Being Healthy in Guatemala

Day four brought the entire team back into action. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes and warm honey, we started the trek up to Chanco. Even though it was another scorcher, no one got overheated, including myself 🙂 We began our day by going house to house again. The first house we visited was of our sister in Christ, Elsa. While there, we learned about her son Silven being endangered. The women gathered around Elsa, laid hands on her, and a sweet prayer, in both Spanish and English, was lifted to God as one mothers heart bonded with another’s. Please keep Silven and his mother in your prayers as his safety and current whereabouts are not known.

We continued being blessed with opportunities to share the Gospel and our personal testimonies. As the Spirit moved with us, we continued to grow in boldness. Every member of the team repeatedly stepped up to pray, share their personal testimony, or share the Gospel. One of the most beautiful moments was being able to watch Pablo, one of the interpreters with the team, share the Gospel and his testimony all in Spanish. Even though we couldn’t understand the language, the love of God and the passion of the Spirit were very evident.

The area we worked in today was called Las Pelitas, a small neighborhood adjacent to Chanco. Miguel continues to impress the members of the team with both as a wealth of knowledge about the people of the village, and also with the depth of his compassion for them. Jessica continues sharing her photos and taking new photos as we move from home to home.

After a well-deserved rest at Miguel’s house, we moved to the school for our first clinic on high blood pressure. One thing you quickly learn working here is that the village moves to its own rhythm and has its own sense of time. After a short wait, people began to arrive. Even though the numbers were small, Miguel made a timely observation when he said, “God will send who he sends.” This, in fact became part of the theme for my devotion later in the evening. Everything with the clinic went smoothly. Those with assigned roles did them, but even more impressive were the ladies who played with the group of children who unexpectedly showed up at the school.

We returned to Jocotan for our time of renewal and fellowship. During our music selection, provided faithfully by Nissa and Erin, we were treated to a Spanish-language version of “How Great Thou Art”. This time of fellowship, where we encourage one another, is always such an uplifting way to end the night. It is a powerful end to an already powerful journey. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue our work for just another day or two.

Carlos/Charles Chaz to my son