...something about Guatemala...

It's been a month since I left the most beautiful place, I have laid my eyes on.

It has taken me that long to process, just the surface, of what I experienced in the amazing country of Guatemala.

Every step of this trip was God lead and God provided, from the first ad I saw on Instagram all the way to landing back in Houston. You read that right, I saw an ad, on Instagram, back in February. After seeing the ad, the first time I passed it over and prayed that if this is what I was supposed to do then it would be made clear. The next day I saw another ad, so I thought to myself, maybe it's worth it to check it out, resulting in me clicking on the link and doing some research. I had never heard of the organization One Mandate before these ads. Before I got off of the link, I sent my information to get a phone call to learn more. The following Friday I got a phone call from the CEO and Founder of One Mandate. We talked for thirty minutes but it felt like we had known each other a lifetime. By the end of the phone call, he asked if he could pass my information on to the Administrator. I said yes, of course.

The following Monday I met at a local coffee shop with one of my pastors, to talk about how Thailand went and where God was leading me next. When I brought up this possible mission trip, I was still a little skeptical and she was too. As we kept talking my gaze got caught by a sign right behind her. The sign said, "Coffee beans made in Guatemala". I pointed it out to my pastor, and she said, "that's what we call confirmation!" She was halfway joking and halfway being serious. I defiantly took it fully seriously. That evening the administrator from One Mandate called me. She explained that I got the last spot on the first trip. I knew there was no going back because this was exactly what God wanted me to do.

The conversation didn't end there. She told me that the deposit deadline for the first trip was due last month, but she'd extend my deadline to match that of second trip. Which was exactly four days from our conversation.

"You think you can get me $250 by Friday?" she said.

"I don't know where it's coming from, but I know my God can make it happen." I faithfully responded.

"Amen! Well, I will send you your link as soon as I get home, and you can share it. " She agreed and we exchanged goodbyes.

A little while later I received a text with my account link and shared it on Facebook.

Before I move onto to tell you all the way's God provided financially, I just want to say; All glory be to God whom all good things come from!!!THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SOWN INTO THIS TRIP! Your obedience to the Lord to give does not go unnoticed! This is a living testimony that when God calls you to do something He will provide!!!

God knew!!! I posted that I needed the deposit by the end of the week on a Monday. Well, 10mins later, wouldn't you know it. The $250 deposit was paid by an amazing person of God!!! The day before the deposit was due another family knew the deposit was made and still, they matched the deposit amount!

Then the first deadline for payment was due in a few weeks when I posted in April needing half of the full amount by the 30th. Through many people God provided in different amounts from each person who gave. I was worried my calendar fundraiser only had a week left and it wasn't filling up as fast as I wanted it to. A family donated the rest of what I needed to pay for the first deadline. I texted the family and they said their child had said some convicting things about tithing off of the money they earn from side gigs. So, they as a family had been setting aside the tithe amount to give to missions and felt the Lord saying to give it towards my trip. This completed the first goal plus some!

It was a roller coaster from that deadline on the way to the next one of me trusting God and seeking Him and spending time working on my mental, emotional, and physical health to ensure that I was doing my part to be ready and healthy for this mission trip.

Through more people giving and different fundraisers I was doing good, but it wasn't all of it yet, and I knew God would provide the rest, but I began worrying how. Then I attended a service where the preacher was speaking some truths, I had seemed to of forgotten and it felt like everything he was saying was directly from God for me to hear and put into practice. So, I changed my perspective on how I looked at this fundraising. I praised God for everything I received and change my words on how I spoke about the rest that was still needed. I didn't know how God was going to do it, but I knew He would!!

Along the way I put whatever I had left over from paying bills toward the trip, because I wanted to be obedient to what the Lord called me to do and be a good steward of what He was giving me!

A month and a week before the last deadline, a great friend of mine blessed my trip with $500, due to her getting a bonus and praying about how much she should sow into my trip. Then on May 26th, after babysitting, the family I babysat for felt the Lord tell them to pay off my trip, and so they did!

THE LORD ALWAYS WORKS IT OUT TO HIS GLORY!!!!!!!!!! HIS WAY, HIS TIMING HIS CALL, HIS WILL, HIS BILL! Paid in full!!

This was just the first of what God did!

Without the weight of trip fees on my mind I pressed into the Lord and sought after whatever He wanted to do in and through me. I began to pray that whatever I had been trying to hide from Him would be brought to light, whatever relationships needed to be severed, would. and whatever bitterness or anger or anything else that wasn't of God would be broken off and sent back to hell where it came from.

