Stepping out of the ordinary

On the cusp of beginning the summer before my senior year at Harding, I was lost. I had quit the major with which I had begun school, drastically altering my eventual career path, and I had lost sight of why I was even studying Spanish in the first place. I recognized that I was in a rut, and what I wanted more than anything at that time was to see the world and my situation differently. Wanting to get out of town for the summer and desiring to, at the very least, retain the Spanish that I had learned so far, I applied to intern with Paul Crites, a missionary in Guatemala. We corresponded twice, and by June I was on a plane heading toward Guatemala City. Not knowing what to expect in the slightest, I planted my feet on Guatemalan soil for the very first time.

The next six weeks were some of the most eye-opening and encouraging of my life, and during my time working with and for La Iglesia de Cristo de San Cristobal or Amor sin Temor, I learned a great deal about myself and my God.

One lesson I learned was the value of boldness. This trip challenged me to be bold from the very outset. I was afraid that I would get lonely; however, I knew that this trip was where I needed to be, and God soon quieted my fears by pouring out a flood of friendship in the form of my fellow interns and the small congregation that we were there to serve. We bonded over doing chores in preparation for the various mission teams that visited us, befriending members of the nearby village, and playing cards or watching movies in Spanish at the end of the work day. I was introduced to the young men who lived in the transition house — a part of Paul’s ministry geared at helping youths while they were in technical school — and soon found some kindred spirits in Marlon, Marcos, Ivan, Freddy and Josué through our mutual passion for soccer (and the ongoing World Cup), cards and “chocobananos.” Perhaps best of all, every Sunday soon became like a small family reunion as the congregation showered all of the “gringos,” myself included, with love, support, encouragement and prayer. I have never felt more loved in a church setting than I did in San Cristobal, and though language was sometimes a barrier, the sentiments of love that we conveyed to each other were undeniable. And if I had not been bold in going or bold in conversing with the people there in my second language, I would never have met some of my most cherished friends.

Another character trait that Guatemala allowed me to strengthen was a sense of flexibility. We did not function on a concrete schedule most days that I was there, and this wasn’t due to a lack of planning, but rather it was simply the nature of the ministry. Many days we would get everything done without much of a hitch, and we would all revel together at having accomplished a small something for the growth of God’s kingdom. But sometimes it would rain, forcing us inside. Sometimes it would be sunny when we had expected it to rain, and we would take advantage of the good weather and switch to an outside project. Sometimes we would have issues with transporting people or their luggage, or with our power or our water, and sometimes we would just be too exhausted to accomplish what had been planned. But through all of these problems and setbacks — which initially caused me a lot of internal turmoil — I slowly came to recognize the necessity of flexibility. I found that by accepting the things that I could not change and allowing myself to be completely invested in the people surrounding me, I could find peace even amidst the craziest of circumstances, even in a culture that was far different from my own. By simply choosing to be present every moment, I was able to grow greatly as a Spanish speaker, to flourish in my faith, and to do what I had come to do in the first place: to see myself and my future a little more clearly.

God truly is as much at work all over the world as he is in our own lives, but sometimes we have to step outside of ourselves to be reminded of that. I may never have appreciated the breadth of God’s love as I do now if I had not stepped out of my ordinary life to work and serve in Guatemala. Although I still do not have everything about my future plans sorted out, I have learned from my time in Guatemala that that is perfectly okay, and I will continue forward boldly, flexibly and faithfully.

Trace Laffoon is a Spanish and English double major from Searcy. This article originally appeared in the foreign language October 2018 online newsletter at huforlang.wordpress.com .