There are so many things to say so many things we have done and I am so behind it will be difficult to catch up and share all the awesome things God is doing here in the Peten...
Last week we traveled 3 hours to a village called El Ceibo. We carried 2 water filters and visited Pastor Israel and his wife Betti. The roads were paved so it was an easier trip road wise, which in itself is a blessing. The town is near the Mexico border and very transitional. There are many people passing through. The town has no electricity or running water...Which is really not that unusual...However, it does have a Hotel!? We were invited to visit Pastor's church, so we stayed the night.
We had a late check in at 5 p.m. and the generator only runs from 6-10 p.m. Since church started at 6 we had to go for it. As I took a candlelit cold shower in a room I could barely see in, I wondered why exactly I was doing missions!? I mean the doorknob on the outside door was falling off, so locking was not an option, however, we had a key! Not giving all this much thought we left and off to have dinner and then church with Pastor.
The church was pitch black when we entered until the generator was fired up and oh, what a difference! We showed a movie about creation and Jesus and the Pastor preached all with the generator as back ground sound. Oh, and the sound on the movie would not work...All the members stayed and really enjoyed the movie and the preaching! Would you?!
Back at the Hotel we pretended to use our key to open the door to make us feel safer and used our own blankets and sheets. Nancy had a roach speed across her bed and I was to afraid to look so I just threw my bedding down. I asked for protection and off I was sound asleep. We woke early, still dark, not that it mattered, to take Pastor's daughter to school in the next town. We knew there would be no lights but we were surprised that there was no water! So much for looking good! Really we had a very good laugh about all this and off we went to take Ginny to school with Pastor. I asked many times in my thoughts..."Why am I doing missions?! "
As we drove through the mountains to take Ginny to school, as the sun was rising, and my teeth felt like they had not been brushed in 2 days, due to no water, I pondered all the reasons I am doing missions. Some of the thoughts were spiritual and others not so spiritual...Suddenly, 40 minutes later we were there at the school where the teacher from England runs the school.
The Pastor with maybe 30 members at his church was sending his daughter 40 minutes away where there are 15 students in a class not 50 and struggling to give her this opportunity. With no car and limited funds to pay tuition. When we picked Ginny up from school, it all made sense. As I received a receipt from the school office for paying one month tuition for Ginny. We are changing lives by educating and sharing the love of Christ. It is so much bigger than us and we wait for the miracles when they are already here! We say God let us see this big thing, let us see that big thing, open the heavens pour out your blessings but are they not here already?!
Can you see it? Do you have water? Do you have electricity? Do you have? Do you have? Maybe we can consider what is already there and stop asking why? what? when? and see what is already there...Today, this is why I am doing missions! To help a girl from El Ceibo to go to school and bless their family for serving God.
