“A Rich and Satisfying Life”
“We had a selected family that we were to build a house for and within a week, we built them a house, which was the greatest feeling…ever”
I knew I was going to Guatemala in the middle of watching Erik’s story that Sunday at church. I felt this overwhelming confidence that God was asking me to say yes to going. With purpose, I walked over to the info table, introduced myself to Erik and I remember looking at him like he was God’s mouthpiece, speaking to me that morning.
The idea of going on a missions trip always sounded noble to me – objectively, I’ve seen how the people who choose to go choose to subject themselves to being out of their comfort/element/norm to love and impact others. They choose to honor the call they’ve received. Words like selfless, willing, and brave come to mind.
To be completely honest, I’ve learned that I’m highly concerned (okay, critical, sometimes) with the intentions behind a person’s actions. I want to understand the heart behind the decisions people make. It’s the truth of the state of our hearts that intrigues me and even moreso if I’m affected…“Is this person acting in this way to gain something? Are they avoiding something? Why did that say that to me?” In my journey with God, He’s helped me use this desire for truth to not judge others, but to learn more about myself.. and how He transforms our hearts. He’s said “Okay, Julia, where’s your heart in this… are your intentions pure in desiring to honor Me? If yes, continue boldly, if no, do not pass go.” I would say I’ve paused to test my heart and attitudes to extremes, and so I’m extremely offended when someone acts towards me or others with impure intentions–but I’m not blameless.
In going to Guatemala, I was critical of my desire to go… I asked myself is there was anything that I wanted out of it-- I wanted to build a house for a family. It was hard to not deem that as selfish. I quickly learned that we weren’t sure if we’d be building a house, in fact, and I felt disappointed. In my own self-criticism, God reminded me that as we delight in Him, He places desires in our hearts… he places thoughts and ideas as we move in His Spirit and we can be confident in that. I’ve understood the passions He’s given me to be the conduits to honoring and glorifying Him–I have a heart for the home, and He brings me joy and pleasure as I serve Him in that way. In the end, I just remember concluding that I was saying ‘yes’ to something that I was not going to expect anything out of for myself, other than the opportunity to honor Him.
And I forgot the delight there is to be found in serving Him. In spending 3 days serving a family with 10 kids, I experienced laughter, pure love, and joy – tiredness that was overshadowed by the love of being in relationship with my team and our new friends – sadness and tears when we had to say goodbye, but comfort in knowing the Good God who brought us together, would remain with them and with us as we departed. He gave me the desire of my heart – to know love that transcends borders, joy that inflates the heart… all found in the human-experience of RELATIONSHIPS. I’ve come back from Guatemala deeply knowing the truth that relationships make life beautiful. We’re created for it. How cool is it that God valued our relationship with Him so much, He gave everything for us, and still chose for us to not live in isolation, but with other people… different and the same!
I remember this one house we visited on our prayer walk in Guatemala City. There was a man who had been sick for months…unable to leave his home as his kidneys were failing him… The only thing we had in common was that we both spoke Spanish, but then I learned that he had faith in God, and I realized that while our living conditions are nowhere near the same, our feelings of pain, suffering, and pressing on in faith…. well those feelings weren’t so different. I was able to identify with the human experience of pain and faith. The reality is that our worlds and opportunities are so different, and I was so challenged by it, God reminded me that spiritual poverty transcends wealth, economic opportunity… we both would be equally lonely without Him… me in my home next to NYC and him in his home next to the garbage dump.
Potter’s House, the non-profit in Guatemala we partnered with, identified 8 forms of poverty in their communities: spiritual poverty, intellectual poverty, poverty of affection, poverty of the will, physical poverty, poverty of a support network, poverty of civic involvement, economic poverty. Their goal is to create change that lasts. The heart behind their mission is found in John 10:10, which says “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].“ A different version says “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” While it was challenging to witness the extreme poverty among the people we interacted with, I was impacted by the faith some of them had… and encouraged. While they had so little and struggled so much, my heart rejoiced over the richness that they had in faith–that they had a relationship with Jesus. My prayer is that it would empower them and that the generational cycle of the 8 forms of poverty would be broken…
I am so thankful to Potter’s House and Hoboken Grace. Potter’s House for taking care of us every step of the way–emotionally, physically, spiritually, intellectually. For listening to us solve riddles to pass the time during the longer bus rides. For teaching us about the work they do to build up the poorer communities in Guatemala to give them access to opportunities, their methods and challenges. Hoboken Grace for the wonderful team and family I got to experience community and growth with. For the opportunity I had to go and for making it possible. In the 8 days we spent together day and night, I felt that I got a taste for heaven… I loved living those days out together.
I want to always remember how God gave to me a thousandfold of what I felt I gave to Him in saying yes. The trip increased my faith and trust in Him. I’ve received peace and healing in areas of my heart that I’ve struggled with the most. I’ve come back owing Estefani Mishel some hairclips, and Jeison a Spiderman book.
“On behalf of: Estefani Mishel Hernandez Vasquez
For: The most loving person that I met
I am grateful for all the gifts that I was given. And I’m also happy because you all painted my house. May God bless you always wherever it is that you are. I am in Pre-K.”
