Guatemala.
I’ve been here a total of three full days and there are four things I am sure of.  One, I am now aware of the feeling of constant sweating and one of the worst things that can happen to you is to have the power go off at night, thus killing your fan and one source of relief.  Two, driving in Guatemala means doing whatever you want, whenever you want. Hey, it’s only a ton of metal flying around…how dangerous could that be? Three, ice cold water is a rare and precious gift, something worthy of praising God for (And something you can buy here…in a bag). And four, Guatemala needs the love of Jesus in ways that I could have never prepared myself for.
We arrived to Guatemala on Wednesday, after a crazy 28 hours of traveling. Ask me about it sometime, I’m pretty sure it’s a memory I will never forget. We arrived to two little green houses that quickly have become home. We have only been here three full days, but God is already working. We have visited an orphanage for special needs children, that has actually been shut down, but there are seven children living there still who have nowhere to go. One lady takes care of them all, and on top of better living conditions they just need love and attention. We met a local pastor who has been taking us to different places who loves Christ and is doing his best to serve His people in Puerto Barrios, but is growing weary.  We were told about the great needs in Puerto Barrios. There is so much crime and darkness here. Witchcraft is a big issue. Along with prostitution. And poverty. This area is so broken. The missionaries that we are staying with are in charge of the only constant missionary presence here in Puerto Barrios. Others don’t last very long. It’s hard to compete with all the evil.
But Christ’s light is shining here. I’ve come across it. It is here in this place that I’m living. It’s in the eyes of the pastor we met. In his hope and in his love for his people.  It’s in the smile and laughter of the little orphan in a wheelchair, who rejoices just because someone took the time to play catch with him.
We went out around the barrio that we are staying in and visited with people. The group that I was with came across a family that encouraged us way more than we could ever encourage them. The father of the house had lived in the United States for a few years (Nebraska, of all places) and he could speak English. They had two little boys, one that was about 13 and a little two year old. He was so precious. He had light brown eyes, light brown curly hair, long eyelashes, and two gold front teeth.  He is going to be a little lady’s man, let me tell you. He gave me a kiss on the cheek, but this is beside the point. The father talked to us for a couple of hours (this culture is so different than America’s) and it turns out that he and his family are Christians.  He shared his story with us and we talked about how important it is to need God, something that I think is a struggle for us in the States, with all of the other “needs” we have. He fully confirmed to me that true joy is found in Christ, not worldly things. He encouraged us with Scripture and at the end when we went to pray over his family, they prayed for us too. They told us that their house was our house, and that we were always welcome.
How beautiful is it that we have such a huge family in the body of Christ? We stumble across new siblings everywhere we go. It’s so important to encourage one another and seek unity, I believe.  I don’t know if we encouraged that family (I hope so) but I feel extremely blessed to have met them. I hope to visit them again. 
This summer is just beginning and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for us. Praise God.