Easton Baptist Church - Guatemala Trip - Day 5

Since today was much like other days this week let me hit some highlights…

•  We started the day in Philippians 1:27-30.  We talked about suffering and walking worthy of the gospel. 
•  We went to Las Vistas and did some more painting – almost finishing another side of the outside of the facility. 
•  We went on house visits – visiting 2 of the sponsored children’s homes. 
•  We fed the kids lunch and spent time playing with them. 
•  More of the team members met their sponsored children. 
•  Some of the team members are contemplating sponsoring children – we hope to start some  tomorrow. 
•  I was able to meet my sister and brother-in-law’s sponsored child, Kimberly. 
•  We played soccer with the older children. 
• The combined team (guys and girls) won 2-1 
• The girls team won 3-0 
• The guys team lost 1-0

• We did 3 more 2-18’s today, so we have only 5 people left. 
•  The teens (and Michelle) went to a teen Bible study at Phil Wilson’s home. 
•  The adults stayed back and shared about the things they saw and did today. 
•  We prepared “blessing” bags for the teachers and bracelets for the kids to hand out tomorrow. 
•  We went to bed a little earlier tonight as many are getting tired!!  (I am not in bed yet – obviously).

Tomorrow will be a very emotional day as we finish painting and give gifts to sponsored kids and teachers.  We will be giving candy and bracelets to all of the children. Eventually we will be saying goodbye to all of the kids, and that is always an emotional time.  I pray that God gives the team a good night’s rest so they will have the energy to do all they need to do tomorrow.

Thought for the day:  In my personal devotions I was reading in Judges this morning. I am just getting started in the book.  In the second chapter, the writer records the fact that the people followed God all the days of Joshua and his leadership.  But verse 10 says, “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.”  What a sad commentary on the parents and leadership that followed God and obeyed his commands, that they did not pass on to the next generation the works of God and more importantly their knowledge of God.  Instead, they left a generation who “did not know the Lord”.

Yet I fear that we are seeing the fruit of such a situation in our country as well, and I pray that God would raise up a generation of people who know Him and want to know Him more.  However, I know that this only comes as the current generation begins to move back toward God and His Word.  We must study His word that we would know Him – not that we might know rules or regulations, not that we might be good “theologians” who understand the book, not that we would use the commands of the book to control others, but that we would seek to know God more.

It is exciting to see – as we are here in Guatemala – that the work that AMG is doing is accomplishing just that – teaching the next generation to know God and to seek to know Him more.  We are telling kids the good news of Jesus Christ and encouraging them to study the scriptures that they would know God.  As they get it, I pray that the country of Guatemala would be captured for Jesus Christ, and I pray that our country would turn back to God as well.

God help us to read your word that we might know you.  Help us to listen to your Spirit when He talks with us.  Speak to us through your Spirit.  Speak to us through your Word.  Help us to know you more – this is the desire of my heart.