As I sat in front of a TV and watched a livestream of church, tears flowed down my cheeks.  Possibly from the high stress and demands of the last 7 days, possibly from flashbacks of times of livestreaming church in the past and missing that community, but most certainly from the presence of God.  As I reflected on how many people across the world were opting to do livestream of church that morning, it was definitely a defining moment for the church.  The church never has been and never will be defined by brick and mortar.  And so, in choosing to do church a little differently, we were choosing to unite on a different level right now. Rise up church!

There have been years of my life that livestreaming church was the norm when I was living over seas.  To be able to attend an English speaking church was a rarity and so, livestream was the only option.  The shared experience is an experience of spiritual intimacy, something that is probably lost in many families these days.  To sit with each other and choose worship, to choose to discuss or comment on the sermon, to focus together for that short period of time with others on worshiping and honoring God during this time of uncertainty.  It is opportunity to grow together spiritually in your core community of your home.  As we sing – Jesus is in this room, here right now, here right now – It is my hope that in each home where these words were sung, that there was a declaration going out over our homes that the presence of Jesus is ushered in and the peace that He brings will settle there during this time.

For most of us, livestreaming would not be the option as we crave to gather together and fellowship.  But let us look to the opportunity during this time as well to speak life into those with whom we gather.  This is a sweet opportunity that we don’t want to miss.  Engage with one another, worship together, be united.  Let us sing our praises together as one, united as one church and declaring that we will trust in He who is eternally faithful, even when we cannot see through the cloud.

I sat in worship and saw one of our students playing in the orchestra, another student on the risers with her arms extended in surrender and another student jamming on the drums.  All the while knowing that there were even more students serving in the children’s ministry as well as anchoring a team that is encouraging the youth in our church to be Jesus followers.  The church is for this generation.

In a world that is becoming more and more individualized and focused on self – this generation is feeling more and more like the church is not a place for them.  They struggle to find a place to fit in or serve.  But I forget about this all too often because it just isn’t the case with my partnership.  It isn’t the case with my campus.  We have the challenge of having too many students instead of the challenge of missing a generation of bodies within the church.  I so easily forget that this generation is turning away from the church at such a rapid rate because I get to be a part of a ministry where the students are running toward the church.  Toward the opportunity to serve and use their gifts.  Toward the truth of the gospel.  Toward a place of community.

And so…. I sat in a state of gratefulness that I have the opportunity to know a population that wants Jesus.  To be a part of a church where the next generation is actively involved and feels a part of the church.  I had just returned from a weekend with 4000 college students in Pittsburgh where it was a whirlwind of conversations and intensity.  Conversations with coworkers about the difficulties they are facing and they are so different from my reality.  How are we to equip these students to be launched from here?  How are we to prepare this population for transition to adulthood?

A few weeks ago I was asked to bring stories to the CCO Board as there are many campuses that don’t have any students that are attending church, any students who are being discipled by congregants, any students who are found serving within the church.  I was challenged on the numbers that I summit monthly.  Do we really have that many students in church?  Are there really that many students serving? Are there really that many students being discipled?  At first I was a little offended, until I saw the reality for other CCO staff, and I realize that yes, my supervisor was right, our numbers were not the norm.  I forgot how difficult it can be at some of these partnerships as they reach out to students with no response. How grateful I am for students that radically embrace the gospel.  Who serve and engage with us.  Yes, the church is for you!  All generations.

Thank you for being a part of this partnership that extends opportunities toward these students to be connected to the local church.  Thank you for giving up your comfort to sit close to these students.  Let’s continue to empower them toward a life of relationship with Jesus!

As time wound down and we finished up our time in Canilla, Jess joined us for a few minutes on our last afternoon to share her journey and encourage us toward the life God has for us.  She ended her time by quoting her husband, something she has heard him say many times to visitors that come down.  “Life in Guatemala is hard but simple and life in the states (or Switzerland where Jess comes from) can be easy but complicated. ” This phase was reflected upon the next evening as well as students began to transition their minds back to the states.  Although in our time in Guatemala we never experienced the hard life, we had a glimpse of it as we listened to families that serve their faithfully tell of the journeys that they have had and how God has been working in the Quiche Valley.  My heart is for the students to see the reality during their time there and not just have an adventure.  To understand and stand with those that are serving.  In our world today we often run from hard, but what if that is exactly what God is calling you toward – the hard.

