My Friend, Santiago
I was so blessed to be able to go with Susiemag and Bibg World Ventures to Guatemala this summer on a mission trip. The experience was life-changing, and God's glory was revealed in incredible ways while we were there. Although I've been back in the states for three weeks, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was waking up early, taking a bus ride into Guatemala city, and showing the people of Guatemala what God's love looks like through drama, testimonies, and service projects. I could tell story after story of how God worked, the lives he changed, and the things he taught me! But for today, I want to tell you about my friend, Santiago.
On one of the ministry days in Guatemala, our team went to a government operated soup kitchen. After we performed our evangelistic drama that told the story of Creation, the Fall, and Christ, I got to share my testimony through a translator and explain the drama to the audience. After we prayed, our team dispersed through the crowd to talk, pray, and pass out Bibles. Passing out Bibles was probably one of my highlights of the trip, and I'll always remember one man in particular. His name was Santiago.
Santiago came to Guatemala city to find work. Thats all he wanted to tell me about himself, so I asked him some conversation-starter questions. When I asked him if he understood the drama, he said yes, so I asked him if he was a Christian or if he owned a Bible. When he shook his head, I extended my hand to give him a Bible, which he gladly accepted. I got to tell him about the Bible - that it is God's word to us and that it brings life. I showed him my favorite verse, which I had underlined in the Bible he now preciously held. I also showed Him where Matthew was, and I shared with Him that reading the gospels is a great place to start because it tells the story of Jesus. He listened to all my words as he rubbed his thumb over the cover, nodding his head as if to tell me that He understood. I waited for a response, but he was quiet. I think he was contemplating his new gift and the power that comes with it. I watched him in silence as he flipped through the pages, stopping every once in a while to read a verse and turn the pages again. He seemed fascinated and intrigued by the tiny and simple Gideon's Spanish Bible. I loved standing there beside him and watching him explore the words of life for possibly the first time ever. After we left the soup kitchen, I prayed for him on the way home, asking God to give him understanding and the desire to read His Word daily. I don't know what ever happened to Santiago, but I still pray for him and his spiritual growth. I pray that the seeds we planted will be watered by other circumstances in his life, and that God's grace and love will overcome him and transform him. I hope to see him in heaven one day!
When I think about Santiago and all the people I met in Guatemala, I am reminded of how precious and valuable God's Word really is. I am reminded of how much everyone needs it - from the poor in foriegn countries to my neighbors and friends here in the states. I am also challenged to be a gardener of God's Word, so I now keep Bibles in my car because I never know who I am going to meet that might want one! Although my interaction with Santiago was short and sweet, it impacted me in significant ways that have changed my view of God's Word and its power to change lives. Because of Santiago, I am so thankful for the many Bibles that sit on my shelf, and I am actively looking for opportunities to share those Bibles and the words of life they contain.
So thanks, Santiago, for changing my perpsective to see something more in God's Word. And thanks, God, for graciously giving us your Word, your voice, your truth in the pages of the Bible. May we all be amazed and changed by it.
On one of the ministry days in Guatemala, our team went to a government operated soup kitchen. After we performed our evangelistic drama that told the story of Creation, the Fall, and Christ, I got to share my testimony through a translator and explain the drama to the audience. After we prayed, our team dispersed through the crowd to talk, pray, and pass out Bibles. Passing out Bibles was probably one of my highlights of the trip, and I'll always remember one man in particular. His name was Santiago.
Santiago came to Guatemala city to find work. Thats all he wanted to tell me about himself, so I asked him some conversation-starter questions. When I asked him if he understood the drama, he said yes, so I asked him if he was a Christian or if he owned a Bible. When he shook his head, I extended my hand to give him a Bible, which he gladly accepted. I got to tell him about the Bible - that it is God's word to us and that it brings life. I showed him my favorite verse, which I had underlined in the Bible he now preciously held. I also showed Him where Matthew was, and I shared with Him that reading the gospels is a great place to start because it tells the story of Jesus. He listened to all my words as he rubbed his thumb over the cover, nodding his head as if to tell me that He understood. I waited for a response, but he was quiet. I think he was contemplating his new gift and the power that comes with it. I watched him in silence as he flipped through the pages, stopping every once in a while to read a verse and turn the pages again. He seemed fascinated and intrigued by the tiny and simple Gideon's Spanish Bible. I loved standing there beside him and watching him explore the words of life for possibly the first time ever. After we left the soup kitchen, I prayed for him on the way home, asking God to give him understanding and the desire to read His Word daily. I don't know what ever happened to Santiago, but I still pray for him and his spiritual growth. I pray that the seeds we planted will be watered by other circumstances in his life, and that God's grace and love will overcome him and transform him. I hope to see him in heaven one day!
When I think about Santiago and all the people I met in Guatemala, I am reminded of how precious and valuable God's Word really is. I am reminded of how much everyone needs it - from the poor in foriegn countries to my neighbors and friends here in the states. I am also challenged to be a gardener of God's Word, so I now keep Bibles in my car because I never know who I am going to meet that might want one! Although my interaction with Santiago was short and sweet, it impacted me in significant ways that have changed my view of God's Word and its power to change lives. Because of Santiago, I am so thankful for the many Bibles that sit on my shelf, and I am actively looking for opportunities to share those Bibles and the words of life they contain.
So thanks, Santiago, for changing my perpsective to see something more in God's Word. And thanks, God, for graciously giving us your Word, your voice, your truth in the pages of the Bible. May we all be amazed and changed by it.
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