Bienvenidos a la Vida

My first week in Guatemala was one to remember.

The view from a local coffee shop

I am staying in a small community outside of Chichicastenango with a local minister named Juan. He and his wife Evelyn are hosting my team and one other team this month. We are staying in their ministry building that they added on to their house. It serves as our dining room, bedroom, church, and youth center when kids from the community come on Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Juan and Evelyn have been an answer to prayer for me. I was asking God that he would place me with hosts that I could bond with and learn from, and they are exactly that. Their testimony is powerful. They have walked through so much hardship and persecution, yet have found such deep relationship with God in the middle of it. Juan keeps joking with me that he wants to be like me when he grows up, but honestly, I hope to be like him. Every time he prays, the Holy Spirit moves through him so powerfully. It reminds me of Paul’s encouragement to the Ephesians to pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Juan really lives that out. He and Evelyn trust God for everything. They do not have much money or resources, but what they do have, they use to bless others. Throughout the week, people from the community have randomly come by, and Juan and Evelyn joyfully give them whatever food or resources they need. To me, they embody what a Christ-follower should be. Everything surrendered to God, spending themselves to serve the outcast and oppressed in their community. They do not have a fancy church building or a huge congregation, but they carry great honor and authority in the kingdom of God. They know Jesus, and he moves powerfully through them to perform miracles and bless their community. I am so thankful to sit under their leadership and learn from them. I would recommend anyone considering becoming a pastor or missionary to come down and spend some time serving with them.

Juan showing us some local vegetables

Our ministry started off strong. On Monday night we got to worship with some believers from the community at their weekly church service. My teammate Allie and I led a couple worship songs in Spanish, and three of our other teammates shared their testimonies. The locals made us feel so welcomed, and worshipping with them was powerful. Even though our styles of music and church were different, the same Spirit brought us together. Also, we got to help Juan with his bi-weekly student ministry. What started off with only a few kids has grown exponentially. Kids of all ages, along with their mothers, come to Juan’s compound for Bible study, worship, games, language lessons, and other life skills. We jumped into this ministry head first, getting to lead different age groups of kids. I got to teach the kids and their mothers some worship songs in Spanish. I also began teaching some of the older kids some basic guitar lessons. Juan’s vision for the ministry is to equip and train up local kids and moms, so that they can take over leading the ministry when we leave. I am excited to keep giving guitar lessons to a few of the guys, so that they can take over as worship leaders. 

Allie and I leading worship at a local church

Lastly, God quickly answered my prayer to learn more Spanish on this trip. We have had to go into Chichi several times without a translator.  As I know “un poquito” of Spanish, I was thrust into the role of translator for my team. It was a bit overwhelming, but extremely exciting for me to get to communicate with the locals in Chichi. It was amazing to see how God brought the words to my mind that allowed me to communicate well enough to help our team get water, sim cards, and other supplies that we needed. Not only that, but I have been able to share simple Gospel truths and pray for people in Spanish, like our barista at a coffee shop and a mother at the local church. I already feel like it is coming more naturally, and I pray that God continues to give me the words to say to share his love with people in the language that they know. (Side note- Spanish is actually the secondary language in Chichi. Most people primarily speak a local dialect called Quiche, but know Spanish as well.)

This first week has not been without its setbacks. Some people in our group got sick right when we got to Juan’s house. Our sick teammates have been troopers, fighting through illness with great attitudes, but I feel bad for them having to go through that so soon. Juan’s wife Evelyn encouraged us with these words as we were navigating all challenges with our teammates being sick, “bienvenido a la vida.” In English, “welcome to life.” Although she meant it in a sarcastic way, I felt like it was such a fitting description of this week. Welcome to life. It is hard. There are many challenges and struggles. But it is also full of excitement and adventure. Getting outside your comfort zone and seeing God move in powerful ways. This is the life that I want to live.

As you think about my team and I, please pray for these things…

1. Healing for everyone who is not feeling good.
2. There is an interesting mix of the ancient Mayan faith and Catholicism in Chichi. Many people still practice Mayan rituals and pay local witch doctors for certain curses and blessings. Pray that these people would encounter Jesus and trust him as their Lord and Savior.
3. Pray that we could be an encouragement to Juan and Evelyn. They are so special, and I want to bless them as much as we can.
4. Unity and fellowship among our two teams as we live in close quarters and figure out each other’s personalities.

If you want to see more pictures from the week, check out my teammate Lindsey’s photo blog…

https://lindseycrown.theworldrace.org/post/arriving-in-guatemala