Our squad of 15 split into three teams of five to participate in different ministry opportunities across the country. My team is Sydney, Sarah, Shania, Alicia, and me. The ministry we will be locking arms with is called Reindom, and it is located in Sumpango. Reindom’s goal is to connect hearts, create spaces, and manifest the kingdom of God on earth. They function in three pillars: intimacy, kingdom, and maranatha. Maranatha is a cry for the Lord to come, believing in his promised return. Practically, we will be helping run feeding programs, educational classes, and carrying the love of Jesus to children ages eight to fifteen. Every Wednesday, we will be hosting an event called “Mesa del Reino”, translated to “king’s table”. The heart of this event is to gather the widows, orphans, and alcoholics in the town and serve them a beautiful breakfast. Luke 14:13 “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind”. Our prayer is that each person that God brings to the table would experience his radical love for them. Psalm 27:10,13 “For my father and mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in”. “I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!” I’ve been undone acknowledging the depth of God’s knowledge of my heart. Our ministry in Guatemala is similar to ministries I had a hand in back in Wilmington, and I am beyond humbled that God is going to use those experiences in this new place.
Thank you for the way each of you has been praying. I am deeply grateful. Here are some specific prayer requests as we begin ministry in Guatemala:
- Pray that I would become more like Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2, “therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”. Pray that I would catch God’s heart for this nation.
- Pray for team unity. Being split up into separate teams was hard. Guatemalan’s will see the love of Jesus through how we love one another, and I pray that it is a pure reflection of Jesus. I have been praying Ephesians 4 daily for my team.
- Pray that each child we spend time with at Reindom would feel the tangible love of God in every interaction.
- Pray for a supernatural ability for me to speak and understand Spanish. My prayer has been that language would never be a hindrance in communicating the love of God and the gospel.
- Pray that we would encourage and lift up our ministry hosts in the work they are doing.
- Lastly, our team has experienced a deep heartache in our spirits for persecuted Christians. Join us in interceding for Believers around the world who are currently being persecuted for their faith.
My favorite moment from Guatemala so far was on Sunday. It was Guatemalan Independence Day. We spent the entire day with the kids from Reindom. An Independence Day tradition in Guatemala is running through the streets carrying fire torches while people line the streets, throwing cold water balloons and pails of water at you. It was a surreal experience with the kids. We went a total of five miles and were chilled to the bone from the water by the end.
Praising Jesus for Guatemala! It is a gift and an honor to be here!
Grace
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