day 15: god comes to the rescue and provides a birthday cake in guatemala.

I knew God had called me back to Guatemala to be a voice for the children there. I had heard it so vividly in my soul last February. But here we were, a team of 20, standing on Guatemalan soil and I was wondering again “how can I make a difference?”

Waking up sleepily the first morning there was excitement in the air. We hurried about and sucked down our Starbucks Via’s before heading to the Potter’s House in the Guatemala City dump community. As the leader that brought this team together, there were so many emotions stirring in my soul.

Did God really call me back to be a voice for these children?

Would others fall in love with this place?

Would we be able to make a difference?

Questions were answered.

We as a team were able to make a difference. We painted two days straight. A building that would soon become the Community Center and host Vacation Bible School. We would be remembered in the community.

There in the midst of the dump community, we painted. We sweated. We functioned as a team. We loved on children. And we were accepted and invited in to the community.

Our hearts were full.

We were exhausted, but God had more in mind.

After a quick lunch we had an opportunity to go back in to the community to meet with the families of our sponsored children. Out of the 20, there were 5 of us who had sponsored children. The teams were divided up and we set out.

I was beyond excited. I was going to get to spend a whole afternoon with Jakeline. I had waited for this moment for 8 months. And now, here we were.

I wondered if this would be memorable. I don’t speak Spanish. She doesn’t speak English.

Jakeline led me and our team to her home. I was taken back. Jakeline and her mom had just moved into a bigger home. They now had a small kitchen, dining, and she even had her own room. The memories of her having to sleep in the kitchen were flooding my mind. I was thankful to be a part of a community that empowered families to become more.

When you come to serve and you are served.

After a short visit and prayer, I delivered Jakeline a backpack full of goodies. Items I was told she was in need of. We hugged and I was sad our time was coming to a close. As I wiped tears from my eyes, she turns to our translator and tells her that we are invited for refreshments. Cake and Coke.

I was holding back a wall of tears. I had come to serve and love her. And she was giving to me and this team.

My heart melted as I was dying for caffeine, but more importantly because she was giving of the little she had to serve us. What an example she was to me in that moment!

Our team relished the refreshments. We enjoyed our visit. We took pictures. We didn’t want to leave, but God had more in store. One team member, Dolly at Soul Stops, wanted to save her cake for later, so we wrapped it up and stored it in her bag.

We departed ways. I was thankful that Jakeline would follow us around all afternoon as I hate good-bye’s. So arm and arm we set out to meet the next sponsor child.

God provides!

We were led to Jefferson’s house, Dolly’s sponsored child. He is a cutie! We squeezed our team of 5 into his small home. Some of the team had to hang out the door as we didn’t all fit. It was a stark contrast to Jakeline’s home.

After a moment of brief conversation we learned that Jefferson had a birthday last week. His mom tells us that he was so sad because all he wanted was a birthday cake and she couldn’t provide.

As my heart broke at the burden this mom must feel, Dolly mentions the cake she had just brought from Jakeline’s house.

She gets it out of her bag and presents it to Jefferson. The biggest boy smile crept across his face as we began to sing Happy Birthday. As he grinned from ear-to-ear, his mom cried tears.

Shoot — I think we all cried.

How magnificent is our God that he tends to the tiniest of details even of a young boy wanting a birthday cake?

Don’t tell me this was just a coincidence. NO!

Jehovah Jireh still provides today.

QUESTION: How have you seen God provide and come to the rescue?

This post is part of the 31 days of rescue series. You can find all posts listed here.

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After wrestling with the word rescue for months, I decided to bring this word to life. I’ll expose the truths stirring in my soul regarding this daring, venturesome, and fearless word. Oh how I’d love your input too!