ONE STITCH AT A TIME

Hi sweet friends!! wow it is crazy to think that I have been here for a month already. It flew by and it also feels like I’ve been here for months. But in all of it the Lord has been so good. We have been at month one debrief since Wednesday. This has been a time that our squad has gotten the sweet opportunity to take some time to rest and process what the Lord has done in this first month! We are staying in a little village near lake Atitlan. We have had a lot of time to get to go adventure. my team went zip lining over the lake and our squad spent the day going cliff jumping, where so many fears were conquered. This has been a time of just exploring Gods creation!

 I would love to take some time to just catch you up on our ministry and what our daily life looks like here in Guatemala and share a story that is quite small but that the Lord has used to teach me a lot about our ministry and purpose here. 

At the beginning of the month I gave a little bit of the vision that the staff here has for the village we are spending time in and the goals that our team prayed into before we started. The Lord has been so faithful to show us how he is working in each of those places. The relationships that we have built are incredible and although we don’t completely know the impact that we are having in their lives right now, I can be a witness to say that the impact that the people in this community have had on our lives is unimaginable. They are so gracious and kind. They have active faith that flows through them. They live with such thankful hearts and are so thankful for the help that we can provide them, even if its not much or even if we are helping them in a way that really does not seem like its making a difference. 

Each week part of our ministry is going to a private Christian school right outside of the village where we serve. We get the chance to go serve there Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-1pm. The first day we went they had us all fill out volunteer cards so they could get a feel for our gifts and abilities so that they could be put to work very intentionally within the school. So the first couple weeks we started just helping in the classrooms and getting to know the children and assisting the teachers with their lesson planning. There was one day that I got put into the preschool classroom and the teacher would start a project and then she would just randomly just have to start teaching the class (just a side note, I know enough Spanish to get around and to understand most conversations, but when it comes to explaining something and answering 5 and 6 year olds questions its a little harder). I learned a lot from that situation but last week it came time for us to get our “special” jobs and when they started telling everyone it was very evident that they were specific to their abilities. Lexi is painting a mural, Ellie and Kaya are doing office based work and are in charge of making the sponsorship video, and Bri is working with the English teacher. All good things, haha but when Sadie and I were told what our job was we were just a little shocked. We were asked to do some sewing. And at first we were like, did we really put that on our sheets, that might be a mistake because yeah we know the basics but neither of us had touched a sewing machine in years. I think the last time I touched a sewing machine I actually broke it, not even really trying to. So that’s that. We were both like, ehhh its okay I’m sure it will just be some simple stitch work or something like that, they obviously wouldn’t put us in charge of making the kids uniforms so we’re in the clear. The Lord was like think again, “if I asked you to do something that you didn’t know how to do would you still press in and let me teach you through it?” 

Next week we show up and we meet the person that will be showing us the specifics of our job. She is the sweetest lady but we definitely have a hard time understanding each other. We kind of accept the fact and we just decide to be very patient with each other. We make our way up to the top of the stairs and get into this closet where we find piles of fabric and sewing machines. That was our first sign that it was going to be a little more than just hand sewing or patch work. We get all the stuff on the table and set up the sewing machines and as she is getting out the fabric, she pulls out a plaid uniform and holds it up informing us that this is what we will be making. Our stomachs drop as we slowly translate that the fabric is only made in Canada and can’t be found in Guatemala and there is a limited amount. SO pretty much we can’t mess this up! We sit down at our sewing machines and intently watch as she teaches us how to do each step of putting the uniforms together. 

We have had three days of going to this ministry and I think we have successfully made 5 uniforms between the 2 of us. Our goal is around 60 uniforms. But through all the broken needles and broken, crooked stitches we are learning to have grace for our selves and one another. We have learned that our sewing skills are very shaky and at times it feels like we are failing at providing these kids with quality uniforms, the Lord has taught me that as much as this feels like a battle that we have to face, He has already won the battle and he goes before us. when it doesn’t feel like we are making any difference he blesses Sadie and I with the time to share testimonies of what the Lord is doing in our lives and the chance for us to grow closer together. He has really taught me to fully give everything to him, even the little things. He has taught me to go to him for patience and the ability to get those stitches straight, without braking the needle!!

The Lord teaches us so much even in the little things we just have to be willing to look for it and let him work. The things that we do are never too small or impossible if we are allowing the Lord to take it into his hands.