Isaiah 41:10 says,
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Have you heard of Zapote? I certainly had not before I travelled down here. The people we met in the Houston airport, who were also traveling to Guatemala and have been here multiple times before, hadn’t heard of Zapote either. That’s because it’s an incredibly remote village, over an hour outside of San Lucas. Once you turn off of the paved road, you’re still at least 25 minutes out, with four rivers to cross (not via a bridge – you literally drive through the water), before you reach Zapote. It is quite literally in the middle of the jungle. Sean warned me of this, but it didn’t actually hit me until we pulled up and got out of the van. The week prior to coming down here, I experienced spiritual attacks in the form of stress, anxiety, and worry. As soon as my feet hit the ground in Zapote, Satan took an ounce of my fears and anxiety and full on attacked me. My heart started racing and my palms were sweating as I stepped on and over stones, and pushed through plants and leaves, to get to this house. And I use the term ‘house’ loosely. As the local pastor, Jose Luis, began to pray, Glen came over to put his arm around my shoulders and make sure I was doing alright. After the prayer, I walked out to the “road” trying to clear my mind. Sean walked over and tried to reassure me, and yet my fears consumed me. When he saw this, his words were, “You know what we’re going to do right now? We’re going to pray. We’re going to pray, and give this to God.” So that’s what we did. And while the relief wasn’t immediate – because it’s so easy to hold on to fear – it was the comfort I needed.
Prayers and the assurance that I have 10 big brothers here who are watching out for me was what I needed to get through the day. The encouragement I received was what I needed to be able to focus on our task, and on the people we’re here to help. My favorite moments of the trip so far have been interacting with the kids. While there’s definitely a language barrier, facial expressions are universal. Sharing a smile, a silly face, and holding a little boy’s hand for a brief minute are why I’m here. Just being able to touch another little boy’s head and ask him his name, is why I’m here. I wouldn’t be able to do this, though, without the comfort from the people I’m here with. More importantly, I wouldn’t be able to do this without the strength and comfort that God is providing me with.
Ashton
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