Preparation Week and a Team of Future Pastors

Maria and I have been moving a lot since I arrived to Guatemala last week.  We have had a full plate as we try to figure out wedding details, our living situation, and how we are going to have enough money to live. There are a lot of important decisions that we need to make.  We have had intense spiritual battles descend on us in the midst of all this stress.  We began to put the things of this world ahead of God and the mission that He has called us to.  The devil is crafty and he is a liar, distracting us with unimportant things and giving us undue stress.  When we come back to Jesus as the center of our lives, everything begins to make sense again.  Light dispels darkness and we see clearly, waking up from the fog that previously surrounded us.

How amazing is God, who through all the problems and struggles in our minds, is still able to show us how silly and small those things really are.  How amazing is it that when we start placing our attention on the light, no matter how small, that light grows and grows, until once again our hearts feel light and unburdened.

I will leave on Friday with a team of seminary students from Seattle Pacific Univeristy, serving as a translator and helping in whatever way I can.  We will learn from the pastors there, following them around to learn about their churches and their lives.  That team has already had quite an adventure without me, visiting a mega church in Guatemala City and then the organization Safe Passage, which is a ministry working at the Guatemala City garbage dump.  My dad, who is the team leader, writes:

What an emotional day today. The dump is so sad. We were able to stand above it in a cemetery and watch the trucks come in - dump - and then watch the people start to dig through the garbage. As the trucks arrive and start to back in, the dump people lay a hand on the truck which gives them dibs on the contents. Maybe 40 people on the trucks from the wealthier zones of the city. But then to understand how much better it is today compared to before, it is great to see. The school for the kids of the dump workers is great. What a contrast to the mega church yesterday which wreaked of money to the dump ministry that wreaks of garbage and sludge. It can not help but have an impact on the students. 

Your prayers are much appreciated during this time.  Please pray for the SPU team, that God would give them an amazing learning experience that will help to shape their future ministries, and for us as we continue to make our living preparations here in Guatemala.  Thank you all for your love and prayers!