Wow… 9 months! It is such a short amount of time, and yet it’s such a long amount of time! It feels like it has been just a few days, and yet on the other hand it also feels like it has been years!! It has been about 9 and a half months now that I have been living here in Guatemala, and it’s hard to believe!
In these 9 months that I have been serving Abogar and God, by living and working here in Guatemala, I have lived in three different places, have served in 3 different places, and have had two different old cars! I have found different groups with whom I can interact and participate with, and friends have already come and gone. It has been such a period of things changing!
As humans, we generally tend to not like a lot of changes! I am no different… I too am not the biggest fan of lots of changes. However, I am in a place of great joy, peace, and confidence as I serve here. While there have been many challenges and struggles, there have also been many triumphs and victories.
When I first arrived in Guatemala I had a living situation that was infested with cockroaches, spiders, and tons of mosquitoes. I was stung by a scorpion and had no downtime nor privacy. Praise God that after just a few months I moved into a clean and safe room in someone’s home. However, in both homes I had to suffer through cold showers, and in neither home did I really have any privacy.
After 7 months of living here in Guatemala, I then moved into my current house that I am now renting! The house is located much closer to Casa Bernabe, to my church, and to friends as well. I moved in just before taking a month-long work trip to the US to fundraise and find and foster connections, networks, prayer supporters, and new donors. On December 5th, I came back to Guatemala and started settling into my new home! Praise God! Hot water for my showers, my own kitchen to prepare my own food, an office space, a rose garden, and very few (if any) cockroaches, spiders, or mosquitoes!! With this great change has come great blessing! Thank You, Jesus!
Change didn’t stop though. I was then contacted in mid-December by Casa Bernabe and informed that a covering ministry for them was requiring them to change up their curriculum a bit. They now need all certified and officially employed teachers for each of their classes. While English is my native tongue, I do not have any certification to teach, and therefore will not be able to return to teach classes with Casa Bernabe.
There are probably some who would say the doors are closing on everything, and maybe I should not be here. Maybe God is shutting doors. Just go back to sunny San Diego, Jesse… where your heart is and where you want to be! The truth of the matter though is this… These changes have each brought me a step closer to seeing Abogar rescuing the lives of a multitude of children for whom the world has no care or concern. God’s heart beats so loudly in my ear for these children. And He is asking me if I can be okay with the changes, roll with the punches, trust Him, and watch as He takes Abogar to the next level!
Serving Jesus does NOT guarantee easy, fun, nor even ‘successful’ ministry! Serving Jesus means being faithful to the call… no matter what changes come, no matter what hardships are faced, no matter the darkness and loneliness of one’s soul. Praise God that He has carried me through the darkness and loneliness, and that the current situation that I am in is one of light, hope, and great potential! God has been carrying me through many changes, but I do believe with all my heart that they have each been a change for the better. Step by step God is leading me.
How about you… What changes have you been facing that have been hard? Please let God hold you, and trust Him through the changes. Know that He has an awesome plan for eternity for each of us who follow and serve Him. While the changes may be hard, hurtful, dark, and lonely, there is light, love, healing, and growth on the other side. God is using the changes for the better!!
