The Girl that Sat Next to me

This weekend my team had the opportunity to travel to a nearby city,  Panajachel, Solola.

We traveled for about a hour to arrive to Panajachel early on Saturday morning; we stayed at a hostel Saturday night and then left to head back to Chichicastenango after dinner on Sunday. We spent most of the day Sunday exploring this beautiful, vibrant city. Guate and its colors are absolutely breath-taking. Words and photos cannot encapsulate its beauty by any means. 

However, Here are some shots to give you a glimpse.

The Guatemalan people are just as beautiful as their city streets and welcomed us with the kindest hearts.

Guate is known for its handmade fabrics; the city markets are the best!

Exploring this city and meeting its sweet people has been one of my favorite memories from the race, so far. But, by the time we got back to our hostel, I was ready to find a secret place to go hide away with Jesus for the rest of the afternoon.

I found the perfect space at our hostel; as soon as I put my headphones in and got my book out to read, I see a girl approaching the other side of the couch. My thoughts were “Please, don’t sit here; there are a million other seats.” I just really wanted some quiet time, friends.

To the person reading this, I hope you know I love meeting new people; It truly is one of my favorite happenings. It is the main reason I signed up for this race___to show the love of Christ and to tell people of His goodness. Yet, we all have those times where we just need to fill our own cups, and in this moment I was longing to do so.

The girl did, however, end up sitting down. Very hesitantly, I took out my headphones and said, Hi.

Her face lightened up and the conversation started. She had never been to the United States but was intrigued by our group. She asked what we all were doing in Guatemala (my team and I clearly looking as outsiders). She shared a little bit of her own story with me, and we both expressed to each other our love for coffee! She had learned to speak English by watching YouTube which I found to be flabbergasting; since, she spoke it so well. 

The question she asked that made my heart happy was why we were willing to give up our lives in the US to come to Guatemala; I was able to share with her plain and simple __because of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

I look back to this moment and realize that I almost missed a divine-appointment from the Lord (as Lysa Terkeurst would put it). 

I ask myself, “how many divine appointments have I missed?” By being time and time again, to caught up in myself and what is going on in my own little world.

I thank God for giving me grace in this moment where I definitely wanted to stay inside my own little bubble;

I thank Him for using me in that moment to share His love with a stranger even though my spirit was not utterly thrilled and willing.

I thank Him for bringing this conversation to break my heart and to make me more aware of the reason for the life we are living.

1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of the darkness into His marvelous Light.”

God, I am so undeserving of Your Love.

Thank You for passionately pursuing us.

This is why we are here; to passionately pursue Your people too.

God, with each day help us to not miss the appointments that You have divinely placed in our path.

Your Beloved, Kel