An Adventure Of Abundance

Have you ever been on a journey across a country with only the clothes on your back?  No food, drink, money, etc.  Only your clothes.  Well, that’s exactly what happened with all of us guys on our long term team.  A total of seven of us (two groups of 2 and one group of 3) journeyed from Antigua, GT to San Marcos, Lake Atitlan, GT.  This was a surprise to us all, when our leader brought us together and gave a word from The Lord, that He wanted to teach us something on this journey, and from there we were prayed for and commissioned off.

To make a long story short, I’ll list some of the highlights.  My friend Josh and I were excited.  We were excited to rough it through this 130 kilometer (80 mile) journey.  We were asking The Lord what did He want us to do, and what did He want to teach us.  The first thing He wanted us to do is walk and use the legs He gave us!  We walked for hours the first day until this lovely family pick us up and drove us to Chimaltenango where My Special Treasure girl’s orphanage is located.  And so as they dropped us off, we started walking toward the orphanage and we saw Lesli and Gersi walking toward us, and we were all excited to see each other with such a surprise!  We wanted to just visit and bless the girls with the love of Jesus.  But instead, they were the ones who blessed us.

Without Josh and I asking for anything, they provided food, drink, a place to sleep, and more than enough to get us to where we needed to go.  Josh and I first denied the provision they wanted to give us.  But they insisted, and said it was from The Lord, we couldn’t argue with that, and so we took the gifts.  It was another perfect example of the widow who gave out of her poverty:

‘Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  -Mark 12:43-44

Along the journey, we shared the love of Christ with people, but really, we were the ones that were blessed more.  Overall, Josh and I were prepared to do whatever it took, but God spoke, and did not allow us to use any of our strengths.  Instead, He was the one who was exalted in Him providing for our needs, and providing abundantly.

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory…”  -Ephesians 3:20-21

After our whole team arrived in San Marcos, Lake Atitlan, we all praised The Lord for His care in providing all that we needed to bear the mission He has for us in San Marcos.  As we all praised Him that morning, it was a common theme that He is supreme in all things for the joy of all peoples, through Jesus Christ – our all satisfying treasure.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!  Serve the Lord with gladness!   Come into his presence with singing!  Know that the Lord, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving,  and his courts with praise!  Give thanks to him; bless his name!  For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”  -Psalm 100

I made two new friends above, one is the biological daughter of the Debra and Dave who run an orphanage that we are helping, and the other girl is also a daughter named Candy (to the left in the photo above).  She is a sweetheart and we became good buddies.

When Candy arrived at the orphanage two years ago, she had no hair, malnourished, and still healing from scars from beatings.  She has been rescued by The Father into a place of healing, to know the Savior Jesus Christ and all of the faithfulness, hope, and love He has for His beloved little children.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”  -John 14:18-20