Overcome

Los Siete Altares

Saturday we had the opportunity to go to Livingston where we spent a majority of the day getting to the waterfall and spending time there. It was quite the adventure just to get to the waterfall. We started walking and found a guy who would take all 15 of us a part of the way. Then we walked for about 30 minutes along the coast, which at one point in time had been absolutely beautiful, but pollution had found it's way. The water was at times extremely dirty, and trash had been wash up along the side of the beach. As we walked, the inevitable happened and my flip flops got wet., which normally would not be a problem, except when they and my feet are wet they become very slippery. I wanted to take them off, except that there were tiny seashells all around and I was afraid I would cut my feet on them. Let us not forget all the trash we were tramping through, it just would not have been a good idea. We walked around ant hills and across "bridges" until we finally reached the entrance to the beginning of another hike to the highest waterfall.

I wish I was the out doorsy type. But I'm not. I do not like bugs. I don't like being barefoot. I don't like getting mud all over me with who knows what parasites living in it. The walk to the waterfall was just not very fun for me. Keeping in mind that my flip flops were making it extremely difficult for me to walk, every step I took had to be taken very carefully. After almost falling in several times I decided I would take my sandals off. Each step I took was a little painful. I was walking on rocks. Oddly shaped, rough rocks. I had to analyze very carefully where to place each step. I didn't want to get to deep in the water, because I was carrying my bible, camera, and iPod and didn't want them to get wet. Pause.

I had just finished reading Hinds' Feet on High Places a marvelous book by Hannah Hurdard. It's a great analogy of the Christian walk. It tell's the story of Much Afraid, a young woman living in the Valley of Humiliation. She has a desire to go with the Shepherd to the High Places where the Kingdom of Love is. However, she has crooked feet, and can not make the journey herself. So in His infinite wisdom He gives her Suffering and Sorrow as guides.On her journey she encounters her relatives Bitterness and Self Pity. However, the Shepherd is always just a shout away. When she calls for Him, He comes and her enemies scurry.

Unpause. I felt very much like Much Afraid during our little hike up to the high place (waterfall). I was afraid of getting a parasite. I was afraid of falling and hurting myself. I was afraid of dropping my purse in the water and damaging my Bible, iPod, and camera. I like Much Afraid, started listening to the voices of self pity and bitterness. I was frustrated that I didn't have the right shoes. Bitter that I had brought my iPod, because I wasn't going to use it, neither would I use my Bible or journal. I started feeling sorry for myself and wanted to be anywhere but there. I remembered Much Afraid and how she called out to the Shepherd, so I thought I'd do the same. Even though Christ didn't come and carry me to the waterfall, He sent people to help me along the way. One of the guys that volunteers at Casa Verde very patiently helped direct my steps, and lent me his hand when I needed them. Others would catch my by my small back pack to keep me from falling into the water. When we finally reached the waterfall it was glorious. All the girls had already made it and were jumping off. They were having so much fun! I went to put my stuff down and saw a crab. I don't know why it would shock me that there were actually living organisms in nature, but it did. I then said to myself, "I am NOT getting in that water." After a few minutes of mopping to myself I decided I would take pictures of my girls. When I got up I miss stepped and fell right on my bottom. Oh did it hurt. I could no longer hold it in, and I must admit I cried a little bit.

The Lord reminded me that I would only be in this spot at this time only once in my life. I could spend that time having a pity party for myself or I could "get over myself" and have fun with my girls. So I choose to be joyful in my circumstances. I climbed up to the top of the waterfall and after a few moments of hysterical laughter, overcame my fear and jumped.

                                                                         Team Jump

Sorpresa!

One thing that I have learned over the years in working overseas with different ministries is to be flexible. Plans and schedules change, as the Lord reminded Isaiah, so has He reminded us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." So it did not come to my surprise that what we thought was going to happen on Friday, actually did not go as planned. The original schedule for Friday was Team Time in the morning, orphanage in the afternoon, and Family Time (team time with the volunteers at Casa Verde) in the evening.

