“HOP IN!!”

Each day in Guatemala we heard this phrase and each time we ended up in a different village, basking in the beauty that God created for us, meeting new friends turned family, and experiencing God’s love and joy in beautiful ways! These were just some of the many times we “hopped in the truck”.

“Hop in the truck, we’re headed to this village.” 

With the ever-growing excitement of the unknown – I run quickly outside, the truck begins to move, and I quickly hop in. The truck bed is packed full of massive bags of food and essentials for the people that my team and I prepared the day before and now we were off to deliver them!

As we maneuvered our way around the bags in the truck bed, my teammate, Abbey, and I created this small space for us to sit. We did not know where we would end up but were asked by our hosts to prepare bible skit stories, children’s ministry events, songs, dances, and worship – the twist was that it needed to be ALL in Spanish and then translated into the native language of Poqomchi’.

The truck started driving on this gravel road, through valleys, alongside clear blue rivers, and looking out towards the luscious green mountain tops. These villages were built inside the sides of mountains in the most remote areas far from civilization! We came upon the village, were met with children chasing our truck, and seeing lines of people walking to the center where we were headed. We hopped out and children flooded the space immediately. Everyone and anyone was invited to this time of ministry, worship, and fun activities! As a team, we proceeded to worship, teach about Jesus, and engage with the smiling sweet faces around us. I brought out the guitar and led the time of worship to the best of my ability (which is a hilarious thing to think about, I have to say, if you know anything about my Spanish background). We concluded the day by dancing and singing together as more children gathered around us. It was sweet to think of Jesus – going to villages, being met with crowds of children, people surrounding Him, and Him taking the time to sit with the children. What a sweet sweet Father we have!

We found ourselves hopping in the back of the truck and traveling to other remote villages all over the mountainside. I have so many stories of sweet moments with people in places where most people will never even know exist.

This took us on another journey – again in the back of the truck, on a narrow road, steep drop-offs on either side, to the furthest point possible, on the top of this mountain. We rode in the back of this truck again, I was gleaming with joy. This village was so remote that it depends on the rain for drinking water, and if not, the people who lived there would have to walk miles into the deep part of the valley to retrieve water for their families. 

We were headed to this village to host a Beauty for Ashes event. Beauty for Ashes is a ministry through Adventure in Missions for women to come together, be loved on, cared for, rest, talk about difficult topics, eat meals and treats together, share testimonies, make space for creativity, and be able to worship freely. The second we got there, we were met instantly with love, hospitality, and a sense of family. They welcomed us into their homes, provided us meals, and sweet conversations. Although most of these villages spoke in Spanish and their native language, it was beautiful to see how the Holy Spirit shows up in these situations and helps communicate the love and joy of the Lord amidst these language barriers. This community and the time spent with these women will forever have a special place in my heart.

And like that, we were off to another village. As we drove down long muddy roads, the sun began to rise above the mountain tops, the birds began to chirp and sing, and the sun rays leaked through the clouds. We drove all through the early morning (there’s this excitement that fills me when the light hits every crevasse, orange and pink fill the valley, that brisk early morning feeling!!) Anyway, my team and I were sitting in the back of the truck basking in the beauty of the mountains being illuminated by the sun. We finally got to the village, dug through the muddy roads, climbed up many stairs, and at the top were met by the children and community welcoming us in and wanting to play!

We built a home on the side of the mountain for a family in the village that lost everything in the mudslide. We were able to teach these little girls (how to build, use tools, and be strong in who they are), lead children’s ministry activities, and worship alongside another squad (World Race Gap Year guys) who came and spent nights in this village with us. We passed by homes covered in mud and carried planks to the top of the mountainside for another woman who had lost everything.

I remember this moment with this young girl in the village. We picked flowers, hid in the plants, and threw them at each other in a “surprise attack” We laughed and laughed together, engulfed in this joy, that came with surprising each other with our “attack of flowers”.

There was this day that the Lord had led me out on the mountainside, following those yellow butterflies (yes, the same ones from my last blog!!) through fields of purple and yellow flowers, to the edge of the peak. It was sweet.

We have traveled to many villages now, through bumpy dirt and gravel roads, but this was different. We come to a turn-off that takes us through curves, deep into the unknown of the valley, and as we are passing through, we looked over and saw the mudslide that came through and wiped out the village – creating what looked like a river of rock and gravel and mud through the village.

Our host parked on the side of the road facing the homes of the village, hooks up the microphone, and says, “Go ahead and start preaching!” We back up along the road and standing off the dirt path, I immediately grab my guitar and we begin to sing worship songs to the side of the mountain. As the sound echoed through the valley, kids begin to run out and a crowd surrounds us as we play and sing. After worship, each team member shared either from the word or what the Lord is teaching them currently, gave a brief sermon, and then the last part of our schedule was acting in our skit. I played the prodigal son, and not gonna lie, it was a hit!

We learned that this village is now home to an entire village that are refugees find a new home village due to the mudslides that swept through and destroyed everything. These small children who had lost parents in the mudslide, the trauma, grief, pain, and heartache that has recently swept through that place. This village was in desperate need of hope, joy, and love. I was followed by kids throughout the village, we were able to play games, laugh for hours and just be. Those moments – those sweet & precious joy-filled moments – make my heart smile reflecting on them. My heart longed for more time here with these sweet children and the beautiful people of the village.

Maybe it’s not every day that someone comes to your door and says “hop in the truck, we’re going somewhere”. Maybe life isn’t like my role in the remote mountains of Guatemala.

But I’m sure God may be asking you to hop into the truck – 

Where is that truck headed?

Who is in the truck? 

& when God asks you to hop in the truck, feeling unprepared, and not equipped – what will you do?

As I look through these times I hopped in, I am reflecting on these questions – 

1. Will you trust in the Lord and know He will equip you with everything you need or will you stay back and miss out on the whole journey?

2. What is the Lord asking you to hop in the truck for with him?