Last month, I went back to Guatemala for the fourth time with our mission team from The Point. This trip was different than any before. Honestly, they always are. For me, this was my first time going as a father. I have a sixteen-month old daughter and my wife, and I are expecting baby number two in January 2019. I was also asked to co-lead the group. This meant not only using my gifts with chiropractic to adjust all the people we encountered but to also keep my eyes, ears and heart open to our team.
This trip was also challenging because it was the official end of our five-year Village Transformation Project in Curva del Pino. In this village, God has used all of us who have gone. Not just the missionaries on the dozens of trips, but also the prayer warriors back home and the generous donors that helped fund the trips. All of us played essential parts in the success of the mission. Buildings have been built. Families have been restored. Lives have been saved through this mission. The eternal impact will certainly be greater than any of us can ever imagine. It was hard to say goodbye. There are many families that still have great needs. Part of me felt torn knowing that we were shifting gears to help another village when there is always more we can do at Curva del Pino. I knew that this other village, Timiluya, was in even worse shape than Curva del Pino was five years ago. However, we know that God has a plan there.
So the last two days of our trip we journeyed in the opposite direction up a mountain to the village of Timiluya. We encountered people that desperately needed the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love that we can show in His name. As we prayer walked throughout part of the village, many of us were overwhelmed by the drastic physical needs of the village that were so evident. We did what we knew we could and that was to pray.
God gave me a word from Isaiah 59:1 that morning. This verse was comforting. God knew what he had in store for Curva del Pino and he knows what he has in mind for Timiluya. The people in the village of Timiluya have been forgotten about by their region, state and country. God however is strong enough. He cares about these people and desires their hearts to cry out to him for Jesus. He has heard their laments and God sent us to this village so that he can work through us. That means all of us who go and all of us who send. All of us are a part of this international mission work. Every prayer matters. Every dollar matters. Every tear matters. God cares about it all. We are all either going or sending. Thank you, church, for being a part of God’s work in Guatemala!
“Indeed, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, and his ear is not to deaf to hear.”
-Isaiah 59:1 NIV
Prayer
Father, thank you for calling and equipping us for your kingdom work. Thank you for the lives that have been transformed and those that you continue to pursue. Father, we seek you for a physical and spiritual transformation in Guatemala, specifically these two villages that you have brought to our attention to partner with. Let your love reign and the name of Jesus abide in their hearts forever. Amen!
If you are interested in joining us on one of our REACH mission trips visit thepointva.com/reachcountries for more information about upcoming trips!