Yes, life in Canilla is simple, removed from the bustle and expectations that come from life in the states.  All of the decisions that have to be made when stepping inside of a store or your car or with your families in the states are eliminated because in Canilla there are few options.  In Canilla, there is no appealing options for dining out, finding bread or entertainment.  Fresh fruits and veggies are available in town on Fridays and so our schedule is set for us when we will shop, what is available and where we will go.  Friday afternoon.  Or wait till the next week.

This creates simplicity to life to be able to focus on different things and create priorities.  But it is also hard, a hard that we did not really grasp in the short time we were there.  Hard because we are far from friends, family and familiar.  Hard because homeschooling is the reality, cooking food from scratch for every meal is the reality and living in a different culture with different needs and expections and heart language is the reality.  Hard because nothing seems to come easy.  If you can’t fix it, then there’s a good change it won’t get fixed.  And finding the part or tool comes even harder.  No Amazon.  No postal service.  No skilled workers.  If you can’t make it, then you will probably do without.  Much effort goes into survival.  But it’s simple.  And simple can be refreshing and necessary and just what we need to be able to prioritize Jesus over busy.  Priortize family over worldly demands.  To have the eyes to see what God intends for use to see.

For me I have experienced them all.  I have lived Easy, Hard, Simple and Complicated.  I have craved one when I had the other and wanted things to be different when they couldn’t be.  Because my body has experienced each of these things, it subconsciously goes into yearning mode when it is over stimulated toward one direction because it knows that the opposite exists.  Is having the best of both worlds having a life that is simple and easy?  Does simple and easy exist?  I am not sure that is does.  Because if we had all that the world has to offer each day at our fingertips, we wouldn’t be stripped of the distractions that make life so simple.  It’s why camping, vacations or short term trips appeal to so many people.  Because for a short period of time we can have both simple and easy.  We can do without a few things that we don’t have and live a simple life.  And it’s why toward the end of that time your body starts to tell you that it’s time to transition.  Camping forever would not be fun.  Vacationing forever would not be fun.  The hard would start to settle in and instead of short term, it would start to look more like long term.  And we would find ourselves leaning more toward a simple but hard life.

Each of us is in transition mode as we slip back into compliated.  For those that it was their first time, this transition is easier.  For those who saw the country a little different and God stirred their hearts, it’s more of a challenge.  May we not take for grated our time away and what God is yearning to teach us!

We made it to our bed and breafast in Guatemala City!

The ride into Guatemala City was peppered by a few stops to check on an oil leak, but we made it in six hours. We spent the afternoon at Guatemalan gift market picking up souvenirs and stretching our legs from the long ride.

We will be flying out of Guatemala tomorrow afternoon and should be back in Pittsburgh tomorrow night. Over dinner tonight, we recapped some of the significant experiences of the trip. As we travel tomorrow, we’ll spend more time processing and remembering the work God is doing in Guatemala and in the student’s lives.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

And we’re off! We spend some time in prayer this morning asking the Spirit to dwell in the valley of Canilla. We covet your prayers for traveling mercies as we get in the van heading to Guatemala City.

Today was our last day in the Canilla clinic.

One of the notable patients was a 7 or 8 year old girl with a mid-shaft clavicle fracture. All of the students gathered into the X-ray room to see the image on the computer screen. The girl was in a lot of pain, but after being splinted we were assured her prognosis was good.

We spent some time after clinic learning about the hospital lab. Manuela, the lab technician, showed us all of the instruments and even tested the red blood cell count of some students. For lunch, we were treated to tortillas, chicken, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables in the hospital.

