When I first met Maria, her hands were shaking, her eyes were drooping, her emotions were hiding, and her hope was disappearing. She lives with her son and his family, and her day consists of constant pain and sitting outside in a plastic chair. The first few times we went to pray for Maria it was obvious that she didn’t have much hope left in her. When we would talk with her, she would try and respond, but it all came out as painful mumbles. Most of our information about her came from her daughter. All she was able to tell us was what area she needed prayer in. Our team is a group of...

After missing a week at the dump our team was more than happy as we loaded up in the white rusty van with no seats that we call "Petunia". The children were there to greet us like usual as we pulled up, all smiles, giggles, and quite a few "Holas". I smiled and hugged the kids while my eyes kept wandering around for my amigo, Enner. With me being sick the past two times, it had been three weeks since I'd seen him. I spotted his brother and asked him where he was. He replied back that he had died.. I didn't laugh at the joke. Grace, Rob and I were walking down the...

One of the things that I have learned sense I have been here in Guatemala is how much I need to trust God. Now, that is something that God showed me a while ago. He taught me that it doesn't matter my circumstance and it definitely doesn't matter if I am comfortable. But trust in him with EVERYTHING!   That's easier said then done.. so that's what I did. I would say that I trust in The Lord and not actually 'trust in him with everything.'  There was nothing testing my faith though. I was very comfortable and kept myself floating...

     The first time I saw her I cried. We were at the dump and had just gotten all the kids to sit down on the wooden floor of the open shelter where we serve them lunch. Alyssa, who was standing next to me, discretely pointed out one little girl who was sitting rather sheepishly on the wood plank wearing a pink shirt and muddied little skirt.      I hadn't noticed her before this week. As I looked at her, she leaned over a little and the swoop neckline of her pink shirt fell just low enough to see that her chest was covered in bruises, burn marks, and...

I was sitting on the bench just outside the women's and babies room, enjoying the fresh morning air after a bitter cup of instant coffee, when the young children began poking their heads out the door, curiously gazing at this gringo with holes in his ears and oddly styled hair. Like most people when they're around babies, I made strange faces and noises in an attempt to get smiles and giggles out of them, and actually managed to be successful. One child in particular caught my attention. He poked a closed eye outside the door and peeked with his open eye through the crack between...

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved.        One of the most shockingly ugly yet beautifully life changing realizations I've had on this trip stemmed from one instance at the dump. My teammate Victoria and I were sitting on the far side of this open wooden structure where we serve the people lunch every week. There was a group of boys probably from ages 12 to 23 standing below just outside, as...