Like this:

Hola!    We arrived safely to Guatemala City with our 19 bags of cargo and a few personal belongings.  The flight was uneventful and on time; thank you God.  Ashley met us promptly at the airport and we loaded our gear and donated supplies on top of a 15 passenger van driven by Oscar.  It was on the short ride to Hannah’s Hope when it became apparent that Jesus was alive and well in both Guatemala and in Ashley.  We and many others had prayed that God would bless our mission trip and it didn’t take long for those blessings to begin.  All of us will be sharing experiences of God working here, and I was asked to share this one.  On the ride I mentioned to Ashley that I had brought a few dental supplies and would happy to help relieve someone in any dental pain.  She immediately told us that she knew a young man with a bad toothache who needed a tooth extracted.  After dropping off most of the team, and our belongings, Ashley, I and a few others went to the ghetto La Limonada, the poorest, most dangerous place in Guatemala City.  As we drove down the steep, narrow streets into the heart of the ghetto I began to pray hard because I was way out of my comfort zone. Through the discomfort, not one of us felt fear. We trusted Ashley and more importantly knew that Jesus was with us.  As the streets became narrower, we crossed over a bridge looking at a river polluted with sewage and garbage. Our hearts started breaking for these people.  Walking behind Ashley through the narrow alleys we felt like disciples, walking the streets of Jerusalem with Jesus. When we arrived at this small two room house we were kindly greeted by a small family and Derwin, the young man who shook my hand and sat on the bed.  As Preston, Josh, Dan, and Dave assisted I took out the first of three teeth that were never on my schedule but were on God’s.  Two more women came forward with the same affliction.  Words cannot describe the experience of helping these people. We all knew that we had just received the first of many blessings from our Lord. About 20 people came into the house to watch the action, which probably they had not seen before.   As we walked out of the house we were surrounded by these people looking at us gringos, wondering why we were there.  As we entered Ashley’s house where she lives and ministers, we began to see how she is truly a living sacrifice allowing God to use her to transform the Ghetto.   She knows why she is here.  After only being on the ground for 2 hours we knew why we were here …….  to live out our faith  as a living sacrifice.  Please continue to pray for us ….. Forever changed,

Greg, Alex, Josh

Advertisement