Seen

Posted this on my Facebook yesterday and I figured that I would post it here as well! Short stories about what God is doing here in Guatemala. “Thank you so much for not rejecting us because we are disgusting, that you see us and just love us”

Friday nights I get the privilege to go out and do ministry in Antigua, the tourist city of Guatemala. Famous for beautiful ruins, great food, and the yellow arch that stands tall above 5th Avenue North. But what most people don’t see are the homeless in the city.

Not because they aren’t there, but because many are overlooked. Most are on the streets because of situations with family, losing jobs because of the pandemic, or the use of drugs and alcohol.

We get the chance to sit down and look them in the eyes. We listen to whatever they want to tell us, many share how they got to this position, tell us about their families, or the struggles of living on the streets.

Last night I talked to a man named Gerson. He was with a friend sitting under the cover of a walkway. Almost immediately when we walked up and handed them soup he started weeping. We had barely said a word and he couldn’t help but cry.

A few minutes passed and Gerson told us that the police had just kicked them out of the bathrooms in the market for sleeping there. He told us that the police beat his brother to death because one night he was sleeping and didn’t want to move. You could tell Gerson was angry and sad and he didn’t say it, but I could tell he was definitely scared.

So we spoke peace and rest over him. And we told him how much the Lord loves him and will provide everything he needs. Through tears, he responded with this “Thank you so much for not rejecting us because we are disgusting, that you see us and just love us”.

I can’t help but thank the Lord for the opportunity to simply look His kids in the eyes and tell them how much He loves them.