Monday, October 23, 2023.
First day of ministry for Team Abide.
After getting picked up at 9am by our ministry host, Tulio, we begin the hour long drive up a volcano into the village of Acatenango. The very curvy roads made everyone get woozy but we got that feeling confused with the absolute awe we felt as we could see clearer views of surrounding mountains and volcanos as we trekked up Acatenango.
As we walk to the base where the ministry we’re partnering with hubs, we feel volcanic ash falling from the sky and see the grand landscape view of lots of mountains, slightly covered by the thick clouds. We are welcomed by the Guatemalan women who run this ministry and we have introductions and a small orientation before we begin the day, all translated by Tulio. We partner with this ministry on Mondays and Wednesdays, where we’ll be teaching English classes to kids, building houses, and doing house visits. To start things off, Tulio and the Guatemalan women took us to do some house visits. We did a total of five visits, all being so powerful, but one specifically speaking to me. It is easy to say I walked out of that day with new eyes.
The first house we visited was eye opening being that it was the first time I actually stepped into the living conditions of true poverty. When I say “house visit”, what I really am trying to say is “one room with a single bed housing five or more people, a small covered kitchen outside with a stone stove, a concrete washing sink to clean clothes, and hanging lines to dry clothing, all surrounded by scraps of metal” visit. And every other house around looked the exact same.
The third house we visited was the one that wrecked me the most. The lady of this house easily had the worst living conditions we had seen, yet she was the one who was thanking God the most. This lady was sick and was struggling to start to move her things out of her house so we could build her a new one. There was a sense of extreme desperation in her eyes. As Marina, one of the Guatemalan women we’re working with, prayed over her, this lady was crying out to God in a way I’ve never heard. The prayer was all in Spanish so I didn’t recognize much spoken other than the continual use of “Muchos Gracias Christo”. “Thank You VERY MUCH Christ.” It was said over and over again. Here I am, looking at this lady who has very little going for her, continuously thanking God for all He has given her. If I was in her shoes, I would find little to nothing to be thankful for yet she found so much. Even when I have SO much to be thankful for, I still struggle to thank God for all He has given me.
As we trek down the windy roads of Acatenango to get back to home base, I sit and reflect on the day I had and what I had learned from it. I was able to see that God sees everyone the exact same and loves us all equally. And even in the darkest of moments, there is always something to be thankful for. There is always a reason to praise God. My eyes have been fully opened into what ministry really looks like. Into what it means to fully look away from yourself to focus on the needs of the people you’re serving. And as I move forward with many days of ministry, I will continuously allow the Lord to change my heart and give me His eyes to see the people around me. If this is what I’ve learned after a day of ministry, I can’t wait to see what months of it will reveal to me.
