Because our denomination has had a lot of mission efforts in Guatemala, over the years I have had the privilege of traveling there several times. It’s an amazing and beautiful country.
Recently I was planning to travel there with my wife, Deb, our 16-year-old grandson, Liam, the Treasurer of our denomination, Dennis Wright and his wife, Dorothy, and the General Secretary of our denomination, Ryan Reveley. We were going there as representatives of the Primitive Methodist Church in the USA to the Centennial Celebration of the Primitive Methodist Church in Guatemala. Deb and I brought Liam along so he could gain exposure to a different culture and see what one of our “mission fields” is like.
On this trip, we took a risk and did something we hadn’t done before. We decided to rent a vehicle with me doing all of the driving. Although we had been advised against doing this in the past, we really didn’t want to inconvenience anyone. The people we know there would have to literally drive for hours to pick us up and be our tour guides.
Although I was hesitant, I was also confident there wouldn’t be any big problems. I know the Lord is on my side and loves to supply all my needs. Therefore I prayed a lot in preparation for the trip. That’s something I always do regardless of where we travel. However, I was more anxious about driving in Guatemala than driving in other perilous locations to which we travel like Pennsylvania.
We made our plans. We booked our accommodations and reserved our rental vehicle. Then left it all in God’s hands. Let me tell you…we were absolutely blown away by the way He answered our prayers.
A few days before our departure, I received a message from Pastor Harold Hernandez in New York. He wanted to know when we were arriving in Guatemala and if he could ride with us from the airport to the celebration location. I told him he could absolutely ride with us!
God is good. Not only was He going to watch over us on the highways, but He was also putting a guy in our vehicle who could read the road signs! Haroldo is originally from Guatemala and he speaks Spanish, English, and Quiché!
When we arrived in Guatemala City, the Lord also made sure we were able to upgrade to a larger vehicle, at no extra charge, to accommodate our unscheduled passenger. We were in a Toyota diesel van with a 5-speed, manual transmission.
Wait a minute. I couldn’t remember the last time I had driven a straight stick! Suddenly, I was out onto the streets of Guatemala City, praying the clutch, gas, and shifting would all come back to me really fast! Not only was traffic terrible (it required 2 hours to travel 20 miles as we left the city) but Guatemala has extremely steep hills, lots of curves, and way too many speed bumps (two of which I discovered after Ryan crashed his head on the ceiling in the back of the van). However, once again the Lord was with us. By the second day, I was shifting like a pro. However, you may want to get the opinion of my passengers on my description. But once again, thank the Lord for Harold. He gave good directions and put me at ease by pretending to know his way out of Guatemala City.
Harold then graciously stayed with us after the celebration and was a huge blessing to everyone in our group. It wasn’t just his ability to interpret and give directions. Our group was blessed by his presence because of his humility, his kindness, his joy, his passion for the Lord, and wonderful sense of humor. We were all blessed just to get to know Harold better.
The Lord never ceases to amaze me with how He answers our prayers. He kept us safe on our travels. He protected us from illnesses. He allowed us to catch up with several old friends as well as make new acquaintances. He showed us, once again, what a great blessing it is to be a part of His family regardless of the language barriers. And He gave us Harold.
Take notice of this. When God chooses to bless us He normally involves other people in carrying out those blessings. He gave Adam, Eve. He gave King David, Jonathan. He gave Naomi, Ruth. He gave Paul, Barnabas. He gave us, His Son.
So here are a few takeaways from my most recent Guatemala experience.
1) Remember to always depend on God for everything. Sometimes we only take what we consider to be the big stuff in our lives to Him. He wants to be involved with us in every little detail. When we trust Him completely, He always comes through with comfort and peace. He makes the way straight.
2) See people as God’s blessings. People are the pinnacle of His creation. Man is who God breathed the breath of life into. Not plants and animals. People are God’s special creation and each one is unique. So let’s do less complaining about people and more praising about people.
3) Realize that things don’t happen by coincidence. We’re making choices and God is working all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. For me, that often means He puts others in the right place at the right time to remind me that He is good and that He cares about each one of us. The people God has created are not a coincidence. They are a very important part of His plan.
4) Allow people to bring refreshment to our lives. Each person has a unique personality, way of thinking, and set of emotions. When I’m waiting in airports, I enjoy observing the diverse sample of the human race waiting with me. I think Wow, what a creative God we have who has made each one of us differently. I also think God has a sense of humor. I know that’s what people are thinking when I walk by. You and I are very different from one another. We can reject each other because of our differences or we can enjoy each other's differences. When we learn to enjoy each other, it makes life a lot more pleasant.
So think about this: Who has refreshed your life in the past week? Thank them.
Now here’s an even more important question: Who has been refreshed by your life in the past week? Don’t wait for them to thank you. Just continue to be refreshing.
God answering our prayers by providing Harold to interpret and give directions was refreshing. But in addition, Harold just being who God has made Him to be, was even more refreshing to our whole group and to those we met along our way.
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3
