run the race – rtr

It was later last year when the opportunity to serve and go on mission presented itself to me. It was also by the way of my mentor and friend Sam who’d been serving in this particular mission and country for over a decade now. From the time that I first met Sam I could tell that there was something different about him. Though he was a retired service member and I was still active duty at the time there was something much deeper that brought forth our camaraderie and connection after our first seemingly chance encounter. Knowing and understanding better the great providence of God it is without any doubt that it was only the Lord that had us both to meet that day in a Onslow Beach laundry room. After meeting Sam on the beach that day, I had an urge to go back and to find him so that we could keep in contact. When I went back to find him there was no Sam, instead I met his sweet and hospitable wife who’d told me that he was actually gone on a missions trip to Central America. I don’t remember exactly what happened next after hearing that news, but I do remember three things directly following. 1.) I was offered a meal right then and there on the spot, 2.) I was now invited to their Thanksgiving Dinner which was in a few weeks, and 3.) my Christian ‘spidey senses’ tingled and told me that they were people of God and that this would only be the beginning of our relationship.

While I must say that I neither stayed too long for a meal that evening, nor was I able to make it to the Thanksgiving dinner in the following weeks, I can say that from there a foundational relationship for me began. A relationship that from then and even to this very day has breathed into my Christian walk.

Again, I share all of this to showcase just how God puts all of the pieces together, for His purposes, every time. A word of scripture that I believe fits well here is found in (Proverbs 16:9) “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”

This foreshadows in my life all that would come next in those following years, but speaks of the greater truth, that it is the LORD who establishes steps. But before we go any further I do want to share a ‘catalyst’ verse which speaks to a grand scheme of this all, and that I will want to refer back to a few times later.

(Ephesians 2:10) says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

While I say all of this to ultimately point to THE one, I also point to the one man of God by which such a beautiful opportunity to both witness and be a part of Christs work came. Thank you Mr. Sam! Your obedience, leadership, and readiness to be used by the Lord has blessed me and many others, and it is an investment made into the Kingdom of God, which will neither perish, nor return void. May Christ continue to bless you, and beautifully use you as His hands and feet here in this world, and in the communities that He places you.

Years back when I’d gotten somewhat of an understanding of how Sam was involved in serving and sending abroad I did not by any means see myself serving in such a capacity, nor ever having the interest to do so. I let that be known even from some of our very first conversations. Still he would speak on the impact that going to serve abroad had on him and his faith. How the many people that he met along the way helped to enrich his walk, by seeing something much bigger than himself, and also gaining a picture of what it looked like to serve as Christ gives the calling.

But oh how God had bigger plans! This many years later after many differing seasons and much welcomed growth in the Lord it became about time that I would receive that proverbial call from the Lord to take on living sent, if even for a few weeks. This is not my declaration of taking on missions full time but rather a proclamation and testimony of how the Lord will send those that He calls, and how He will prepare those that He is sending. Those seasons in ‘wilderness’, the seasons where making the Word my solace and great refuge, and those seasons where my own heart was being made to embody the love of Christ to ALL of those that he purposefully put into my path now all began to make more sense to me. Though I now have the benefit of seeing hindsight, this all has lead me to a great truth that I have sat with and would love to share. This truth is that in Christ there is no season, life circumstance, nor talent that is only for you or about you, but that these blessings are always also for the benefit of others, and the gift that it is to make Christ known. These giftings are ultimately for the purpose of bringing glory to the heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

A way of imaging this could be shown with the following: All of my life up until this mission, very much, prepared me for this mission, and it was the Lord’s distinct adding to me/pruning away from me that made for me being the exact ‘product’ that would be presented to this Guatemala. For those in Christ this same application is true in all areas of life. That our unique gifts/talents, proclivities, and walks are granted to us for His glory, and that we are to steward them well and walk obediently and boldly in them as to glorify him. It is said by Jesus in (Matthew 5:14-15) that a city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor is a lamp put under a basket, but instead it is placed higher as to give light to all those surrounding it. In such a way it is important to let the light of Christ that is in us shine forth in all that we take on to do. (This speech is very reminiscent of Ephesians 2:10)

One word that has been on my heart has been that missions as we know it, is everywhere. That making Christ known is an everyday venture for the obedient Christ-follower. That whether we see it or not, those who make a claim to Christ indeed make him known with our spoken and unspoken witness. This is not always to our excitement nor Christs, as we are often so prone to falter. But let us put off that wandering and look to be found faithful in our witness as we see that grace does abound.

While Christ does indeed send some, he calls all of his disciples to make Him known as they go along and about the life that they’ve been given. How we live our day-to-day lives as faithful disciples making Him known includes but is not limited to; the way that we interact with others (inside & outside of the body of Christ), the way that we walk in our faith, and the way that we are “prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you; and yet doing it with gentleness and respect..” as (1 Peter 3:15) speaks to. (Emphasis on the with gentleness and respect part.)

The question that I would like to present to anyone in Christ or even interested in missions is this: How are you witnessing and making Christ known right where you are now, right where He has already uniquely positioned you for such a time as this?

While there may be nuanced answers to this sort of question I believe it to be foundational as we think on missions, serving the Kingdom, and making Christ known. I invite the reader to join me in pondering this. Before continuing I would love to share the verse that precipitates the theme of this whole writing.

It is (Matthew 28:19-20), and it says “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This verse is a call to all of those who are in Christ, to all who have been called according to His purpose, to go and make disciples of all peoples. This is making Him known on the deepest level. The gift greater than any other, is to be granted the means by which man can be reconciled to God. That means is Christ, and His work is the only thing that grants right standing with God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) speaks to this very same language, showing that the obedient servants are those indeed who take up this mantle of being ‘ministers of reconciliation’, making known God’s appeal. (Matthew 9:37) also says this; “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” As we go along, we go as seed sowers, knowing that it is God who empowers the witness, draws near the wandering heart, and provides the increase. Let us only be found as faithful laborers.

***I will now share some of my time in Guatemala***

When the opportunity to go on this mission trip came a few things occurred to me: I’d had no passport, the dates for the mission were smack dab in the middle of my last semester of undergrad, and even given those hurdles the question of whether this was an opportunity that the Lord would call me to pursue arose. Big considerations there, and that list above is not even exhaustive. What I began to do was to pray, fast, and listen. My prayer, before it ever came before others, was solemn before God alone, and that until He brought forth confirmations. The fasting was purposeful as to make sure that the flesh had no sway in my moving toward or away from the mission, but that I should choose rightly and agree with God in my decision as he brought forth urgings. The fasting was also so key to that time of discernment as I had many other things also vying for my attention, notwithstanding also distractions and temptations. I share this because I believe that it may help someone. Temptation is not always presented in the overt and raunchy, it can many times come in the form of things that are well and good, but just misplaced or even out of season. Temptation is really just anything that seeks to thwart the plans of what God is purposing to do, this is why discernment and timing is key. Just as Jesus was in the wilderness and tempted by the enemy to forsake his purpose for prestige, power, and momentary sustenance we as Christ followers will be tempted by the enemy and his power in this world to be distracted by the lesser things. This was something that I was shown very well during that time of fasting. Listening was very key also in this, it was the clear hearing of God’s voice that commanded my feet to move at the right times, and to stop when he said so, this is something that I am still lovingly learning in Him. To really listen is to apply the Word given in times of discernment.

Next came the very real obstacle of obtaining a passport. I’d never really thought much of getting a passport, “One day I’ll get one.” is what I would often say when asked about it. And for me at the time prior to this mission, with no real plans of leaving the country, I figured it to be just another pricy and needless document that the government charges you for. While it may be true that it is pricy at the onset, what it unlocks for the missionary, or for even the traveler, is a world that is so rich and more than worth it. I marvel now at the doors that this little pocketbook pamphlet can open, and even thank God for it. For me, getting that little pamphlet book brought with it another lesson. After applying for the passport and also having paid to expedite it you can safely say that I was not prepared for what would come next. When my passport came it was about one month before departure time, but this passport came with one big issue, my birth year said 2002 instead of 2001, my actual birth year. (I’ve aged myself now.) At that moment when I saw what happened and thought on what that would mean as far as getting a correction and making the departure I became discouraged for a good minute. After that minute I was calm, what I reverted back to was all of the time in prayer, fasting, and listening to God. What I knew in that moment was that if God wanted me in Guatemala He would indeed make the provisions, in spite of what the enemy may have had in mind, or even my own one minute of doubting, my hand remained open to God using that situation how He willed. I simply continued on in my walk, now with the addition of other Brothers and Sisters in Christ praying with me on this all. God’s will be done, to God the ‘simple’ is never simple, it is always a part of his bigger plan.

Now it would be about another month before anything would come back and I was still simply content with living missionally right where I am and serving and just pursuing what Christ has put in front of me. At the time that it did come back it was only 9 days before departure, and boy was the week surrounding it’s arrival weird! I will choose not to share some of those weird things as some of them were surely things that I will take with me, that only God could have shown. What I will share is that I’d put my hand out into trying new things, and had been recently hanging out with a new friend and sharing just the randomness that life had seemed to been bringing at the time, all good things but random nonetheless. To share an example of this I’d like to share about the day that the passport came. The day was as busy as any other when I’d just gotten back home from classes and off of the phone with a friend. To my surprise, when getting out of the car there was this man standing right in front of my home, with a quizzical look and a soft smile. Me being me, I walked up to the man and engaged him. Buddy spoke not a lick of understandable English but after a quick bout of charades and him showing me the paper in his hand I rightly understood that he was saying that he was in need of a ride to the water bill payment center. We hopped right back into my car and took off. Though I was ready to pop off if he decided to take it there, I felt a peace about that whole interaction, and realized even in the moment that the encounter was not by chance, but a chance—to be obedient.

I gained a friend that day and someone who preempted my realization of just how much I would need to utilize the Spanish language. It also does not hurt that I would come to find out through the help of the modern day babel tower “Google Translate”, that my new friend was also a Brother in Christ, a man with a family back in Mexico, and who is just here in the U.S. so that he can provide for his family better financially. Oh the many conversations and burdens that are missed in sharing/bearing because of cultural and even language barriers.

After a few hours ripping and running with the homie, I dropped him off at his place, which also happened to be very close to the Postal Office. After dropping him I dropped by to check my PO Box. Guess what was in there—YES, the passport! Boy was I ecstatic, but more than that I was overwhelmed by the impending sense that God saw me just where I was, he saw my patience, my obedience, and my heart to search out the things of him in humility. That’s not all, in the self-same hour I received a call that I’d also gotten two tickets to a Jazz concert in town that I’d been wanting to go to. Two-for-two! Boy I tell you, He will show up and show out! These things happening in such a way as this only showed me even more that (Ephesians 2:10) indeed was unfolding right before my eyes. So far I hope that this testimony has spoken to someone out there!

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

The next week came and went, but it also came with its own concerns. I’d just had some bad news come my way, and some of the real worries of being gone to a foreign country for three weeks came. In the face of discouragement I had to be reminded that He who began a good work will indeed bring it about to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Now looking at this all I can share one funny exchange between myself and a well meaning and loving family member. My beloved family member cautioned me about going to a “third world country” and questioned me on whether I was concerned about going there, given the climate of political tension and cultural issues that had recently made news headlines. My response respectfully was along the lines of this, “I would rather be in a ‘dangerous place’ inside of the will of God than to remain in ‘the loveliest village on the plains’ (Auburn) outside of what I am convicted of that He is sending me to do.” To which they responded that they could understand and respect this conviction. One could easily picture what such a scene could look like, the image of running from God’s call. Think on the life of the unlikely prophet Jonah, and how his running away from the will of God brought needless harm that could have been avoided by quick obedience to Gods calling. It is by the process that it took for Jonah’s obedience that we benefit from his error, and not mock him, but aim to be prompt to obey God when He calls us to do anything. The lesson in this being that you will be as ‘safe’ as you can be inside of the will of God, no matter where that may be. Though we apply wisdom in its general sense, the following example still rings true, that you can face harm at Disneyland while running away from God’s positioning, but thrive and be granted peace in the midst of the toughest warzone if that is indeed where He is sending you.

