Choosing Love Over Fear in Guatemala

One of my favorite things about traveling around the world is meeting or reuniting with fellow believers. I met Mynor, Walda and Noah two years ago at Faith Promise at CCC but to see them here, we shared long hugs and just a renewed friendship. There is something about Jesus in common that bridges all gaps and gives you this immediate close connection no matter how long it has been or what the culture differences are. You feel this closeness that you really can’t explain but oh how amazing it is.

That was last night but today we ventured out around the streets, going to Rhino boy’s houses (the team members of the soccer team our partners coach here), passing out food boxes and praying for families. What totally blew my mind was how each story matched our GO Trip themes this year of LOVE over FEAR.

I know my team will go into more detail I’m sure about what we saw and prayed for but situation 1 – Mildred and Josue. They are a young couple and are starting a family. They are going against the stereotype of no prenatal care and buying vitamins, having ultrasounds done, protecting mom and baby even though it is a strain on them financially but they both say we have faith and trust God will provide.

Situation 2 – Jamie. She has been out of school 3 years but wants to go back and finish high school which girls here do not do or even go past 6th grade. She admits she’s scared and even let the fear hold her off for a year but is going forward.

Situation 3. Johnny. This kid is always smiling. He’s 17 and a believer but has one of the worst family life’s I’ve heard. He has 5 older brothers who beat their wives which are repeating the pattern of their father who hung himself and Johnny walked in and found. He is the youngest and stands up for the women often getting in the middle of physical altercations because of what he has seen Brock and Mynor witness in how they treat women.

I say all this because our Global Outreach Team (Staff) had many discussions and prayers over what the theme should be last year for 2016. We take it seriously because it’s what hundreds of CCCers demonstrate all over this world throughout the year. Each house we went in, we were able to talk to these guys and tell them AMOR sobre MIEDO – love over fear. Josue loves his wife and child more than his fear of finances. Jamie loves her future more than being fearful of going back to school and breaking the norm. Johnny loves the women in his family and following Gods word more than he fears physical altercations with brothers. We were able to pray this over each family and it amazes how months and months ago God put that idea in the heads of the GO Team knowing all along the huge impact it was going to make on the streets of a Guatemala mountain.

– Brittany Blackburn