"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)
But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.....Tonight as I sit, beginning this blog and I wonder what exactly it is that the Lord would have me to post here.
Over 10 years ago God introduced me to Guatemala through some dear friends, Bill and Barb Lowe. I remember it so clearly. I had never seen such passion nor such profound brokeness. Bill and Barb shared hundreds of photos and even more they shared a passion for building long term relationships in missions.
As I left their home I remember feeling different, taking with me a bit of their brokeness...a renewed passion for the Kingdom of God.When I left their home that August I had no idea that God was preparing my heart for a December trip to Guatemala. I had no idea the mountains He would move to make the trip possible nor the mountains that would be moved over the next ten years in the lives of dozens of children.
In January 2000 God took me to Guatemala for the first time. It was amazing to say the least. I felt so inadequate....there were language barriers, cultural barriers....and there was laughter, there were tears and there were relationships built. Relationships that continue to grow and bear fruit.
"You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written no with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." (II Cor. 3:2)
For years God sent beautiful people to minister and speak into my life...the Allens, the Lowes, the Littletons, the Richey's. Their words of life took root in my heart and as I went to Guatemala I felt as though God had created me, prepared me and sent me out to specifically serve at this beautiful orphanage.
And so the relationship with Casa Bernabe, a small orphanage in Guatemala began.I returned home to complete a bachelor's degree at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. During that year the Lord invited me to serve on another short term trip to Casa Bernabe and it was during that time that He confirmed His desires for me to join Him there for two years after graduation. It was also then that God invited our family, my parents, to adopt my beautiful sister Michelle. In that time God also opened doors for me to lead another team from SBU down on a short-term trip. It was a busy year.....A busy year that led to two more busy years. In March of 2001 I joined the staff at Casa Beranbe as a full-time missionary. I served that first year as a pre-kinder/kindergarten teacher in the Christian school at the orphanage as well as working and living as a helper in Casa Samuel.Casa Samuel was the home that served the "littlest." We had up to 32 little ones at a time....there was truly never a dull moment!
On June 18, 2001 life took a turn. At that time we did not have babies at our location. The youngest children we served were three years old. But that day everything changed. A social worker arrived late in the evening with a little bundle of blue. A 4.0lb baby boy nestled inside....and somehow that precious little one ended up in my arms. Life changed in a moment....There is so much to his story....so much that God did....During those two years God imparted the gift of speaking Spanish, He allowed for walls to be broken down in the lives of our children and for the seed of the Gospel to be planted. My desperate cry as I began the journey at Casa Bernabe and as I continue the journey is that God will allow for us to embody the Gospel and that we will be able to communicate in word and deed a Hope that does not disappoint. A hope that we can only find in Jesus.In addition to God blessing the ministry and our lives at CB God also began to move in the area of adpotions.He moved mountains, uprooted mulberry trees and softened the hearts of men allowing for me to become Estefan Antonio's (the little bundle of blue that I mentioned earlier) forever mama. Our adoption was final on December 31, 2004. We have so enjoyed the past four years....growing as a family, experiencing "firsts" and growing in the Lord.Stefan is now 7 years old. It's been fun to be a part of ministry together, to watch his little heart grow for the nations....specifically Guatemala. It's been humbling to watch his faith lived out in action.Our relationship with Casa Bernabe has continued to grow through the years and for us they've become our family, Guatemala our home.So as the Lord invites we faithfully accept His invitations to join Him there, serving the children of Guatemala through the ministry of Casa Bernabe.Our hope for this blog is that you will join us on our journey. That you will partner with us in prayer over the lives of these children, over the lives of the ministry that God empowers and entrusts the lives of these children to and that you will pray for us as we step out of our comfort zone and into all that He has in store.
