Today is the halfway point of the trip. It feels as if we just got here. It feels as if we've been here forever. It was a slow start to the day as the wear and tear of building day yesterday, basketball in the community, and a non-stop attitude finally caught up to the team a bit. It slowed us down but only for the walk to breakfast. The team that left for the work day was a different group of students from the ones that set off on a quiet walk just an hour before.
Our two groups each moved on to a new building site, and we built a new pair of houses. It was amazing to see how well the team improved at construction after just one day of experience. Today, we focused not only on the hammering and building skills, but our community-building skills. We met the families of the houses we were building. We met their neighbors and kids in the area. We got to know some new people. We got to know each other better as well.
One of the things we spoke about pre-trip was the idea of serving with joy. The team today had a lot of things going for them. There was encouragement. There was care. There was kindness. There was compassion. There was laughter. There was JOY. It was fun to be a part of.
Tonight, as we gathered for porch time, we considered Moses's excuses when God asked him to join in His mission (Exodus 3 and 4). God saw the suffering and oppression of his people and was ready to intercede. He was ready to rescue them. He asked Moses to help and yet Moses quickly considered all the reasons why he could not. Moses made excuses. Tonight, we got honest and asked God to show us where we make excuses. To reveal to us the ways that we say “no” to Jesus as he calls us to join him in rescuing the world. I can't answer the question for you, but it is good to ask yourself, “What excuses am I making that prevent me from joining Jesus’ mission?” Our students have been doing a pretty good job of leaning into what Jesus has called them to do. They are here in Guatemala when they could literally be anywhere else. That is amazing. The hope is that we can all lean in with them during the second half of the trip and leave behind our excuses as we seek to join Jesus on his mission.
Excited for day 5,
The Guatemala Team
