1 John 2:15-17
(15) Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. (17) The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
This picture is a little deceiving. It looks like they are waiting for some morsel to eat. The truth is that we had them in line to give them little gifts. Stuffed animals or something. They have no money for toys so they go crazy when a missionary team gives them stuff. We are trying to show Jesus' love to them in this way. It can be a bit of a mixed message though. God is not a heavenly vending machine that spits out a toy whenever we want. In fact, I am struggling with the stuff I have versus the stuff they have. On my return I have been sickened by all the stuff we have and don't take care of. It seems so much easier to make do with what we have than to buy new. I'm sure I'm driving my family crazy. Becky is happy I've had this experience. So far Lucas and Leah have been gracious and patient, but I haven't disconnected the DISH yet. Watching women carrying blocks on their heads and men carrying firewood on their backs up and down the mountain has changed my perspective. (Pictures to come when I get them from the others - I'm not a picture-taking guy). The amount of good a few dollars can do down there is astounding. The missionary organization, Impacto, that we served under, has hired Tony and Andrea Mendez to coordinate the work in the Lake region where we were. They need to raise money for their salaries. We asked how much they needed to live on for a year. The answer was $10,000 dollars for both! I am now looking at purchases and bills in terms of their value in Guatemala. I don't know if it will last. I've been a terrible steward of what God has given me. Lord please forgive me. I don't expect anyone who hasn't had the "missionary" experience to feel this way or understand. Please be patient with me and pray for those we served in Panabar and the Lake Region of Guatemala. So many of you gave, and believe me, your money was well spent, as you will see in coming stories. Any of you who God calls to continue to support these people financially, or anyone interested in going on our next trip (February - Lord willing), please e-mail me. Love in Him, Joe
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