• Posted:
  • September 12, 2024
  • Categories:
  • Local & Global Impact

God is at Work in Guatemala!

Tolu SololaThis summer I was part of a short-term missions team to Guatemala City from FAC. I was privileged to co-lead our team of five ladies with the Refugee Ministry pastor, Michelle Eng. I went on that trip with some degree of apprehension and excitement. The main reason for my apprehension was my lack of communication ability in Spanish (the major language spoken in Guatemala), and a fear of the unknown. 

We landed in Guatemala City on the evening of August 11th and my worry was quickly reinforced by my inability to complete the immigration form at the airport without help. My thoughts were, ‘I should have been better prepared for this; and I should have done more Duolingo; and I should have attended FAC en Español more often.’ But here we were in Guatemala, and there was no turning back. I was greatly comforted when we were met at the airport by Galen, our IncaLink team coach. It was a huge comfort for me because Galen speaks fluent English and Spanish and having him coach our team was a blessing from above.

Day 1

The day after we arrived, we did a site visit to the International Justice Mission (IJM) office in Guatemala City. That office also happens to be the hub for IJM Central America, which includes IJM El Salvador and Honduras. We had a highly informative time of learning from the team there about how they carry out their mandate to serve and protect women and children who are victims of abuse and violence. 

One of the most meaningful moments was when we got to pray for some of the victims who had been helped in the past. Some of them had now grown up but were as young as 8 years old when crimes were committed against them. It was a very humbling and poignant moment. Another fascinating part of our visit was that it helped IncaLink and IJM (who are both our international partners) to make a ministry connection in Guatemala. Because of the overlap in the groups of people they serve, this was a greatly needed connection which I chose not to call a coincidence but a ‘God-incident.’  Domestic violence and abuse are some of the challenges faced by many people in Guatemala City and I was deeply moved to hear some of the stories of people God has rescued and helped to find the road to healing through the work of IJM. I am glad that FAC is able to support their work. 

The rest of our time in Guatemala was spent contributing in various ways to the work and vision of Creacion de Dios Guatemala (CDG), a ministry of IncaLink. IncaLink’s mission is to share the irresistible love of Jesus with the 300 million youth of Latin America.  CDG does this by providing academic, nutritional, social and spiritual support to children and youth aged three to seventeen years. 

The ministry runs a before and after-school educational program where young people can get care and academic support in a Christian environment. The work of CDG in giving youth an academic advantage does not stop at providing guidance but also looks to help them gain higher education through scholarships and grants. The team at CDG works not only to lead people to Jesus, but also to break the cycle of poverty in families through literacy and preparation for higher education. 

Day 3

This was our first full day at CDG. We completed a manual labour task of moving their storage room from the ground floor to the roof (three floors up) and reorganising it. I was very proud of our team as we moved some light and heavy items (from hangers to full-size doors) up two flights of stairs and a ladder to the roof. It required some teamwork, and we felt it in our bodies the next day, but it was worth it! The space we made on the ground floor would be transformed into a computer lab. CDG are now believing God to provide at least six computers for the room. Most of the youth they serve cannot afford computers at home, but having access to computers will provide them access to information and learning tools to enrich them academically. (You can pray that they will receive the funds and donations needed to complete the computer lab project!)

Next, we got to be part of a new initiative at the ministry called Youth Nights. We were invited to lead three youth nights during our time there in the hope that weekly youth nights would continue to be offered at CDG. Our planned youth nights would include games, a testimony, a Bible study and devotional, and a special craft. While we planned, we had to navigate a challenge in our team because everyone had prepared something to contribute, but we could not fit it all in the time we had. The process of deciding which items to use and which to cancel was a bit painful. It is easy for feelings to get hurt when ideas or prepared materials are not used, but God helped us to overcome this hurdle by His grace. We quickly realized after our first youth night that God had a plan. 

Days 4-6

We spent days 4-6 helping the kids in class from 8.30 am till 4 pm. We then had our youth nights from 5 pm to 7 pm. You might be wondering how a non-Spanish speaker like me managed to assist a teacher and kids in a class. My limited communication was likely the most humbling part of this mission experience for me. I got a lot of help from my three teammates who speak Spanish, and I received grace from the teachers and kids I was assisting. Add to that a bit of sign language and very broken Spanish.  During our trip, I witnessed God’s power at work in so many ways. One was through the strength of our team. I believe that each person was strategically placed in our team by God for a reason. I saw how God used our unique gifts, talents, skills and experience in the lives of the youth of CDG, and at times, God even used our silent presence. Another way was through our times of worship, when we jointly praised God and became joined in voice and mind, despite our language difficulties. 

At the youth nights, we had team members who led through game coordination, dance choreography, musical worship, testimonies, devotions, crafts, exhortation, and verbal and non-verbal communication. On our final night, we saw the group of teenagers we had been ministering to make a public confession of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. It was amazing!

Day 7

This was the day we factored in some fun. We went on an excursion to Antigua and saw amazing sights like Cerro de la Cruz, Volcan Aqua (from afar), Arco de Santa Catalina, Parque Central and Casa del Jade. We learned that Guatemala is one of the few places in the world where Jade exists in its natural form. 

We also enjoyed Lunch at McDonald’s Antigua, a one-of-a-kind experience; I even kept my ketchup replacement (a sachet of Jalapeño sauce) as a souvenir! One of the great things about that day was that we had no running water at the CDG school house where we had been staying. Being out and about took our minds off that challenge and we were relieved when we got home at the end of the day to find the water was up and running again. 

Our vehicle also broke down on the way to Antigua but thank God we were not stranded, and it slowly got us to a point where a mechanic could fix it for the journey back home. Despite the hiccups, our host team members stayed optimistic and kept a positive attitude which lifted our spirits. I could tell that they were people who were not unaccustomed to challenge but who kept their faith, nonetheless. The excursion allowed us to have a time of bonding and fun with the teachers and staff of CDG, something they don’t often get to do. 

Day 8

This was our final ministry day, and we concluded our time at CDG with a Sunday service that included the youth and their families. It featured a time of worship, Bible teaching, open discussion with questions and answers, and prayers. It was clear that CDG is a ministry impacting families and generations through their work. 

Triumph, Bumps and Bruises 

I think I can say that for every member of our team, we had our highs and lows. Our mealtimes were filled with fellowship, laughter and great food adventures, as some of us were introduced to the local delicacies. We also had times of devotion and debriefing which challenged us to think deeper. 

Some of the challenges our team members had to endure included poor sleep, ailments, and physical and emotional pain. We were confronted with our own humanity and imperfections, but I believe God used and is still using those experiences for our good.

We were particularly affected by the story of one of the attending pupils who is battling personal and family challenges including an eating disorder. I am thankful for the members of our team whom God handpicked to minister to her, and also that she will be receiving further help through CDG. 

On our way back home, we missed our connecting flight in Houston, but God provided us seats on the next flight to Calgary and a place to sleep overnight while we waited. We got some extra bonding time as a team, and I managed to see a bit of divine sense of humour in that experience. 

As I continue to reflect on my time on missions, I have realized that despite negative issues like gangs, gun crime, poverty and family breakdown, God is at work in Guatemala City. He is using ministries like CDG and IJM whose work is touching one life at a time and has the power to change the nation for Christ. Please keep our partners and the people they are ministering to in your prayers!

Thanks to Tolu for sharing her experience in Guatemala! Curious about how you can join Jesus through missions? Take a look at how you can help!

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