Panimaquin

So it's been about a week since our return from Guatemala, and I'm still struggling to find the words to describe what an amazing experience being there was. Every single day there is a longing in my heart, a homesickness, to be with those people. We definitely all made some awesome ties with them that run incredibly deep in the Spirit. I can't wait to go back and see everyone and spend time with them and pray with them.

The entire trip was based on prayer, and it came in handy. We prayed in the morning and at night; often going into long, deep times of intercession. We prayed with the people, and we went to the prayer services with the church. We had a youth rally two nights in a row where we opened for prayer at the end, and God moved in mighty and miraculous ways.

The people of Panimaquin are unique and beautiful. They have a strength that runs through their veins and in their lives that shapes the way things are done. You can see on each of their faces the trials they've endured. You can feel their pain as you pray with them. You can feel their tears on your shoulder (both old and young), and hear their cries to God. There were times when the children would silently embrace me and cry upon my shoulder, then leave the hug minutes later acting like nothing happened. It was broke my heart to feel the love that they had, yet at the same time the pain.

The Lord's Spirit is very evident on that mountaintop, though more is continuously needed, just like in all our lives. It's been a struggle to come back to the US and see how we live here compared to their lifestyles over there. I want to keep that awareness inside of me, and that love burning strong in my heart for them. I am counting down the days until I can rejoin with my familia in Panimaquin.