Saturday, March 16, 2013

Guatemala

I'm going to Guatemala. From June 28th to July 6th.

Yeah. Me. The palest human being on earth is going to spend a week outside doing hard labor in a 3rd world country in the scorching heat. I hope customs is okay with sunscreen...

Am I scared? Not as much as I probably should be. Am I ready? No. Am I supposed to go? Definitely. As soon as my church announced that we would be sending another team to assist Hope of Life (an amazing missions organization in Guatemala that is actually run by Guatemalans) I knew that I needed to be on that team. And not just because I helped record the song Sue Fabisch wrote about digging a well there. Seriously, download it!! Dig a Well  I just knew in my heart that I had to go.

I don't want anyone thinking that I take the decision lightly, I'm actually still struggling with my feelings on short term missions. Short term mission trips often become more about indulging the "missionary" rather than helping anyone. A lot of American Christians (or sometimes just church-goers) go on these trips to fulfill their craving for adventure under the banner of helping others. Still others go to satisfy their feeling of obligation to complete acts of service. I'm not going to go into a discussion of grace by works vs. grace by faith, but I will say that I think it's wrong to do something just because you feel like you should. If you're committing to a mission just to check it off of a list, there is something wrong.

I want my mission to be the people of Guatemala- the children who don't have food and clean water, mothers who have to give up their babies because they can't feed them- these are people who desperately need a savior. They don't need a group of Americans to come in and fix their lives. And I pray that we don't allow that kind of thinking to even enter our minds. I just want to be an instrument of the Lord and do my best to honor him through everything I do while there.

So I ask that you pray for me and with me as I prepare for this mission. Pray for wisdom, pray for grace (especially for my pasty skin), and pray for my Spanish skills (they could definitely use some help). I also need help financially, so you could definitely pray for that (I need to raise $1400).

God is good, and I know that He will use me in mighty ways.

Thanks for reading!

-Nicole

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