Lord, you provide. Over and over again, you give us everything we need, thank you Lord.
On Monday afternoon my team and another team from our squad boarded a bus in Antigua, Guatemala and rode a little over two hours to our hosts house in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. On the ride through the mountains, it became clear to me that there was a prevalence of poverty that I hadn’t seen in Cost Rica. 95% of the people that live in Chichicastenango are indigenous. Most people speak in dialect and don’t really speak Spanish. The culture is beautiful, although our host explained to us that the lack of ability to speak Spanish limits their opportunities. They are a fierce and humble people. Despite the political turmoil that you may discover if you were to look up the country, the Lord has been speaking the word peace over this country and peace is evident in the people.
The second we met our ministry host, God made it clear to me that the physical lack that people experience in this country has paved the way for a spiritual abundance that followers of Christ here exhibit deeply.
Our host Juan, and his wife and family are big dreamers. Juan and his wife both came from poverty and know exactly what it looks like to rely on their Father for their daily bread. They had dreams to start a church in Chichicastenango when they had nothing, and little by little God put people and supplies in their path.
To Americans the church may look like nothing more than a shack. Really that’s what it is. It’s walls and a cement floor, that’s mostly it. They have a toilet that we flush with a bucket of water, and the room we are staying in has a lightbulb. Water and electricity; New Generation church only got them 4 months ago; a lot of people in Chichicastenango don’t have either. Juan actually has a ministry that provides families in the community with a toilet. How often are you grateful for your toilet?
Juan told us that people constantly ask him why he doesn’t want more? Why he doesn’t want a nicer car or tile floors? His response: this isn’t our home, heaven is. It’s all just things, our real treasure is in heaven and God will provide everything we need. Juan and his family also live in the church.
They believe so deeply in the will of God that he told us if someone came asking for the church he would hand it over right then and there. Despite it being all he owns on earth and all the work he’s put into it, he would hand it over willingly if it was the Lords will. Dang.
The church is called New Generation church because God is raising up a new generation of followers of Him in Guatemala. God is already here; He always has been. God is changing Guatemala from a receiving nation to a nation that sends people to share the good news to all the nations.
New Generation church has about 150 kids that come to hear truth, play soccer, and learn Spanish and English. Right now, due to covid, the kids aren’t allowed to gather here but we are praying God makes a way soon.
Regardless, New Generation doesn’t hold church services for the people like we are used to in America. Instead, they have a heart for bringing the church to the people. The Bible says that when someone is hungry, God will feed them. That’s what this church does; they show up to peoples houses, they pray for them, they speak truth over them, and they give them food. They always give people food because that’s what people here need and Jesus brings heaven to earth.
According to our host, there is also a large presence of witchcraft in this area. Essentially the beliefs that some people here have in witchcraft parallels to some Old Testament beliefs. People pray to “gods” and offer up animal sacrifices to them. Our God is a God of abundance and gives Himself to us for free. You can be praying for the people of Chichicastenango that they would find hope in a living God. New Generation is opening people’s eyes to the living God and it is beautiful.
Gods fingerprints are all over this country, city, and church. Right now, our team is on a ten day quarantine and are starting out by doing construction on the church before we are allowed to go out and be with people face to face. Be praying that God would start to lift regulations in this country!
