Shining Light Abroad Ministries

As I get ready to pack up and head back home I cannot help but sit back and reflect on this summer. It has been nothing short of phenomenal. It blows my mind that the same God who loves me all the way in Alabama loves these people 1200 miles away from me. I have always said that if you come to Guatemala once it will change your life and it will change your perspective on things, that is absolutely true, but being here for two months has changed my perspective completely. One thing that stood out to me throughout the summer was watching these kids, worship at the top of their lungs, and praising our awesome God with a genuine understanding of what it means to worship. Watching that makes you stop and think, “Is my worship that genuine?” These kids get it, they get what it means to worship, and just that right there was one of the biggest encouragements I could have ever hoped for. This whole summer has gotten me out of my comfort zone tremendously. For those of you that don’t know me, I am a “home-body”. I like being at home, and I like being around my family and I like being around things that I know, well clearly I was away from all of that this summer. When this opportunity first came about, I immediately thought to myself, no, absolutely not, I can’t be away from my family for two whole months. But I quickly learned that God had much bigger plans in store for me. I have made it two whole months without getting homesick, now there were days when I missed home a little more than the rest of them, but every single time I felt down something happened that reminded me that God’s got this. He has me here for a reason and He has been with me every step of the way. I couldn’t have done it by myself. I realized that if we are longing and searching for His will to be done and not ours, then we will never be disappointed. My challenge for everyone and for myself as well is that if God is calling you to do something but it is out of YOUR comfort zone, then you’ve got to get over it and give it all to God because God has much bigger plans than you and I could ever think of or see. We can’t waste our time trying to figure it out on our own, or make our own plans when we can put my faith solely in Him because God’s got this 100% even when we don’t think He does. Psalm 46:10 says “Be still and know that I am with you” I think in the end that is my verse of this trip, because I know that God has been with my every step of the way and there was never a moment where I had to go at it alone. I want to express my gratitude to the mission committee at Friendship Baptist and everyone else who played a part in me being here and making this summer possible, I am so glad that God placed this beautiful country on their hearts and that they listened to His calling and made this opportunity available to me. Also, I am thankful for two wonderful parents for being great role models when it comes to serving and helping others, and for their encouragement every single step of the way even if it meant being away from home for two months. Without these people this summer would not have been possible and I am grateful for these people and their heart for serving others. This summer has definitely has a tremendous impact on my life and has been a great encouragement for me, I am experiencing all of the emotions about going home now, but I am ready for the next adventure that God has in store for me.