Our Team Time turned into practice time of rehearsing our different skits, and learning dance choreography to kids songs.Which was very necessary because Thursday night we were told that we would be presenting the gospel through dramas and testimonies at our friend, Andrea's, church on Friday night.(Sorpresa number 1) 

Sorpresa number 2 came along when one of the ministry's vans pulled up full of donated clothes. We were asked to separate the clothes into two piles one for children and one for adults. We then stuffed the clothes into black trash bags.  Which we joyfully did for the next 30 minutes or so.

 After lunch we headed to the orphanage where I was told that our contact was not able to confirm with the nuns at the orphanage that we would be coming, and that if we were unable to go to the orphanage we would go to a poor community and give out some of the kids clothes. 

Well, I'm sure that you're not surprised that sorpresa number 3 was that we were not able to go to the orphanage. We drove around for a little while and got out of a van and walked up to a Pastor's home/church. We asked if we could do a program for the neighboring children. They agreed. So we went door to door inviting children and parents to our little program (in our broken Spanish of course).

Sorpresa number 4- Well, we were inviting children to our program, but we hadn't really planned one, or had music for one. So we made it up as we went along. Improvising music and singing songs that we had learned in the order that I could remember any of their names. It was so fun! It seemed like it would have been so stressful, but it wasn't at all. We were then able to surprise (Sorpresa #5) the kids with some clothing! Three girls were just standing around the clothing but they weren't looking for anything. I assumed that they were just shy, and I searched for them. I would find a shirt and then ask them if they wanted it. They seemed thankful. Even though we were all initially disappointed that we weren't able to go to the orphanage it was truly a blessing to love on the children from this neighborhood and not only bless them with songs about the joy of the Lord, but with new clothing as well. 

New Clothes!

 Then, that night while on the way to church, SORPRESA, one of the tires went flat. And when I say flat, I mean, deflated. It was the worst flat tire I have ever seen.

our flat tire :(

As we are piled out of the van one of my team mates, Belle, remarked, "Wow, Satan must really not want us to go to church tonight." I had been so focused on going by a "schedule" that I kinda had forgotten why we were here to begin with. We are here to proclaim the glory of God to the nation of Guatemala, not to mark good deeds off of our Christian-to-do-list. We started praying that whatever happened that night, that God would be glorified. Whether that meant going to church or going back to Casa Verde and having Family Time. Our contacts were able to get in touch with our friend and she arranged for us to get picked up in an (sorpresa)  AIR CONDITIONED bus! We arrived at the church and were absolutely blessed by the people we met. They were so welcoming and loving. Andrea had arranged translators for us which was a very nice sorpresa.

The Lord had one very special sorpresa in store for me. He taught me about my pride. I thought we'd be going to church and do our little presentation and offer them what WE had to give THEM. But that's not at all how it went down. Yes, the team did our drama and it was beautiful and even though I had seen them practice it several times, it moved me to tears when I saw them do it on Sunday night. Yes, Jill did a wonderful job sharing her testimony. Yes, leading them in worship was glorifying to the Lord. But the Lord spoke through Andrea, as she retold the story of Joseph, the dreamer. How the Lord has given us dreams. How we are to trust Him with them and to seek Him. He has given us these dreams for a reason, for His glory. He wants to use us to fulfill His purposes on earth.

After the service we still had one question, "how were we going to get home?" Andrea asked Beverly and her brother to take us home, the same two people who had been translating for us. Not only did they want to take us home but to show us around the city and to take us to the stadium for the ceremonies for Dia de Independencia.While we were driving around town I noticed them- the bars and the ones being prostituted. I could only imagine what was going on inside of Bar Diana and Bar California. It was not a coincidence that Andrea and just spoken about dreams. Seeing those bars reminded me of my own, and how the Lord brought me to Guatemala to prepare me for what He has in store for my future in Thailand. As we drove around it started to rain. A reminder of how God makes everything new. It was decided to not go to the stadium and we headed home.

Runner carrying the touch to the Stadium for ceremony.

In conclusion, the Lord reminded me again, that my ways, or the schedule's ways aren't necessarily always His ways. His ways are always better than mine could ever be. And nothing, could ever or will ever take Him by surprise.