Tuesday..

Today we did home visits once again in the community of Lantana. We broke into three groups, each visiting two different homes before lunch. My team was welcomed in the first house by a lady and her two (very shy) children. As we shared with her, it was evident that she understood what we were sharing with her. However, she also shared that she attended a Catholic church. The more we talked with this lady, the more clear it became that she had head knowledge, but there was a disconnect between her head and her heart. We gave her a food bag, and she was very grateful. We prayed over her then, but I ask that you continue praying for her. I pray that she comes to realize that it’s not about a religion! We often here the phrase, “It’s not about a religion, it’s about a relationship” and that is so true! However, so many people fall under that false teaching.

The second house we visited belonged to a mother of three precious girls. The family was all believers in desperate need of encouragement. As we began to ask questions about their life and how we could pray for them, their need for encouragement became more and more pressing. They had recently moved to the community and the daughter was struggling very much with the move. She was 15 years old, and dHaleigh was able to share with her about their move to Guatemala and how she understands the girl’s struggles. She prayed for her, and you could feel God encouraging presence there. The mom also shared with us that they weren’t really going to church anywhere since they were new to the community. What an opportunity! As we presented the food bag to this family, the mother and the older daughter immediately began to cry. The mom shared with us that they have been struggling very much economically, and just this morning she cried out to God…telling Him that they were in need of food and His provision..and then we showed up only a few hours later!! How great is our God! We prayed over the family and after a few more minutes of talking we went our way. Then, during the afternoon two teams went out to do more visits and a team of us stayed back at the church to hang out and love on some of the neighborhood children. A few minutes into it, the family showed up! It was such an encouragement to see them already eager to get involved with the church.

Being in these homes really brought things back into a much needed perspective. Many of the families we visited today live on only a few dollars a day. Many do not even have any type of flooring. Their homes are a few pieces of tin nailed together and many have dirt floors. The houses are typically just one big room, with a few beds along the walls. And we complain about our orders at a fast food places being wrong….the line in Starbucks is too long…and continue and continue to spend our money in foolish ways, not truly recognizing the significance of what $20 could do for the families here.

My prayer as we wrap up our time here in Guatemala is that hearts would be changed. Not only hearts repenting of sin here in Guatemala, but hearts of the team..my heart, as we head back to the states would become aware and changed. I pray the images we saw today will never fade away. I pray we always remember the bigger picture of why we’re here…to give everything we have in service to God! He gave us the things we have for a reason, and we are using our resources oh so selfishly! We must learn to give, give, give, give, and give some more..not of just money, but give our love and time to the people who need it.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6
-Lindsey

God uses my past

So this afternoon, we went to a high school close to the church that we work at. It was really cool because these kids were close to my age. We told them a Bible story and then I got to share my testimony. I have shared it before, but this time it felt different. When one of the ladies was telling the Bible story, the boys in the back of the room was playing and acting up, but once I got up there and started telling them how Christ changed my life, they sat up and listened. It was really cool to share my life with them and they listened. It would have been totally different back in the States. The kids in the States would have played and acted up the whole time. I really love how God allowed me to use my past to share with those that are going through the same things I went through. I know God never wanted me to go through all that mess, but He is using it to bring him glory so I believe God wants to me share my story with you. I grew up in a non-Christian home. Both of my parents were druggies and were always drunk. My father was never around. My mother was abusive and hated me. She always slept with many men and they were abusive also. My grandmother was a Christian and would take us to church when my mother let her. My mother didn’t believe in Jesus and always told me that what my grandmother believed was not true. When I was 11, I went into foster care. My foster parents showed me the love of Christ and how He loved me. At first, I was confused because I never really saw what love was really like. I went to a Christian class and a year later I surrendered my life to Christ. I was then adopted at age 14. Now Christ is calling me to mission work. He is calling me to Guatemala to share my story with those that went through the same things I went through. So God has changed me in ways no one has ever seen and I praise Him every day for it.
~Brittney

Psalm 108:3-4

“I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 108:3-4
This morning the team and I got to live that Scripture out! God again gave us the amazing opportunity to worship alongside our brothers and sisters in Guatemala. We gave thanks to Him among the peoples and praised Him loudly among the nations… It is always a unique experience to worship at New Jerusalen. As Lindsey has already blogged, it truly is like a glimpse of heaven! For me, it also raised the awareness of other believers all across the globe who are worshiping and seeking after Jesus Christ just as we are. It is such a beautiful thing when we all come together and are connected by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us because of what Jesus has done for us. Guatemalans are especially good at being incredibly warm and hospitable. It is definitely something I want to take back with me!
This afternoon was different than any of our other days with the church there because for lunch we got to serve them. Or at least we tried to. Haha, we had trouble getting them to just sit down and let us take care of it! This is the place to learn to be a true servant. Their hearts are so generous and loving! It can be overwhelming.
I am excited about this week. God has already shown Himself powerful, completely sovereign, and that He is at work here in many ways. It is a huge blessing to be able to join Him in His work and be used as instruments, knowing that we are totally incapable of doing anything of our own strength, but that it all comes from Christ in us. We can rely on Him, because He is faithful! I have come to know Him on a much deeper level as I have seen and experienced Him in so many ways. What a gracious and patient King we belong to! May we strive to live as the body of Christ, daily pouring ourselves out for Him so that He can fill us back up. Remember to pray for the nations!
-Morgan

When we pray, when we praise, when we seek...God hears us!

This morning as we were talking with the team as they prepared to leave, I really got to thinking about everything God has been teaching me so far this summer. When we debrief with a team before they go home, I answer the questions knowing that I’m not quite going home yet. However, this morning I realized that the summer is almost over. Just one more week left before we travel back the Turners and then back to Tennessee for me.

