Last month we celebrated women in missions, and this month we’re giving it up for our guys. We’ve poured over blogs from men on the field along with those of the thankful ladies serving beside them. They’re stories of fun and freedom, challenge and compassion, honor and humility. And the lasting impression we’re left with is a man who looks like Jesus.
Javier Villatoro is a missionary at the Adventures long term base in Guatemala. Javier shares his personal journey and the importance of seeing ourselves and the people around us with the Father’s eyes.
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I am realizing I have only one dream. One desire. One place I want to be— home. I haven’t experienced such a deep desire for home since my mother passed away and my father left home years ago.
As the Father opens up the deep places of my heart, I am seeing how my heart longs and aches for a family.
As I was processing this, more questions began to surface within me, and I got really upset with myself and the Father. Sometimes it’s hard to understand the plan the Father has for my life. After a few days of intentionally seeking the Father and asking him for help, he revealed a beautiful piece of his heart.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord in Isaiah 55:8. This passage, to me, is the most amazing verse for those who are truly hungry for more.
As I was reading this, it became clear to me that my mind is in constant need of being renewed. Otherwise, I will continue to find myself stuck in how I view myself through my lens, rather than seeing myself the way God sees me and the way he wants me to see those around me.
In the same moment, I heard a soft voice saying, “How are you going to lead a family if you don’t learn first to be in the family? How can you be a father to many, and even to your future children, if you don’t allow me to be your father and allow yourself to be my son? Let me take you on a new journey in this season. Allow me to be your Abba.”
The next story captures his heart for every single one of us.
Manuel is an elderly gentleman who lives close to the mountains surrounding Antigua.
He travels every day from his village to the city of Antigua to sell these carved wooden angels for a very small price. His journey begins at 4am every day, carrying a backpack full of wooden items of different figures and sizes.
The day I met this gentleman, I was doing some street photography. Well, that’s was what I thought I would be doing. As my friend and I started our adventure, there was a voice in my head that gently said, “I’ll let you know when the time is right to take a picture.”
We walked down all of Santa Lucia Street, one the most famous and well-known streets in Antigua. It was around 6:30am, and I started to ask myself if this was a real thing or if it was just me. But then I heard the Father telling me I had to go in a certain direction, and when I got there, I was going to know what to do.
We made it to this corner, four blocks away from Santa Lucia Street, and there, in the corner, was this amazing person. He was sitting on one of the stairs at the entrance of a coffee shop.
When he saw me, he smiled at me.
Something in my heart stirred up, and I felt like crying. I don’t know why I felt so moved in that moment. As my friend and I continued to walk, I was trying to ignore this situation.
The Father said, “I want you to go to him and take a picture of him.”
I had a good conversation with him, and finally, after wrestling with my thoughts for a few minutes, I asked him if I could take a picture of him. Smiling he said, “Wait, let me grab something.”
I heard this voice again, “Are you seeing what I am seeing?”
Me: “No”
Father: “Look again…”
Me: (Starting to really pay attention)
Father: “Can you see what I see? Can you see this man?”
Me: “Father, what do you want me to see?”
(Standing now, with my heart and eyes wide open)
Father: “See Manuel holding the angel in his hands? Son, that’s you. That’s every single one of my children. When you come to me, I hold you in my hands where I am proud of having you, and the world can see what I’ve made— a beautiful piece of art. Angels dream about this! They wish they could be held in my hands the way I do with you. That’s the dream of angels, but to you my children, this is your reality.”
After hearing all this, tears came out, and I felt this warm love surrounding me. For so long, I have ignored people like Manuel.
The Father that day changed the way I see myself and others, opening my heart to feel what he feels and to celebrate the life of each person I meet.
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Romans 8:19
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Do you long to see yourself and others with God’s eyes? Are you ready for a journey of transformation? Check out the missions opportunities available through our international long term bases.
Photos via Javier Villatoro
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