Wow. I cannot believe month one is almost over. It has been a crazy first month and God has already moved my heart in so many different directions. These past couple weeks have been hard on me mentally and physically to say the least!!
God challenged us physically this month with the Acatenango volcano hike. It was the hardest thing that I have ever accomplished. I have never had to lean on the Lord so much physically. There were times during the hike where I did not think I would make it up the mountain. We slept in our tents about 11,000ft up on the volcano. We were cold, tired and many got sick due to the elevation change. I had a migraine and could not fall asleep, knowing we had to hike up another mile to get to the top for the sunrise at 4am. We were all exhausted, but we still got up and hiked. We all tried to be positive, but we struggled in every step. The path was rocky and slippery, people were nauseas and it felt like we were never going to make it. I kept on praying, “God get me up this mountain, just get me to the top”. It took us about an hour, and we finally reached the top, and as soon as we did every pain I had left my body when I saw that sunrise and volcano erupting right next to us. Looking out and seeing the Lord’s beautiful creation put me in such awe and wonder. It made all the pain and tears worth it.
Reflecting on it, I’m realizing that is how life is. We tend to look too far ahead and feel like we will never get to where we want to go. We must rely on God in every step of our lives. For at the end of it all God knows what’s on top of that mountain, he knows what’s around the corner. He has a plan for each of us. He wants us to focus on him, but to do that we need to watch where we step so that we do not stumble. Just like when I was hiking, I had to continuously watch where I was walking, and I needed light to be able to do so. God is our light, we need him, he is our guide.
The Lord has also taught me how to let others pour into me. Even though we were in Guatemala to pour into others and share the Gospel, he is showing me that I need to be humble and that he has just begun to work on my heart.
This month was FILLED with kids VBS, home visits and worship ministry. I loved getting to play with the kids and making them smile, even if they did not know what I was saying. As well as getting to know other fellow believers and hearing how God is moving in Guatemala. We also got to hear our host family share their testimony and life story. It was overall such a great month and great country to start out in. It will be a hard and sad goodbye, but hopefully a see you later. Guatemala and the people here have truly spoiled us and loved on us more than I could have asked for!
Please pray for our safe travels to our next country and the work that we will be doing there. It will be a lot more manual labor and a lot harder living conditions. It is an ALL-SQUAD month so that is exciting! Some personal prayers for me would be for me to be able to fully give Jesus my yes in my everyday life. To depend on him in everything and for him to use me for his kingdom. Please pray for peace, patience, and clarity for me for this upcoming month, as well as continuing to stay in the present. I miss my family and friends so much already, but the Lord has given me comfort and has blessed me with a great team here and with that I am ready for this next month and for the challenges that it will bring.
Next stop… HONDURAS!
Philippians 1:9, “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.”
4:6 “Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.”
Wow, what an experience. Thanks for sharing, Michaela. That’s very encouraging to remember that we only need to see step-by-step because God sees it all.