In the Mist

Guatemala reminds me of a movie, "Island at the Top of the World." It was a family favorite while we were growing up. I just love to stand on the porch during dinner, with the sun setting through the mist, seeing the mountains rise up, just barely discernible, with peaks as pointy as a volcano.

Good movie, highly recommended.

There are things hidden here in the mist. Dark things.

A leader in a church recently decided to take God's job into his hands and he went to a house of a parishioner with a gun. This parishioner had taken two women for his wives, one might have just been a sex slave, we don't know. So he took his gun, and in the middle of the night he fired it into their bedroom. God was protecting them, it was hot, so they were sleeping on the floor that night. Everyone was ok, but our ministry leaders have been praying about what to do with that church. Here, many churches have a position of power. Power-hungry people want to be leaders, and become leaders. They don't know Christ. 

They find themselves in "competition" with the other churches around, because more parishioners means more money for them. The ministry has been fighting against this for a very long time. They know that Christ gave his life for everyone, and they want everyone to know. They aren't in competition. Because the ministry chooses not to treat Christ as a magic wand of power, they aren't always liked by the other churches who do. 

We must pray that their eyes would be opened. That they would see the love and grace of Christ. 

Many of the people in the ministry have come out of very broken homes and severe poverty. 

Manuel's story stuck out to me this week. 

Manuel comes from a family that had a father, mother, and two older sisters. They lived in a tiny shack, with a dirt floor.

Manuel's father decided he wanted another family, and left them when Manuel was 4. He would return to visit every week, but really was not involved in their lives. When Manuel was 6, his mother decided she didn't want anything to do with her children anymore, and she left in the middle of the night, taking all her things. 

Manuel and his two sisters were left alone in the shack. 

The only way they survived was that their father would come once a week to bring some money to live on. It was barely enough to survive. 

Manuel knew of the ministry, and he and his sisters went to Les and Rita Peter's house (the founders of the ministry), and asked if they could live with them. 

Of course they said yes. Manuel worked very hard, went to school, and studied about Jesus. His sisters eventually decided they wanted to find their mother, so they left Les's house as teenagers. Manuel always stayed. 

There was a light at the Peter's house. The light of Jesus. He wanted to learn to cook, so the Peters let him study in the big kitchen, cooking for the teams that came, and now he is one of the best chefs they have. He is only 19, (looks like he's maybe 12), has a girl he's going to marry, and is loving the Lord with all his heart. 

God gave him a new life.  

There is light in the mist. It is beautiful. 

Moms out there, thank you for representing Jesus in our lives. On this mother's day, we remember to say all the nice things we love about you. I hope that throughout this year, we remember to thank you for loving us through the dark and the light, and always being a vessel of God's love.