Something Beautiful
Something I’ve learned and seen throughout this past summer in Guatemala is that there is something beautiful in everything. In every situation, in every season of life, there is something positive to be found and taken away. In times of trials and in seemingly unpleasant situations, our first instinct is to shut down and wallow in self pity. For example, work days were not always easy. We spent around six hours a day shoveling sand, mixing concrete, and moving rocks among other things. On days that the sun was shining, it was hot. Our bodies were in a constant state of soreness from lifting and moving materials around the job site. However, we chose not to focus on those things. Instead, we shifted our focus to the positives. We had the opportunity to be in a beautiful country, serving beautiful people, and forming beautiful relationships. We were able to sew into the lives of Marta, Wendy, and Sandra and show them that they are loved, valued, and not forgotten. We laughed, we sang, and we danced. We had the opportunity to see the progress taking place on Marta’s home. We saw the change taking place in Marta’s life, going from insecure to secure in the love of Christ. We spent time playing with the kids, making sure they knew they were loved and cared for. The impact of radiating joy and focusing on the positives in situations is simply indescribable. There is something beautiful in everything.
Something beautiful took place on that rainy day when Marta shared her fears and insecurities with us, with tears streaming down her face. Something beautiful took place the day we met Walter, Maria, and the rest of our neighborhood friends. And despite how heartbreaking it may have been, something beautiful took place when we learned that our same friends hadn’t eaten in two days.
The Lord works and moves in incredible ways. He breaks our hearts for what breaks His, and it is beautiful. He places things on our heart that are impossible to ignore. This summer, we were exposed to need. We saw things that broke our hearts. We heard stories that moved us to tears. At times, we were overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness. I didn’t understand the concept of a starving child until I held one in my arms, felt how tiny his waist was, and saw the look of desperation in his eyes. I didn’t understand poverty until I learned that our eleven year old friend had to skip school one day to care for her two year old brother, so that their mother could go to work. Despite how heartbreaking these experiences were, I am thankful for them. I am even more thankful, however, that we serve a God who provides.
The most challenging part of coming home has been accepting that I have questions that I don’t know the answers to. Will Marta be lonely without us? Will the children that we’ve come to know and love be eating dinner tonight? It is in moments and situations like these though that I have to search for something beautiful. What’s beautiful about this is that I now have the opportunity to put my faith in Christ and truly cling to His words and promises. Promises that He will provide. Promises that He is greater than all of our fears. Promises that He cares for us. Promises that He makes a way. Leaving Guatemala and the people I spent every day with for six weeks was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. However, something beautiful about leaving was that it revealed the depth and strength of the relationships we had formed with each other throughout the summer. I am thankful to have had experiences and relationships so special to me that it made leaving so difficult.
Katie Cappellino
Para Servir Intern