Manos Heridas

With one wounded hand upon my chest and the other wounded hand upon the world, He gently pushes us apart.

The wounds are from the nails that attached Christ to the cross, but the nails are not what kept Him there.

I wish I had some nails in my hands to attach me to this place, because my will in itself, and my love for these people are not as strong as His. I have found that I am going to have to rely on Christ and Christ alone for absolutely every little thing. Life's simple little details have become hurdles that seem overwhelming and impossible.

It is becoming clearer by the day how much I have relied on myself, in my world. I built a world that was consistent and comfortable, peaceful and full of things that I enjoy. That world is over and now the Lord is my only constant and my comfort, He is my only peace and my delight.

The only consistencies that Guatemala offers is it's ever-changing everything, it's never-quite-comfortable anything, and it's non-stop noise.

"Let go of your world and follow me with all your heart. Do not look back with wishful thoughts on things that fade the fastest. I am faithful and I have called you, I will do it", He whispers in my ear.

He is faithful and He is doing it. Because of your prayers, we arrived "safely" on Thursday and "on time" according to Guatemalan standards. For a couple of dollars we found a comfortable hostal to stay in with helpful people. By Saturday, I had secured an "apartment" (I put that in quotes for a reason you will understand after I move in) and I can move in "Tuesday" (in Guatemala, Tuesday means Wednesday, Thursday, or Saturday). Today, Sunday, we found a church. This is an evangelical church where the women keep their heads covered in reverence, but they jump, dance, and shout out at any given moment. It's a rather large church with a terribly long service. It's not my usual baptist church. But hey, everything else here requires being as far out of my comfort zone as possible, so why not? We will see. Tomorrow, Monday, we will head out to discover what we will need to live here long-term and there is no telling what we will find.

My wonderful boyfriend and companion, Geoffrey, is so much of a blessing I wouldn't be able to put it into words if I tried. He didn't do so hot during the traveling due to the fact that he has never had to ride in a shoddy bus on the side of a very high mountain, going around a blindingly sharp curve, in the wrong lane (multiple times) because the right lane didn't exsist because only a day earlier it fell down the side of the mountain to it's death into the deep of the jungle.

But once he got on his feet and we started our journey through Coban, he became our fearless and knowledgable leader.

Geoffrey thinking, "That hole in the road is shaped strangely like a bus."

Not sure if he is praying or closing his out of fear or trying not to vomit...

Alta Verapaz's capital city, Coban, is quite a place. I will let the pictures provide the description:

Be sure to click follow on the left hand side of the page so you will know when I post an update. To see more photos, check facebook. And if you haven't already, like us at www.facebook.com/misionvidanueva

We have an official website that is up and running, but it is still under construction: www.misionvidanueva.info

We love you and we are indebited to you for your prayers on our behalf and to the Lord for His faithfulness,

Little by litte, day by day, we are working hard to bring Him glory and to bring them Him.

Empowering God's children to change the world.