Trip Preparation, Part 2

I stand only a week away from taking off for Guatemala.  I am at 50% of the financial support I'm estimated to need, which is enough to go down with confidence and pray for the remaining support to come in.  My passport is here.  I've received my shots.  I have my travel medications.  My apartment is leased out.  All that's really left to do is pack.  We will be having a bake sale at church this Sunday and I hope to raise more support that way.  Iris has completely taken control of that and my friends and family are really rallying around me, baking goods and strategizing.  I feel so humbled to have so many amazing people in my life that love and support me.  The Lord has truly blessed me abundantly.  I just hope to use His gifts for His glory. 


As I begin to really wrap my mind around the upcoming adventure, I feel so underprepared.  It won't seem real to me until I'm on the plane or maybe not until I'm sitting at some cafe in Antigua and am thinking, "okay, now what?"  The focus of the trip has changed since my parents returned from their trip to Guatemala.  Originally, the main focus was to go down and talk with pastors that have come through the Bible college that WIND supports and do some investigative work on how it has helped their church and their ministry as well as writing their stories for the people back home.  I will still do some of that.  However, when my Mom and Dad went down to Cotzal, God opened a door.

 My dad writes, "This is a picture of a door leading to a classroom in the current space being used for the Christian School in Cotzal; 82 students, grades 1-6 being taught under a leaking roof in dank facilities. The parents of these children have decided it is worth the 25Q per month (about $3) to have their children in a Christian learning environment. Public education would be free – but the public education is not effective. So they dig deep into their limited budget and pay the 25Q. If a family cannot come up with the 25Q, Tabita and the teachers quietly help cover their cost. They do not turn anyone away who wants to learn. Sadly, as the children learn to read and write, the number of students drops off as the parents feel they have learned what they need to know. But Tabita and her staff tirelessly work to inspire the students.

"God led us to Cotzal. He called us to raise the education level of the people in the Ixil. He led us to Tabita, a real saint to the children she teaches. He showed us the way to this open door to new possibilities – an open door to making a difference to the children of Cotzal. An open door to bringing a better tomorrow to a region weighted down by years of war and oppression. But what? How? With what resources?"

I will be volunteering at this school, teaching English to the little ones.  I will also listen to Tabita's heart and help determine where WIND goes from here.  How can God use us to make a true and lasting difference in the lives of these children?  As we navigate the educational landscape of the region, please pray that God will provide direction, not our direction, but His direction, always.  For His glory.