Writing from the BEAUTIFUL Atitlan!

Well it has been just over three weeks since my team and I first showed up in Guatemala. We’re half-way done in Guatemala! Many things will stick with me that I have learned here, but there is one thing I’ve been meditating on for a while today. One of our team leaders, Christoph, said at the beginning of the summer, (paraphrasing a little) “You cannot expect to have a powerful, life-changing experience here simply because you’re in the Global Shore summer program. You’re only going to reap from this summer what you sow into it. This summer is yours. Every day you’ll have plenty of opportunities to choose: The first choice is to sit back and watch, wait for something to happen, and just go with the flow of everyone else. The second choice is to make every day your own and to use your own legs to step out into the new territory, the unknown, the mysterious, and the powerful side of eternal life that God has set apart for you.”

-I’m putting this on my blog for two reasons: I want to testify that God has been completely faithful in fulfilling my desires and showing me His glory as I have done my best to choose to pursue Him to a greater level day after day during this program. The other reason is because the above quote from Christoph is something that every person who calls him/herself a follower of Jesus should strongly consider. In fact, before you read on, you should read this rephrased quote again right now and let God speak that truth over your heart.
-“You cannot expect to have a powerful, life-changing experience on earth simply because you’re a Christian. You’re only going to reap from this relationship what you sow into it. This life is yours. Every day you’ll have plenty of opportunities to choose: The first choice is to sit back and watch, wait for something to happen, and just go with the flow of everyone else in the world. The second choice is to make every day your own and to use your own legs to step out into the new territory, the unknown, the mysterious, and the powerful side of eternal life that God has set apart for you.”

 It is my firm belief that the second choice leads us to abundant life. The bible says that the Holy Spirit leads us from glory to glory. The Devil is doing everything he can to distract us form this powerful journey into the glory of God. One major distraction he uses is the world; as long as he can make you satisfied or preoccupied with the things of this world he can take you away from your true purpose and commission. This summer I have found that the best way I can follow God is not by striving and striving to obey Him and seek His face, but it has been by surrendering, surrendering, and surrendering everything to the Lord at all times. For it is the HOLY SPIRIT that will take me into obedience of the Father and give me grace to see His face.

Recap of what we’ve done since my last update:
-Another week of running a vacation bible school in Jocotenengo (20 mins away)
-Saturday we did a one day VBS in Puerto de San Jose. Pretty impoverished area we were in. This was the hottest weather I’d experienced in my life; over 35˚C. We swam in the ocean when there!! Super cool and beautiful. Black sandy beach.
-Sunday, some of our team and I climbed an active volcano. Unreal experience of the power of God! So beautiful.
-This week we ran our 4-day VBS program at home in El TIzate!! It went amazing and we could see the Holy Spirit healing and blessing so many of the kids throughout the week. Some kids come in looking so scared and broken, and many left looking like burdens were lifted and they were equipped with truth. We will continue to see these kids in the streets of our town so followup will be great! Many of the kids kept asking when church was too- which was awesome, because how often do you have 9 year olds asking over and over to make sure they and their family have the correct information to make it to church?! Thought that was cool.
-Construction of the house for a family in Tizate is going great-I’m working on the site 2 days a week. We’ve also had some pretty amazing times evangelizing in Antigua. The Lord is awakening us to His glory, and to His kingdom come. Repent and believe the Good News people! Heaven is invading earth! We have many testimonies, but I can give you is about a man that approached some of our team members. He was drunk at the time but as the people listened to his story and told him about the love of Jesus for his life he got down on his knees and was crying and praying to God. It was all in spanish so my group members weren't exactly sure what was going on but they knew that the Holy Spirit was working in the situation. Praise the Lord!

This weekend we’ve gotten away to relax in Atitlan. It’s about 1.5 hrs away from Tizate and it’s basically paradise! Probably the most beautiful place I’ve been before. Tropical lake fully equipped with waterfalls and the glory of God! I’ll hopefully get some more pictures of everything up soon!

Thanks again for taking the time to read- I’m so blessed to have amazing friends and family and God has continually been filling my head with thanksgiving and prayers for all you amazing people. I truly am so grateful.

Much love,

Braden

One Week In Guatemala...

Well Guatemala is pretty amazing! It´s always the people that make the place, and Ive been incredibly blessed by the family of God over here. Kevin (teammate) and I have been very blessed to live with a family of five who cook us AMAZING food and teach us Spanish and LOVE us. Two parents Javier and Ana and four children Sarah, Carlos, Sonja, and Roodie. Each of us on the team have a different responsibility every day. We´re either on construction, evangelism in Antigua (half hour away), or working in the school with the kids/helping the teachers with school projects. If you´re a white Canadian visiting this school you will literally get bombarded by hugs. It doesn´t matter if its the first time these kids have seen you, they´ll simply pour out love on you because they believe you´re made in the image of God and that you represent their sponsors over in Canada. Anyways, BLOWN away by the love for God these kids have. They are absolutely PASSIONATE during worship/devotional times in the morning before school and two of the kids preach a short sermon every morning. Tough sermons too!! E.g. What happens when you die, baptism in the Holy Spirit, seeking God´s face, the antichrist...and I´ve been impacted by every one, and it probably helps that whenever the student speaks he/she has a testimony behind the words they speak. 

So the team´s been working really hard to prepare a powerful vacation bible school programs for kids around the country. As well as working with the school in Tizate, we´ll be traveling around Guate and doing these VBS programs for the remainder of the summer. I´m currently writing this blog entry from the city of Huehuetenengo which is about 1 hour from the mexican border and about 7 hours away from our home town in El Tizate. Last night the city here was having a "celebration" LITERALLY declaring that the demonic spirits of darkness have dominion over the city...those are the words they use. Spirits of drunkenness, homosexuality, prostitution, and abortion. It was kind of creepy driving in seeing everyone wearing these weird masks...there was just a heavy presence in the city so it was GOOD timing that we came here to be a light! So please pray for these cities we enter, pray that our VBS days impact the kids we love on, and that our evangelism times are more and more filled with the love and authority of Jesus Christ!! Thank you!!

By the way, I made OVER the amount of funds I needed=ALL of which are going towards work with the school in Tizate and its ministry. WHoohoo! I seriously love all you guys and am praying for you. Hope this was a good update for ya! Post a question on here and I'll answer it for you:) Post a prayer request and I would love to pray for you:)

The first part of Revelation 3:3 hit me pretty hard last night as our team got done listening to Pastor Omar here in Huehuetenengo. He finished telling us testimonies of God's power. One testimony included him praying for a man about a week ago who was dead for 3 days because he had hung himself...committed suicide. After Omar prayed, the man was raised from the dead. Pastor Omar told us that its not because hes been fasting, or living a perfectly righteous life, but it was because he and those in his church continually BELIEVE that there was nothing in the bible that said we should put limits on our prayers. God is ready and willing and DESIRING to make His kingdom come, but he is waiting for those who are ready and willing to pray, believe, and put God's name on the line. God can handle it:) Above all, lets walk in LOVE!!

Revelation 3:3 "Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent..."

Much love,

Braden