Huehuetenango
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Having been on 13 short-term missions trips as a student or staff member before, I would consider myself somewhat of a veteran. So when the opportunity arose to join the students from the Bible Institute on their week-long trip to Huehuetenango, a city in the western highlands of Guatemala, I figured I knew what I was getting myself into. I’ve done outreaches, street evangelism, and work projects before, and I understand that often the plans we have going into the trip are rarely the way things turn out.
However, this trip almost seemed tailor-made to stretch and challenge me. Things began on a discouraging note Monday night, when I was supposed to teach a Bible study to children. I had spent a long time preparing for the lesson, had asked many to pray for me, and was looking forward to teaching kids for the first time since I arrived in Guatemala over a month ago. The evening came, and… no kids showed up! The thing I was most excited for, the thing I thought I could contribute to the team, never happened.
Following the disappointment of not being able to do what I felt I was most equipped to do, the next day’s activity was what I felt least equipped for: street evangelism in Spanish. Sure, I had done it plenty of times in English, but my Spanish is not at the level to be able to share the Gospel with strangers. How could I do this? How could I possibly hope to contribute?
In the midst of my doubts, I remembered Moses telling the Lord at the burning bush that he was unable to lead the Israelites because he could not speak well, to which the Lord replied, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak” (Exodus 4:11-12). In that moment, I realized that I was making the same excuse as Moses, and in doing so, was revealing the pride in my heart. I was acting in my own power, not the Lord’s!
Yet the Lord, ever patient with me, was so faithful to show me that He is the One who created speech, and He is able to speak through me. At first, I was hesitant, relying on my Spanish-speaking friends to do the bulk of the talking. But at the end, the Lord prompted me to converse to a man we saw sitting by the road. At the start, I only offered to pray for him, but then the Lord pushed me further, and I was able to talk to him about the grace of God. Truly, it was the Lord, not me, who was working.
The rest of the week continued similarly, with many challenges and difficulties. It was a constant battle in my mind to trust the Lord when I felt so weak, inadequate, and uncomfortable. This all led to a full-circle moment on Friday, when I was asked to teach the lesson I had prepared for Monday at the church’s worship night. I was excited and quickly got ready to teach, but again, no kids showed up, and so instead I attended the worship service. As we sung praises, I felt the Lord asking me, “Am I enough for you?” In that moment, I realized that I know how to do things for the Lord, but before my service, He wants me. The question is, am I content to abide in His love, or will I try to strive in my own power to earn His approval?
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul said that he rejoiced in his weaknesses, because in that weakness, he had learned to rely on the power of God and not his own strength. This week, the Lord had to make me uncomfortable, stretch me, bring me out of my comfort zone, and humble me in order to teach me to rely on Him. He reminded me that He doesn’t need my power, my work, my effort. More than His servant or His missionary, I am His child, and He wants me to abide and trust in Him.
Missions Week in Review
Thank you all for your prayers this last Missions Week! Our team left for Huehuetenango early Monday morning (3am!) and arrived around 8:30am. After eating breakfast and meeting the pastor of Calvary Huehuetenango, Julio, and his wife, Ana Lucía, we did a few work projects around the coffee shop that Julio runs. We then went over to the church’s new building before returning to the coffee shop in the evening for the start of a three-night conference about what makes a healthy church.
On Tuesday, our team spent the morning cleaning and clearing the area of the church property. Then in the afternoon, we did some street evangelism before heading back for night two of the conference.
We went to a nearby town called Aguacatán on Wednesday to deliver food and essential supplies to families living in that community. The people in Aguacatán are primarily of Mayan descent. Many of them live in poverty, and some don’t even speak Spanish. Two students from the Bible Institute and I visited the house of a couple named Pedro and Emilia and their children. They are both believers, but Emilia suffers from a heart condition that makes her unable to work and gives her difficulty breathing. We were able to pray with and encourage Pedro and Emilia and give them supplies. The conference wrapped up later that night.
On Thursday, we visited the University of San Carlos Huehuetenango to talk to some of the students and invite them out to the local Christian club. Our team was split into groups, and each group had posters with ice-breaker questions that students could answer on sticky notes. In the afternoon, we did some more work on the interior of the church, and then there was an event for the women of the church at the coffee shop in the evening.
For our final day on Friday, we finished up work at the church in preparation for a night of worship in the evening. I went out with a few of the students from the Bible Institute to invite people to the event and do some more evangelism. The evening was a sweet time of praise, with teams from both the Bible Institute and Calvary Huehuetenango leading songs. When the night was over, we said goodbye and prayed for one another to wrap up a great week spent with the church.
The team left Saturday morning, stopping at lake Atitlán, one of the most beautiful and popular destinations in Guatemala. We arrived back at the Bible Institute around 4pm and then had an evening of rest to prepare for services on Sunday. This Sunday was my final one serving in the Children’s Ministry for this trip, and I got to spend it with the 4-5-year-olds.
Prayer Requests
· Please pray for the people of Huehuetenango that the team and I interacted with during street evangelism and at the university. Specifically, you can pray for Diego and Henry, two men I was able to talk to about the Gospel and how we are saved by grace, not by doing good works.
· Please also pray for a woman we met named Monica. She is a believer who lost her husband a few months ago. Pray for the Lord’s comfort and provision in her life.
· Please pray for Pedro, Emilia, and their family (mentioned above). Pray for healing for Emilia, as well as strength and endurance for Pedro, who has to work many hours to provide for his family.
· Please pray that the Lord would continue to bless, strengthen, and use Pastor Julio, Ana Lucía, and the rest of Calvary Chapel Huehuetenango.
· I have only a week and a half left in Guatemala. Please pray that I would finish my time here well, do all that the Lord has brought me here to do, and continue to grow in my Spanish. Please also pray for wisdom about my future here in Guatemala.