11.13.16

Cloud by day, and fire by night, we will follow you. We will worship you.

This afternoon, we were walking outside… and it was so cool to see the sun setting in the west behind our house, and the giant supermoon on display in the east against a backdrop of orange, pink, and purple clouds.  It reminded me of a sunset that I used to see coming home from work in Culpeper.  But what was cool about this one, was the presence of the moon… the same moon that would be lighting up the same skies in Virginia, although we’re thousands of miles apart.

Today, (and every day really) we are thankful for Lifepoint Church.  Our roots with Lifepoint go almost 6 years back… back to when the church was only one location in Riverbend Highschool.  What used to be a dream of having a campus in Culpeper, is now a reality.. and I was thankful we got to help launch that campus before coming here.

I could spend the entire month of November thanking people within the church… there is just no limit to our love that we have for this community.  Through Lifepoint, we found out about the ministry we are now living and serving at.  Through Lifepoint, we became generous and bold in our faith.  Through Lifepoint, chains were broken that allowed us to step out of our comfort levels and into God’s plan.  Through Lifepoint, we learned to live open-handed with the gifts, abilities, and finances God has given us.

Pastor Daniel and Tammie have always encouraged us to pursue our calling here.  We are so thankful for your leadership, your support, and how you feed into us weekly.  My Lifegroup was there to pray through the process of us moving here, and they were also there to help us pack up our house and send us here with notes of love and encouragement.  (Janice, Lucille, Suzanne, Christine, Amy, Carolyn, Kate, Tori, Tracey, Hillary– you all have been SUCH a blessing!)  I could seriously go on and on– The Klock’s, The Anderson’s, The Martinez family, The Rollins family, The Coopers, The Howards, The Buschurs, The Gregorys, The Rowe’s, The Brissey’s, The Tuuri’s, The Billig’s, Lifepoint Guatemala teams past and present and on and on and ON I could go.  This isn’t a church of people who just believe The Word– this is a church of people who LIVE the word– who are there when you need them, who give and give generously because they know their giving will be multiplied. (Luke 6:38) If you attend Lifepoint Church, you are a supporter of ours, and we are thankful for YOU!

There are literally SO. MANY. things we do down here through our ministry.  This past week, I got to participate in a small Bible Study for some of the mom’s at the hospital.  Let me explain who these mom’s are so you understand this significance…  When I go on rescues, we travel 3, sometimes 4, hours away into remote villages.  Often times, the people in these villages are of Mayan descent, and a lot of their religion is circled around beliefs of witchcraft.  The ones who are not, are very opposed to religion because of how legalistic it can be here in Guatemala.  Because they often have critically ill children and are in desperate need of medical attention, they comply in returning to Hope of Life with us so they can receive care in our hospital on the ministry.  In our hospital, most of our rescues babies have a mother who accompanied them here for the duration of their stay and treatment.  While here, this is an awesome opportunity to witness, minister to, and show firsthand the love of Jesus.

While there has not been an official study done on this matter, I believe the mothers in the hospital is the most under-evangelized group here on our ministry.  I once had a sweet friend who lived here witnessing to these mothers daily, but since she has left, the mothers have went without Bible studies and discussion… and while I could never fill my friend’s shoes, I have felt called to step up and bring applicable lessons to these women from the unreached corners of Guatemala.

This past week, we studied 1 Peter 4:8 – “Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”  I brought nail polish and lotion to the hospital.  I showed them my hands which had chipped, cracked nail polish and how if I took the care to put on a new coat of nail polish, it covered the ugliness of the old polish and looked better at the end.  I explained to them that this is how we become when our hearts are in Christ and we show love to each other… that our ugliness (sin) becomes covered by something more beautiful (grace).  We took turns painting each others nails and praying over each other.

Will you join me in praying for these sweet moms?  Pray for the health of their babies that I am caring for as their nurse.  Pray for their strength as they are miles and miles away from their families and other children back home.  Pray that I may show them love in a way that they deserve.  Pray that The Lord uses my words for His glory and not my own.

 

Lifepoint, we LOVE you.  We believe in Ephesians 3:20 and that GREATER things are yet to come for YOU, and GREATER things are yet to come for US.  We are the feet on the ground here, but YOU all are the prayers, the givers, and the people who set our ministry into motion.

Your love is creeping into the hearts of people from the corners of Guatemala who need it the most– and that’s all because you gave.

You are loved.
–Whitney