Author: Vona Wilson

This team amazes me every day. I go to bed at night with my spirit wiped out AND full of thanksgiving. I wake with anticipation because while I don’t know all that will happen today – I do know without a shadow of doubt – that God will reveal a clear presence of the Holy. It happens every hour with us.

Last night in our reflections of the day Pastora Myriam shared that she needed a Bible for one of the women in her sessions that has expressed a desire to preach. Terry and Julie immediately said, “we brought a Spanish Bible but we didn’t know why!” This is one of our DAILY examples of provision and following.

I am up early and when I waved to Felipa in the kitchen she knew I was really looking to see if the coffee was made. I sit on the steps outside to write because this is the best internet connection. After a few minutes I hear her sweet voice in the morning air: “dos minutos tienes café”

Sherri Joyce is one of those people that after getting to know her you think, “OK…I would go pretty much anywhere with this lady!” She is a champion of flexibility and engagement in whatever is happening in the moment. And there is a light shining through Sherri’s eyes that, as with many team members, is getting brighter every day we are here.

Michael and Jake are musicians at heart and in daily life. Jake just graduated from high school a week or so ago, and Michael is a young adult navigating through life with a job, a band and a dream. Michael was in Nicaragua in 2008 and this is Jake’s first international mission. Both were part of the youth group in our church in earlier years. From guitar strumming, drumming and stove installations..these guys rock! They have emerged as leaders in music sessions, stove installations and generally “hanging out”.

Let me be clear: “hanging out” is just a way of saying that the team is meeting each person exactly where they are…taking time to “be with” them and in doing so they provide a clear message: You are a child of God and worthy of my time and attention. You are not my project.” I praise God for this attitude and Love.

B.J. is a veteran missionary in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. She is a part of our church and has a heart for missions that runs deep and wide. Her love for the people is overflowing and her gift of helping is endless. Over the years, she has developed many friendships here. It is a beautiful thing to see someone just offer love and love and love. She has washed stove parts, visited in homes, played games and many more things to express the love of Christ here.

LaVerne has served as the church’s Finance & Business Manager for many years. She recently shifted to part-time as she contemplates retirement. It is such fun to witness LaVerne experiencing a country where the church has been in mission for so many years. From checking writing and hearing stories.. to holding the hand of a child…God has perfect timing. It was LaVerne’s “time” to be in Guatemala. We give thanks for this blessing.

Olivia is a sophomore at Samford University. This is her second international mission; she was in the Dominican Republic last year. Olivia grew up in our church and is gifted in her music and love for children. She brought along a host of crafts and songs to share – all of which have been needed! But I think what has touched me most about Olivia during this mission is the spiritual insights she has shared. She has opened her heart to the Spirit and it is pouring through her in a beautiful way.

I’m losing track of who I’ve introduced through the stories and who you have yet to meet..but more it coming. Our conversations have been seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6) day and night. Our eyes are being opened to one another as God has shown us how we are connected to one another through our Creator. I don’t know that I would ever see the gifts God placed in each person except by first being connected to God. It is through the eyes of our Maker that we are able to see the Holy in each person. What an amazing gift of grace!

What is God opening your eyes to see today?

There is a place in the experience of God’s grace and revelation that you are on “overflow”. At first that sounds like mountain top when you hear it, but overflow today is poured out, overflowing and yet trusting and knowing there is more to come today. The dental team is feeling it physically and emotionally. The teaching teams are feeling it as they encounter needs too great for us to control or fix. In our chaos we are finding peace. In uncertainty we are finding the Spirit moving strongly in us and in our friends at La Toma. It is beyond us and yet, here we are, standing in the middle of what God is doing.

Pastora Myriam is seeing many women in the sessions each morning. Yesterday’s teaching was on reconciliation. Of the 18-20 women attending each day, about 15 of them have never stepped inside this church. They are experiencing God’s grace and love in a place they did not know had it to offer. They are engaging and asking for special prayers and ministry. Forgiveness was overflowing yesterday and with laying on of hands, oil and love…Sherri, Bonnie, Myriam and BJ witnessed the Spirit at work.

In the school our lesson for 4-5-6 grades is focused on Integrity; Respect and Trust in God. We are using the story of Joseph and I think we will add Esther today. We sing for a while (thanks to the amazing trio of Michael, Ansley and Olivia), then they tell us about their family and then we tell them the story. The next part is a melodrama where they act out the story. Ansley (by the grace of God) had a towel of many colors so the “coat” was easy to find. The craft is a bracelet with 3 beads (standing for integrity, respect, trust) and after the children make it we place it on them and say the words as a blessing of God upon them. After all of that we ask them to write a prayer to God for their family and we collect those prayers. We will divide them up at the end of the week and take them into our prayer time.