This type of thinking gave me all the more confidence to ‘run through the wall’ with my all, having full assurance that it was the Lord’s hand orchestrating the opening of these doors at these times. Make no mistake, He is always even gracious and patient with us in teaching us this sort of trusting in Him. He is a God who sees us, knows us, and that works in such a way that leaves no doubt as to who glory should be ascribed to.

With pre-travel jitters lifted from my mind, and 85-South now behind me, I was well on my way to the infamous Hartsfield-Jackson Airport of Atlanta, Georgia—a place personally where I had never had a smooth experience going from check-in to flight. After my shuttle nap and brief ride over to the airport I sensed that this time would be different. Well rested and now inside the airport everything seemed to be moving very smoothly that morning. It was beautiful, it reminded me that I was in the right place, there was a peace about it and a surrealness given all that it took to get there. Quite obviously also is the fact we had not even began yet. After soon meeting up with my friend and mentor Sam, catching up and also getting introduced to the team that we’d be serving with for the first week it was on, all aboard! After a few prayers and personal reflections we were off and in the air!

After reaching Guatemala City’s airport and cycling through all of the customs checks, and having loaded up all of our bags, medicines, and belongings we were off again. Now by bus, with the driver who I’d come to know as the best driver of Guatemala, and someone with whom we would spend much time with traversing the country. One safe trip and meal at a time. Edgar was his name, driving was his game. One of the most fascinating things that first caught my attention was just how different the traffic was there, as it was really a free-for-all, a sort of freestyle driving that really seemed to work well there. This was an easy thing to notice on that first day as the next six hours or so of ours would be spent in driving to our first stop for the week of medical mission, the destination was Esquipulas.

The trip up was an intro to a few things; Central American infrastructure, Guatemalan coffee culture, and after a stop or two at gas stations an intro to their snacks, though I opted for some pistachios. The coffee culture absolutely shocked me early on as it was well into the day and at least a ‘feels like’ of 85+ and locals were buying cups of hot joe like it was going out of circulation soon. After a few more hours, and a stop for dinner along the way at a local chain restaurant, we’d make it to the place that we’d stay for the first few days.

That next morning and also the first day of serving was beautiful. Before breakfast and after some time in the word and prayer, I’d tagged Sam and decided to take a spin around the immediate area outside of our hotel. My eyes could not make it out that well at night when we arrived the evening prior but with full light out now I was able to make out well the elaborate church building that was nearly across the street from us. This church building was the Basilica of Esquipulas, the Roman Catholic church that holds their venerated El Cristo Negro, or “Black Christ”. Many from all over the Americas make their pilgrimage to it. Boy was I shocked to know that this was right across the street from us. I had heard of this Catholic figurine before but with being so close to it now so many thoughts weighed on me. While I will not make a focused apologetic here in this work, I will acknowledge as a Christ-follower the burden that Catholicism places on any person or people due to its misguided theology and doctrines of salvation by many means other than what the Bible simply says, “that salvation is by grace through faith, and that even not of ourselves but a gift from God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). While I am sure that there are many more objections to the stumbling block of Catholicism that could be shared, I only find it useful here to highlight the impact that it has had on the country of Guatemala and surrounding Latin nations. From its inception into the country, and that mostly via colonization, Catholicism has found its place within many households in Guatemala, often being mixed in with indigenous Mayan religious practices, so as to ‘cover all boxes’. This has been a part of the challenge with making the gospel of Christ known here. What many have come to is that of religious tradition rather than that of a living faith, traditions of man rather than relation with the one and living God through Jesus Christ. What I learned from faithful Brothers in country has been that the best remedy to this has been simply teaching and preaching the Bible without the frills, but also prioritizing education. Because a considerable amount of people lack literacy it has been a major point of failure that any religious organization with a few resources and their own twist on the truths of God have been able to create some dependent and ignorant (of the truth of God) populations. There is also the gambit of other false religions that attempt to take their root in the country also by the same means, such as the SDA church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Mormon church (LDS). One unifying feature that all of these proselytizers share is that they seem to exploit this lack of knowledge within the people. What this looks like these days can be shown in this example; If they can build a building first and bring forth their unbiblical spiel on who God is and how it is that we are made right before Him they most times gain loyalty from unsuspecting and non-gospeled people. This is why it is so imperative that people of God who worship Him in spirit and truth be prepared and sent out to spread the true gospel of repentance, and the truth of reconciliation to God by Christ alone which is our salvation. While this is true in Guatemala, it is also true right here in these United States of America. Though our deception can look different, we often face the false god of idolatry and self-sufficiency and all the shapes that such things as those can take on. It is important that the gospel of Christ alone be preached, by virtue of the knowledge that he bestows freely. With this in mind, please pray for those that the Lord is equipping and has already placed in Guatemala for the proclamation of the gospel and the stewarding of His body there.

The first two days of medical mission would take us to a coffee farm in Esquipulas. The place legitimately looked like a better Loompahland, where the fictional character Willy Wonka found the Oompah Loompahs. It was the areas vast green and lush leaves that were as big and tall as me, the mountainous hills, and beautiful landscape that convinced me of that. The coffee farm spanned at least a couple dozen acres and was not very far from the Honduran border. At this farm were employed many transient migrants, who found temporary stay, employment, and spiritual nourishment as they embarked on their long-term expeditions. While I cannot say that I know where most of these people would end up, I do know that they were in search of a better place than their homelands and in search for more opportunities for themselves and their families. What a blessing it was to know that they’d made it to ‘Finca De Cascajal’. The owners of Cascajal are Christ-followers, and utilize their provisions and God-given gain for the spiritual nourishment of the workers that pass by, and also for their local surrounding community. I had the pleasure of learning more of how it all came to be, that the owner was led to Christ after a time of pursuing worldly success, but that through patient prayer of his wife and others, and the foresight of God, he was led to new life through Christ. Now with fruitfulness also by means of the coffee business, and the stewardship of a ministry that seeks to make known the glory of God while serving others, his testimony was a great example of how the Lord changes man for His purposes and even grant favors while doing so.

Shoutout to his son, and my Brother in Christ Guillermo, who gave me the rundown on Cascajal, and helped to show us great hospitality while we served there. With people like him and the other co-laborers that I was able to meet I had a great conviction that those communities are in good hands for the spread of the gospel of Christ. During this clinic the gospel was proclaimed, explained, and lovingly shown. I also had the great pleasure of meeting some of the fellow co-laborers in Christ who serve there in the church, and that also joined with us in ministering through medicine, the sharing of the word, and the joyous time spent engaging those we had the privilege of caring for.

One thing I began to quickly pickup on here was that I absolutely love my time engaging children. I believe that I picked up on the most language in my time spent running around with, talking with, and loving on the children. My three favorite terms, and most likely most used became: pelota (ball), chuga-or-pechuga (chicken; word for tag), and Jesús te ama (Jesus loves you). I must admit, one of my most favorite things to do was to softly tell the children individually that ‘Jesús te ama’, and to just see the most precious of smiles break forth (that was at least for the kids who could understand what this gringo was saying). In my time engaging with the children I began to see what Jesus spoke to when he said in (Luke 18:16) that *speaking about the children* “to such belongs the kingdom of God,” and furthermore adding in (Luke 18:17) that, “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” I emphasize and bring these verses up as they speak directly to the sort of humility, patience, and simplicity that it takes to receive the things of God. And also the heart that it takes to truly grasp Christ. The children ministered to me more than they could have ever imagined. Among much more, it was their simple joy, playful hearts, and quick forgetfulness of wrongs (lets just say a few balls were thrown way overhead) that began to put image to what Christ envisions for his own Children. Those things spoken above speak to great spiritual takeaways and implications for us as believers!

Among the men in the photo above were a few who’d never seen someone who looked like me, they were genuinely in amazement and found my beard very interesting. After talking with someone who’d translated what they were saying we all had a good laugh!

As we began to wind down for our second and last day at Cascajal, we left with many prayers, well wishes, and eternal seeds sown. I am very encouraged for what the Lord will do with the people who accepted Christ there, and I am also excited for the way that He will use the body of Christ in that community. With spending time with such a beautiful people there I was genuinely perplexed as to how my time on mission here could get any better than it already was. Many on the team shared the same sentiment as me in this.

In Jesus name, we pray that the people over at Cascajal continue to ‘corre la correra’!

As we continued on throughout the week, we would move to our next location. The location brought us to the city where my myself and Sam would spend the bulk of our time in Guatemala over the next few weeks, Chiquimula City. One thing that always confused me while there was that there is a Chiquimula Department (equivalent to a U.S. State), but also a Chiquimula City. I honestly can’t even remember what was so hard to comprehend about that but with so many cities/zones within the department we visited I’d given up trying to understand it. I digress now and also share that many of the areas in the department of Chiquimula can be summed up with the illustration famously quoted out of Dicken’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities‘, that being, ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ The economic poverty and almost total separation of classes showed that there was no ‘middle class’ economic bracket here, but truly only those who had, and those who had not. Abject poverty was only maybe a 7 minute drive away from the newly built Starbucks. And with no social welfare system, and a lacking educational system there seemed to not be much room for any upward mobility. What I observed even in the midst of this was a people with the blessing of contentment, pride in the right things, and a prioritization of the right things. I saw contentment in the simplicity of life, as it should be, without the constants of comparison, lustful strivings, and the ‘go-go-go’ mentality. Pride in the right things as far as having agency and good stewardship concerning the lot in life that they have been blessed with. Prioritization of the right things in such as taking care of family, and even benevolence, and letting time be for man and not man for time (Guatemalan time does seem to be a thing, and it is great!) Many look down their noses at those with less than and assume that they must be missing out, but what I saw was a people who are so rich in things that truly matter, and even are so positioned as to better receive the riches of Christ more than most even in the United States. Without as many illusions of self-sufficiency, and with much opportunity to reach out for something other than self, I began to quickly see the Lord’s hand in even the unique beauty that He has placed over the country, and the people of Guatemala. He is such a creative and graceful God!

Now in Chiquimula, we had the great blessing of hosting the medical clinic at a school that was formed some decades ago by a couple who’s heart had been in just staying in a localized area, serving that area faithfully, and seeing what the Lord would do with it. Though the husband has passed away now, long after its beginning, and the wife is now aged, the ministry still continues through their children and other local co-laborers. What the ministry has been able to do well through the power of Christ is: increase the average life-spans of the people that reside on its close-by mountain (with the aid of medical clinics), provide foundational education that has led to biblical literacy as well as vocational aptitude, and also bridge the massive gap that there has been between poverty and upward mobility, as more and more former students are being sent out into Guatemala. Something more subtle that they are doing is that they are sending out men and women into the local community, as well as Guatemala, that will go out and about with the aroma of Christ on them. Please join in prayer for the leadership of Global Missions of Mercy, and for the many lives that they reach day in and day out, in classes, and in living alongside these families as Christ would have them to.

Upon arrival and set up for the clinic it was on and popping, after a beautiful church service with a sermon on the faith of Zacchaeus, the wee little man who had went to great lengths to see and meet the savior Jesus (Luke 19:1-10), we got straight to work!

Over this day the gospel was preached, intimate gospel conversations were had, and we were able to bring food to a great amount of families, meeting some temporary physical needs whilst bringing to the forefront the most important need, the spiritual. What touched my heart in a very special way was the movement of one Brother who ran auxiliary to our team by way of Honduras with his partner who was also a big part of the medical staff that we had. This Brother’s name is Victor, and what I noticed that he was doing was taking some of the adults alongside and speaking with them about salvation, I mean really walking through what it meant that Christ did come as a human to reconcile man to God, that he took on punishment for our sins, died, rose, and sits on the throne in victory, and because of that the free gift of salvation is before them. He would do this with as many as would listen, and I noticed, as he also noticed me. Though he spoke not a lick of English the camaraderie was palpable, and at times I even used my limited Spanish to have conversation with him (I’ve really got to learn Spanish). I was truly blessed to see such persistent and meaningful gospel interaction. Another highlight of my time here was the great time in between that was spent engaging the youth at the school and those who’d come up for the clinic. In between playing, the vast amount of simple gospel conversation and the children’s reception to the gospel message blew my mind. As spoken in the earlier portion of this witness and testimony, this is why Jesus said that the Kingdom of God must be received as though received by a child. There is truly something to the preciousness of childlike faith. Again, it is humble, willing to learn, patient, and not easily stricken.

