First Baptist Church of Palmetto, First Baptist Church of
Labelle, First Baptist Church of Kathleen and friends from as far away as
Oklahoma and Tennessee along with the three interns who will be living at the
Malnutrition Center for the next five weeks arrived safely in Guatemala.
Our flight from Miami was a little rough and
left late, but our capable pilots made up the time. After rounding up piles of luggage, we
boarded the buses to head to Antigua.
After dodging traffic and “chicken buses” and traversing mountain roads
with glimpses of volcanoes were delivered to our home for the week in
Antigua. We have more than fifty people on this team, but with a
record 101 children at the Malnutrition Center, every pair of hands will be
kept busy. We all have plans of what we
want to do, rock babies, sing with toddlers, and tell Bible stories to busy
little minds. Some of us will do
maintenance or lawn care, work in the kitchen or the garden. But we all come resolved to be flexible and do whatever needs
to be done.
People came for a variety of reasons. Some have been before and return to the place
where they left a little piece of their heart.
Or a big piece in some cases!
This may be their first time, but they have heard someone else speak
passionately about the children and the nannies, the
country and the needs.
Or they felt the Holy Spirit whispering in their ear to go, to see, to take that leap of faith and
do something out of the ordinary. We
come from more than six different churches
from around the country, but we will have so much in common by the end
of the week. Memories shared, hearts
broken, friends who do not speak the same language as we do, new children that are
“ours”.
One of the best things about going on a mission trip is watching the
team come together as one. A group of
strangers who will be brothers and sisters by the end of the week. Another great thing is watching people’s
perspectives change. What once was
important at home, no longer is a priority when faced with the difficulties
that some of the Guatemalan people live with daily. For one week, we will set aside all the
things that we think we need to survive to serve people who know the struggle
of survival. We will also learn the true
measure of a servant as instead of serving, we will discover that the
Guatemalan people understand the true definition of servanthood.
If you are longing for something different, if you are seeking God’s face, it is
time to sign up for your own mission week.
There are opportunities all around the world. And people
just waiting for you! Come join us in
serving Christ with Orphan’s Heart and find that it is you who
will be changed.
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