Steph's After Thoughts

Living in the country we do, we tend to take for granted everything God has blessed us with thinking we're entitled to have things we don't need. The little world we're living in is ruled by material possessions and power defined by social status. But the world God created for us is MUCH bigger than the little world we're living in, and traveling to Guatemala has awaken me to this fact. Some teenagers complain that they need a nicer car, and some parents complain about a few bad days in the office because we all tend to think that we deserve more. But the kids in Guatemala are working in the market for 10 hours a day, and their parents are waking up at 4 am each day to go to work so they can barely get by supporting their families. How do they react to this? They praise God. They work hard every day never asking "Why me?" They thank God for everything they do have, instead of asking for the things they don't. When they do ask God for something, it's not for an iPad or an expensive vacation, it's for the health of their family or education for their children. Traveling to Guatemala was a beautiful opportunity for me to not be distracted by the material possessions, drama, and entitlement that often rules our lives. God's grace was able to slow down the world around me just long enough for me to discover the complete beauty in the Earth he made for us and the love for Him and His people. I can only hope we were able to make a difference in the lives of people in Guatemala (especially at the school we helped to fix), but what I do know for sure, is that they changed my life forever. And I hope I get a chance to experience the simple love for life in Guatemala again in the future.
-Stephany