Today was an absolutely amazing day full of smiles, laughter, hugs, and blessings. We started off our day by driving to an area that had been affected by a mudslide that displaced nearly 50 families. They were being housed in a community school and ministry that opened up their doors to them. We began our time with them by singing songs in spanish with the many families there. While I only knew one of the songs we sang in spanish, it was such a blessing to watch the people from the area sing along and praise God in the midst of a crisis- in the midst of wondering where they will rebuild their home. It was also a blessing to watch another of the interns, Tyler, lead worship in spanish and also communicate fluently with the people here. I love being able to see God use Tyler, and many of the other people on this trip.
We also did VBS while we were there with the kids. Although the language can be a barrier, smiles and laughter are definitely universally understood. I loved seeing the kids enjoy themselves throughout the morning in spite of everything they may be experiencing in their lives. After VBS, we were able to give brand new shoes to a few kids from the area. As I watched Sheryl remove the worn and tattered shoes from the first girl, my heart began to break for these kids. I must have nearly 50 pairs of shoes (yes, 50.) and these kids had only one. Seeing the kids faces after they looked down at their new shoes was priceless. I was able to put new shoes on a little five-year-old named Javier, and as I helped him stand up, he immediately wrapped his arms around my knees and repeated "Gracias". Knowing that God used me to make a difference in Javier's life was a wonderful blessing. As we loaded up into our vans to head out to do VBS in another area, several women surprised us with tortillas they had made for us while we were there. It's always funny to me when I have this mentality that I'm going out to bless someone else, and instead I am the one who receives the blessing.
This afternoon we did a VBS in another area called Lantana. This was the second time for our team to do VBS in this area; however, it was my first time to be there. I loved seeing all the kids enjoy our efforts for VBS. Watching them do the motions to all the songs and bounce a ball on a parachute for a million times just warmed my heart. As we prepared to leave Lantana, we handed out a small pack of cookies to each of the kids. It was such a joy to see them offer us some of their cookies, then they gave us all hugs and even kisses on the cheek. It's so wonderful to be immediately accepted by these people. I did not expect it to be that easy. But it is clear so far on this trip that God is definitely working here. He's made countless ways for us to get where we are now, despite the volcano and despite the tropical storm and despite the long travel to Guatemala City from San Salvador. It is already clear that God has big plans for us while we are here, and it's amazing to see how He is already working through us. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us this week.