God has really been opening my eyes recently to the true power of His word and prayer. They seem like such simple things, but so often we do not give them enough value.

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” And then Paul continues and says, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving (4:2).”

When we debrief, JT often asks, “What is one thing you’ve learned on this trip that you can do and take home with you?” For me, one answer would be to pray more intently and intensely. How powerful would it be if we as a body gathered more often to pray!
Another thing that I’ve learned is how much more you can learn when in a true sense of biblical community!! Being surrounded by other believers during the entire course of the summer has had such a huge impact on me and what I’ve learned and how I’ve grown! The time has enabled me to share with others what God is revealing to me each day, which has helped them to challenge me to live out what I’m learning. How great it would be to have that at home! This time together has also shown me how powerful prayer can be when done together with the body more often. I have learned so much from other believers by being around them on a daily basis, living and sharing together. Even just this morning as the team was preparing to leave, I had a really great conversation with one of the lady’s who has shared some of the same struggles as I have. And how great it was to see how God has worked through her life and to learn from some of the simple things she shared with me just about life in general!

My prayer as we wrap up this summer and spend one more week in Guatemala is that God would place people in my life at home that I can have that daily communication with. People to continually pray with, share with, and people who will challenge me. My prayer for this week is that as we go into homes to encourage and share, God would continually show us people at home who need those same visits, that same encouragement, and that same prayer. I pray that our hearts would be sensitive to His spirits’ leading this week. I pray through everything that happens His name will be glorified...and that we will come to know Him by experience as we obey Him and share His name in this nation.


-Lindsey

God's Blessings

As I sit in Guatemala, God reminds me of how blessed Americans are. Kathy Brown told me about a home that she visited today. It was of a little girl named Alma, who is 13 years old. She was so excited to hear that our team was coming to her house. We did go to her school, but since she can’t walk, then she can’t go to school. She has to stay at home and take care of her little siblings while her mother is at work. This story just brought me to tears to think that this little girl is longing to go to school, but she can’t. Looking at how the people live here also brings me to tears. God has blessed us so much, but yet we Americans are so unthankful. God has given us a nice house to live in and three meals a day sometimes more. He has given us good health, but yet we still want more. It hurts me to hear how a person in America spends their money when there are people in other places that are dying of lack of food. The pastor also told us today that he and his church were praying for us and our country. Wouldn’t it be cool if people from America say the same thing? This is what has been on my heart for a while and I felt that God wanted me to share this with all of you who are reading this blog.
~Brittney

To listen & obey...

This summer God has grown me so much! He is teaching me to listen to Him… To really listen to Him! And He has taught me to say “yes, Lord!” In New Mexico, He enabled me to obey His voice, and I was blessed to be used by Him to share the Gospel with the people there. Yesterday was a different and completely new scenario for me though. He impressed upon me that one of the team members needed to share their testimony with the class in Lantana, but it was suggested that I share mine, so I agreed. In agreeing, I disobeyed God. He had already told me the other person needed to share. But I, in my haste, failed to heed His voice. As I shared my testimony, it felt wrong, and I have never struggled so hard with my words. I learned in New Mexico to jump up and share, but God taught me yesterday that there are times when I am not suppose to share. I am suppose to insist on the person God has planned to use to share what He, in His sovereignty, has given them to share. Because of His power, He can still use the things I shared with the classroom yesterday, but because of my disobedience, they did not hear all that they needed to. They might have heard part of it, but not the entirety. I am so thankful to have learned from my failure. And I praise God that He is mighty to save, regardless of our failures. This experience has opened my eyes to a lot. And this summer has been an incredible opportunity to grow in Jesus Christ and His word. I am blown away by Him… I have been seized by the power of a great affection! I am striving to listen, and to be still and know He is God. There are times we all need to stop doing, and start being. We need to stop the clamorous, selfish prayers and listen to His voice. We keep on asking Him things, but never stop to hear His response, because we are too busy repeating the question, or asking the next. The conversation must become two-sided instead of one! God is speaking.. May we listen and obey.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21
-Morgan Eberts

Our day begins by doing VBS in Lantana. We share a Bible story with them, testimonies, and do a craft. We play soccer and other games outside with the children at the local school. What an experience! The children are so well mannered and so attentive and ready to hear what we have to share. What an opportunity God has given us to be able to work with the school there! After a good morning of VBS at the school, we go to a local house to eat our lunch. Then the rain begins. Rain, rain, and more rain. We had planned on doing several home visits this afternoon and giving out food bags, and our chances of being able to do that seemed like they were getting more and more slim. Everything between the rain and..car troubles..made it seem as if nothing was going to come of our afternoon.

As always though, God has different plans…part of our team goes back to the house to work on the van, and the rest of the team toughed out the rain to go on three home visits. As the afternoon progresses, we begin to learn a LOT.

I think our team realized how the church in America fails so often at truly living out the word of God. When we share the gospel, so often WE speak, not letting the Holy Spirit guide us. So often, we give our own opinions and don’t even share scripture with those we are in contact with. So often we pressure people into repeating a prayer when it is not a prayer that saves! It is through the power of God’s word, yet we rely on our own words and methods when trying to share the truth of Christ……then, sometimes we wonder why there isn’t more of a response…..but we must realize, did we do the talking or did God’s spirit move through us? God’s word is enough!!!!! As a church body, we must work on this issue together, praying that God would teach us how to share with obedience as in scripture. Tonight as we talked, God really opened our eyes and really helped us to realize our failures and mistakes. Now we must be obedient to study in scripture how we are to share with sound scriptural truth. My prayer is that God continues to work on our hearts, and as the week continues we will be sensitive to the moving of the Holy Spirit..following it and not our own ways.
-Lindsey