As Morris Bryant stated in the last blog, Deidra gave him and myself a homework assignment, and I messed up by allowing Morris to be first. I feel like I’m following Michael Jordan after his blog. The assignment was “What has a GRACE/SLAM mission trip meant to me.” As Morris stated my mind has gone 1000 directions but my heart keeps coming back to two things : Teddy Turrentine and Soy Taylor. I started coming to Guatemala because of one man, Teddy, and now part of my heart hurts in Guatemala because of the other, Soy.
In October of this year, I not only lost a dear friend but I lost the best missionary I’ve ever met. He wasn’t the brains behind GRACE or SLAM but Soy had become the personality.
In 2009, Bro Teddy Turrentine, who has been and continues to be a mentor in the ministry, talked me into to coming to Guatemala. I didn’t really want to come to be honest but I did out of respect for Bro Teddy and I’m thankful I did. I have been at least once a year for the last 14 years. Then to be perfectly honest, I had no desire to come this week and that’s because of missing my friend.
I’ve tried for two months and still can’t make sense and that’s because God’s ways are higher than my ways. I go back to Isaiah 57 as my father taught me: “The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.” I take comfort in knowing that God’s Word says we don’t understand, but I take more comfort in knowing my friend is at peace and being spared from evil.
I didn’t want to come back. That part of me was robbed by evil and I’ll never get it back. My flesh said that’s enough Guatemala for me but again I came because Bro Teddy called. I miss the domino games, heart games, and mafia games. I miss the sleeveless shirts worn by a guy who had no business wearing them. I miss the texts from my friend who checked on me when I went through a rough patch. But as the bravest woman I know (Deidra Taylor) said “Her call to the people in Guatemala has not changed.” So, I had to ask myself last month what would Soy want me and all of us to do? He would want us to keep loving the Guatemalan people and keep sharing Jesus with them.
Loving the people in Guatemala is the easy part. They are not people in another country to me; many of them are my family. The workers at Grace are my brothers and sisters in Christ. They hurt like I hurt and probably more. Soy was their friend and their mentor. They miss him and we all miss him. So what do we do? We keep doing what Soy would do. We keep loving people in Guatemala. We keep sharing Jesus here.
Coming to Guatemala in 2009 changed me. It got me out of my comfort zone. It helped me start living out Acts 1:8. It enlarged my family with the Grace workers and other believers from other parts of the U.S. It introduced me to the greatest missionary I’ll ever meet. I won’t see him again in this life but I’m much better off for having known him. I’m thankful God led me to Guatemala on a short term trip.
Shining Light Abroad Ministries 