Que te vaya bien

The crater of the Volcano (there is a soccer field inside of it)
At the top of Volcan de Agua

Looking out over Antigua and Guatemala City

Hello all,

It has been a while since my last update, not because I haven’t had the time or the desire but I just haven’t had the words. There is so much to learn here and so much to grasp - it just seems impossible. Sometimes I try to wrap my mind around who God is but I am just too small. I want to be apart of his work here and in Mexico in a mighty way. I don’t want to miss out on any opportunities because of selfishness or laziness - I want to always be growing closer to Him and getting to understand Him better even though I know it is impossible to know Him fully.

There have been 4 aspects of my life that I have been praying about lately - possibly 5. One is Joy - I desire to be a woman of joy and of light. I want to represent what Christ can do in our lives, he can take away our pain and our grief and give us joy in Him. That does not mean that we will always be happy but it does mean that we can be content in Him. I desire this in my life and I desire others to see it in me and want to know Christ better because of it. The second thing is passion. I want to be passionate about the salvation of these people. I want the reality of the hell they are facing to be constant in my heart and mind. There is a verse in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10 that says: “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among those who have believed.” This verse hit me the other day in a new way - these people will be shut out from the Lord. I can not possibly imagine what that will look like, but I know an existence separated from God is torture. I want to be a woman of passion that I might be a bolder witness to these people. The third thing is for selflessness. Jesus was a servant to his disciples and to all of us. In living and looking more like Him I want to be more servant hearted. The last thing is prayer - I want to be an avid prayer. I want to pray all day long without ceasing and I want to lift up these people in the power of the Holy Spirit. The fifth thing is peace - I am dealing with a lot of logistical issues with my Visa and I am not going to make it to Leon when I thought I would. I need prayer to be at peace knowing that God knows exactly when I will get there.

I appreciate your prayers and your notes of encouragement more than I can say! I am so indebted to you all. I want to give you all a short list of people to pray for here in this town of San Juan Del Obispo:

Damaris (my host mother): Pray that her heart would be open to the word, that I would take advantage of every opportunity, and that she would have peace in the comfort of God.

Luis (a host father of a friend): He is a huge leader in our Bible studies and even suggested that we go out to one of the poor areas around Antigua - that was one of the most amazing Bible Studies yet and it was all his idea. He is in danger of losing his house in this next week if he can not come up with about $9000. This is pretty much impossible for him without a miracle from the Lord. We have been having Bible study in his house every week and he is the definition of a person of peace from Luke 10.

Christopher (a host father of another friend): He is an alcoholic and his family is suffering terribly right now. My friend Corey was able to share with the wife and tell her that Christopher needs a lot of love right now. She immediately started to cry and left the room. A few days later she told Corey that he was right and that if he hadn’t said that she would all the reason in the world to hate Christopher. Please pray that Christopher would have the strength to beat this addiction and that his family would have the strength to support him through this time.

Thank you all so much for the support and love you have given me - I am so blessed by you all.

In Him,

Raquelita