Thankfulness - 2 Thes. 5:16-18

The beautiful Lopez family, thankful for welcoming us into their homes and showing us their cultural traditions!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so thankful for the work God is doing here in Guatemala, I am thankful for the people God has sent here to serve, I am thankful that He is using me and changing my heart every day, I am thankful for the beauty of these people and this country.

Juana and David hard at work making bracelets

I have been reading a book called 1,000 gifts, by Ann Voskamp, she writes about the importance of thankfulness in our relationship with Christ. She mentions that “thankfulness is the evidence of acceptance of God’s free gift of salvation to us. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our YES, to His grace.” Thanksgiving is our reasonable response as Christians to this wonderful, undeserving gift of eternal life with Him.

“And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

So thankful that Luke and Sarah witnessed the amazing work God is doing in Guatemala

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28)

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (2 Thes. 5:16-18)

Ann writes, “Gratitude is the foremost quality of a believing disciple precisely because gratitude is what births trust, the true belief.” Christianity is based on faith and faith alone – faith that Christ died for all of our sins and that we can have eternal life with Him. He has forgiven us completely; His grace abounds through His son’s death, and the Holy Spirit has been given as a gift to live inside of us and guide us. To be saved, we don’t have to do anything except have faith! (Acts 16:31, Romans 10:9-10, Romans 3:22)

Raquel and Jose’s new bunk beds

Faith is exemplified through our actions rooted in the truth of the God’s good Word; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. These actions are our response, in thanksgiving, for this wonderful salvation we have received. Many of these actions come as learned practices, and we can begin to practice them by practicing thankfulness.

 “May the God of HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE as you TRUST in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 15:13)

This above verse is so wonderful; it explains to us that as we trust Him, He will fill us with joy, hope, power, and peace. It makes so much sense, as we cast our worries, doubts, and sins to Him, He gives us peace and joy.

We know that to practice laying our worries and sins at the cross, giving them to Jesus to carry, is much more difficult than it seems. To be able to do this, we must have complete trust in Him and His sovereignty that He will provide and that He knows what is best for us, otherwise many times we will lay something at the cross and then go back and pick it up. “Your part is prayer and gratitude, God’s part is peace and protection,” said Max Lucado.

Faith and trust in God’s sovereignty is key to living a life full of peace. This enables us to fulfill God’s plan for us on Earth, because we can be heavenly minded, instead of worrying about earthly things. We can bring glory to God, because we have peace.

God provided vitamins and medicine for a nearby senior center

There is so much here on Earth to be thankful for, and I realize that more and more everyday while I am here in Guatemala. For me, it is a lot easier to look at the big things I am thankful for- family, friends, shelter, food, but as I have begin to show thankfulness for the little details of life, I see more peace in my life, as I further Trust the Lord every day in every way, I am able to give over more of my worries to Him (big and small), knowing that he is completely in control.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

This week I am so thankful that I was part of a house building project and dedication for Rosa and Cristina. Cristina and Rosa’s story includes physical abuse from within their own family. They lived with Cristina’s parents, who frequently abused them physically after they had drank too much. Cristina and Rosa were leaving the house at all hours of the night looking for places to stay to avoid the situation. The pastor helped them many nights find a place to sleep. He sought out the Porch and the Lord provided the funds and hands to build a home for this family of two. They were so extremely grateful and they were such a blessing to all those who worked with them and for them.

Serving Others - Mark 10:44-45

Last week we had a wonderful team from Tallahassee, Florida come to work with us. This team of 23 was a very well rounded and hard-working group; throughout the week they conducted medical clinics, dental clinics, vacation Bible school, and house construction. They were definitely a blessing to us; they were so full of encouragement and love!

It is such an amazing thing that people spend an entire year raising funds, medicine, shoes, clothes, and items for the children and then they use their vacation time from work to go to another country to work and serve others- that they don’t even know.

“He who is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord and He will reward him for what he has done.” (Proverbs 19:17) I think about this verse, and I realize, the reward the Lord gives is so incredible that it is completely worth all of it. He changes our lives through these experiences, even more than we could really ever change anyone else’s. For this team, I think the reward came to them through renewed passion, thankfulness, accomplishment, encouragement, perspective, God’s presence, community, and fun.

In talking to the Philippians, Paul thanks them for their gifts that they gave when no one else was giving to him, he says “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I want you to have the good that comes from giving,” (Philippians 4:17) I think this team definitely received the good that came from their giving!

(Dental clinic, Medical Clinic, and Vacation Bible School!)

This group served some really incredible needs in these impoverished communities. God is so good! We went to four villages during the week; we saw over 400 medical patients, 150 dental patients, and taught over 300 children about the Lord. The group also had the pleasure of beginning house construction for a wonderful family! The husband of this family has an amazing testimony; he was saved by Jesus from alcoholism and is practicing how to be a loving parent to his six children (one was born this week while we were there, Little Lucas Solomon!)

(Santa and his family – their old living conditions, and now they stand where they tore down their old house and the new one will stand!)

It was a wonderful sight to see each of the communities that we visited come together and to see the team be able to provide service to so many needy people. God used each team member in an important way this week; they all had something unique and special to contribute. We all have a unique and important role to play in furthering God’s kingdom; and we are so honored and humbled that God would use us to help others.

