Precious Gifts
a mission trip to Guatemala is made up of small gifts of time, experiences, closeness to God, and personal growth
by Jeannie Vanderwal, FPCB Member
When Rev. Rosalind Renshaw invited me to join the singles mission team to Guatemala in August, I declined because I';d just started a new job and I was hesitant to ask for a week off after being there such a short time. Apparently God had other plans, because he opened the door for me to go. The months prior to our departure were like a dream and it seemed as though the trip would never come. Yet despite the excitement and anticipation that filled me, I was totally unprepared for how profoundly I would be impacted by the experience.
One of the most memorable experiences was the day we visited a children';s orphanage, where the children had varying degrees of cerebral palsy. We were taken into the courtyard, where the children, most of whom were unable to speak, were sitting in their wheel chairs. As we knelt down to make eye contact with them, we would hold their hands and gently touch their faces. Their eyes would just light up with the most heartwarming smiles I';ve ever seen. A few of the children would cup their faces in my hand and just rest it there for several minutes. I saw God in each and every child, and learned that smiles and touch are a universal language wherever you go.
The day before we left Guatemala, God gave us a special reward. We flew on a jet to Tikal and were met by a tour guide who took us through a sub-tropical rain forest and up the Mayan pyramids. When I reached the top of each pyramid, I felt the most satisfying and rewarding sense of accomplishment I';ve felt in a long time. I had a sense that Jesus was standing there right beside me, taking in the view with me.
Serving with the Arms of Jesus Children';s Mission has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life because it opened my heart in ways that I never expected. We built homes, packed bags of food for distribution at the school, painted a store room at the mission, delivered beds, played with the children (we even got to dress as clowns), and shared our testimonies of what God has done in our lives. The people we served have so little and yet they are so content and thankful. They always made us feel very welcome and appreciated our efforts. I learned that I';m capable of doing so much more than I ever believed.
When I joined the mission team, there were a couple individuals whom I';d never met and who felt like strangers at first. However, during the months leading up to the trip, and especially after we arrived in Guatemala and were together on a daily basis, each person became my family. We developed a bond and closeness between us and we became a unit, dependent on one another. This mission has been a tremendous growth experience for me because by nature I';m an introvert and tend to put walls up around myself. I find it difficult to let myself get close to people and to let people get close to me. The team sensed this and never gave up on me. They continually showed me love and affirmation. Rosalind repeatedly told all of us that God had a purpose for each and every one of us being there in Guatemala. It proved to be very true.
This experience has forever changed me, and even to this day, I find it difficult re-acclimating to my old life. There';s not a day that goes by that I don';t think about and miss the people and children of Guatemala and I thank God for giving me this precious gift.