As the day came to an end, and we began to pack up, a voice cried out. The voice said something along the lines of “I’d love to get a haircut”. That was the voice of a very energetic young man named Franky, whom I’d had the pleasure of spending part of the day earlier playing every variation of athletic sport available to man with a soccer and tennis ball. It dawned on me that I had my additional clipper set in my backpack, charged and on the ready to do damage. But what was so funny about this was that I’d only even bought and brought clippers after time in prayer well before the mission would begin. I started buzzing my own hair a few months ago, by way of conviction, and because it was just an easier, more cost effective, and time efficient way to deal with my hair for a season I was content to do so. What I began to do as I considered Guatemala was to ask Him how he would have me to serve there. One of the answer was haircuts. I remember letting Sam know this as well. It became so surreal in the moment for that to be realized then and there. I bless the Lord for how he speaks to His children, even in the small things. It shows just how intentional He is, and how much He cares. Listen in the small, train your ear to listen to the big, and be prepared to move in all. This also would prove to open up a creative way of ministering to a village that would come just two weeks later.

The next day took us to a town called Teculatan. Where we’d go though was a bit outside of the town proper, to a lesser populated and more impoverished area. We were again at a school, and many of the same things that made the time serving at the last school blessed were present here. It was the excitement that the children had that won me over this time, the people were already prepared for our arrival, chairs placed and many people already sitting down in them, happily waiting to be seen. Not long after I made it off if the bus I’d made a friend who’d follow me along for as long as our day there allowed. I was also swarmed for ‘dum-dum’ lollipops a time or two before I could set them down properly and gather my bearings for my tasks. Man those kids were hilarious! They didn’t care ‘nun bout dat’, they just wanted to play, and I was there for it! After I saw that the ‘dum-dums’ also brought the children in, I utilized that candy and a few minutes to try out more of my Spanish. Now with a crowd of eager kids and the only thing protecting me from being mauled being dulce (sweets, in Spanish and what they called them), I just spoke to them and let them know why we were there and who I was, but more importantly who Jesus is. It did not take long before the kids were chasing everywhere. We were on the monkey bars, slides, and then settled on playing ball. As the clinic began to pick up and many people began to flow in I really began to think on (Colossian 3:23-24), which speaks on doing all that you do as unto the Lord. In that moment working with such a heart posture really made the work beautiful. Not only was the Lord pleased, but these kids were also ‘over the moon’ joyed to have such intentional interaction, I pray that day brings fondness to their memories as much as it does my own. It was all beginning to mesh so well also. While keeping up with patients and coordinating them to their next stations, and helping where need be I saw that the play with kids, conversations, and sweet moments all just flowed naturally. It was truly euphoric. My little friend Allesus, who I’d met upon arrival was still in tow with me, and at this time he’d began the habit of holding onto the tool loop on the thigh of my Carhartt Carpenter pants. I tell you, I could have fainted at how precious and goofy young Allesus was. Among others I’d also met Jesus (Hay-suice) and his sister who absolutely loved the game of tag (chuga), and who were also the passengers for many of my piggyback and shoulder carry rides. I saw it all as a win-win, they got the ride they wanted, and I got a bit of exercise. That day, we were also able to bless the community with some bags of dry food goods that we’d had remaining from the day prior. As I reflected over the day I really began to think about the passport again. How the Lord even had purposed all that had happened so that I could experience this diverse beauty, to give of myself, my talents, and while doing so, to be enriched by such a beautiful people. I confessed and saw again that He is good, and that no purpose of His can be thwarted!

The next day was the last day of medical mission before our day of respite and the following sending back of the medical mission team to the United States. Our time there was very impactful, and by this time very efficient as this was now the last place of setting up, serving, and tearing down. By the time that we had mastered the craft, it was the last day. The place that we were at was the community of San Miguel. It is just outside of Chiquimula city and our time in mountainous village would prove to make for a great way to conclude the medical mission effort. I was perplexed as to how our bus made it up to the building that we conducted the clinic at. Some of the climbs would make the outback look tame, and although I was not deathly worried I did jokingly mention that I was leaving my window open just in case I needed to make an emergency exit. The views up there were also breathtaking, and this was not even the highest peak that the route could take us.

Here in San Miguel some of the same plights as the other communities were present. Though the community was rather economically strapped, the people were a tight-knit. Going into some of the homes around the village showed me this. With chickens, pigs, and piglets running around there seemed also to be a peaceful order to the way that things went, as most kids were either at play or at school, mothers were taking care of their homes and preparing food or laundry, or just even conversing between themselves and family, while the men of the community were either away at work down in town at the very bottom of the mountain, or just around the village putting their hands to the work that needed to be done. It was all beautiful to see. I must also mention that dogs are a very big thing here (we had to shoo a few of them out of the clinic-a pig too from the door). Though they are not as pampered as they are in the U.S., with its pet culture, the amount of them there is great. I’d never seen dogs so tame either, they just were there and existed. They were sort of a comedic relief at times as they would do the funniest things at the most random times (I saw a dog that was perpetually humping the air—he would not stop). As I digress, it was as almost as if the dogs were even humble too. They reminded me of my good ol’ boy that I had back home, Axel.

As the day drew closer to an end, and as we headed back down the mountain and toward our place for the evening, it dawned on me again that God’s hand was on the crafting of this team. We were all so very different, representing so many differing backgrounds, ages, interests, and personalities, yet the one thing that kept us on mission and grounded for the cause was purpose. God had purposed us to be there for that very time to do work that had present implication, as well as eternal. Not only for them, but for us all as well. The work done throughout the clinics will precede us, and God willing, we will be able to one day see just the impact it had once we make it to glory. Truthfully, there were times even during that first week where things for me got testy. This is to be expected when dealing with people, who even at our best fall short and must be given grace, and encouraged by the true words of God, as well as reproved by them. A verse that came into mind for me when pondering this was (2 Timothy 4:2). This scripture charges us to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” Amen! That word meant a few things specifically for me over that week and throughout prayer. When I saw things that hindered selfless service, and that focused on self or vanity rather than the purpose of us being there (to serve) I prayerfully considered how to address it. First within myself and then in loving kindness to my fellow co-laborers. I saw the last line of that verse also, which speaks to the patience with which we do this, and that patience speaks to the grace in which we show others as they draw closer to God and are humbled by Him. More than anything, when I did see anything that confused our purpose for being there I prayed. And oh boy did it abound, somethings did not even have to be addressed by me per-se as the Holy Spirit did the work and pruned us. But what I was led to speak I did, and that being for the benefit of us all. I must also mention the exhort part of this charge that was penned to Timothy. Which is for our mutual encouragement and instruction also. There was much to exhort the team in, and after a few days of even just living with, and doing day-to-day service with one another we’d reached a point of just mutual upbuilding. There was something within everyone there that I personally admired, and gleaned something from, rather good, bad, or indifferent honestly. I was thankful that the Lord could use a diverse set of people and have us all work together while reaping the subtle benefits of learning by collaboration.

As the next day came and that day being rather early, we were on our way to Antigua Guatemala. This was a day of respite, and due to its proximity to the airport made the most sense to travel to in anticipation for the team from Alabama’s flight back the following day. (Myself and Sam would be down for two more weeks, with an additional Brother coming down also). Given the way that commuting works in much of Guatemala it was much necessary also to get a day ahead on traffic. To move about 150 miles took about 6-8 hours, and that being if there were no traffic or transportation issues. It was a bitter-sweet trip up to Antigua, but a beautiful time nonetheless with those who would be heading back home shortly. Quickly, on Antigua. The city is definitely on my ‘must travel back to‘ list if not for anything other than the gargantuan volcanoes and scenic hikes that the area has to offer at Acatenengo. Antigua Guatemala (not to be confused with the island of the similar name in the Caribbeans) is a city that has the history of being one of the foremost sites for the colonialist bringing of Catholicism to Central America. Though the city was destroyed in great part by an earthquake in the 1700s the area continued to draw people, as it was so centrally located in a valley area that has both cooler weather, beautiful sights, and rich agricultural opportunities due to its unique natural environment. The area has since become a major tourist destination, and it is easy to see why with such amazing natural attractions, and its rich history, including that of its indigenous people and pre-colonial history, as well as current culture.

Incoming photo dump for that travel day

After that day and a half through Antigua, and with a drop off of the Bama crew to the airport in Guatemala City, myself, Sam, and Edgar were now back on our way to Chiquimula. We would also anticipate the arrival of a Brother from the states in a short few days. Also on the radar was our movement into partnering with a local ministry that serves a focused area of Chiquimula City. We’d certainly spent much time on the road, and my pattern of napping, reading, and dozing back off again could have won me Olympic Gold if they’d offered such a thing. As we continued on, we’d bumped into a few traffic jams as the heat began to turn up. We were in full Guatemala mode, no rushing—just going and enjoying the trip. After a little bit we pulled in at about the halfway mark for a bite to eat at a great spot there called San Martin. After eating well we were on our way, but not before I got my crew scared. As we were leaving out of the restaurant sentimental me thought to grab a picture, as to commemorate the week. After seeing a few people enter and exit the restaurant I decided to ask one gentleman to take a photo of us.

What made this photo so talk worthy was that the guy who took the photo was likely cartel. Before I asked him if he’d take the picture I was joking around with him. He winded up being a cool guy and even dapped me up after the interaction and even had a sweet smile. This interaction was the talk of the ride for a bit after we got back into the car and onto the road though, with Sam exclaiming (jokingly) “You almost got us shot.” In all seriousness though I found this topic to be thought provoking, as there is much cartel in the country of Guatemala, but unlike some other countries in the Americas the cartel there is said to simply mind their business and not attempt to draw much attention to itself. It still perplexed me with my sense of justice and law and order as to how entities such as the cartel just kinda existed there.

Upon arrival to Chiquimula this time we’d be afforded a few days off before starting strong the next week. This was time to use for ourselves and for preparation mentally, spiritually, and physically for the next week. I utilized that time for those very things, just sitting even deeper with the Word, in prayer, and in thanksgiving for the past week and all of the lives that were touched. Being a college senior also, I had some time to thankfully use wi-fi to catch up and get ahead on work that was due and would be due at times where I would not have been able to access it. Though I am soon to graduate (God willing), I bless the Lord for his grace and power to allow such a time away from schooling to go and serve in Guatemala. That grateful thanksgiving never left me. That time in preparation and reflection surely set the tone for the next two weeks. What the goal became was: looking at really just living one day at a time, asking to be a vessel ready to be of use wherever He would see fit throughout each day and with whomever I’d come across.

As we began to transition to the next weeks of our time in Guatemala I was pleasantly informed that we would be living and serving in a way that would be a whole lot more immersive than the first week. It is not to say that the first week was not fruitful nor to say that it was not very intentional, but with the way that the clinics are set up, and with the amount of people that served in them it would have been impossible to serve as we would for those latter two weeks. Our service was very hands on. Ironically enough, the ministry that we would join with goes by the name of Living Sent Ministries, and oh what a name and how well did it fit! Living Sent is a ministry that is stewarded by an American family that has had the favor and leading of God to serve the country of Guatemala, and specifically the area of Chiquimula. They have been serving for about five years now in the area. They are Christ committed as well gospel-oriented and with self funding, support of their local church back in the states, and provision that the Lord brings they aim to make Christ known in the communities that they serve. A great thing that I’d found out about Living Sent was that their church has been able to support this ministry directly, foregoing organizational fundraising and other corporate structures that many times pay into big salaries and convolute the purpose of what Christ has commanded. It is that we “Go therefore and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19), not go therefore and make (someone) profit. What they have done well is to come into a community humbly, and meet a real need, whilst still making the gospel of Christ Jesus known. They meet a real need by means of their “Jacobs Well.” They make the gospel known by means of hosting worship services, and community engagements, living the Word, and also in their equipping locals to make known the Word. Equipping is a very key part of these missions as it ensures that there is not created within a community a dependance upon external help and resources. But instead, a ready made local team of capable co-laborers. The “Jacobs Well” which they steward is the means by which they lead a water ministry. Clean and potable water is such a commodity in Guatemala, and even more so in the communities that they serve. In communities where poverty or lack of access prevents usage of clean water the people suffer in many ways. Disease, dehydration, or even illness from lack of hygiene are just a few ways that this lack can affect the people. Living Sent/Jacobs Well looks to meet the need where it is, and in doing that segue into lovingly serving those made in the image of God. I had the pleasure of meeting the family over the weekend that we transitioned back to Chiquimula. Through conversation that first evening, I’d first got to know the two sons of the family, and also the two Brothers in Christ who are regional locals of Guatemala and work alongside the family. I could tell from some of our first conversations that we’d be in for a great time. Among the two sons Noah and Aiden were convos about the CIA and what they were up to in some Guatemalan mountains right around the 1950s-60s during the Cold War, or talks on the landscape down below us from our high vantage point, and what would be the best way to traverse down it and or hide out in it. And yes, the conversations got that weird. I’d also met Luis, a young man from Chiquimula who was at the tail end of his pursuit of law, just having about one more set of testing before he could practice law in Guatemala. I’d met another Brother also, Jose, who was from a town called Zacapa, Jose was a young man of God interested in ministry, and sharing Christ with his local chapin (Guatemalan native). Even in the midst of our vast differences what brought us all even closer together was our love of God. I saw this early on and was in for a treat with how much deeper our bonds would grow as we served alongside each other. While I may have had an idea, I had not yet known just how much the Lord would have us to all glean from each other.

