FFF: Guatemalan Style Part 3: Redefining Blessed

When planning to join with Susanne's Friday's Favorite Five this week, I was again noticing and thankful for more things that we have that those in Guatemala don't have.  I have already shared 2 weeks worth (part 1 and part 2) of favorites regarding the things that have become so very visible to me. 

My list was, once again, going to be including things we have here that those in Guatemala don't have.  As I was noticing these things, living my week, and preparing my list... my perspective began to change.   

This week I have been thankful for those things that I noticed in Guatemala... that I don't always seem to have or even notice. 

This week, these 5 things became favorites for me as I realized...  it may very well be me that misses the blessing and so often does without.  

1. Love:  I experienced a love there that was so very constant.  A love that overcame ANY perceived obstacles.

Meet Kim.  She and I seemed to connect from the moment we met.  We played soccer together.  We shared a story of Jesus together.  We sat together on the bus.  She helped me carry all of the items I was trying to juggle.  We enjoyed each other.

On Sunday morning Kim had come to church and we were sitting next to each other.  My dad was sharing, through a translator, about the death of my brother one week earlier and his decision to still make the trip.

Kim knew he was my dad.  As he was sharing, my tears began.  She put her arm around me and pulled me close, patting my shoulder the whole time.

We were together for a short time.  We are not of the same age group.  She has a tragic family situation.  We are not of the same country or of the same culture.  We do not speak the same language.

Verbally... that is.

The language of Love... she spoke to me.  It came through very clear!  And I loved her back the very best I knew how.  Oh how I learned to love her in that short time!
 

2.Community:  They have a sense of family and community that we largely do without here.  I especially noticed this in the villages around the lake area. 

Often they are born, marry, live, and die in their own village community.  They "do life together" in the truest sense of the word!  There is so much that I could learn from this!


3. Laughter:  I distinctly remembering at one point, when hearing those children laugh, that their laughter sounded just like the children here in the United States.  And with those children it doesn't take much to get that boisterous laughter pouring forth.  Oh how they laugh!

What a beautiful sound!

4. Family of God:  We had the opportunity to attend 2 different church services while there.  One was in Guatemala City on a Sunday morning.  One was a weeknight service in one of the lake villages.

Words don't even begin to describe the experience. We were singing in English (when we knew the words) while they sang that same song in Spanish.  We shared (through a translator) words of hope, truth, promise and blessing to each other. 

Having had this experience, I can't even begin to imagine what heaven will be like!!

Every Nation.  Every Tribe.  Every Tongue.  Together for eternity...

All for His glory!

Be still my heart...

5. Jesus: What a beautiful thing it was to be able to share Jesus... not just to them... but with them!  Whether it was through a simple Bible story or mixing cement together, we were sharing our God that spans across all the differences, any differences... because He loves...

I have considered this week and concluded that if I am not consistently aware of, thankful for, and purposely noticing the above as favorites in my every day's... then maybe I'm not the one so blessed after all.

What about you?  Is it just the material things we have that you find the most blessing in?  Or have you stopped to consider all of the gifts... grace... that we are given that could still remain if every piece of material goods were taken away?

Yes, the greatest blessings and favorites of my week indeed!