The Lord is my protector, and He is all knowing.

I have been hesitant to send my final update to you all. The Lord did so much in the six and a half weeks I was in Guatemala, and he was so faithful in bringing me home. After arriving home a few days early with the short term mission team from my church that visited us in Guatemala, I received news that my grandmother had passed away after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis.

My grandmother, the strongest person I know, lived a life of service to the Lord and to her family. Even though she was terrified for me to go to Guatemala, she supported me and encouraged me throughout my time there. She read every single word of these updates and shared them with her friends. She was an amazing woman, and my family and I are at peace knowing she’s singing with the angels in Heaven.

Even though the end of my time in Guatemala was met with heart ache, the Lord provided and protected me through it all. The last full week I was there just so happened to be the week a group from my church came and visited us. They learned reproducible discipleship skills, met with families in our community, and brought so much joy to the house.

Meet David. A nine year old boy that helped guide us up the volcano we hiked one Wednesday. David has been working at the volcano since he was five years old, and even though his dad said he goes to school, I don’t think he does. David and I talked all the way up the volcano, and all the way down. He is a ray of sunshine that is very curious and wants to be everyone’s friend. Right before we were about to reach the bottom of the volcano, he asked me if I was Catholic or Evangelical. In Guatemala, there is a long, warring history between the Catholics and the Evangelical Christians, so it was a very valid question for him to ask. I responded evangelical and asked him what he was. He didn’t know because his family hasn’t been to church in a long time. We learned later that his family’s house was destroyed by the volcano a few years early, so they have been working non stop since (ironically as guides of the volcano) to earn enough money to build and repair their new house. I told David I was sorry that he hadn’t been to church and then shared that I didn’t care about the different religions, and that all you need is a personal realtionship with Jesus. I got to share my testimony with him, and he smiled and said that one day he might believe in God too. Despite all that was going on that week, I was overjoyed at this encounter. Did David get saved? No, he didn’t. But he did get to hear about Jesus and what Jesus did for him, which he may have never heard before. The Lord used David to bring me joy during that week, and he used me to share Jesus’ name. And that’s all I could’ve hoped for.

The Lord has been so gracious to me. I don’t deserve this life or these opportunities, yet he still mercifully gives. Thank you Jesus for the blood applied. Below are more pictures from the last week that were so special to me. All of these people are my Guatemala family, and I will miss them so much!

Do not hesitate to reach out if you want to hear more about what life has looked like this week!

Please pray:

• That more laborers would go out to the harvest in San Antonio and continue to preach the good news!

• For my family and I as we mourn the loss of my grandmother.

• For encouragement and a sound mind as I acclimate to the United States.

• That the Holy Spirit would guide me in where he wants me next!

Thanks so much for following along and supporting me on this journey! Guatemala will always have a piece of my heart. Until next time,

Maggie