Day Six: The Final Touches

After visiting the Mayan Ruins, several of the guys headed back up the mountainside in Pastores to the Gonzales's home to finish up some last details on their home.  The rest of the group headed to the Mercado to pick up some food items to present the family with.  We then climbed the steep path one last time. 

The family came out, we gave them our gifts, and then we presented the family with their new home.  What an honor to be a part of something so special for such a beautiful family.  Their tears of joy and their words of thanks will remain in our hearts forever.  To be able to show them the love we have for them and the love Jesus has for them is an experience that we will never forget.  I thank God that we were able to serve in His plan for this family in even this small way. 

The grandmother said that she had been on several waiting lists for many years to get a new home and all I could think of as she said that was that they were just waiting on us.  I truly believe that God's will was carried out....that our church family and their family were meant to serve each other in the ways that we did this week.  We may have built them a home...but their family built so much more for us.  As they thanked us....we were thanking them.  What they gave us, we can carry with us in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

As we prayed together, I think we all knew that despite the fact that we would soon be descending that moutain path....we would never really leave them.  A part of us will always reside with the Gonazalez family in Pastores, Guatemala.  Our prayers will forever be with them. 

God is moving mightily in Guatemala....and he has moved mightily in the lives and hearts of our mission team.  We will never be the same again.  We CAN'T be the same again.  God has altered our hearts and our minds....our perceptions.  We were put outside of our comfort zones.  We grew in the Lord.  We have formed bonds with one another that I pray will remain strong.   We have met some incredible people who are doing incredible things to further the kingdom of God.  We had the chance to serve the Lord in an amazing way! 

In Acts 20:35 it says, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive"."    And to that I say, "AMEN!"   

Again, we thank you all for your prayers and support.  We thank God for allowing us to serve Him in such a powerful way...to be a part of His plan for the people of Guatemala.  It is so humbling to be used for God's purposes...to see His love in action....and to give to others.  This trip has truly been a blessing for us.

For more, please visit Jason's blog by clicking HERE.