Today was a day of many ‘lasts’. We finished off our houses today (and built a total of 12 this week – blessing 12 incredible families!). We said goodbye to all of the kids at the AOJ mission school and had a farewell lunch/blessing time from them, and we said farewell to many of the wonderful people that we were able to meet this week!
It was incredibly exciting to be able to build our final two houses this morning. One of the boys that will live in one of the houses that we were building has cerebral palsy. I have seen how hard it is for people who have this disability to live here in Canada, I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live in a third world country. But this little boy, Stephen, had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen (I even took a video for you to witness– so much joy)! Right when we got off the truck to build their house he waved excitedly and said “hola”. He is the happiest kid that I have ever seen. The joy that was present on his face was incredible. My dad ended up giving Stephen his sunglasses – to keep! I took a picture of Stephen with the sunglasses on and showed it to him and you could tell he thought he looked so cool. It was hilarious! This was an incredibly warm family and it was an amazing opportunity to be able to spend these few hours playing with them and building a house for them.
After the house building we headed back to the school. The kids that are studying the service trade were able to practice by serving us lunch. It was delicious!! I can say that Guatemala has made me love black beans. In Canada, we have it all wrong. Black beans are where it is at! We were able to say our closing words to the leaders and teachers at the school. I told them that before I came here, I knew that God knew who I would meet here in Guatemala and that He had a plan for me to meet all of them. I said that it was a pleasure to come and serve and bless them but that I think they have blessed me more. That’s true! I feel like I have done nothing for them in comparison to the blessing that they have been in my heart and my life. I will cherish the people I’ve met here forever!
After our lunch the kindergarten kids had prepared a going away show for us. They performed a puppet show about Noah’s ark and then all dressed up as different animals and did a dance for us. It was so adorable! They did such a good job preparing that for us. It’s amazing to think of how much love those kids have. It is crazy to think we’ve only spent a week with them and yet they care about us so much! We should never underestimate our influence on the life of a child.
Finally, we said our goodbyes. One of my parent’s sponser kids, Stefanie, gave me the biggest hug. She had been so shy to me all week. She never said a word! But, when it was time to say goodbye, she wrapped her arms around my neck and didn’t let go for ten minutes! She just wanted to cuddle. It was the sweetest moment.
Before we came to Guatemala, our team ended up raising more than enough money. It was neat because we were able to ask the mission organization where they thought they could use this extra money that was given. They prayerfully decided that they would use the money to buy wood burning stoves for seven families in a poor and remote village about 20 minutes away from the school. We had the opportunity to go, as a team, and meet the seven ladies that these stoves blessed and to tell them that this is not a gift from us, but a gift from God. I hope and pray that they feel much love from this! It was crazy because each of the ladies that these stoves blessed were either widowed or single moms. This is something that will enhance their cooking life and will enhance their lives, making it more safe to cook. It was great to be able to bless them in this way.
I can’t believe it is our last official day of mission work here in Guatemala. The houses are done; the kids feel loved; God is in this place; our hearts our full! We are ready for a day of exploring tomorrow!
“You will make known to me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11
Refined Joy 