Tuesday

1 Peter 4:10,  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Colossians 4:5-6, Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

The words that come to mind as I think back on this day are Service and Presence (in the moment).

The girls we interact with at the Oasis have experienced what no child should ever experience. Their stories of neglect and abuse are unimaginable to most of us. Interactions with mothers as young as eleven or twelve years old are confounding to the mind. Yet the Lord’s presence here is palpable. He is at work. He is evident. He is present. You can feel and experience the Lord’s presence and action here at the Oasis like nowhere else in life. It is a blessing to be able to come here and serve. This place has a way of distilling what is important and focusing you in the moment. This is the day that the Lord has made…and this is a place where you can focus on his creation. It is also a place where you can use whatever gifts we have received to truly serve others.

This morning started out with huge cinnamon rolls brought by one of the missionaries…and if that isn’t a great way to start a day, I don’t know what is!

It was a day of continued work in the Bethany Center; painting walls, building the walls for four new offices, building benches, sanding, mudding and taping. But the greatest work was done in the middle of the day, sharing an hour of lunch with the girls. Hearing them laugh, making them laugh, hugging them, high-fiving them, listening to them and generally trying to help them to understand that they matter to us. That they are important. That they are worthy of the time and the attention. That we are present here with them because they deserve our presence.

After the regular day of work at The Oasis was completed, we were blessed with the opportunity to serve one of the husband-and-wife missionary teams. On Monday we found out that the couple had rented a new home and that they were going to be moving this week. It was really a joy to be able to surprise them with the offer of moving them. To the best of my knowledge, “Two Men and a Truck” doesn’t operate in Guatemala…but thirteen missionaries and three trucks can get a couple people moved very quickly! It was really fun to see them into their new home and it was heartwarming to hear their sincere thanks for the effort. The work these folks do in Guatemala day-in, day-out week-in, week-out, all year around is amazing. To be able to assist them in a small way was a blessing to us.

With the moving, dinner came a little later than normal and was accompanied by Doug Johnson giving us his testimony about a life in missions, topped off with the last sixteen years serving at Kids Alive Guatemala. Truly an inspiring story from a Man of God.

Great end to another great day here in Guatemala.

Chris