While in a third world country it may seem ”easier” to serve, simply because the poverty is overflowing from every corner and even a dollar, pair of shoes, or short medical consulation goes a long way.. but God’s plan for your life may not be overseas. Wherever you are there are many opportunities to act selflessly in humility, and serve those in need. We may need to be more intentional to seek them out in the States, but the need is there. I know many who have been blessed by serving in soup kitchens and homeless shelters, working in underfunded schools, providing holiday meals, food, clothing and love to those who really need it, or paying for gas or groceries for a neighbor having financial problems, there are countless ways, everyday!! We can simply  call out to God and ask him to open our eyes and use us to serve these who are suffering.

What a blessing serving others can be!  We surely will be rewarded as we begin to see God’s purpose for our lives unfold right before our eyes. We are so thankful for every single person on the team of 23, that was here last week; please know that you gave us each encouragement, renewed passion, and great energy to continue to carry on!

Giving is a Blessing - Acts 20:35

Sometimes I find myself loaning money to people with an expectant heart, thinking about when I will get paid back. Or, sometimes I buy something for someone and look for that appreciation and credit for my generosity. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit reminds me that this money is not mine and that everything in Heaven and Earth belongs to the Lord. (1 Chronicles 29:11) It’s like this is God’s money on loan to me for this short time, and He is watching what I do with it. This thought completely changes my mind to instead think, how can I best please Him with His money? This giving spritit then becomes an incredible source of blessing and joy in my life.

I wouldn’t have a penny if it wasn’t for the Lord and His choice to create me, to be born into a family that could provide for my needs, to give me a mind and skills that enabled me to be successful in school, and opened the door to a wonderful career. I am so thankful for what He provides and I am quickly reminded that it is only because of Him that I have anything at all. (John 3:27) He says that I should lend without expecting it to be returned (Luke 6:30), that I should be a good steward of the money I am given (Luke 12:42-46), that I should be openhanded toward my brothers, the poor, and the needy. (Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

Many times we spend and collect money as though it is ours and we think because we have worked hard to obtain it, that we should spend it on whatever our flesh desires. This allows us to easily forget the command we are given- to serve others and care for the poor. I think we can miss out on incredible blessings that God desires for us to have and understand like generosity… humility… sacrifice.. selflesness.

I definitely don’t discredit hard work; we are expected to work hard! However, I struggle when I try to align hard work with the amount of money rewarded. I look around Guatemala and see the people working here are some of the hardest working people I have ever seen, yet they make so little. These people work day and night and some can hardly provide food for their families.

A sewing machine donated to a family to enhance their business of making clothes to provide for their family

As I began to think about this, it seemed so completely unfair… but then God changed my thoughts. What if, God allows it to be this way, intending for those with extra to provide for the poor, changing the lives of others, and changing their own hearts at the same time and ultimately enhancing their lives with tremendous joy and contentment? All of this leading us to live the life God designed us for… that we would seek a dependecy on Christ.. and in all things seek His will for the use of our money? I know this isn’t a mind boggling finding, but it did allow for me to look at it with a completely different perspective.

Family House Visit – This family of four currently shares this one bed, the third child is on the way.

Being “poor” how we see it, is not always a negative thing. These people that may be labeled as “poor” have a different richness- a richness in their dependency on Christ to provide for them, they have contentment that comes from their hope of eternal life and not from the materialistic things of this world. But, I really struggle when I see them malnourished because they don’t have money for  the right kinds of foods, or freezing because they don’t have a blanket or coat, or sleeping and cooking in really awful living conditions, or living in terribly excruciating pain because they are not able to afford a doctor visit or needed surgery, or never having the opportunity to learn to read or write.

I can’t help but want to raise awareness, that these things are REALLY happening – and not only in Guatemala, but all over the world. And, it is our responsibility as Christians to continue to do something about it. When I dig into scripture, it is so clear that this is God’s will for us to give generously, that from whom much is given, much is expected. The best part is that I have no doubt that as we open our hearts to giving more, the blessings in return will far outweigh the small amount we are giving up.

Rosa and Lydia attend school from 7:30am – 11:30am five days a week and are learning to read really well!

Twice a week we meet with women who deal with abuse in their lives. We learn their stories and encourage them through these tough times. We teach them about the love of our Savior and the hope they can have in an eternity with an incredible Father. This past week we wanted to provide them with verses to learn and memorize, we also wanted to give them Bibles. Unfortunately, we discovered none of them could read.

The good news is people are doing something about this! The Porch and many others, sponsor children to attend school- some of the children are even helping their parents learn to read and write now. Did you know that you could sponsor a child to attend school for just about $250 a year here in Panajachel? Currently the Porch is sponsoring more than 70 students, and the need is greater than ever.

Tadeo the owner of Tat Loy Rehab Ceneter – a humble and generous man

I talked in the last post about a rehab center that we work closely with. On Wednesday, we returned to check on our friends and provide some medical assistance. I learned a lot about the owner of this house from some of the men that live there. On many occasions, quite frequently actually, the leader sells his own personal property to provide for the men in this house. He sells his own things right off his back, for example he has sold a watch and sunglasses that were given to him as gifts, just to buy food for the men in the house. Yet, he does not complain, he just thanks God for all that He provides and for allowing them to survive another day. His dependency on Christ is more rewarding than any materialistic thing money could buy. What a wonderful testimony of doing God’s will – dying to himself and his own desires to serve Christ and care for the lives of others more than his own.

A family very much in need of a new home, he works as a farmer and she cares for the children and they currently have no money for better living conditions

If you are interested in learning how to sponsor a child to get an education, or sponsor a family through the monthly feeding program, or contribute a donation for a house building project, please let me know. There are so many wonderful things going on here, God is changing lives and ultimately hearts towards Him. These amazing things happen through the generosity of people just like you