As we began to set into this next portion of the mission we were welcomed into the community of Molino. Upon making it to the mission house I’d meet two more great great co-laborers in the Lord. Their names were Mac & Myra, a husband and wife that have been serving in missions, and for God’s glory for at least 50 years combined. Myra has been serving Guatemala for decades, and as a missionary has really taken on the life of living sent, having immersed herself into the Guatemalan culture for the glory of God, instead of seeking to conform the area to a form of ‘U.S. religion’. I really admired that about her witness and testimony. She had taken on the fullness of who God had called her to be as a educator, mother, and ambassador of Christ, and it showed! She also learned to speak Spanish over time, which speaks to a level of commitment to go in and humbly be apart of, whilst making Christ known among the peoples. Upon meeting Mac I could gather that we would at some point have some deep and meaningful conversations, and also some time of what (Proverbs 27:17) describes as ‘iron sharpening iron’. And boy did we get that! What I loved about Mac was his passion for the Lord, I appreciated that this could only come from the long and many times arduous process of learning the wisdom of the Lord, and humbly being pruned by Him as he makes us the person in whom He will get the most glory from. Mac has been walking with Christ for some time now and has has been blessed with the ability to lead and steward a ministry called “Thirst No More”. TNM goes into different nations and makes Christ known whilst also helping communities and peoples to be self-sustaining. Self sustaining in the way of not being dependent upon un-organic resources and aids that cause a ‘crutching effect’, or even self-sustaining in the way of independence from the gamut of religions that often times offer help in exchange for taking their religious systems. Mac’s ministry uses entrepreneurship to empower families, communities, and local leaders in the countries that the Lord sends him. Take for example one of the opportunities that he shared with me. In Nepal there is the issue of monstrous monsoons and from time to time the problem of floods that are the result of such heavy rains. This has created an issue for those locals there who depend upon agriculture for their livelihoods, as the rains simply wash away much of the harvest or area of sowing. While there are historic and organic adjustments to these issues there does remain a need for consistent and sufficient means of livelihood. Enter Mac, who with the background of financing and having been blessed with the Holy Spirit, has helped to cultivate the use of alpacas for this solution to an apparent conundrum. These alpacas allows a mobile and somewhat lucrative source of income for those who would otherwise be hindered by the disastrous rains. These alpacas provide all kinds of woven materials, home goods, and are able to be a source of food if needed. This alpaca farming in this example is the physical help, that is sure to even pass away one day, but alongside this help is the witness of the gospel after having met real needs. TNM has had the opportunity to partner with local Christ followers in countries such as Nepal and preach the gospel, which is the seed that is imperishable. This is one example and one of the countries in which they do this sort of ministry. What I admired about this couple was also the way in which the Lord brought them together. He brought them together in purpose, and for purpose. It can be easy to get caught up with relationships, personal and intimate which do not bring glory to God and which lack Kingdom purpose. I was blessed in this also to take with me the seeing of how God places two together for His purposes.

With such a blessed team and body of people serving and all around me I began to look on Christ again and thank Him for bringing me to such a place for such a time as this. My refrain continued to be (Ephesians 2:10) “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

And with the addition of one more Brother who’d join us by way of Alabama, the week was on!

Going into the week we were able to meet the outgoing team that was wrapping up their with Living Sent and in Guatemala. I’d also got to meet the Brother who they worked with for a home build project. The Brother works in tandem with Living Sent in between leading his own ministry which builds homes in the area for families in dire need, and as the Lord brings the family. While that team had done a few other things while here serving I only caught the tail end of what they had supported and set up. What they had been blessed with was the ability to give into what was the build of a home for a local family. This local family consisted of a father, mother, and two sons. After setting up the home with the crew there, there had began to gather a whole community and set of extended family to celebrate the dedication of this new home. The family are Christian and from all that I could gather a real motivating force in their community. The father is a hard-working and generous man who most times is away in town working to support his family, while the mother works also in the community and takes care of the home as she raises her son. The hospitable and humble nature of this family really left an impression upon me. The father is also a small farmer who has an army of fruits and flowers surrounding the modest area of land on which their new home had been built upon the old tin gathering they used for a home. He offered up mangos to all in attendance and graciously welcomed us all back to his home whenever we were in the area (I’d later take him up on that offer of a mango). The family’s new home had been built on the same roughly 40×80 foot area of land they owned and stayed on. What they stayed in consisted of the most well taken care of assortment of tin, aluminum siding, and tarp upheld by sticks that I’d ever laid my eyes on. These people were indeed great stewards of little, and were rewarded with much. These faithful servants were in time blessed by the Lord. I am so sure that they will bless many in and around their community, and go on to tell of the goodness of the Lord for the rest of their days, and that their sons will do likewise as they grow and are sent out.

The Brother who stewarded this home build leads a local ministry called “Go & Build” which builds homes for families in some of the rougher parts of Chiquimula. The resources gathered for these home builds are stewarded well as the cost for these homes that they build are humble while the finished product is long-lasting and life changing. The Brother who stewards this ministry is named Jose. I had the great blessing of meeting Jose and getting to spend a lot of time with him through those time in fellowship. This Brother is some years older than me and has been blessed with the opportunity to serve communities with his skills/talents of carpentry, construction, and communication. The brother really had an overflow of the ‘juice’, he knew the people well, loved the people well, and stood to bridge the language gap that was sometimes only maneuverable by someone who not only spoke both English and Spanish well, but also understood the nuances of communicating them both for the purpose of translation. I was able to grab a pupusa dinner with him after he had me out to play some futbol with him and some friends one evening. Jose has been walking with Christ for years now and is only growing more and more in Him, I was very encouraged to see the heart and talent that the Lord had built up in him for the glory of the Kingdom. Among our many convo topics were running, triathlons, and biblical interpretation. This Brother would also join with me in a lesson and study that I was blessed with the opportunity to teach one night in the community. His translations were lightning fast and on point! Spending time with him really helped me to immerse myself in the culture. I was left to meet and run with his friends one morning after I’d made it to a run that he was no longer able to attend. I’d also got to spend time working on site with him for a new build that they were doing for a young man who is disabled and supported by his loving uncle. Going to meet and pray with Esvan and his family really touched my heart, but to see that he would soon have a home and to be able help with it blessed my soul. To also see how Esvan’s family and community gathered around him, supported him, and treated him well even in the midst of not having much themselves really went to show that there is really no excuse for selfishness. The work that Jose does is blessed and has an immediate benefit as well as a long lasting one in the Lord. One verse that spoke to me on behalf of this Brother, and that may even be of encouragement to you is found in (2 Corinthians 2:9), it says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” Only Heavens knows what is prepared for the heart that has made itself filled to love God.

What prepared me for the next few days of service was the intimate time that I was able to spend in the Word and also in prayer and fasting. These things cannot be overstated by any means. Many people wonder how it is that one can hear from God but miss that the very means by which He speaks to us is through His word. That it grants rest, wisdom, guidance, instruction, and inspiration when led by the Holy Spirit that is in the born again believer. As my prayer began to become one of surrender, “LORD, use me today as your ready and willing vessel” more opportunity to bless the Lord and others arrived. I was led to invite the men of the community to join with me in such an important time as morning devotion. What on surface may have seemed to be only worship, scripture reading, instruction, discussion and prayer was really us sharpening our battle swords (Ephesians 6:17) to prepare for the day that was set before us in the Lord. I cannot begin to grasp how impactful this time was for all that we would do throughout the days proceeding our time together. We walk and live in a world that is just as much spiritual as it is physical, and in order for us to be prepared to take it on and prove fruitful we must use the means that He has afforded to us. God exhorts us to find this through time in His word (Psalm 119:105 & Hebrews 4:12), singing songs of glory (Colossians 3:16 & Ephesian 5:19), and prayer with fellow believers (James 5:16 & Philippians 4:4-7) just to name a few. I stress this very much because of the many competing lesser things, temptations, and distractions that seek to steal away the Word from believers, and make us complacent and ineffectual throughout our walks and days. Whether through habits of stewarding time unwisely (e.g. perpetual sleeping in rather than time with God), wrongly placed priorities (e.g. screen time upon waking), or just any other action that would count sowing into the flesh as more worthy than sowing into the spirit.

As we went throughout the week Steven, the leading steward of Living Sent, noticed something in me. And would ask me to do something that came waaaayyy out of left field for me. He asked me to bring a lesson before a community study night, and to bring a sermon for a village service later in the week. I was just as honored as I was solemn in that moment, honored because he saw in me a heart for the Word and love of God and people, and within that a capacity to teach the Word. Solemn in that it dawned on me the weightiness of leading such a thing. I am usually a confident guy but I knew that in order to share faithfully an edifying Word from God’s word to these people I’d need to be in need of God to lead it and me. I began to really pray and ask the Lord to give me a Word, and to prepare me to speak His truth. He did give me a Word for both days, and those Words from some of my favorite texts in scripture, the Book of Hebrews. I’d also actually had on my heart for a while at the time to share what I’d end up teaching on those days. It was a very surreal moment. Before leaving this thought I want to remind us again of (Ephesians 2:10) “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” He sends those that he prepares, ALL the time, and only in His timing. It was such a blessing to be a willing and able vessel for my King’s glory and the edification of souls.

Before that time would get here though we spent a few days doing the following; making water, going through the community delivering water refills, praying with families, painting a home, and for one of the bigger days partnering with a rural minister to deliver food to his community and support his ministry that was very out of the reach of resources and common goods.

Living Sent really does a good job of just being in the community with no pretense. What the locals seemed to love about them was that they were just themselves, and humbly so. I could tell that they placed importance on the relationships with the people that they’d met throughout these communities. There was a mutual respect and love.

I’d gotten to know the family all individually and to see the unique giftings that the Lord had equipped them all with. It was blessing to know that even the youngest son Aiden even has taken part in this as well. Even though he is “limited” by age I saw the makings of a powerful man of God. The kid, being born American, could speak mucho Espanol, and in his interactions with the kids, his local peers in sports, and even with the trajectory of his future vocational aspirations (mission aviation), it all showed the making of a powerful vessel of grace for the Kingdom of God. We played a few games of basketball with the local Guatemalans and I saw all that I described about Aiden there in action. Though our first games did not go so well, we picked back up a few days later and showed some chapins (Guatemalan natives) how to really hoop. We had one of Aiden’s friends, Ian, to join myself, Aiden, and Luis (b-ball newbie). Ian was a bucket (means he could hoop), and it was cool to meet a friend of Aiden’s and to see just one of the people he had the opportunity to witness to in community and through lovingly living life.

