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Chichicastenango, Guatemala

January 14-February 17, 2021

     Pit life was great, don’t get me wrong. Every one of us would go back in a heartbeat if we could. New Generation, the mountaintop compound was our home. Climbing sketchy ladders up the outside wall and down into our 15’x15’ cinder block, ceiling-less rooms with dirt floors is a fond memory.

     The constant dust, cold bucket showers, and near freezing temperatures at night…not so much. 

     When I say dusty, I’m not talking about a “need to dust at least once a week” type situation. Nooo, this was a “leave the dishes out for an hour and they will be coated in a visible layer” level of dusty. The dust only got more challenging when we laid down wood planks for the upper level of the ministry building, which was directly above our rooms. When the floor was finished, we were blessed with the extra space to hang out up top, but that also meant every step across those planks showered down a new layer of dust over our belongings in the pits below. 

Everything was dusty. All. The. Time. 

     We adjusted to it and even found ways to minimize the constant dust. We bought tarps to lay on the dirt floor and cover our gear until we poured concrete, plastered the walls, and built doors for our rooms. Still, my pack will likely never be completely free from the Chichicastenango dust. Our joke is that all future World Race teams who work with New Generation will get a luxurious experience after all the work we put in. 

     It’s easy to recognize the difficult parts of our ministry time. We did a lot of hard work. It was physically challenging and exhausting. We missed what we once considered the simple comforts of home. Hot showers. Beds. Privacy. Feeling clean. Heat and A/C. All the little things we once took for granted. 

     It’s also easy to look back and see the beautiful growth aspects of our ministry… 

     Pastor Juan, our host, cried when we had our first church service in the upper room after laying the flooring. He told us it was a dream come true: to have a space where they could glorify God and serve their community. 

Woah! A dream come true just to have that space?! 

     It didn’t matter to him that it was a rough plank floor with windowless walls covered by a tin roof. Or that the wind, dust, and rain would blow in. Or that there was no heating or cooling (unless you count the daily change in temperamental mountain air from 80 to 40 degrees). He just wanted to love others well, no matter the physical circumstances.

     And we were complaining about the dusty pit life… Oof.

     Major heart check for me. 

     I realized how spoiled I’d become in America, how focused I was on my own comforts. Even my attempts for a more efficient life often kept me from loving and serving others as well as I could have been. I made myself a pit of comfort. Sure, it was pretty and decorated and easy. However, it was still a pit. Something I was stuck in. Something I was scared to leave. Something God had to send me to Guatemala to get out of. 

     Ironically, God used that dusty pit on top of a mountain in Chichicastenango to blow the dust off my heart and get me out of the pit of selfishness I had been living in. Praise the Lord for His grace in not leaving us in our own pits!   

 

Pastor Juan’s dream came true with something as simple as a space to serve.

What dream are you pursuing? 

What pit is holding you back from it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 Comments

  1. Nana and Papa are amazed by God’s iron-sharpening experiences of His children! How you blessed the pastor is truly an act of godly love! (and tough, hard-working muscle!). We look forward to every blessing in your blogs! We love you and pray for you and your team.
    Nana

  2. Beautiful thoughts dear daughter. It is a joy watching you grow in your faith and become the lady of God you are.

  3. So well written Victoria!! I love hearing about your experiences and what God is teaching you through them. Praying for you!

  4. Love you. What an inspiration you are by the Grace of God. All honor to Him. Thank you for being obedient to His call.

  5. Thank you so much Victoria wow, this article/blog pricks the conscience and goads one to examine.
    The two edged sword of prosperity and blessing for sure can eclipse and obscure us From really needing God and being wholly dependent upon him alone for our life, peace, joy, satisfaction, our everything.
    Lord Jesus, do not rob me, spare me, or cheat me from the dirt in dust and the hard things in circumstances of life which can point me back to you and reveal my own selfishness And covetous heart that needs to change.
    Thanks Again Victoria for being such a timely and fitly spoken word.

  6. Beautiful and convicting! We’re so proud of you and enjoying following along. The children are STILL talking about the volcano! Titus now asks to watch our volcano movie almost every day! ??

  7. Aww thanks girl! It makes me so happy that you keep up with my journey. I miss you!

  8. Thank you! All glory to Him for sure. There have definitely been some moments of Him dragging me by the ankles through these lessons, but He’s been so kind and faithful through it all!

  9. Amen! It was a lesson I needed to learn and am happy to share. Dusty mess and all!

  10. It was such an amazing experience and sweet beginning to my second World Race. I love the combination of teams we had, as well as the combination of physical labor and ATL time in town. It made it easy for God to talk me into staying out longer!

  11. Thank you! That makes me so happy that y’all keep up with the blog. I’ll send you some more pictures and videos from the volcano hike!

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