Hope Ministry: a place of refuge, love, shalom, dignity, steadfastness, fun, and a place to just be.
The Lord has blessed San Antonio with the garden and has been so kind in allowing my team and I to partner with the way He is working there.
Refuge: there is nothing better than watching 4-8 year olds run into the arms of my team, people they have deemed trustworthy and safe. as well as watching the same kids show up every week because this place feels like a second home.
Love: as we recognize and start to embody the love the Father has for us, there is an abundant overflow from us to others we come into contact with. the staff stewards and shows this so well with the people who enter their gates.
Shalom: peace. prosperity. wholeness. nothing lacking.
Dignity: there is a chance for restoration of worth and for people to see themselves as the Lord sees them. They are being clothed in dignity (in body and spirit) as we give them new clothes or food bags, and as they continue to come and dine at the table of the kingdom in spirit.
Steadfastness: the schedule, staff, and programs are consistent from week to week. through trials and adversity there is a foundation that is unwavering.
Fun: they can leave the hardships of life behind and come to have a good time with the life giving friendships made in this space.
Be: there are no expectations. there is no judgement. come to rest, come as yourself.
The way we are able to pour into the kids and women here as the staff pours into them, and our group, is so sweet. The intentionality in this space is something we got to step into even though we only had two months of ministry. Even though our time with them sadly came to an end this past Saturday, we left on a really good note. Their second annual Christmas dinner! All of the kids that regularly attend got the chance for their family to come celebrate the year together. We spent two days setting up because we wanted to do lots to bless and celebrate the families in the community. When they first entered they got their family picture professionally taken which probably has never happened before. Then there were many tables set up with donated clothes for everyone to pick one item from. And finally they got to enjoy cookies and juice as an appetizer as they found a place to sit. There was cute lights, decor, live music, and a gospel teaching. Also the music class kiddos got to preform their song they had been working so hard on! Then, the part I had the most fun with, was serving them food! The whole night was such a sweet time watching everyone together in community and seeing the kids with their family’s.
The hardest part of the night was the goodbyes. The kids waited in line to receive their Christmas gifts and then it was time for them to go. Only a select few knew what we meant when we told them we were leaving and it was heartbreaking to watch the kids we got to see and play with every day walk away after we said adiós. Then there were the other goodbyes. After we cleaned most everything up, everyone that was there serving took a picture together. Then they made a circle around my team and prayed blessings over us and the rest of our trip. Finally it was time to give sad hugs to our friends. We were crying, they were crying, it was just a party. And now i’m currently crying, sitting in a coffee shop writing this.
I will forever be grateful for Guatemala and Hope Ministry. Thanks Jesus for the way you used them to encourage and build me up and for the role we got to play in serving with them. Thank you for letting me love your littles in this way. Thank you for opening my heart to love and for softening it so that I am no longer numb to the feelings that come with saying goodbye.
Abba you are so kind
