I am writing this last blog with both sadness and joy. Our time in Guatemala has come to an end, marking the end of a season of my life. Writing every testimony about these past 2 months would take up more than one blog post so I will only tell the ones that had the biggest impacts on my life.
One of the biggest impacts on my life has simply been watching how our ministry hosts live their daily lives. They give everything to God, devoting their time to helping the helpless and showing God’s love to everyone they meet. Over the past couple of months, our team has become extremely close with these men and women of God who choose obedience to Him every single day. As I watch them and become a part of their lives, I am inspired to give everything to God. I see how rewarding their lives are when they walk in full surrender to God and I want to be someone who lives their life for God and God alone.
One of the first weeks I was in Guatemala, our team was about to go and do house visits in one of the villages we work in. Our host led us in prayer before we started and told us to ask God for any specific people or houses that we want to visit. I heard God saying a green door but that day nothing happened and nobody found a house with a green door. It was a little disappointing as I was thinking that maybe I didn’t actually hear the voice of God. However, the next week some of the girls on my team were doing house visits again and came across a green door. They decided to knock on the door, remembering the word I had said the past week. As they walk in the house, they find a mother, grieving for her husband who had been badly beat up a few nights earlier and was now in a coma. The doctors had told her that her husband would most likely never wake up from his coma and that she should prepare herself and her family for his death. Some of my team prayed for her and her husband, in full belief that God would heal him. 2 weeks later, we went back to that same house, walking in to discover that her husband had indeed woken up and was at home. The goodness of God is insane!!! He was laying in bed, groaning in pain after just having brain surgery. His wife said that he was extremely confused and would sometimes get violent, not even remembering who his own family was. We prayed for him again and poured encouragement over the wife and her children. Week after week, we would go back to that same house, seeing this man continue to get better and better. It is so crazy going from thinking that this man would die, to seeing him up and talking away to us every week. God really does speak to us and hear our prayers. He loves to heal his children and show his power through miracles!!
Week after week, as I spend more time in the presence of God, I am continually amazed and struck anew at how great God is and how holy he is. God is so faithful to convict me and bring to life parts of me that he wants to clean and make pure. Even if I went back today, I know I would be a completely new person, all because of the transforming power of God. I am able to rest more in my identity in God, knowing that his sacrificial love on the cross covers all my sins. If while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, how much more will he love us and forgive us now that we are walking in alignment and relationship with him? I have been amazed again and again at the depths of Christ’s heart for me even though he is the Lord of Lord’s and King of King’s and I am a poor wretched sinner. I have grown in passion and love for my savior, knowing that he is the King, sitting on the throne of heaven with eyes like fire and hair like wool, waiting to come back for his people.
As me and my team head to South Africa, I ask that you continually keep us in your prayers. I also ask that you pray for soft hearts for the people that we are going to meet and pour into. Most of our ministry is going to be evangelizing with people on the streets of the town. While this has previously been a struggle and fear of mine, God has completely changed my heart and put a desire and fire in me to share the gospel. Still, I know the enemy attacks those who are doing the work of God, so pray for boldness and confidence in the testimony of Jesus.
Another thing that I would ask you to consider is sponsoring some of the kids that I worked with every week. AIM has a care point in one of the villages that I worked in, providing food to the kids every Friday. However, this care points would love to provide breakfast every day for these precious children, allowing them to stay nourished and be able to focus in school. I personally know all of these kids and they have such sweet hearts. The sponsorship is $45 per month, providing meals for a child. You would also be able to write letters to them, pouring into their lives and encouraging them. I will put the link below and if you feel lead, please consider sponsoring one of these kids.
https://sponsorship.adventures.org/carepoint/parrojas-carepoint
God has provided so much for me to be able to come onto this trip, however, there are still some expenses that I have to cover on the field. This includes transportation, toiletries, and sometimes food. If you feel led to support me for some of these expenses I would really appreciate it. I am putting my Venmo link below and if it is put on your heart to give, I would be very thankful. Thank you!!!
https://venmo.com/u/aubreyriehl
