We recently returned from a family mission trip to Tactic, Guatemala. My favorite part of the trip was being with all of the kids at school, at VBS, at the orphanage, and even just meeting them in their own homes! We had a few chances to visit one school in particular several times.
One morning we met all of the children who attended school there for worship and devotion. We sang all of these familiar worship songs, but all of them were in Spanish. It was just so special that we were all praising, praying, and worshiping the same God regardless of where we came from, our backgrounds, or even the language we spoke in. The Lord hears and is listening to us all.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayers,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
1 Peter 3:12
Then, after the worship, the principal asked our team to come to the front so that they could pray over us. They wanted to pray for us. They were the ones living on dirt floors, missing food and lacking sleep, yet they wanted to pray for us. When we went to the front, all of the kids just ran up and grabbed hold of us, whispering a prayer over us.
There was one girl, who looked like she was maybe 8, who just latched on to me, and hugged me so so tight. It was the sweetest thing. Then, after playing with them for a little while, it was time to say goodbye. The principal directed all the kids, and we had a long hug line, where our team got to hug each of the students. Some of the kids held so tight didn't want to let go at all. I probably got 80 hugs that day! Then all of a sudden, that little girl who was praying with me, was next in line for a hug, and the second she hugged me, she just started to cry and cry. I believe she thought she'd never see us again, which would be so sad, but little did she know that we'd reunite at the VBS!! So it was great to know that we wouldn't just have to say goodbye, but we would be able to form better relationships over the next couple of days.
Later that night, I was reminded to just count my every blessing. Thinking about how probably 70% of those kids haven't eaten in maybe 1 or 2 days, or may have been abused the night before, was just heartbreaking. So I am just so thankful that I was able to at least meet them, and bless them in any way I could. I want to remember to count my every blessing, but also remember how kind those people were, even through their circumstances.
Ruby