After lunch, the students heard the testimony of Prosper and Miriam, who have been living and serving at the hospital for nine months. Prosper serves as an OR nurse and Miriam as a midwife. They moved here from Zimbabwe and we learned how God provided for them through the many struggles of immigrating from Africa to Guatemala.

We went to town in the evening to play soccer with the many kids in the ministry as well as the adult hospital staff. The friendly competition is both a way to unwind and build community.

We finished the night hearing about the experience of a 3rd year family medicine resident, Caleb, who arrived at the hospital from Wichita, KS two days ago. We ate doblados (Guatemalan stuffed tortillas) and ice cream while discussing the pros and cons of what a career in healthcare entails.

Today was full, but God’s blessings were abundant.

We are tired after a full day of activity here.  We took the trip up the mountain to the clinic in Chiminisijuan and watched what a rural clinic looks like.  This clinic is one of the foundational clinics to Adonai’s ministry and has seen thousands of people each year.  At a high altitude, it is common for many lung related diseases to be found there.  We do what we can, but as we are just students, we can mostly just observe which is humbling.

We closed our day with a worship set in Spanish that some of the nurses participate in and are grateful for each opportunity that we have to see the people for who God sees them as.  Tomorrow is our last day of clinic at the hospital and we continue to press into more that God is doing here.

Yesterday was our Sabbath. We visited Mayan ruins in the morning, heard Katie and Aarons’s testimony over lunch, and went on a long adventurous hike through the mountain in the evening. We were well rested for the day ahead.

Today was Stove Project Day. We (11 people total) piled into a pickup truck and headed thousands of feet up into the mountains to deliver and install a stove for two very poor widows. We carried the cinder blocks, concrete stove pieces, and stove accesories down a steep incline to the widows’ home.

Upon arrival, one of the oldest widows was struggling immensely. She spent the majority of the day lying on the floor inside her home with short interruptions to use the latrine. Fortunately, we had Micaela, a nurse who works at the hospital, with us who attended to her throughout the day while the rest of the group installed the stove. During our time there, it became clear that this struggling woman would need further medical attention beyond what we could provide from the supplies we initially brought. Aaron, our leader for the day, called some of the hospital staff suggesting they make the trip up the mountain to treat this woman. For a few hours we lingered around the home waiting for support staff from the hospital to arrive. When they finally arrived, the woman was started on an IV to hopefully support her body in severe hydration.

It was an exhausting day for everyone, physically and emotionally. The hike down to the widows’ home, requiring several trips and carrying very heavy supplies, took a toll on us. Seeing an old Guatemalan widow struggling and confined to her home in the mountains was humbling. There was hope in the care provided by the hospital staff, but the prognosis for the woman isn’t good. We don’t think she will make it many more days.

We left Canilla at 9:00am and didn’t return until 7:00pm. It was the whole day. On the ride down the mountain and in chatter around the dinner table I heard, “That was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done” and “This will be a day to remember.”

I pray God will use these experiences to broaden the perspective of our group and encourage us all to grow in compassion.

Another clinic day seeing different patients and learning the ins and outs of life here in Guatemala.  We spent the morning in clinic and then the afternoon with the missionary community here playing with the kids and participating in community worship.  Community is a word that defines life here and as we debriefed from the day, we reflected on how important this community is to one another. When we take away the distractions of  our normal lives, we are able to focus more on what God is saying to us and where He leads. Father break our hearts for what breaks yours!

We have been transplanted into this community here and they welcome us and answer our questions that we have graciously.  This world here and the world in which we exist in the states is so much different.  And so we spend much time reflecting on this in comparison to what we have always known.  Today we spent much time with the kids that live here and call this place home and it was a stark reminder of what their lives are like as kids that are so different from what our lives were like at this age.  They embody maturity and understanding greater than was expected of us for sure!

Sunday is our Sabbath here and we will be spending it reflecting on the first part of the week and drawing nearer to what God has for us individually here.

Exhausted from travel is a good way to put our first day!  But we had no hangups or bumps and are ready to rest up for a full day of clinic. Glad that everything went so smooth.   Our first views of Canilla.