‘Making’ the water was great! In a facility that was modest and very to the point, I respected the good stewarding of funds gathered for the building of this well/water plant. With the main man Noah showing me and Sam the usual processes of getting the water prepped we were well on our way. Between cycles of waiting for the water tank to refill we busted out a few sets of pushups, burpees, and flutter kicks which I’m sure Noah hated for me, haha! As we continued, the process became rather straight forward, and because Noah had been working this part of the mission for some seasons now he had mastered the craft of water purification. His average water quality was some x3 times the quality of the average store bought water. I found in that an important scriptural parallel, to do all that you partake in as unto the Lord, and as for his glory (Colossians 3:23-24). Like Noah’s water, the quality of all that we do matters also, for we in Christ must be that fragrant aroma that Paul speaks about wherever we take up to go (2 Corinthians 2:15). It was also sobering that this great quality H2O that we were preparing would soon bless those who would cherish this clean, drinkable, and usable water. As we’d later go on to deliver this water, speaking with and praying with those we’d deliver it to, the Jacobs Well motto and heart of (John 4:1-45) came to me, “it wasn’t the water he came for, it was me.” They don’t just deliver water, they witness the truth of the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

At about this time the week became euphoric, and all of the feelings of being way beyond self overwhelmed me. I again thought on the the fact that an intentional God created me, purposed me, and changed me so that I may be of most use for His purposes (John 15:2). The key to this always was the art of abiding. In a few proceeding verses later (John 15:5-9), Jesus speaks to the very real principle that the only way that anyone will bear real and meaningful fruit is if they abide in Him, and let Him abide in them. That is a tongue twister, but a deep truth nonetheless. Surrendering so that Christ may rule in you is what it means to let Him abide in you. It is such a great paradox that the more that you lose yourself to gain more of Christ the more you become yourself unhindered by the deceitfulness of folly and sin. Sleep began to became all the more sweet after being so occupied with such right aligned works (Psalm 127:2).

As the next day came and the week went on it was now time that we make our trip up the mountain past the community of San Miguel. And up, up, up we went! On the agenda for that day was the partnership with a local minister for the village atop the mountain. That ministers name is Henry, and a distinguishing factor about Pastor Henry is that he is missing an arm. What Pastor Henry may physically lack for in an arm he makes up for with such a beautiful and humongous heart for God, and the people of his community. He has a family, and also works way down the mountain, but still pursues the blessed burden that the LORD has placed on him to; preach the word in season and out of season; reproving, rebuking, and exhorting, with complete patience and teaching (2 Timothy 4:2). With complete patience and teaching in the way that his community has been obstinate in ways with receiving the gospel, as some there still wrestle with the stumbling blocks of traditions of man and Catholicism. His heart for them in patience has overshadowed this though and as the Lord has brought people he seeks to faithfully serve them. Where we came into the picture was in our providing to this community food bags to exceptionally needy families that Pastor Henry had sought out. We also had a great opportunity to spend time with them, engaging in conversation, and getting to know some beautiful people that we would otherwise never be able to reach. My most cherished moment that day was in my meeting of a woman and her sister. They were the Escalante sisters, Alessia & Floretta. Though they were both sweet, the one that caught my heart was Floretta. Floretta was around the age of seventy but burdened with the loss of sight and painful extremities due to blood sugar and diabetic issues. After reaching her humble home we sat and spoke for a while. I was blessed by her humility and rich heart. She is also a Sister in Christ and had some some words of learned wisdom to share. We prayed and made known our request before God for her life and witness there in that community. Before long we were on the move and she was now out of her hammock and crafting baskets that would be sold so that they could provide for themselves. Before leaving she gave me some words of exhortation, and even crafted me a small basket. That basket means so much to me because I have with me now a physical reminder of those beautiful moments shared with the sisters and Lil Jose. I am reminded of (Mark 12:41-44), because what Floretta and the poor widow in the gospel account of Mark had in common in this moment was a heart to give out of their modest means, which means infinitely more than giving safely, securely, and in a way that requires no faith. Inside of that, I found a lesson.

*Photo dump from the time up there*

*Wait, there’s more!

As we left the mountain and that community that day I believe that we took with us just as much as we brought up. Though we went up with and loss 130+ bags of food we came back with something that was so much more filling, perspective. As we fellowshipped that evening over the making of dinner at the mission house our joys began to be our reminiscing over the day and all that it brought (Acts 2:46-47).

With it now being late Friday, and a fulfilling week of so many blessed undertakings under my belt, it was now time that I lead in the Word, and be led by the Holy Spirit at the community fellowship. Boy did I pray that day! It was so foreign to me to speak through a translator and to not necessarily speak on the Word of God as I might have been used to with English speakers. Many theological and even Western sayings, even simple ones, had to be replaced for even simpler terms and explained in terms that an attentive child could understand, while still holding true to what the text said and what the Holy Spirit led. What I saw in this was that this sort of simplicity was a good thing. Far too many people in pulpits, Sunday school classes, and even in sharing the gospel get too entangled inside of the webs of ‘Christian jargon’, and the vanity that is found in the headiness of speech and even theology for theology’s sake, some may even may just like the sound of their voices too much. What is often times missed here is the simple (but powerful) nature of the gospel and the heartiness of the clear and concise. Know your audience is a good rule of thumb, but even better than that we should know ourselves. Assuming first that one is in Christ, and has the Holy Spirt, and even is just a sentient being for that matter, usually presumes that there already is a pretty good handle on what the Word says. We intuitively know the most direct way to get to the point, and what I gather is that more people would benefit from authenticity in the teaching of the Word. This looks like authentic teachers, Men of God who are purposed and not always so polished. What a very welcomed lesson it was this night to see such a thing and to learn even while teaching. I absolutely love the Word of God, and know that it is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), but this night I was blessed to see that to communicate it simply and effectively is the key to winning souls, making it known, and exhorting those who are already known by Christ.

That night was great also for the time that I was able to spend with our other Brother Jose, who we will refer to as Lil Jose. While others went to grab pizza after the fellowship me and Lil Jose went off to the store to buy some goods for a person who’d needed them. In our time together I was able to sit with him more and learn more about him, his testimony, his family, and what was on his heart for the Lord. I was blessed to hear much of this Brother’s testimony and related to him in many deep ways having come through some similar upbringing situations that showed that it was only by the grace, healing, and protection of God that we were even able to sit there and speak that night. Lil Jose has a heart for ministry, to make known the manifold wisdom of God to his local people. What I saw in him was an evangelist in the making, and evangelist already at action in ways he had not even realized in himself yet. Evangelist in no other sense of the term rather than one who wants to give to the maximum amount of people that they most possibly can the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. Is it not so mind-boggling to think that if I had not gotten that passport I’d have known none of this in such a practical way, and there would not even be a novella for you to read here and right now. God is active in it all, and in this moment I was thankful that the Lord let me be here if for no other reason than to be an encourager to my Brother that night. Am I my brother’s keeper? I do indeed want to be found so!

As Saturday was now here, and our time of serving the people began drawing to an end, we/I had much to look forward to for the day. After the neighborhood men’s bible study concluded I hung out with Mac for what initially was going to be a 30-minute or so convo. That turned into a couple hours of us just speaking to so many different things. If you let us tell it, we would have likely come up with the solution to world hunger if we’d have kept going for only an hour longer. In all seriousness, I was blessed once more to speak with Mac, to trade wisdom with him, to listen and engage, hear and learn, and in all of that to exhort each other for the days past and the mutual benefit that it had been to walk and work with each other. Before I’d left his place his darling wife Myra stopped by and joined us in conversation briefly. Mrs. Myra also blessed me with a beautiful painting she’d made of three Rwandan women at a market. They both absolutely love art and are artistically gifted, I had the pleasure of seeing some of this art at their home. As I made it back to the mission house, I took a few hours before we’d leave for the days mission to just sit with the Word. I pondered during that time the scripture that I’d deliver later that evening and just found so much rest in doing so. After this rejuvenating time and prayer it was about time to get going. That day we had only a few things on the schedule, all of which was planned at the area that Living Sent usually conducts services and events for the community at. The meeting place was smack dab in the middle of a community that is tight knight and pretty modest. The spot is stewarded by two Brothers in Christ that I got the blessed opportunity to meet. Those men’s names are Juan Lopez and Loncho, boy do they have personality! Loncho, being a big fella himself, would make jokes with Sam and Stuart every time they’d see each other, asking how far along they all were (jokes about their stomachs). Juan was always just smiling and being the kindest and coolest guy that he could be. Earlier in the week as we were delivering water Steven had started to put out word in the community that we were doing haircuts for the boys in the community. This sounded cool at first until I started to pull my hat off and show them my buzzed head, and point out to them Luis’ new cut also (he let me buzz him and joined the buzz crew). I do not believe that they were too drawn to the appeal of rocking the smooth cranium look. As the barber’s chair was now set up (attention to photos below), the crowd was slow at first. After about 15 minutes we were now well past even Guatemalan time for our proposed start time of the cuts, and we’d had no takers yet. And them in came our first client, a sweet and precious little girl with the longest and healthiest hair that I’d seen on such a young child before. Her mom just wanted the dead ends trimmed off, and after a few short minutes of me milling around trying not to mess up her luscious locks I deferred to the one Sister who was on hand, Mrs. Kelly, Stevens wife. Kelly knocked it out of the park and had that young lady looking like she’d gotten chopped at a professional salon. Kelly, although being a boy mom of two was no newbie to this though. Kelly was an educator of school aged children before taking on life as one ‘Living Sent’, she’d spoken about her passion for the field and how she’d missed it with me some days before. It was so awesome to see her enjoying that very special moment with that little girl right then and there. Now with the little girl being the catalyst, Juan decided to hop into my chair and get chopped. I gave him the cleanest fade that I could (was not clean at all). And the rest was history. Niños began to pop up out of nowhere and the average cut request was a fade, with the occasional skinny (baldy or clean shave).

*If you have the ability to click into links, click here (https://youtu.be/Pu2q5Z1TMgc?si=0TlWE_5usWexj8L8) for a laugh that goes along with the above pics of Juan*

*wait, theres more*

After haircuts went on for about the good part of two hours it was now time to start church service. After Steven gave a warm introduction of me to the people, and after the proceeding of multiple prayers I was off into sharing the Word of God to the congregation, through the benefit of having my Brother Luis interpret. I brought a message forth from Hebrews 11 which spoke to the foundational importance of faith. Starting with this very familiar verse the time began, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1). We walked through Chapter 11 verse-by-verse and were blessed with the many scriptural “must-know-and believes” that this text offered. By faith the people who had yet to see the Christ were justified (v2), in faith we do believe that by the word of God the universe was created (v3), without faith it is impossible to please God or to draw close to Him (v6), by faith we entrust the bigger plan to God and walk confidently in Him as director (v8), that in this passing world we are strangers-exiles-aliens desiring and awaiting our heavenly country (vvs 9-16), God is pleased by radical faith (v17), that when we look to the great reward *eternal life-reconciliation with God* we can be emboldened in our faith and endure (vvs 23-28), faith in God is not passive-but active (vvs 29-31), all of the mighty men and women of God of old had one great thing in common—mountain sized faith (vvs 32-40). I ended our time with a benediction that came from a very blessed assurance that we ave from God, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is indeed by grace that those in Christ have been saved, and that through faith in Christ alone, nothing else!

After this blessed time in the word, and prayer to end off the evening of worship, we’d had a treat in mind for the young ones. The team had set up for the local ice cream guy to come and scoop out ice cream for the kids. What I bet that you are wondering is just how does that work in the Guatemalan heat, because I also wondered the same thing before I saw how it was possible. The ice cream man had a special cooler that he’d attach to his motorbike that could detach and be sat on a table for the sale of his frozen goodies. Inside of that cooler was a thick block of Neapolitan ice cream at about the measure of a 3×3 foot cube. And boy did the kids love it! After the ice cream got devoured and the sun began to set I took on a few more haircuts for the young men who were not able to get chopped before service.

That day was a good kind of exhausting, and I slept very well that night!