Yesterday Olivia led our devotion with Proverbs 15:15. It was beautiful and it is what we see. The people of Guatemala are richest where we are poorest. We often measure our happiness, contentment and peace by our material wealth. They measure it all in relationships, family and faith. We all are in need on earth. For the basic of water, food, shelter….AND equally basic: Love and grace from one human to another. Our creator made us this way. This mission has been a reminder to us and possibly even to the community of La Toma that we must see one another as Jesus did those he encountered…truly SEE, listen and share the love that every soul needs so much.

My prayer today is that we will all receive a glimpse of that love before we lay down to sleep tonight. Let it be.

We had the privilege of going into homes for stove installation on Saturday. It is humbling to be invited inside, to see the cultures clash – we with our cameras, the people with their joy. Children with their hands outstretched to give whatever they have, we with our awkward and eager hearts wanting to connect.

The stove is the excuse around which we all gather. We stumble across the language and cultural barriers. Sometimes the stumble is full of grace. Other times it is painfully wrong. And the Spirit of God stands right there with us and covers all of our gaps when and if LOVE is the primary motive. This is important teaching. “love as I have loved you”. However, we cannot love carelessly. We must love – as Jesus loved – with humility, with respect, with grace.

As Pastor Felix led us to each home and closed our prayers with his pastoral prayer we could feel the movement of the Spirit with us. It is strong. Pastora Myriam’s presence with us is a blessing and a gift. It is nice to hear Julio and Angellie speaking with the translators and locals with ease. It is nice to have more of the cultural perspective added to our conversations.

The culture, learning, leadership and love of the church are finding an expression in the mural that is emerging right before our eyes. The artist is our Guatemalan friend, Chester Zepeda.

Chester is joined by a team of joyful painters, encouragers and helpers. Laura’s love and gift of art is shining through like the sun as she works with Chester and his original finds life. The children come and say, “los montanas! Rio! Café!” Julie is encouraging and observing with her social worker mind and her open heart. Terry is finding JOY in painting that he never knew existed. And Ansley and Angellie are taking on the futbol (soccer) pros in the school courtyard. For me, this is a picture of I Corinthians 12.

Indeed one body with many gifts. I see this at work in this team hour by hour, day after day.

On Saturday morning Pastor Myriam led our devotional with a powerful message grounded in Matthew 25:14-29. She encouraged us to give out everything the Holy Spirit gives us each day so we will be empty enough to receive what the Spirit brings to give us the next day too. It is receiving, sharing and emptying that keeps the fullness of God’s presence filling us and flowing through us. Every day.

Mario (Pastor Felix’s son-in-law) loved the mural too and picked up a brush and joined in the creation!

The team has safely arrived….all 17 of them!  This is an answer to prayer. They made the connection in Miami with a gracious pilot holding for a moment for the last one to take his seat.  Isn’t grace in a moment of need so nice?  I was glad to see them all arrive.

We have the hospitality of two Guatemalan cooks with us for this time: Felipe and Aurora. Felipe is a regular cook for many teams and this will be our first experience with her. Aurora is the wife of Pastor Felix and a friend.  So we will be eating Guatemalan food cooked the way it would be in any local home. The hope is that our interactions and experiences will teach us more about the people here.  As relationships form, we anticipate discovering what God is doing here and how we can support and join that movement.

Tonight we will have “orientation” and the leaders of the VIM (Volunteers in Mission) of the Metodista Iglesia will speak with the team.  And I suspect we will all fall asleep with thankfulness and a touch of exhaustion. This always makes for a good sleep:)

We had a good visit with Beatriz earlier in the day.  Her family is doing very well. She took us by the John Wesley School and we were able to see the preparations for an upcoming feria (fair/festival) in June.  The teachers and children were making all of their decorations out of recyclable materials…plastic bottles, paper, etc.  Creativity in motion. It was good.  The principal and Beatriz are going to come meet the team next week.

We also received news from Pastor Felix today that his dear friend, and the friend of many in the USA, Andres, died 15 days ago. He was very sick when I was here in March. I am so thankful for that visit, and knew at the time that it would likely be the last.  Andres has been a partner and friend for Pastor Felix in this community as they did many projects together.  The two of them, along with Norris Allen of Dickson, TN,  have led projects that changed communities forever. Andres lived an incredible life; we were all blessed to know him.

There is a part of me that still wants assess the worth of day by the tangible accomplishments of production. I am aware (a little painfully so) that “production” does not always include what Jesus did with his 3 years of ministry. He planted seeds with his teaching. He healed those who were sick. He took time to hear the stories of those who had been forgotten. He made time for prayer and fed the hungry. Pray that we will be able to follow that way of “production”, in whatever ways it comes. And give thanks along with us, for the safe arrival of the team and the privilege of being here. May we be something of the Light and Love that Christ is to us.