Saturday, June 21, 2014

If you buy TOMS... Read!

Black shoes varying in size were pulled out of boxes. The men and young boys lined up first, the young girls were given what was left that might fit them, and the women walked away with bags of rice for the household. 

It was an interesting experience. We traveled for three hours over mountains, over unfinished roads, you know normal missionary stuff! We arrived at a small village, which was only accessible by a bridge wide enough for a motorcycle. We had a service in the evening, then began to hand out the shoes and rice. 

When we began this journey to Guatemala a week after being married, the plan was to learn Spanish, but our prayer also was that we would be available to be used by God in anyway, and of course He took us up on that. Being on several mission trips usually half the time the westerners are helping the people and the other half of the time, they are being made into celebrities. This was the first time we had been only helpers and walked away without being noticed. This was only one of many opportunities to come to be used by God in Guatemala. 

God gets the glory for that night; just as he should in everything we do. Let no one remember our names, but let them remember the name of Jesus. 

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Planes, vans and airports

Three planes, two nights and one lost bag later, we arrived in San Pedro, Guatemala. 

We'd been traveling since Wednesday night. We arrived in Mexico City airport, to find that they had detained my bag for the alcohol smell coming from it, which was actually my perfume. When we arrived in Guatemala, we realized Jacob had left one of his carry ons back in Mexico. When we arrived in Antigua, we discovered that we would have to wait until Friday for a van to take us to San Pedro, to say it had been a long 24 hours was accurate. 

After a good nights rest, we took the three hour van ride to San Pedro on Lake Atitlan. Our host family is a gift from God. A sweet family that loves Jesus, and we have the right amount of privacy a newly married missionary couple could expect. We had the pleasure of being a part a prayer night for our host's nephew, to pray for him to come to know Jesus. It was nice to not be expected as missionaries, but rather invited as brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Spanish classes start Monday... God! help me!