Saturday went and Sunday morning came. As I anticipated an early morning I got up a little earlier than usual and read a bit before the plans of the AM would take me off. This morning I was set to join with Jose D. and his run club for a 0530 9-miler. Me and Jose had spoken a good bit about our passions for running and the great parallel there was between running well with endurance the race of faith (Hebrews 12:1-3, rtr.), and the physical and mental discipline of distance running. I actually was very excited to run here also because of the appeal of running in a new environment and with new people. And now with my shoes I’d just gotten back after leaving them in Esquipulas for a week and a half, I was ready! Enter, Guillermo, the Brother from Cascajal that we spoke about from the offset of the medical mission. Guillermo had secured my shoes at the receiving area of the place that we’d stayed when in Esquipulas, and like a good Brother did so with great urgency and care. Jose D., having family in Esquipulas was able to grab the shoes for me and get them to me on Friday night after the sermon and lesson. While I would not have been too bummed out if I’d lost them, as they are only shoes, these shoes hold a pretty special place with me. I call them my ‘Christ-steppers’, as I’d inked them with the Word for a half-marathon that I’d ran earlier this year, and that took me and a good Brother to Charleston to share the gospel with as many as would listen and that the LORD would send (it snowed very hard that day, and the gospel was shared winsomely). After about ten minutes of waiting on Jose D. and seeing no sign of him I decided to just run out to the meeting spot of the area that I roughly remembered he’d said they usually met at. At this point I assumed that there may have been miscommunication and at this point instead of expecting a ride, I shuffled my way to the spot by way of my ‘Lambo-feeties’. So there I was, on my way. It was about one mile away and my runner’s brain immediately began to tell me that this means I will have at least an additional two miles total to whatever I run with the crew that I’d soon be meeting. Off I was, and in just a few extended minutes I was there. Upon arrival and now well after 0530 at this point I thought that I’d surely be late or have missed the crew. When I arrived and saw people in brightly colored clothing and men in tights in the streets of Guatemala I safely assumed that this was the running crew. This was a correct assumption and before I knew it, there I was explaining the situation to the few guys who were there at this point. Though they spoke very little English and I spoke ‘so-so’ Espanol we were able to communicate that I was a friend of Jose D., and that I was supposed to meet him here. After that, I just continued meshing well with the folks of the ‘Chiquimula Runners’. They were all so hospitable and so courteous, I had also seen a few familiar faces from the last weeks game of futbol, and even met some new peoples well. Now well into the hour of 0600 we began to take off. I am a relatively chill guy when it comes to time as I like to plan to do things early as not to stress about being late or out of place for things, but later this morning we had a local church service and event at Mac & Myra’s ministry building, so I kept mindful of the time. As we got out and onto the road a group of women and an older man tagged me along to run with them, I had not known that they ran by sections and I had no idea what pace or mileage this section was but I determined that I would just enjoy it and follow along and hang out. After a brisk walk for a mile or so they began to take off, and taking off in appropriate pace I followed along. The route so far was beautiful and it still being pretty early made for great weather. As we went I started to notice something….they really liked photos! I mean, really liked them. At about any place that looked like someone would stop to take a photo, they stopped to take a photo. At first (in my head) I was like ‘bruh, what are yawl doing‘, but that quickly changed when I realized that they were really just enjoying themselves and the great time that it was the be out and active with friends. What I noticed for these folks was that this was just as much about the social aspect as it was about the physical. I found that to be very awesome and meaningful. There were a few conversations that were had that really made me wish I spoke Spanish. It was the funniest thing ever to get caught up with the limited bank of vocabulary that I have for the language. The sweet ladies took pity on me, being the poor gringo who was bad at espanol. As we continued going on we’d made it onto dirt road, sand road, roads that looked like they were made for moto-cross, a cow farm, a hiking trail, a creek bed that looked pretty cool, and eventually into the backside of Molino, the community in which we started the run. Near the conclusion of the run I met someone who was with us but had been toward the back of the pack who actually spoke some sort of English. She was also pursuing law in Guatemala and even translated some of the stuff that the women were saying earlier. I found it very funny that I found the ‘Rosetta Stone’ toward the end of the run and not earlier. After having made it back to the beginning, and after some time of cool-down and final adioses, I began to get back on my way, running to the mission house to get ready for iglesia servicio. I just knew that this day would be a good day!

And a good day it was! Upon getting to the mission house I’d gotten cleaned up and ready to skedaddle on to church service. This was the last day of service that our time in Guatemala would bring. The Sunday Service and community engagement event for the day would be held at Mrs. Myra’s ministry building. I found it so cool that she described the event that was to go forth as a ‘bazaar’, which is usually defined as a sort of marketplace and trading ground. That in my mind invoked ideas and pictures of a Mediterranean or Persian market where all sorts of goods and assortments are sold and traded for. What I thought was so special about this bazaar that day was that the assortment of goods being traded for were at no cost to the receiver, instead the true owner of what was being given out gave it away at His will and as a gift. What was being given away this day was not only clothes, linens, toiletries, and food or water, which are all sure to pass, rather the weightier thing that was being shared and made known to this community was the eternal nourishment of the gospel of Christ crucified and ascended, for the purpose of man’s reconciliation to God. Attending, there were many mothers, accompanied by their children, older women, and the occasional man. What I saw here were the young people of God that were associated with Myra and Mac’s fellowship leading their community to the Lord. These young people did so intentionally and lovingly, and it really showed. There were intimate conversations, children’s lessons, and just an overall fruitful time of fellowship and lightheartedness as we witnessed the moving of God over the day. At one point when I was helping to distribute items at the front, I really gained a sense of fully being immersed, I felt as though I were Chapin (a Guatemalan local), whilst still fully being who I am in Christ Jesus, the Christian Walker that He has made and purposed me to be (Ephesians 2:10). There is a lesson in this somewhere.

*Photo dump from the day of community outreach*

I was reminded of the Holy Spirit inspired words of Paul in (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) when he speaks to the point of ‘to all people, becoming all things, and even in this being free from all’ that he may ‘by all means save some’, with the final exhortation being that he ‘does this all for the sake of the gospel, that he may share with them in its blessings.’ If you can follow along with this thought, what Paul is getting at here is that because he has been truly freed to be the Paul that God has purposed for him to be, he is now able to be a true servant to all for God’s glory, serving in such a way that shows patience, empathy, humility, and a want for understanding. Notwithstanding that in all these things having a mindset that is not him focused, but Him (God) focused, which leads to the salvation of souls. What an important lesson for missions, and even day-to-day benevolence. Nothing spoils service more than selfish, prideful, and close-minded heart posture. Remember that we are vessels, and that it is by faith that we see increase. Let us be found as Paul was. But readers please also know that we have an even greater example, the greatest even, Jesus Christ, who while being God did not even count equality with God the Father a thing to be grasped as he took on wrath and punishment as the God-man. Instead he took on becoming the ultimate servant, even unto death (Philippians 2:5-10). AMEN!

As the time at the event concluded and the day began to taper down we made our way back to the mission house. I began to rest and read for the evening, as the next day would see us leaving out on the long trip to Guatemala City for travel on the proceeding day. You can say that to hear a loud banging on my metal door in the midst of that was unexpected, but when I heard the distinct voice of young Aiden I came to the door with a smile, although I was ready to send him back off and on his way so that I could enjoy some “me time”. Aiden asked if I’d wanted to come out and play some basketball with him and Luis at the town court. He was really following up after having also asked this earlier in the day. While my mind was somewhat inclined to ditch out, the Spirit said go. I thought in the moment again on the fact that I was still ‘on mission‘, and that the Lord had me even there for Aiden, a young MK (missionary kid). It also dawned on me the great subtle blessing that it may have been to both Aiden and Noah that they had a Man of God to interact and live with who though being a few years older, was from the similar culture of the U.S., and could speak into their lives relatable and learnable wisdom, and lead by example, if only even for the two weeks spent with them. After agreeing to go, the undertaking became even more blessed when I’d found out that we’d also be delivering baby formula, and that we’d have the blessed opportunity to see a sweet woman from one of the villages we’d went into a few times throughout the week. This was all the ‘cherry on the top’ for me but what made this all even more of a done deal was that I was asked to drive. There were three of us, and carrying bags, a ball, and formula while riding on Luis’ moto seemed to be begging for incident, soooo we opted for the 99′ – 04′ Suburban that had seen much better days, but was as reliable as rain in Kathmandu. What appealed to me about the driving was that I’d seen now how traffic works here and the very different way that it flows and go’s. Saying that driving in Guatemala is much different than driving back in the U.S. would be an understatement, I like to think of Guatemalan driving as ‘freestyle driving’, and this is in no means disrespect, as it somehow seems to work better than some ways that we do it in the United States. I love challenges and trying new things and so without any second thought I was ready to get on the way (only after asking the Smith’s if they were cool with letting me drive their vehicle, they said yes).

After a few minutes of our tomfoolery and a cattle road-blockage we were well on our way to the village. We dropped by and delivered the formula but also met with and prayed with a sweet woman from the community who’d left an impact on me earlier throughout the week. She was so happy to see us, her chickens were also. Outside of her home was that huge plaintain tree from the ‘imago-Dei-lite’ picture that was taken after the painting of a home in her village. We admired it and learned a little bit of the history of it, I wish that I could tell you more, but I can actually leave that to my friend and resident expert, Luis!

*see video below*

As the evening went and we got on over to the courts to play basketball, we saw that before we played a game against anyone that we’d need to first get Luis up to speed on some basketball basics. After a 20-minute basketball clinic consisting of 15 minutes of fixing his wild jump shot, and about 3 minutes of drilling lay ups, and 2 minutes of just playing around we were ready, or so we thought. We were first up against some locals who’d playing by rules a little different than what I was used to and also playing rather softly, proved to be a challenge to beat. We’d also had to play 4v4, so we’d picked up a random guy, who obviously only spoke Spanish and would lack some verbal cues that can be key to get a good thing going when hooping. We lost, not once, but twice, and maybe even thrice. And it was bugging me that they were gloating over that, and exploiting the fact that Luis could not hoop (sorry Luis, love you Brother). Enter Ian, Aiden’s friend, and our quickly answered prayer. As said earlier in this writing when I was speaking over our hoopscapades over the time being here, the kid was a bucket (means he can hoop). This 16-year-old was nearly dunking and could play ball well, and the guy also spoke English. Say less, that’s all that I needed to know! You can probably guess what happened from there. While we did win game after game now with a more balanced team, we’d also just really had a good time fellowshipping and competing, getting to know the folks and to make up even after a little bit of the competitive tension that can come with sports came and went. A moment that I cherished was in talking with one of the guys I’d met there who’d been cussing like a sailor all night. We called him ‘Unc’ as he was somewhere around his 50s in age, and man was Unc animated. Every time I’d get the ball he’d call something, anytime guarding him he’d pass out and or call foul. He was a character, but funny nonetheless. When it was time to leave I spoke with him, and utilizing my limited Spanish, let him know that it was nice to meet him and that the game was enjoyable. I departed with giving him as much of the gospel in Spanish as I knew to give to him. We left on good terms.

As I ponder this very same interaction a scripture comes to mind, that Jesus in the gospel account of (Mark 12:28-34) invoked the old testament and its Ten Commandments and summed them up fully and truly into two faithful commandments. While my focus shall be on the second I will share both. The first, (v30) “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second, (v31) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” What I loved about the second was that in this moment, and in a simple way, I had the opportunity to love ‘Unc’ as myself. While I hate that I did not get his name, I do appreciate that we’d left on good terms, as this is what I’d expect to receive from others. Leaving no room for harboring ill will or hatred, or anything of the sort against him or anyone else as I did not want those things rallied against me. Nor is it the case that I hold those things against myself, so how could I hold them against my neighbor. Quickly, I want to mention that this sort of thinking also invokes the greater implication of the Lord’s prayer from (Matthew 6:14-15), “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

After a mishap with Aiden remarking verbally “You turn left here.”, and me hearing “U-Turn left right here.”, we were on our way back home. The night was rich, with so many things to ponder, but after showering and reading, I dozed off into sweet rest after another beautiful day. We made it back home with no traffic incidents also, I might add!

Now the day was Monday and what that meant was that our time in Chiquimula was coming to an end. We were now set to leave sometime in the mid-morning and the bitter sweet emotions began to roll onto me as I thought over all of the people seen, the relationships made, the conversations had, and the time spent. A blessed consolation that had been given me by God in that moment was that all of those investments would bring forth a return. Some that I may see, but many that I won’t, some that I may be able to come back and see after time away from Guatemala, and some that wont be fully realized until glory (Heaven). I became awestruck again at the fact that the LORD purposefully sent me here to serve and to be served, to experience dependence on Him for growth, words, and leading, and that all even to His glory, and for the sake of His kingdom. I often remark to people that I get to know that I am just a dude from the hood who the LORD worked on, who by standards worldly should not be where I am. But oh how I bless the LORD God for how he has always looked to the heart of man, even when men fail to do so very often, I was also blessed by His own wisdom in choosing, making, and sending His servants. There is something to be said about how the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-Holy God chooses the foolish and lowly things of this world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). The heavenly Father has a thing for doing that doesn’t he. What I have seen is that He brings favor and usefulness to the humble, and ready to be used heart that is for Him. This seems to involve our need to surrender. At the beginning of our surrender to Him using us is the most liberating freedom that can be known to man on this side of heaven. He chooses these humble vessels in order to make sure that onlookers ascribe glory to the correct author, Him, and not them. Let us be found as ready and humble vessels.

