Tomorrow my fiancé boards a plane for a place my heart remembers fondly and my dreams often take me back to.
A year and a half later I consider it a pure act of God that Jake will get the chance to experience first hand what I did in Guatemala and we will be able to share a love for these beautiful people.
As Jacob prepares himself I cannot help but remember and revisit my own memories I hold onto. God is so present, so faithful, so humbling in the villages I visited. As I put aside distractions of media, a schedule, homework and more I found it so much easier and fruitful to draw near to the Lord. It's funny how it works that way, isn't it?
It was here that I discovered my innate need for celebrating the Sabbath. It was here that I grasped the deep significance of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection through little Ricardo. It was here that I felt the power of loving and being loved.
After one too many courses on religion and missions my mind has been tainted by doubts and criticisms of short term mission work. However when I think of this place, this materialistically impoverished yet richly communal place, my heart is content and my trust is in the Lord that he works all things together for his good.
So now as I watch others go to this familiar place I pray that God would continue his good work, spreading his gracious love, and forming unbreakable relationships not only among the people going but ultimately with Jesus Christ.
Pray for them with me?
Labels: God, Guatemala, missions, travel
