We all have that one city or place that has captured our hearts since we first set foot on the ground. The smell of the air and surrounding shops and cars instantly takes your mind to a distant place where you're happy, care-free, and all around at peace.
If you know me, you know that I have a tattoo of Guatemala on my right wrist. This country captured my heart the summer before 8th grade. I was able to go on a mission trip with my mom to serve the women and children down there in the landfill. Since then, I've been six other times. This was the place I was able to take my first mission trip with my sister, and it was there that we both felt a calling on our lives to pursue missions.
Knowing what I do now about the people I encountered, I wish with all of my being that I could take their hurt and poverty and turn it into wealth without fear of the future. But one thing you never really see in these beautiful people is complaining of their circumstances. Sure, there will always be those people who are not happy with where they are and that will constantly complain. But these people see what it means to have absolutely nothing, but have the biggest joy in the Lord.
During one of my trips to Guatemala, we were doing home visits in the city landfill where we are able to minister to the most people. I was in a group with about three other women from my church and we were visiting families around Guatemala City. While doing the home visits, it began to storm. Keep in mind, the grounds to these homes are mostly dirt, and the roofs are made of tin. While it continued to pour, the women in my group began to put on ponchos and rain jackets. I was the only one who hadn't brought any sort of protection from the down pour occurring outside. As I was worrying about myself and how I would stay dry, the family we were with grabbed one of the two blankets they and for their baby and gave it to me to keep me same from the rain.
I had never experienced such generosity and selflessness before this moment, but it will forever be one of the reasons that the beautiful country of Guatemala will always be my first love.