By the time I got to Houston I was ready for battle!

The first night in Houston we had introductions. I met all 19 people going on the trip for the first time and I was so beyond excited to be in that place, meeting those people.

My roommate and I hit it off from the start, she had the sweetest soul and all the jokes! I knew it was going to be good! after introductions we had a time of worship and word. I could tell the Lord was already moving on our hearts.

The next morning, we woke up early for prayer and impartation and our flight.

From the time we woke up until we landed, Smooth! Smooth, is the best way to describe this experience.

We landed in Guatemala on August 2nd. We were pleasantly greeted by our missionaries with Mountain Top Promises (MTP). Everyone loaded up in the van and we started our 5-hour journey up the mountain. We got to the hotel and rested most of the night.

Day 1: Developing a heart for the Nations

On the first day we had Mandate University. This was a time of learning and worshiping. Our missionaries spoke to us about the meaning and vision behind their ministry. We were also taught about the culture we would encounter in the coming days.

Matthew 28- the Great Commission- Go Be present, be open
Not because they matter to me but because they matter to God 
When you walk by the spirit, you WILL do things you are uncomfortable with. 
Good culture vs bad culture
MTP's moto- "Generosity is our purpose"
Trust the Process
Different is not bad
Culture resist change
The Gospel is a change agent
Change in one aspect changes the whole
Be Bold! Be Brave!
1 Peter 2:9-11 

After Mandate University and Impartation, we had lunch. Then we were sent out to the local basketball court. MTP has a sport program they do with the local kids. During this time, they teach the kids exercises and play lots of volleyball. I was able to play with the girls that didn't want to play volleyball. We used chalk to draw on the concreate steps at the court. We also played hand games like rock, paper, scissors, and other games they knew. This was a sweet time of fellowship and getting to know the kids.

Day 2: Going the distance

Each morning, we had a devotional and time of prayer.

John 17:18-21
1) The messenger of God-there has to be a proclaimer of that message
Romans 5:1-5
2)We have God's Word
John 17:6,14
3)We believe
John 5:24;6:63
4)The spirit gives us life
John 17:18-21
The believers must be unified-John 17:11
The purpose of unity is so that people would come to believe- John 3:32;7:29;10:10
One Mission-One unified body of Christ-John 17:22-23
The Place that you give Christ is the place He will take

After breakfast we packed care packages to take to the hospitals. At the hospitals it was my understanding that the patients have to provide everything they need. That only the doctors are provided. Family members cannot stay inside the hospital with their loved ones but can stay outside of the hospital on the street if they choose. For some this hospital, that was an hour away from where we stayed, was the closest to some of the villages that were five hours away. The doctor's education compared to the United States medical field is that of a nurse. These people are desperate for good health care but since the government is corrupt, it is not provided. The care packages had toothbrush/toothpaste, hand sanitizer, Kleenex, diapers, mini cereal box, juice box, and a comb. After all the bags were packed and prayed over, we made the trip to the hospital. Here we had the opportunity to pray over the family members and friends of the patients, as we handed out the care packages.

After we handed all the packages out and finished praying for everyone that seemed to want it, we headed back toward the van to huddle before leaving, as I walking, I looked backed and saw a few of my team members walking the opposite direction with a local toward a bench. The local man was dragging his leg behind him. I changed directions to following them. When the local man was seated, we began to speak with him about what he was going through. He explained to us that two years ago something fell on his leg at work causing significant damage to his leg, forcing him to be jobless. His leg was still purple and swollen.

We laid hands on his leg and started praying for healing to come.

By the time we were done praying the swelling went down, the color started to change, and the local man stood up and started walking!

We shared the Gospel with him and he told us he use to be an evangelist but since he hurt his leg he lost faith. We encouraged him to pick his bible back up and share of the amazing miracle God did in his life. He wasn't even at the hospital for him but for his niece. We prayed with him about her too before heading to the team huddle.

At the team huddle we learned more about the hospital and the government corruption. We got to lay hands on the hospital walls and pray for healing and funding to be restored to the proper hands.

We spent the day in the city of Coban being immersed in culture and when we went back to the missionaries home we had a time of prayer and worship. It was there the scales over my eyes fell off and I allowed the Lord to reveal to me that before leaving we had been cutting off branches, but I wasn't allowing the Lord to dig up the root. Well, that night I allowed Him to dig it up and remove the stronghold of a deep-rooted bondage of unforgiveness.

