As I was preparing for this trip in the weeks leading up to our departure, I became more and more excited to see our friends in Guatemala. We got to see old friends in a new place during our visit to Coban. There we got to see Rosita and several of our sponsored children. How wonderful to see these familiar faces and play and sing and worship with them! Then we traveled to San Lucas and got to meet new friends in an old place. There we met many new community children that Irene serves daily at the Rosa de Amor site, a place we know well. We have drawn pictures, shared the love of Jesus during our VBS lesson, played games, served lunch, built a river (ask John about that), and learned many new names of many new friends.
The highlight of today, though, came as we shared a meal at a Chinese restaurant with the Rosa de Amor staff. It is an annual event that we all look forward to — sharing experiences and love with each other. Special Bible verses were selected for each staff member that different team members read to them. We presented each of them with a gift of a trinket dish decorated with the words Faith, Hope and Love and a handmade bracelet from the team with an anchor to remind them that Jesus is their anchor that they can hold onto during all their trials.
As always, we received encouragement too. Irene reminded us that although we live in different countries, we all have the same God. And Abi so beautifully said, Our plans may not look like God’s plans, but we are each a part of God’s plan.
So as I look back to what I was looking forward to on this trip, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing friends. I was looking forward to seeing family – St. Paul’s beautiful family in Guatemala. They send their love to all of you.
Cindy Wollman
