A wax hand

Somehow a year is now 5 days. I’d be lying if I told you I am not shaking in my boots but there are still lessons to be learned and stories to be told. I find myself in tears because the finish line for Guatemala is near but He is making it clear- it isn’t finished QUITE yet. After almost a year of blogging you probably know me well enough to know that I always have a new jam (or 6). There is always that one that stays on repeat, literally for at least 2 weeks, usually more. July 3^rd I came across the artist, Zachary Kale while creating a playlist for our weekend July 4th adventure to Semuc Champey (about 9 hours from my home here). Guess what? I already shared the playlist contents… Zachary Kale, Zachary Kale and you know the rest. Enjoy. For ALL 9 hours… I had two songs on repeat…. Isaiah 61 and To Know You (Jesus Messiah). I’m not kidding. (Start your download now.) Curiosity was killing, my Bible was missing and having no wifi for 3 days wasn’t helping- all I wanted to know WHAT IN THE WORLD Isaiah 61 says… I just wanted to read it to understand WHY this song was so good. The hostel we stayed in was absolutely BREATHTAKING and surround by creation but the LAST place you’d find a Bible. Oh well Shel, you can read it when we get back Monday. 

But first, Sunday’s adventures were sure to satisfy and challenge. We spent the day hiking (my favorite) swimming in these incredible natural pools, jumping off rocks, sliding down rocks, jumping off a bridge, tubing down a river and swimming through BAT CAVES for 3 hours. Let’s talk about that last piece of nonsense. Before we entered the caves, we were given a normal size candle, that’s it, not even a piece of cardboard to block the wax. Our guide lite my candle and I was to pass the flame to the rest of the group behind me. There we went…into the unknown, dark, deep caves. I mean y’all, I have never seen this kinda dark before. Let me take you there for a second. Neck deep in cold murky water, too scared to let your feet kick a rock or touch the ground if there is one, paddling with one hand and holding your burning candle with the other, all while only being able to see the little space that your candle was lighting in the large cave. All other challenges seemed small compared to the challenge of the candle. If the candle gets wet, your light is no more and not to mention with a wet wick, you’ve got yourself a situation. So I started out guarding my little light like it was my pride and joy but I was struggling to keep it above water. I could not stop wondering what was ahead, what it looked like, was it going to be deep water, was a bat going to come down and suck my blood, were there going to be waterfalls or rapids, where was I going to come out, what if everyone drops their light. The wonder turned into wander. “I am sick holding the light. My arms are tired. I don’t need the light. I am bold and fearless. I can just swim on, I am too anxious to see what is ahead.” So, I baptized my candle, stuck it in my bathing suit and swam ahead. I may have been ahead but I couldn’t see a single thing and this wasn’t the kind of light that your eyes gets used to, I learned that real quick. I found myself swimming back to the guide TIME and TIME again to blow on the wick and relight my candle, at least 10 times. I would get sick of holding the light, think I didn’t need it and so curious as too what was ahead that I got into the habit of just putting my candle into the water without thinking about it.

Friends, the Truth here is that our Savior is the Light. We need Him every hour. He is going to light the only area that He wants us to see. All else is not for our eyes now but for later. He knows exactly what is ahead, how we will get there and what we need to get there. ALL we need is Him, the Light. Let us not be so consumed with even the next step ahead that we think for ONE second that we do not need the Light. I promise you that your future will be truly bright if it is lit with Him. Your future will be a lot brighter with the Light than it would be without any light at all. Carry the Light of the world... I mean what an honor! We should desire and joyfully carry it. We must stay focused on the Light. The Grace here is that when Satan gets ahold of us and convinces us that the light is not enough, it is not bright, we do not need it to see our future, our Savior will be there to dry the wick and relight the candle TIME AND TIME again. However, let us not take advantage of that unfailing Grace by realizing that there is NOTHING greater and brighter than the truth that He is the Light, the only thing we need. Who said you can’t find joy in bat caves?

Monday morning (July 7^th) rolled in, we spent it lying in the infinity pool with little green knolls surrounding us… and began our 9 hour drive back to Antigua. Of course, still listening to the same two songs. I could not wait to get home. Our driver drove like a bat out of hhhhumm… a cave and hello, I just HAD to know what Isaiah 61 had to offer. ABSOLUTE GOLD.

 

 The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶ And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ “For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

Over a week later and I am still just breaking the chapter down, in awe of how fitting it is. I keep trying to go ahead, to the worries of tomorrow and the fear of 5 days from now when I am on the plane to start a new adventure. But wait, the Light is here. The Light is now. He is here. He is in my today and needs me all here, in Him, in today not tomorrow. Isaiah 61 is reminding me of the year I have had. Verse 11 just lets me know that I have done the job He sent me here to do, and He will do the rest, making righteousness and praise spring up before ALL nations, not just Guatemala. He has anointed YOU to proclaim the good news, whatever street, neighborhood, city, state, country that may be… JUST SAY YES, and LET YOUR CANDLE BURN BRIGHT and BE ALL IN TODAY.

When I said I don’t think He is finished, I wasn’t kidding. Friday is my last day with Dr. Torres (the Gastroenterologist). After 10 months of working as his nurse, I had a “first” that past Monday. At the time it was just another patient, this particular one was 59 years old (he said “Yo pienso”/”I think”), from Santa Maria de Jesus (where our 1^st and 2nd Sole Train stopped) and said he was feeling great but recently notice loss of appetite. Preface- We take a biopsy on every patient which is then sent off for lab testing. As long as I have been working, we have found plenty questionable areas during Endoscopies and Colonoscopies but nothing that we could say for sure to unless we see results. We began the endoscopy on Mr. 59 yr. old Francisco and within seconds, a sight I had not yet seen took over the screen. Not to make light of the situation but I thought he had not followed instructions and eaten beans, corn and rice after 12 the night before. It was cancer. It was obvious once I looked closer. It was everywhere. It had taken over. The procedure had just begun and all I could do was pray over Mr. Francisco to the One who can heal and the One who gives and takes away. We all know someone who has been diagnosed with cancer and I HATE IT. Deda, my hero and grandfather passed away in a battle against this horrible disease but I don’t believe he lost for he is with Jesus now. The lesson here is that we serve a God that is SO much bigger than cancer. Cancer NEVER wins, live or die, The Lord does. My prayer is that Mr. Francisco knows the Lord, therefore no matter if he lives or dies, with Jesus, he has won! Amen? Will you pray for Mr. Francisco with me?

Nothing like squeezing in one last little Sole Train before I return to the States. I was not sure exactly how many pairs we had left but I knew it was enough to make a difference; after all ONE pair makes a difference. Carlos (our new pur[SHOE]ing joy employee) was adamant to make this happen. He did and we gave out every LAST pair (over 600 pair) to completely EMPTY the boxes from the first shipment. I think God knows I haven’t full grasped what He is capable of so He just keeps on keeping on, proof after proof, promise after promise. Think about is this way: over 600 people received the gift of the Gospel through your generous gift of shoes. With those two things, I think they can conquer the world starting with an education or job. That is big time, people. Great work. Thank you for being available, willing, generous and faithful. It challenges and inspires me.

He isn’t finished with me here in Guatemala yet. I find confident peace in that. He isn’t finished with you yet either. Go confidently through this day with your candle lit, wax hand and all- I promise you will find peace there.

Covered in wax and joy,

SA