Day 3: Summer of impact: Nations Ignited Cities Transformed

Verano de impacto: las naciones encendieron las ciudades transformadas

Ignite-to stir up, light up. turn on
Nations=People
Nations Ignited is a daily mandate
John 4:1-42
Jesus came and broke barrier's 
Take off our lens of judgment
Mark 16:14-20 
Jesus co-labored with them
When we are secure in Him, we stay constant
Let us start with the people in our own backyard
A fruitless life is a wasted life!
Habakkuk 2
John 12:13-15

After breakfast we got a cooking lesson! The team made Guatemalan traditional tamales; they came to good use later. Then we made corn on a sick, that we got to enjoy!

After lunch we loaded up and went back to the local basketball court to set up a field day for the community. They played games, had slushes and popcorn, and received the Gospel message.

Over 90 souls were saved!

We worshiped together and heard about what Jesus did for everyone! Through the Lord working in the hearts of those present over 90 souls were saved and MTP will be following up and discipling them.

Day 4: Peace-Makers

Matthew 5:9
God wants you to walk in peace
John 14:27
You can only be walking in fear if you allow yourself to
Philippians 4:6-9
Matthew 6:27
psalm 68:19
He is a generous God and we should be a generous people
The enemy is defeated but he is cunning, instead of partnering with the enemy, partner with victory. 
1)Pray
2)Think 
3)Do
the Greek usage of peace- Peace, quietness, rest, set at one again
maker- to make, to do
Matthew 4:19
Genesis 1:1
Isiah 52:8
Romans 10:15-18

After breakfast, we got all of the tamales and jugs off coffee and headed down toward the market. The market is a place for locals to sell locally grown foods, fruits, vegetables and livestock. We went to walk the streets of the market and pass out free tamales and coffee.

While passing out tamales my team got the chance to pray with the people trying to make a living. Marketers travel many, many miles by foot to try to make a living.

After lunch we prepared the missionary home to receive Poqomchi' mothers that are in the malnourishment program MTP hosts. During preparation we packed food bags and prayed over them. We also sat up chairs for the moms to sit in and wait till their child could be weighed and measured. During the mal-nourishment program, I was passing out food bags when a little boy named Oscar ran up to me and gave me a hug. He then didn't want me to let go so I picked him up. I tried to give him back to his mom, but he wasn't letting go with ease so instead I put him on the measuring table and held his hand while he was measured. After the team finish measuring him, I picked him up and took him to get weighed. When the team finish weighing him, I picked him up and carried him back to his mom. Oscar still didn't want to let go. We followed his mom back to the waiting area where I was able to hold and feed Oscar. I sat there for at least an hour holding him and singing The Blessing over him.

Other moms came and hadn't even named their child yet, due to the fact that they didn't want to get attached and then they die from starvation. Some of our team members had the opportunity to participate in praying over those children and their mom and even gave those children a name. (Fast forward to a week later and my team being back home we got word that one of the children from the program died.)

After a while Oscar and his family left and started their journey back home. Oscar's mom told me he's very shy and never runs up to anyone, not even people he knows. She was very thankful to have met me that day and I was so grateful to of have met them. Oscar is now my unofficial adopted son, and I'll forever have a son in Guatemala. It broke my heart to leave him there. His family is doing the best they can, and I will continue to pray that they are able to receive the help they need.

That night we had a bonfire night. This was a night to praise and worship our Lord and impartation with MTP staff and the last time we would see the MTP team. We even took the Lord's Supper together. The Lord healed and delivered so much in their team and ours. What a beautiful way to celebrate the work the Lord had done and end the trip.

Our last day in Guatemala we went to Antigua and did some tourists things, like sightsee and shop. We explored God's beautiful creation through nature in the city. We saw three volcanos, one of which was smoking. Meet an amazing godly family and shop at their booth and had our first sip of home at the most beautiful Starbucks I have ever seen. Of course, we were exhausted but the time of fellowship with the One Mandate team is one I'll always cherish.

In short, there's just something about Guatemala that is unlike any place I have been to. I truly fell in love with the people, the community, the missionaries, the land, the culture, the nation.

Pray points to pray to partner with MTP:

• Government is Corrupt

• The Mal-Nourishment program

• MTP Missionaries and their home

• The Poqomchi people

• The rainy season has come and has come very heavy

• For lives to be changed, cities transformed, and Nations ignited.