Guatemala Mission Trip – September 2023
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching. And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” – Romans 10:13-15
My daughters and I just came back last week from a mission trip to Guatemala with our brothers and sisters from Redeemer Stafford. Our brother Justin Woodruff led this trip of twelve folks and the group consisted of members from Redeemer Spotsy, Redeemer Stafford, as well as a brother in Christ from Charleston, South Carolina. We spent a week in and around the city of Chiquimula, Guatemala where we had the incredible opportunity to work with a missionary and his wonderful team. Daniel and his family have lived in Chiquimula as missionaries with Eyes Wide Open Ministries for approximately 15 years. It was apparent soon after our team got to the mission center that the Lord has been working mightily through Daniel and his team. The Lord has provided Daniel with the ability to build a network of local pastors who preach the good news of Jesus Christ in the surrounding towns and villages in the lowlands and the mountains around Chiquimula.
We spent four days driving to four different villages within an hour to three hour drive over a mixture of paved and narrow, rocky mountain roads to meet with pastors of local churches with whom Daniel has built lasting relationships over several years. Upon meeting with these pastors, we split our team into several groups in order to visit the homes of both believers and non-believers within these towns alongside members of these local churches. Whenever we visited these homes, we always took a package of an assortment of food to try to meet some of the essential needs of the people and their families. However, the food was the least that we could share with them. More importantly, we had the humble honor of encouraging other brothers and sisters in Christ with the sharing of verses in Scripture and with prayers to the Lord concerning the very real hardships that many of them faced on a day to day basis. We also were able to thankfully share the gospel of Jesus Christ with those who never knew our Lord. In several of these instances, the Lord worked the miracle of salvation in the hearts of individuals, both young and old, by the power of his Spirit. It was an absolute time of celebration and joy each and every time we saw the Lord work in this gracious manner!
We also had the opportunity to visit the local hospital in Chiquimula where we were able to hand out clothing, toiletries, and pillows to men, women, and children who were being treated there. As we spoke with and prayed over these folks, of whom many were in bad condition, we had the privilege of seeing the Lord call several individuals to repentance and salvation right there in their hospital beds. Once again, it was an incredible time of joy for God’s goodness! And finally, the men of the mission team were able to meet with a group of police officers who Daniel and his team meet with regularly to conduct Bible studies together. We were able to give our testimonies and share about the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ from Colossians 1 with the group, many of whom were yet to be followers of Christ, before we prayed over them for the Lord’s hand of protection and blessing.
For me, what was so unique about this mission trip from the others that I have been on in the past is that the spreading of the gospel was at the forefront of the entire effort. The gospel was preached in local homes. The gospel was preached in the local church on two occasions. On one of these occasions, our very own brother Justin was asked to lead the baby dedication of two local families. The gospel was preached by the bedside of patients in the hospital. And the gospel was preached in Daniel’s youth ministry, the local elementary school, and the local police Bible study. In all of it, the saving grace of Christ was proclaimed and the Lord, in turn, manifested his loving grace by calling several to be his children. This trip was a reassurance of the critical importance of Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19-20 to “make disciples of all nations.” I hope that we all may be able to go together as brothers and sisters in the near future to spread the good news of the gospel, for Jesus abundantly revealed that “all authority in heaven and earth has been given to [him].” (Matthew 28:18) May we serve and follow our good Lord fervently!
May the Lord Bless and Keep You,
Paul Sok