Before leaving the mission house, and subsequently Chiquimula, we had our last time of morning devotion. I’d wanted to lead the men this last day in a time of worship, prayer, and brief scripture reading, but really spending the mass of our time doing something that the Lord put on my heart to bring forth. What the Lord gave me was that we should just recap, speaking freely and reflecting on what the Lord had shown us during our time here serving alongside one another. What followed after our time in the Word was nothing less than beautiful. Our time turned into what I’d like to call reckless exhortation (affirming others with no felt need/ego to hold back), it was encouraging one another, and affirming the blessed and beautiful gifts that the Lord had placed on the other. I was joyed to see the countenances of these men of God after our time together. What the Lord had given me a time back now was the word of, “Being affirmed, I affirm others.” What this speaks to is the power of the confident life-giving and much needed affirmation of my heavenly Father. Having grasped this affirmation and now walking in it, this spoke to now being able to truthfully speak life into and over those that the Lord places in my path. This is so crucial in a world of lies, and attacks on identity. When there is opportunity, always be ready to exhort your Brother or Sister, you never know what that truthful exhortation may begin to spark.

After that time together, and a final benediction, we prepped and ate breakfast before saying our goodbyes for now, and then got on the road. El Edgar was our driver, and our vehicle of choice was his Honda CR-V. *warning-random observation and tangent incoming* I kid you not, the Honda CR-V had to be the most used car in Guatemala, I remember seeing and counting over 25 of them being driven around us on the first evening that we arrived into the department of Chiquimula. I easily spotted over 500 ’10s era Honda CR-V’s while here. Tangent over.

_{Faces of Guatemala, just a few of the beautiful people that impacted me during my time in Guatty.}

The trip and travel over to Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, was sweet. And after a few stops and a few hours we’d made it just alright. Once in the city, we’d went to a big mall and decided to eat there before going to the hotel. I went to walk around the grand mall and found myself getting caught away people-watching before I’d go and find myself a fitting bite to eat. For me, it was kind of weird to be sitting in such nice of a place, and to see so many people who were obviously financially well off, yet to know that there were so many others even close by and throughout the country who through no fault of their own had no access to even some of the basic necessities for living. This thought would not escape me for a while, and so I pondered it and took it with me. You know, I actually still have that thought with me. And as I even write now at the tail-end of this working I feel that I have a response that may begin to unearth what may be on my mind. The truth that there is need, is universal. Asking the disingenuous question of “Why doesn’t God just snap his fingers and solve it?” seems to be not only juvenile, but far more shortsighted than one who’d ever ask such a question could ever imagine. It also suffers from a category error, because God has ‘solved it’. We are the answer to this question, as fellow image bearers. Follow along with me here, in (Matthew 25:40) Jesus is speaking a profound saying that shows us that what we have done, and that which we do to the least of these; the poor, marginalized, weak, vulnerable, and the sojourner among us is what we indeed do to Him. Please don’t let this truth miss you, if we want to begin to love a God whom we cannot see just yet, we should practice the habit of sacrificially and practically loving those that He has placed all around us. No matter what our locale, giving of what has been freely given to us. Physically, emotionally, and most importantly spiritually (the gospel). This solves the issue spoken about above, please ponder this.

As the day came and went, and the night passed, it was now the day in which we were set to fly back to the United States. It was a typical morning for me, early and obviously with the added emotions of both leaving here (Guatemala) and going there (United States). Leaving something behind for now, and going back to continue another thing. But oh how thankful I was to have experienced it at all, and to take with me a part of it after having left a piece of me there. Influence and impact are never things to be taken lightly. We impress/imprint on all that we come into contact with, and the same rule works for what we are impacted by as well. People, places, ideas, are just the main three spheres of influence and impact. I digress. The morning was pleasant and we’d planned to meet downstairs for the breakfast buffet to fellowship and dig in before it was time to volar (fly). Steven and Kelly, the lead stewards for Living Sent Ministries, had drove separately, joining us until our departure, and taking for themselves a day or two of respite from serving. They ate and conversed with us and shared fond moments and even a few newly welcomed laughs. One of the newer laughs concerned my obliviousness to the attention that I’d apparently been receiving from the señoritas. Yeah, I was most certainly oblivious, as they’d pointed out that when I’d get up for food or be walking around eyes and mouths would move. That also at the front desk yesterday the young lady who was checking me in was hitting on me and checking me out. Though I did not come to Guatemala for that, nor did I pursue, I found it all the more funnier considering that when you don’t look for something it oftentimes arrives and is all around, but when you are found searching it always seems to be so fleeting. Loverboy out,

Now that breakfast was over, and we were all packed up and ready to be sent off like a licked and stamped envelope, we said our goodbye-for-now’s to the Smiths and loaded up onto the shuttle.

GUA – ATL here we come!

I want to title this next portion,

stay on mission.

People that have spent any time with me, or have even gotten to know me well enough likely know well what I am about to share next. It is very true that God has placed the blessed burden upon me to share the gospel, and to make Him known. I did not always know this, nor was I always enthusiastic about such a call and what it would mean for my life and walk. As a matter of fact there have been plain out seasons where I ran from it, and attempted to quell that fire. Let’s just say that did not work, but instead He made it very apparent to me, and patiently brought it forth in many loving ways that I really had no other choice than but to submit to His calling, in ALL capacities of my life. I have been pruned and flowered throughout the great adventure that it has been since I was made new. Throughout the stages of being a baby-Christian high school upperclassman, lukewarm Marine, and even now in the varied stages of growth that He has purposed for me. I could never have imagined that my life would be as it is now, but I have learned the beauty of seasons. I even now don’t have it all, but what I do have is true, and that is the assurance of who God is and that He does not sleep, but is active in the lives of man. It actually blows my mind when I think about how much He wants to be personal with us. Relation with God is this, to know Him and be fully known. From there can we begin to figure out who we are, and what our purpose is as He reveals that. No other identity or purpose outside of Him is lasting nor ultimately fulfilling. I mention this all because of the proceeding events that would occur upon getting on the shuttle.

I’d struck up conversation with a guy just some years older than me who I could tell was the same kind of ‘different’ as I. He had on vivobarefoot shoes, and Outdoor Research pants, and was outfitted as though he’d just left Acatenango (popular Antigua hike on the volcano), so I just said “Hey man, I see you rocking that OR.” And I did not think much else of getting into more conversation from there, but it came—naturally, and before long we were exchanging details on why we’d come to Guatemala, and in that I was able to just share all of what you have read above, but in the CliffNotes version. He was there alongside his wife for leisure travel and for the beautiful hikes of Antigua Guatemala (which I have to get back there for too, God willing). We started to talk more faith, and I noticed a semblance of Christ on his speech but me being unsure of where he stood I cautioned to keep the conversation gospel centered, inside of just talking with the guy and chatting it up. We’d exchanged farewells and LinkedIn’s after having gotten off of the shuttle, and it was bye bye from there, or so I’d thought. After doing the whole Guatemalan airport security check-in thing and getting my hot sauce past the checks (legally) I was well on my way with Sam and Stuart still in convoy. We had about two hours down time before boarding so I decided to explore the terminal, Kelly had mentioned earlier a place in the terminal that had a smoothie she thought that I should try, so I began my search. After about two times up and down the span of the terminal with no sight of the smoothie I’d pretty much lost my interest in continuing the search. What, or better yet who I would find would prove to be so much better. It was the man and his wife from earlier.

They too were just strolling the terminal, getting some steps in before their flights would arrive to carry them back to the States. We decided to partake in strolling together, just talking a bit more about our trips and time down in Guatemala. Before long we were back into the territory of faith. I’d shared my testimony and how the Lord met me and changed me and brought me along and up to the day, and they both shared with me their upbringing and religious experiences. I used those words carefully and intentionally as you may begin to see why soon. It was around here that I sensed something was a little off, but I listened all the more with intention rather than speculation. We began to go further and speak toward some rather weightier matters such as justice, treatment of people, and the modern church. As we continued conversation it became apparent that there was some sort of rift between what we were both claiming to believe. Three people made claim to the Bible, claim to God, but what followed next spoke louder to the apparent confusion more than anything else could have. The topic of homosexuality and sin came forth. Oh boy! This was an easy one right? For any scripture affirming, born again, and Bible reading Christian this seemed to be a no-brainer, or so I’d thought. You see, these two believed that practicing homosexuality was no sin, and on top off that, that Jesus would have agreed with their thinking as he’d not mentioned it in the gospel accounts. Even more, they disavowed any writing from scripture that came from Paul, and also posited the claim that there was no word for homosexual relations for its barring but rather it was a barring of sexual relations with underaged children when the word ‘arsenokotai’ is used in the Greek manuscripts. My laundry list was now full of things that I would have to give answer to. I’d heard all of these talking points before and knew the well and reasoned answer to give to them each, but I knew that there was a heart issue involved rather than one of the head, so I continued to listen, as I prayed in the moment for loving words of truth and conviction to win their hearts and not an argument. That was a lot to tackle, but I listened to each of their objections first in order to see where they were coming from and I saw the most fatal flaw of them all in doing so. While they made the claim to Christ, to God, to the Bible, they’d essentially tore down (in their minds only/deceiving themselves) the whole faith that they claimed to hold to, and instead replace it with their own opinions and perspective whilst still using some of the very same objectivity that comes from the fact that there is a God and His Bible is true. Think of it as buffet line where you pick up what you want, and forego what you don’t want. This was essentially their view of the things of God, to skip, forego, and leave out things of Him that they did not like. But it does not work that way, you will only be fooling yourself in the end, and at worst misleading others and causing them to stumble. You can be right, wrong, or delusional, but you can’t be both right and wrong.

(1 Peter 3:15) says “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”. This is a scripture that speaks to staying on mission, and truthfully being able to reason well against all arguments and lofty ideas and opinions that set themselves against the knowledge and truth of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). A key of this still remains, that we do not seek to win arguments, but to win hearts, aiming to win the person (soul) behind the words. If even by only being the planter of the seed of truth. This is loving your neighbor, just as well as making Christ known. While this is not an apologetics working I want to share with you, the reader, quickly, just three of the reasoned answers that I gave to the objections made by the married couple. The answers are pretty simple, but follow along and see if you can find a pattern as we discuss. #1) “Practicing homosexuality is no sin.” The conversation on this point began to become a bit convoluted but when it came down to the direct and basic answer I pointed them both to the easy to follow pattern of even seeing that fornication (unwed sex between two of opposite genders), and lust (likened to heart-deep adultery) was sin enough, and that no one who lives, remains, and promotes such a lifestyle is born-again, renewed, and trusting in Christ for salvation (Matthew 5:27-30), to the mans chagrin these also came from the words of Christ “directly”. It goes without much thought now that those who are unmarried (marriage is between a man and a woman/Matthew 19:4-6 backing Genesis 2:24), of the same sex, and who practice fornication rather than repentance are in sin. While there are a few areas of scripture that speak to this, one Word that is especially poignant comes from (Galatians 5:19-21), it speaks to the point that those who ‘live in and practice such things‘ do not have an inheritance in the Kingdom of God, this includes any other sin also untouched by the Blood of The Lamb, that someone would count as more worthy than the true liberty that is in Christ alone. On the topic I was able to point them to my good friend from many years back who spoke to the very same matter. She had dealt with the issue of same-sex attraction and has been delivered from the patterns of the sin of lesbianism. She has been on fire for the Lord ever since and even has a testimony video on the YouTube channel Delafé Testimonies titled “SAME-SEX ATTRACTION TO FREEDOM IN JESUS!”, of which I shared with the man via LinkedIn the next day, along with the Word and a heartfelt message. I highly recommend watching Janiyah’s testimony if you want to receive insight into the wiles of homosexuality. In summation to this point, there is no one that is in Christ who makes a practice or lifestyle of sin (1 John 3:9). Just as there is no such thing as a murderous Christ-follower, adulterous Christ-follower, thieving Christ-follower, or slanderous Christ-follower, there is no homosexual Christ-follower. The deceitfulness of sin is the only thing that could even convince someone other wise.

