As we walk away from a trip, there are always snapshots that stick with us. They flash through our memories often and flood our soul with emotions. We asked our interns to share a couple of those pictures with us from this past trip to Guatemala. Here they are:
We visited a family in Lantana. The father of the house was going through the same thing that Greg Brown went through. He was into alcohol. His wife was a Christian and she wanted to share Christ's love with him. He said that he believed in God but was a little confused about Jesus. I guess what really got me was when we prayed with the family. The daughter that was about my age wrapped her arms around me and cried on my shoulder. I started crying also. God just gave me the understanding of what they were going through. After we prayed, the preacher gave the father his Bible and I felt peace in the house. The mother and daughter kept thanking me for listening to them. Tears were pouring from my face.
We begin each VBS lesson following along and doing fun songs with the children led by the members of New Jerusalem church. Even though the songs are in Spanish, it is so fun to dance and sing these songs with the children. After we finish the songs, someone from the church explains to the children why we are here, and then begins playing a soft song in the background...the only familiar word is "hallelujah"....as the song begins to play, the team breaks up and finds a group of children to pray with. Words can not describe how God seems to work through this song with every group of children. Today, I prayed with a group of three girls and one boy (all pre-teen looking). Once the song was over, I gave them a big group hug and the girls began to walk away. As I began to stand up, I saw the boy pull his shirt over his face..he was crying and wiping away his tears. Once I realized this, I gave the boy another big hug, and we just sat there for a minute hugging and then wiping away tears. Seeing a man cry ALWAYS gets to me....but seeing a preteen boy like this crying..not caring that older boys were around..not caring about how it made him look..not caring about anything, really tore my heart out. I don't know what this boy is going through at school or at home, but I can't imagine it was anything good. However, I know that no matter where you go, a hug is a hug. A prayer is a prayer. No matter what language you speak. To know this for me was one thing, but then to see God at work in this time and to use something as simple as a hug was amazing.
Lord, help us to never forget these images. May they burn into our memories so that we live each moment for your glory alone. Show us how to live and follow You in a way that gives you all the glory, honor and praise!
