All I Did Was Say Yes
Can I be transparent for a minute? My life (and the life of my family) has been turned upside down in the past few years. God has required more of me than I ever thought I was capable of doing. I should be planning for retirement and rocking my grand babies, instead I lie awake at night seeing the faces of hungry children and trying to figure out how to feed them. I spend my time digging footers, mixing concrete, walking through voodoo villages and being a voice for those who do not have one. I don’t say this to receive praise. None of this has anything to do with Genia. I am no one special. All I did was say yes.
I just returned from leading our 3rd Para Servir Internship in Guatemala. I spent 6 weeks teaching and encouraging 10 college students to “Dream big”, “If you’re dream doesn’t scare you, it’s too small”, and my personal favorite, “when was the last time you attempted something that was destined for failure without divine intervention?” Well, can I tell you something? Be careful what you tell others, because God may just call you to do walk it out yourself.
The bottom line is, It is time to expand. Time to expand Dirty Feet Missions to Guatemala. I think I have always known this would happen, I just wasn’t sure when or how or even why. Well I believe I have the answers to the when and the why. When is now. The sooner the better. The why is because God keeps opening doors for us to be used and I keep saying yes.
We have been renting a house in Panajachel for three years. We use this house to conduct our yearly internships. The house has also been used to house short term missionaries, myself and staff 3-4 times a year.
I have always known there was more. I knew there was a greater purpose and a need for a permanent location in Guatemala. On this last trip,I finally saw the next step. I am excited to say that one of our interns will me moving to Guatemala as a Dirty Feet Missions Full Time Missionary. She will run the new expansion of DFM Guatemala. Having this in place will allow us to offer “more” to future interns after their 6 weeks is complete. This will allow us to bring in more teams and also to expand our internship program.
We also have the first women in transition moving into our house. She is a young Mayan woman in need of a temporary place to live. DFM recently gave her a school scholarship to help her finish her college education and give her a chance at a better future. There are many many women in Guatemala who need this kind of short term assistance because of abuse, poverty and lack of opportunity. Hilda will be the first of many to come to a safe place that we will provide and have hope restored.
I honestly believe starting in these few areas in Guatemala is just scratching the surface of what God has prepared for us. Im in awe, I am humbled and I am freaked out.
Here is where you come into play. The how! I can not do this alone. I need your help. First and foremost I need people to commit to pray for me, for DFM and this new vision. Second of all we need to purchase a permanent home. A home that can be renovated to be functional for our specific needs. Because we are not Guatemalan it will need to be a cash purchase. I have looked at real estate in the area and I believe a fair estimate of what we need is around $180,000….and YES that number freaks me out a little, but I know it doesn’t phase the big God that I serve.
I am not sure how this money will come. I am open to someone stepping up and donating the whole amount, for it to come in by many various donations or for someone to offer to finance it for us. Although I do not know how it will come, I do know it will be supernatural. I am putting no limits on God. I am boldly asking for your help. Pray about what you can do to help us Make a Difference in the world we live in. I am asking you to donate. I am asking you to help me share our story. I am asking you to pray.
Also, I would love to hear from you. Your advice, your encouragement, prayers and your support mean so much to me. I am standing on the word of God every step of this crazy, wild, exciting journey that He continues to call me to. “Unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain”- Psalm 127:1
Genia O’Neal 904-502-3307 [email protected]