Have you ever patiently waited for something to happen? Have you ever felt like something was meant to be and you actually prayed fervently for it? Romans 12:12 says “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” We all understand that verse, but yet we don’t always like to wait, especially “rejoicing in hope”.
In 2011, I had the opportunity to visit Guatemala and meet Pastor Cristian and Eugenia – and of course all the children for the first time. There was a lot of excitement surrounding that trip. Pastor Cristian wanted to take us to some property he was hoping to acquire. As we arrived at the property we drove down a dirt path surrounded by very overgrown woods. I must admit, my curiosity was starting to get the best of me. We walked around and listened intently as he described a vision for getting the children out of the city, (where they couldn’t even go outside of the home), and getting them on the property where they could run and play and have a freedom they had never experienced. There were plans for a medical facility, buildings for others to stay as they came to do mission work in the surrounding villages, a kitchen to be able to feed everyone and gardens so that one day they would be able to grow a lot of their own food and food to supply others. Before we left the property that day, we gathered around the tallest tree on the property- Pastor Cristian, Micah Merchant, Matt Vaughn, Marcus Richardson, and myself prayed that God would provide everything needed to make this vision become a reality. We planted a box under the tree with a bible and a few other reminders that this day and the vision from Pastor Cristian was totally built on faith and reliance on God. As we drove back I realized that God had to be a really big God to make this happen.
It is now 2019, yes, 8 years later and there has been a lot of God and a lot of patience. Psalm 27:14 reminds us, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. A lot of people have been patiently waiting for this time to come. So many of us have financially supported, prayed and even crossed the waters and been in a van for 6 hours to visit and work on the property. Within the next few months, the vision that I heard that day in 2011 will be complete. There is a building for a medical facility, a building that sleeps up to 12 men and 12 women, a very large kitchen, a chicken coop, a playground and basketball court. The home for the children is 90% complete. Our VBS this year raised $1400 to help start a garden area. Our church has sent them enough money to complete the building. The faith that Pastor Cristian and Eugenia have had is unbelievable. They have patiently waited for all these years knowing and trusting that the vision God gave them would be completed. God rewards our obedience and faith as has been seen through the giving and praying of fellow believers from Guatemala to TBC, let us rejoice!