With the first point packed away and stowed, I want to briefly cover two more objections that came up. So, #2) “Doing away with anything penned by the Apostle Paul.” Again, with listening to the hearts of people you really do begin to get a good feeling for why they do and say what they do. And after previous conversation I could certainly see why they would feel this way about Paul’s many God-breathed Words throughout scripture. In much of the text that Paul was led to pen he minces no Words in speaking to the sinfulness of man. The Word speaks to the way that we clearly perceive that their is a God (Romans 1:19-20), that we are not good in and of ourselves (Romans 3:9-20), that we truly suppress God because of our selfish inclination toward sin and counting him as less worthy (Romans 1:18), and that we needed a savior who could redeem us by living the life that we could never, taking our place in death so that those who would believe could be given renewed and eternal life as a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-10). The easy answer to his objection is simply what (2 Timothy 3:16-17) speaks to when it says that “all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” *All penned by Paul I might add.* Again, what the issue seemed to be was that they counted their own opinions and understanding higher than what God has already made very clear. This dangerous tendency is something that we can all be susceptible to, even in our best state, and most certainly in our worse. The answer to this for those seeking truth is that the heart remain humble as for receiving it, asking true questions, and being ready to adjust pivot and apply these after receiving reasonable answers. But we know that this is not the case for most, as most people are not confounded by a knowledge issue or that of the intellect, but rather one of the heart. The heart, as seen many times throughout this entire reading, is very foundational, for as (Proverbs 4:23) says, “from it flows the springs/issues of life.” To briefly touch on our last objection of the Greek manuscripts use of arsenokotai (or arseno-men + kotai-bed (to lie down in bed with/sexual relation with the same sex), we should look to the nature of what the author of the text is talking about and also the scripturally historic context from which he is led to write. The nature of what Paul is saying in (1 Corinthians 6:9) & (1 Timothy 1:10) is clear cut. That those who practice and live in sin have no part with Christ nor his kingdom. That because homosexual acts are a sin, whether with a young man, or with a man who is an adult and fully consenting to partake in such. The good news is that from just reading a few verses forward in (1 Corinthians 6:11) we see that someone did something that made it possible for us to be freed from snares such as homosexuality. The text says, “And such were (emphasis mine) some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” Paul is saying that in Christ there remains no more of the identifying in the patterns of sin that once ruled forth in our mortal bodies. Instead we are washed, and made new, being justified by God through Christ’s sacrifice, and having received such, also being sealed by the Spirit of God. Finally on this point, there is precedent for such belief and conviction. Paul is not simply making this up as some rogue man who wants to just limit the ‘liberties’ of man, no, instead he is bolstering scripture and repeating what God has commanded to man from the beginning, since there became knowledge of transgression. (Leviticus 18:22) says its succinctly, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” Further, (Leviticus 20:13) speaks the heart of God on the matter also, it says, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death: their blood is upon their hands.” An important word for these scriptures is context. Though these were the laws and commands for the Israelites to uphold and abide by so that they might maintain their being set apart from the depraved and rebellious nations surrounding them (Leviticus 20:22-27), these commands came from a real place, and that real place is the heart of the God who knows best, never changes, lies, nor comprises, for He is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (Leviticus 20:26). Given this all, it is very foolish, sinful, and prideful to assert that Christ has died so that anyone could ever remain in sin. Let us never be thrown off by the allures and false promises of worldly, fleshly, humanistic thinking. It is a snare from the enemy and only seeks to enslave. As we think on staying on mission let us also believe that God has given us all that we need to be able to “be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you;” and to “do so with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” We have a great promise also even in the proceeding verse (v17). It says, “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” Let this empower you as we seek to win hearts, and not arguments, love your neighbor well, go the distance with them, stay the mission.

After talking with them for a good while, and having even faced and defeated (by God) my own people pleasing past nature in sharing the truth in love with them, I realized a few things. Again, that the very time spent here engaging them was not an accident, but God’s grace and providence to them and me. That my ‘mission’ never ended, but instead would only intensify from those days on forward and for the rest of my life as I remain an open vessel for His purposes. And that there are real souls at stake, that there is a real enemy, who partnering with the flesh of man and sin, is after all image bearers, seeking their deaths, spiritual (eternally) and physical (here and now). But God has even prepared the means for our reconciliation to Him, and has already defeated the enemy. He has prepared followers of Him that will seek him in spirit and truth (John 4:24), and those are the very same ministers of reconciliation to Him, those are the ambassadors for Christ that (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) speaks about. Satan has already been defeated by the availing of redemption and renewal of sinful man before God. This deceiver also awaits his ultimate L in eternity, that is soon to be realized (Revelation 20:7-10). This enemy is the father of lies (John 8:44), and does have authority now over this fleeting world and its powers, to deceive, mislead, and to influence man to do and believe in everything under the sun so as long as they never come to saving faith in God through Christ. (Ephesians 6:12, 1 John 5:19, 2 Timothy 2:26) *Important to grasp*

With time having been going and our flights soon to come we approached a crossroads. His wife had to use the restroom so myself and the guy found ourselves standing around the area of my flight gate. What came next was only from the Lord. For some reason, which I can only credit to the Holy Spirit of God, I had gained a large burden for the guy. He’d said much stuff but was only found very adamant inside of a wrong-and-warring worldview he’d attempted to create of God, I had sympathy for this. The most glaring issue about it all was that not once did he mention scripture for any of the reasons for why he believed what he did. With only a sprinkling of some of the truths of God, he asserted talking points and ideas that suited deception, and the worst thing about this was that it only stood to hurt those who would believe it. Two points here. #1) God speaks to people perishing for a lack of knowledge in (Hosea 4:6). Having a baby-level thirst for the things of God is not going to cut it in a world that is vying for your attention and affections with all manners of distractions, lies, and lesser things. For those seeking Him, and those who already have Him it is the case that the Word of God should be our ready made tool at all times. It is written on the heart of the born again, but must be found to be our companion as well, as it is the voice of God that speaks and is living and sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). We should study it well, and not for the sake of heady-knowledge that proves unfruitful, but for the sake of heart-knowledge that transforms and makes us the effectual and pleasing aroma of Christ, so that we can be prepared to walk in a world such as this one. #2) “Having a form of godliness and denying its power”, as (2 Timothy 3:5) speaks to, is the claiming of God but yet lacking the true renewal and life change that comes from the Holy Spirit when there is relation with God. The proceeding verse says to avoid such people. Could you imagine why? For those weak in faith and or not in faith at all such people can be very dangerous spiritually. Think teaching doctrines of man as though they were of God, encouraging fleshliness, and generally prioritizing things that sow primarily into this passing world rather than the Kingdom of God. This mans state is not that very much different than that of many in churches all across America. Many would simply dismiss this guy and his wife as ‘liberal minded’ and or ‘demon-cratic’ as to explain why his kilter seems to be so off, but what I have seen is that the very same issues have applied to every single political, social, and cultural persuasion, inclination, or belief system. The issue is in placing identity and allegiance in anything outside of God, which is idolatry. This answers to why he and so many are stricken and affected by their worldviews as to miss true obedience to what Christ has already clearly commanded. Lastly on this, let us humbly do what (2 Timothy 2:24-26) exhorts when it says, “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.” This is also loving our neighbor, along with the added sympathy that there is a real enemy who has power to ensnare mindsets and wills of fellow image bearers, let us prepare to be soldiers of God that will bear with sinners and seek them, as Jesus did (2 Timothy 2:1-7).

While his wife was still away, and before we all had to part ways, I asked him if he’d be down to pray. He obliged, and after that powerful time in prayer I could almost feel that a burden was lifted off of this mans shoulders. The Word is true when it says that the prayers of the righteous availeth much, and while I do not know what will come from our interaction that day, I trust that the LORD had us to meet for a purpose bigger than ourselves, and that seeds were planted unto eternal life.

After his wife had made it back we exchanged final pleasantries and hopes for safe flights.

I was reminded again that the mission had never ended, but that it had only just began to intensify.

Making it to our terminals seating area I hung out with Sam and Stuart, shooting the breeze about what we would hope to do upon getting back to the States, and about just the beauty of the mission overall and day so far. I’d still been fresh on a spiritual high from the time with the couple just some minutes before, and had begun to ponder the right manner in following up with the man. It would soon come to me.

It did come to me, after a few convos with my roommates I sat in the Word for the duration of the flight, and I jotted down scripture from the NT’s start to finish during our four hour flight. I wanted to share with this man via LinkedIn some carefully thought upon words, and what the Word had said concerning about what we spent time bumping gums about. And as the time flew by (no pun intended) I had a feeling of rest while doing so. I felt the urging again to make the Word known, because I really, really cared. I echo a saying of C.S. Lewis when I mention that when we talk and engage with people ‘we never interact with mere mortals, but rather immortals’. People who will stand before God one day and give an account for what they have done if they have not been found in the Book of Life, that is RSVP’d for those who’d trusted and surrendered their lives to Christ while with the body. This is a war for eternal souls, and it matters how we view them, serve them, and live alongside them.

As I made it to ATL that evening, and from there Auburn, I saw even more opportunities to share Him with others. To be frank, it began to weigh on me in such a way that I got overwhelmed, this was not a new calling to me per-se, but it seemed that this calling only intensified. Was this my life now? My burden? I have God but I am just a man after all. I was soon reminded of God’s Word to the prophet Jeremiah in (Jeremiah 12:5), it says “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?” This spoke to the way that the Lord puts us in places that will build our capacity, and test our tenacity. He knows our limits, and like a coach He wants to maximize our effect, for his Glory. Jesus says in the latter part of (Luke 12:48) “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” What Christ is saying here is that He and the Father will demand the more of their faithful servants. Take heart as this is good news, as He entrusts only these sorts of servants with the more, and in that will provide everything they need to sustain and flourish. I was also not blind to the fact that every single opportunity had been given me of God. And that He had already equipped me. After showing me time and time again over the span of the mission in Guatemala, I was now really sitting with the fact that God was calling me for even more, to go one more, to run the distance and then when I thought I was tired, to call upon Him so that I may go even further. This is a beautiful truth, because just like He prepared me and called me to go in the past, He was and will continue to do the same thing for the rest of my days. I don’t know what the future holds, but I am blessed to know that I share the same resolve as Job when he said in (Job 42:5), “I had heard of you by the ear, but now my eyes have seen you.” I bless God that He shows himself to the faithful, and shows His ways to the obedient. I thank God for this blessed ministry, to make Him known. What opportunities is God giving you to make him known right where He has positioned you for such a time as this? In your home? In your school? In your relationships? In your community? At the workplace? At your church? On the street? In your family? Making him known is more than just evangelizing, it is also how we live and love as Christ. In a world that is becoming increasingly cold (Matthew 24:12), let the Children who will be the warming lamp & light shine forth (Matthew 5:16)! The Father is preparing Christ-followers that will radically look like Christ in the face of a world that is being led into deception, idolatry, and the schemes of the enemy as they await the ultimate L of eternal death. The box score is already out and the winning team is headed by the three: The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Join the winning team, and the team that won, and ball out for Him while there is still time! “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:16-21).

***If you are reading this and have not trusted in Jesus Christ alone for the removal of your sins debt and eternal weight, I ask that you would consider the good news that the creator of the universe made way for you to be reconciled to God, and this through Christ alone. That he in grace and mercy made this possible while we were still sinners, dead and in sin. That sin is not just small, but is serious before a Holy God who will bring all acts into judgement. That sin is also slavery that always ends in death, yours, eternal spiritually and physically. That sin though promising very much always ends in death. But the good news being that through coming into Jesus you can be granted new life, and in that be made whole and free to be the unhindered you that God can use for His glory, the good of those around you, and even your own eternal good. If you have questions or would like to know more about this please contact me at solafidebusiness@gmail.com***

How far will you go to? Will you Corre La Carrera?

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Go Tell Somebody – Commissioned

Thank you for reading, my prayer is that this work has blessed you and will inspire inside of you a heart to know, seek, and live for the deeper things of the Almighty God.

May the grace and peace of the Lord Jesus Christ dwell with you richly.

-Christian W.