When we arrived at mission2guatemala we were not really sure
what to expect. We believed God had
opened up this door for us and so we walked through. At that moment, that was enough. And now, one year later, we are so glad we
said yes!
For me, moving to a rural setting was a challenge and moving
an hour and a half away from the nearest grocery store an even bigger
challenge! But, God, in His infinite
mercy, provided work for Hector and Arryn in Chisec, just down the road about
10 minutes, and so we have family close by.
What an incredible blessing.
Working with teams is very
precious and something we have always loved.
It really is a very unique kind of work.
We get to be a part of both sides – the team and the Guatemalans they
have come to serve. We see how team
members are challenged to stretch their world view and their personal walk with
the Lord, as well as incorporate missions into their daily lives. We also see how the Guatemalan people are
blessed by teams and the local church here is encouraged. We have hosted 12 teams so far this year and
team number 13 arrives in a couple of weeks.
We have really enjoyed getting to know how mission2guatemala works with
groups and have been blessed to make many new friends. We are also super excited to host our first
Canadian team in the spring of 2014 (prayerfully the first of many, eh!).
We had prayed about finding a place to serve where we could
not only work with short-term mission teams, but also develop ministry outside
of teams. And, we are able to do that
here. There are more opportunities than
we know what do with. Because we do not
run back-to-back teams all year, we have time to become a part of the community
and use the gifts and talents God has given us to serve others.
Cindy and I, both former educators, have a real heart for
education. This past year we started a
program to help get kids into school.
With the donations we received we were able to send 83 kids to
school! Simply by providing school
supplies, uniforms and shoes, kids who would not have been studying, were in
school. Amazing! Now we are looking at January 2014 with an
added facet to the program – sponsorship for the Christian school. We have already signed up 3 families with 11
kids, and I know there will be more(students and sponsors) before January
arrives.
And, the icing on the cake…we really enjoy working with
Manny and Cindy. They have a lot they
can teach us, but we, too, make a valuable contribution to the team. It is a partnership and a friendship – something
very valuable on the mission field.
So, my reflection…I am so thankful to the Lord for His grace
and mercy. He is the reason we are here
serving and it is to Him that we give thanks.
I am thankful for all of the
experiences that equipped us and lead us to this place. I am so thankful for family and friends who
never lost confidence in us and supported us through our time of
transition. I am grateful for
mission2guatemala and Manny & Cindy.
I am thankful for CTEN and the wonderful work they do and the support
they provide for us.
Blessings,Karren
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