GUATEMALA - March 22

THANKFUL!!

As our final day in Guatemala comes to a close, we are reminded of the verse from 1 Thessalonians 5:18.  “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”   We have all come to the point in our trip that we have much to be thankful for.   God has blessed us all in so many ways.  

Our final day at the Malnutrition Center was filled with laughter and tears as we said goodbye to the precious children that we have grown to love in a short span of less than a week.   We shared hugs with the staff as well.  In our devotion time with the staff we have communicated with them how thankful we are for their work and their hearts.    These women and one man have opened up their hearts to love these children and face the demands of caring for them daily.  We are so thankful for their faithfulness in their work with these precious children.

We are thankful for the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes and Orphan’s Heart for the ongoing ministry that they are doing in Guatemala and for letting our team come and be a small part of the incredible work being done in this country.  We are thankful for our fearless leaders, Ron and Cynthia Gunter, who have invested their lives in the children at the center and made such an impact in not only the children’s lives, but our lives as well.   It has been a true blessing to work with them this week.

We are thankful for our team of 29 people who have given up vacation time and money and security and even health issues to be here to serve the Lord by loving children.  Our group consisted of two ladies from Washington State, a young man from Sarasota, a mother and her teenage son from West Virginia, a pastor and his wife and teenage daughter from Baker, Florida, and the team of 18 from Niceville First Baptist Church.  As we all came together this week, we were thankful for what being a family in Christ is really all about.  We came as strangers and are leaving tomorrow as brothers and sisters in Christ!!  What a clever God we serve to bring us all together like this and leave being blessed by the relationships made on the mission field.

We are thankful for the precious children who have made an everlasting impression in our lives this week through their unconditional love for the team as they stretch out their arms to be picked up and loved on.  They have reminded us that “as you’ve done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto me”.   We have been able to share the love of God with these children in so many ways. 

Learning how to be a part of a team and doing your part no matter how bad you may feel.  We are thankful for health this week; we had members of our team out with illness, but the team pushed through and supported and encouraged each other along the way.

We leave this place forever thankful for this life-changing experience.  We are thankful for being changed and coming home different because we have seen such sadness and poverty.  May we see things differently  now and know that we can make a difference anywhere we go, but be challenged to be open to follow God’s guidance to lead us to work alongside Him.  With all we have done this week and all we have seen, we are reminded to be forever THANKFUL!!!