Week 30-34: Finishing Strong
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
It is hard for us to comprehend that we only have two weeks left in Guatemala. As we prepare to depart, our work here has been as exciting and as challenging as ever. We ask for everyone’s prayers as we “complete the tasks that the Lord has given us.”
September is a special time in Guatemala because they celebrate their independence from Spain. We got to be right in the middle of it because the choir performed at the kick-off ceremony which ended with a torch lighting. Even though only half of the choir showed up, the ones who came sang their hearts out and were well-received by the audience. They sang four praise songs and even sang “Lord I Lift Your Name on High” in English. It was a joy seeing how happy the children were that all their hard work and practice had finally paid off. A few of the children are already looking forward to choir next year!
A teacher and student light a torch to celebrate Guatemala’s independence.
We were also able to participate in a special parade in Los Limones for “Dia de la Biblia” (Day of the Bible). The children and youth of Los Limones carried banners and handed out Bibles to everyone in the village. They were followed by the Lutheran school band from Gualan who played songs like “Somos el Pueblo de Dios” (We are the City of God). It was truly a special day celebrating the life-giving word of God and being a witness to the community.
Marching through Los Limones on Dia de la Biblia.
As I shared last month, Los Limones is an impoverished community where a new Lutheran church is starting. Last month we had the first Baptism service and welcomed 8 people into our Christian family. Numerous people attending were inspired by the service and approached me afterwards asking how they and/or their children could be baptized. After sharing with them the blessings we receive in Baptism, we had our second Baptism service this month and welcomed 12 more adults and children into God’s kingdom. Since then I have had a few more people approach me about being baptized in the coming weeks. I can’t begin to describe how amazing it is to watch God’s Word and Sacrament in action!
This time Cassandra was also asked to be Godmother for a few of the children.
Holding our newest Godchild while her mother is baptized.
In our final two weeks I will be finishing up catechism classes in Los Limones, La Union, and Gualan and we plan to celebrate their Confirmation on October 9th. For Cassandra, the concert was the choir’s last performance as the school year comes to a close so she will be handing over the reigns of the choir to another teacher to lead next year. Please pray for our continued diligence in these final weeks as we fulfill our responsibilities and make preparations for our return home.
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