God is at work in Guatemala this week! Today was filled with many moments designed by God to use us as His instruments to bring His light into the village of Chajabal. Just when you think that the day before could never be topped, God gives you another day filled with unexpected surprises. The God moments that were brought up at our team meeting this evening before dinner include:
- In the primitive village of Chajabal, we saw tremendous need, and yet we met a loving group of people who patiently waited while we sought to bridge the language gap of this modified Spanish/Mayan language. Although less people were seen today than our previous two days, the lighter lines allowed for other opportunities...
- At one point during the day, we looked out our window to see an elderly man wearing his new reading glasses and reading the Bible that our team member, Mark, had given him. What a joy to see how the gifts of clearer vision and God's word are already impacting his life!
- We met the pastor's grandchildren, Maricella, Alvania, and his son, Martin Luther, who played soccer with us, read Bible story books in Spanish with us, and helped to serve us lunch made completely over a wood stove. Many other children also came throughout the day and enjoyed playing catch with a football and even playing a little indoor soccer in the clinic because of the cool weather.
- A group of team members went to pray with the pastor's daughter-in-law, Andrea, who is facing kidney failure. It was an emotional time of prayer as they face the reality of the cost of daily dialysis while waiting for a kidney transplant. Tears were shed as they joined hands in prayer and asked for God's will for this family. Pastor Mike was also able to pray with two of her children who we saw later in the day at the church and school where they attend. The youngest son, Moses, asked that we all continue to pray for his mother.
- After lunch, another group of team members went on a prayer walk to stop throughout the village to pray for God's work in Chajabal. When we arrived in a central square area, a large group of grade school age children were playing. We decided to pray in the grassy area where the children were and they quickly gathered around our guide, Nury. She engaged them in conversation and before we knew it, we were talking, singing, and praying with them. When she asked if they wanted to pray, they said yes, and quickly got on their knees. We followed suit, and as Nury interpreted Pastor Mike's prayer, the children echoed everything that was said! As our bus started driving us back to the clinic, children were running alongside of the bus and two even came with us all the way back to the church. Pastor Mike and Vicar gave them the bead necklaces and told them what they meant. Their names were Pedro and Juan, or Peter and John, since they wanted to know the English version of their names. Amy Mahnken told them in Spanish that in the Bible, Peter and John were friends with Jesus!
- The prayer walk allowed us the opportunity to GO into the village and meet these children. We encouraged them to come tomorrow to our clinic and bring their families to have their eyes checked. We told them that we had many more necklaces to share with them and are praying that God will bring even more children and families to our last day of clinics there tomorrow.
- Please continue to pray for our team that we will all remain healthy despite the primitive conditions we will again face tomorrow. Pray for Andrea's health, a child we saw today with cancer in his eye, another child who had a raging ear infection, and for more children and families to come and join us tomorrow. Pray that God will keep us rested, strengthened and renewed for the rest of our time here in Guatemala. Most importantly, pray that His light will shine into the lives of the people we see so that they may see Him and his gift of salvation for all of us!
