My team has officially completed one full week of ministry here in Sumpango, Guatemala where God has continuously revealed himself more and more each day. I was sharing with the girls on my team this morning at breakfast that it feels like I've unlocked a new level of intimacy with the Father as I am being stretched to grow and learn about how to walk more in likeness with Him. We have been stationed with a young ministry called Reindom. The language barrier has been an interesting thing to navigate but despite that our teams have really bonded and been able to enjoy so much time together.

So much has happened in just one week. It's hard to encapsulate it all into words, but I've witnessed things this past week that I never would have imagined being apart of. There is a lot I want to talk about and go into detail with but this blog is just going to be dedicated to a general description of the ministries we're apart of and a few stories of individuals who have impacted me so far in Guatemala.

Children's Ministry:

An average day for our team looks like cramming into a small van that chugs with all its might to make it up a hill, and get shuttled about 20 min to the small village of Santa Marta. We get dropped off at a run down school and are met with the beaming faces of children to run to us without really knowing who we were or being able to communicate because of the language barrier. Their clothes are often dirty or ruined but they come adorned with smiles and joy that the even the wealthiest people in America do not possess. These children usually start working at 8 years old and wake up in the early hours of the morning to help their parents, so getting to go to school for them is like a recess session! We typically play, feed and do lessons with the kids as well as try initiate conversation in our broken Spanish over google translate. We also do house visits to get to know the parents and drop off some goods while getting to hear their stories and have the opportunity to pray over them.  I was absolutely broken hearted to see that most people's dogs live better than this entire community of people who survive under tin roofs with no bathrooms, AC, furniture or comforts of any kind. One of the women shared with us that her and her children had only eaten corn tortillas with salt that day for food and that their income is less than 7 quetzals a day (less than $1). I was shocked by this reality. Not because I didn't know it existed, but because of the contentment and joy that seemed to be abundant within the community. There I was thinking I would go into that village feeling bad for the people, yet here I am feeling envious of their spirit of gratitude every time I leave. The stories of these impoverished children and their families are heartbreaking, but the way they choose to move on and live reflects such dignity and strength. It's a beautiful community that lacks much according to a worldly viewpoint, but is rich in gratitude and joy for their creator. I learn more from them every day and am so thankful that I was called to come serve them.

Homeless Ministry:

Once a week when we are not with the kids, we prepare a meal and take it down to the Central Park in Sumpango where we host an event called The King's Table. It is mainly for people who are homeless, addicts or people with disabilities who are struggling to find their next meal. It is just a time to build relationships and provide people with a warm meal and safe space to confide or seek counsel. Many people come in too high to have a conversation or so drunk that they can't even sit up straight in the chair. These people were not like the kids. They carried years of hurt and burden behind their tired eyes. Many were skeptical and hesitant because of how they had been treated in the past. This event was particularly hard for me because so many come seeking God and wanting freed from their addictions, yet there is such limited resources to get them the care they need. Two different stories of people stood out to me in particular that I would like to share below.

Louis: A homeless alcoholic we met during the invitation process to the King's Table. He had approached one of my team members asking for prayer because he was being tormented by Satan and wanted to reconcile with God. As my friend, Kevin, was praying over him, he started manifesting (shaking, spitting up blood, screaming, hitting his head on concrete). Kevin looked at his face and were met with two black eyes that were not human. Without hesitation, he asked, "what is your name?" The demon within the man answered, "I am the 7th angel of Hell!" There is so much more to this story that one of my other teammates Banks wrote about in detail on His blog. It was many of our first times encountering a demon and I could go on and on about this experience but I would encourage you to go read my friends blog to hear the rest. It was a very intense experience to witness and a reminder of just how real spiritual warfare really is.

Maria: An alcoholic woman that wandered in to the King's table completely drunk and holding a bag of empty alcoholic cans. I sat down next to her and she immediately just started sobbing about how she was so tired of being controlled by her alcoholic impulses and how it had ruined her life. She fell into my arms and told me about how she wanted to be set free from her addictions. She wreaked of the stale stench of booze but I just sat there and held her while praying God's promise of love and protection over her. Reality is hard to swallow when you want to do so much for the people you encounter but are so limited in resources. The beautiful thing is that we got connected with a rehab ministry and are hoping to get a lot of these people the help they need to be freed from whatever it is they are struggling with.

Please be praying for me and my team as we try to make these connections happen and continue to wade into enemy territory. I believe this is just the first part of these people's story and that redemption is right around the corner for them. Nevertheless the enemy is not happy with our team as we continue to steal souls from him and does not hesitate to attack us. Please pray for protection and diligence as God continues to take us deeper into what He has for us.