Day 6 – Tuesday
The day began with Hope of Life splitting us up into two ministry teams. One group went to Los
Limones and finished the last touches on the church building. They had the
arduous task of mixing enough cement, by hand, to pour the floor of the church.
The team worked tirelessly to accomplish this task. Not only did they finish
the floor, but they also were able to put a roof on the building as well.
Meanwhile, the other group stayed back at the warehouse and unloaded three
semi-trucks and packed 180 bags of food and juice and bags of Tom’s shoes for
the small village of Perlita.
Upon arriving at the village, we were struck by their extreme poverty
and impacted by their great gratitude. We all gathered into the small church
with the people of the village to hand out the bags of food. The church was
located on the pastor’s own property. We noticed that the pastor’s home was
unfinished because he built the church first.
What a testimony of selflessness and love for the people! We then had the opportunity to fit and distribute
Tom’s shoes to most of the women and children in the village. They were so appreciative of these small
gifts of kindness. We all remarked on
how grateful these people were for something that all of us have in
abundance. After we handed out the food
and the shoes, the village gathered together to hear Pastor Stephen preach the
Word. We were able to share the Gospel
with these people, declaring that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life –
the only One who can satisfy our souls.
We prayed with them and then returned to Hope of Life.
Once we returned to the compound, many of the students choose to visit
the orphanage for the last time. Some
students brought gifts for the children of the orphanage. We had such a wonderful time investing our lives
in them. It was so sad to say goodbye to
them.
Later that evening, we were blessed to have a Guatemalan style meal,
complete with a fiesta, featuring the orphans performing songs and dancing for
us, testimonies from members of our group and others serving with us, and a
brief challenge from Hope of Life’s director, Carlos Vargas.
Day 7 – Wednesday
This was our last full day in Guatemala! We were able to get a full night’s rest. We left the compound at 10am and made our way
to Los Limones for the dedication of the new church building that had finally
completed. This was the first church
building in this village and it was a privilege to be a part of this
project. The entire village and others
in surrounding areas came to the service – around 200 people total. The service began with a ribbon cutting
ceremony, where they asked Josh Stanton to cut the ribbon and open the church
building to the congregation that was already meeting together. As soon as the ribbon was cut, the firecrackers
were set off to celebrate this monumental moment! The people sang praise to God and gave thanks
to God for what He has done! Then the
pastor preached a message about Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus. The pastor talked about how Jesus was passing
by the people and how Zacchaeus was eager to see him. He proclaimed to the village that they needed
to seek after Jesus as well and find their hope in Him.
After the service, the team prepared to serve a meal to the entire
village. We had the privilege of serving
the women and children first, followed by the men of the village. It was great to see their smiles of
gratitude. It also gave us great joy to
know that we were helping to meet their physical needs with the food as well as
their spiritual needs with the establishment of the church building; for in
this building, people will be fed the Word of God!
After a long journey back to the Hope of Life compound, we were able
to invest our time assisting the children of the village of Chiquimula. These children are sponsored by Allow the
Children, and were the same group that we ministered to on Sunday. Each parent and child were given the
opportunity to go through the Hope of Life warehouse to get necessary items
such as clothing, shoes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and even some toys for
the children.
After dinner, we spent an extended time together as a team for our
nightly devotions. We all shared a
testimony of our favorite moments and the ways that God used this trip to
impact our lives spiritually. Each testimony was unique and encouraging to our
hearts.
As we type this, we are en route back to Virginia. This mission trip
has been the trip of a lifetime! We have seen God break us and shape us. We
have seen God cause us to be emptied of self and filled with Him. We have seen
God truly change us from the inside out. As we return, we desire to focus on
what God did in us and through us. We all know how much Satan desires to
discourage us and hinder us. Now that our trip is over, Satan will attempt to
destroy the unity and progress we have made as a team. He will stop at nothing
to divide us and keep us from serving and loving one another. By the grace of
God and the power of the Spirit, we cannot allow this to happen! We must be in
prayer for one another and be focused on continuing the unity and love that
should identify us as brothers and sisters in Christ!
Your fellow servants,
The TCS Guatemala Team
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