When I found out that my dad needed open heart surgery, I
had to make a decision. The decision
that seemed to make the most sense was to wait until after his surgery to leave
for Guatemala. I had already been
waiting for nine months, what was one more?
But I felt a strong urge to go, so I did something that made less
sense. I left for three weeks, came back for two weeks, and then left again. I was not
sure on the wisdom of this decision, only following my heart. The plane ticket was an extra expense and my
fundraising total was low. Being with
the people of Cotzal for those three weeks and teaching at the school, I knew that
I had made the right decision. I was feeling settled and at peace with my work in Cotzal, but it was
time to travel back for my dad's surgery.
Honestly, it was hard to leave.
Besides praying, I didn't know what I could really do to help as my dad
went through that. But I found that the
way God used me the most was not necessarily in the United States but in the
process of traveling home. He had divine
appointments lined up in front of me and through them He taught me and changed
me.
The first one I have already written about. Being able to pray with the person that stole
my phone was something I will probably never forget. I could feel God speaking to him in that
moment. When I arrived back to Antigua
two weeks later, I asked about him to people that know him. Nobody had seen him. He had disappeared after that incident. I hope he has begun to put his stealing ways
behind him and has let God have His way with him.
The second one happened on the plane from Guatemala City to
Dallas. I sat next to a woman who was
traveling to Kansas to visit with a guy she had known from Panama, and with
whom she had been chatting long distance with for a year. She was stepping out into unknown territory
and was unsure of what she wanted. She
believed in God and prayed often, but this guy did not. She wanted to be closer to God. As I spoke with her, I felt the Holy Spirit
leading me, giving me words. I shared
with her the verse I was studying at the time from Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When I connected with her upon my return, I
learned that she felt it was God and not me speaking to her, and she felt that
verse was for her. We talked for three hours on the plane and upon arriving in Dallas, we agreed to do lunch together at the
airport. But after going through
customs in our separate lines, we lost each other. I waited for her upstairs while she waited for me downstairs. I wondered if that was a sign that God wanted our meeting to be at an end. I looked for her gate on the departure screen
so maybe I could say goodbye before she left, since she was leaving over an hour
earlier than me. It said A21. I looked for my gate. It said A21.
I laughed out loud that God had put us not only right next to each other
on the plane but also at the exact same gate in the enormous Dallas airport as
well. We talked a little bit more before
she had to board her plane. Two weeks
later she picked me up from the airport in Guatemala City and drove me to Antigua. We continued to talk and share our lives with
each for many hours over those next two days.
At the Dallas airport I had another divine appointment over
text message. After that woman and I had
lost each other, I received several texts to my USA phone from an old friend
from my childhood. He knew I was a missionary
and asked me many questions about salvation.
I had been out of the country for three weeks, and my phone had been
turned off during that time, but he had sent the texts only the night before. We sent several texts back and forth in the
Dallas airport.
Through those three instances over those two days on my
travel home, I felt God use me as never before. I felt the Holy Spirit giving me words and I
opened my mouth without worry or fear.
Once home, I spent many hours at the hospital with my family. Watching my dad go through the aftermath of
his surgery was very difficult for me, I felt useless. But God watched over the surgery and it went “beautifully.” So many people in the United States and here
in Guatemala were praying for him. My
dad is a much loved man and I think he had more visitors than anybody else on
his floor. I watched as he, through the
pain and discomfort, was able to still visit with his friends and crack jokes. He wanted to learn everybody’s name that came
in to work on him (and there were many).
He went through the procedure with so much courage and so much grace. He is ahead of schedule on his road to
recovery.
It was nice spending time with family and friends in Seattle
but I also felt restless. I was ready to
go back and continue my journey here in Guatemala. I have been back in the country now for
almost a week. I took several busses to
arrive here in Cotzal from Antigua, which was an adventure considering I was
lugging my guitar around everywhere.
Seeing all the children at HOREB this last Friday reminded me why I am
here. It has been great reconnecting
again with the loving, hospitable people here in Cotzal. We will see what else God has in store for
me. I just hope I am able to get out of my own way and let God use me the way
He used me in my journey home. Thank you
all for your continued prayers.
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