Hearts Will Be Changed

Guatemala:
70 percent of the entire population live below the poverty level.
There are an estimated 370,000 orphans.
5,000 children in Guatemala City alone are living on the streets.
Close to 3,000 people call the city dump "home."
Over 70,000 live in the "ghetto" where education and jobs are scarce, however crime is very prevalent.

These are some of the numbers. Some numbers that are hard to hear and even hard to believe.

As I prepare to travel back to Guatemala, I look at these numbers and wonder, "what can I do?" The answer, "not much." I cannot do much of anything, especially to change these statistics.

But, what can I really do?
I can wake up everyday and ask God, "What do you have for me today?" When He responds, all I have to do is say "yes," and He will take care of the rest.
I can allow Jesus Christ to work through me. Without him, lets face it, I will fail.
I can love. Hopefully, through loving, people can see and learn the love of their savior, Jesus Christ.

& Fortunately, for me, the statistics don't define Guatemala.

Guatemala:
A beautiful country with so much need.
The place that makes my heart thrive.
The country in which I long to serve Jesus.
My home.

In 1 week, I will be back in the beautiful country of Guatemala. My heart will be thriving and I will be serving Jesus in the place that I consider home.

My prayer is that I allow Jesus to work through me, every single hour of every single day.
My prayer is that I grow closer to Him, that I stay faithful to Him and that He continues to guide my life.

Guatemala: 
For now, the statistics will remain the same, but, hearts will be changed. Mine included.

Incredibly Imperfect. Wonderfully Loved.

This past week I have been so encouraged. So encouraged by someone I do not even know. However, we have a mutual friend. That mutual friend? Jesus.

Katie Davis is a 20-something year old, living her life for Jesus. In Uganda! Katie moved to Uganda at the age of 19 with a 1 year commitment to teach in a school. By the end of that year, she had adopted 8 daughters.

Holy Cow! 8 daughters! at age 19! I know, it seems SO surreal. Well, Katie now has 13 daughters at the age 23. YES! 13 daughters! YES! Only 23 years old.
I spent 1 day reading all of Katie’s blog posts from 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012! Wow. Yes that was a lot of reading and SO worth it. Her life isn’t easy; it is hard, humbling, beautiful, inspiring, and it is so easy to see Jesus working right through Katie. (check out this 4 minute video about Katie's work in Uganda)

I am not saying that Katie is perfect. However, God is perfect, and it is so awesome  to see God’s perfect work done through such a “normal” person. One day, I hope that someone can say the same about me. I am an incredibly imperfect person, but, I want God’s perfect work to be done through me. I am incredibly imperfect, but wonderfully loved. Wonderfully loved by a God who sent His son to die for me. A God who wants little-Mark (pequeño-Marcos) to serve BIG-Him. 

(This was an edited post from the blog I wrote for my school back in February. It still holds true today, as I am now reading Katie's book, "Kisses from Katie.")

One Wonderful God

Two days ago (May 9th), my nephew, Robert Angelo was born. Robert is an amazing addition to the family and fortunately, Cecilia Ann is more than excited to have a baby brother. 

I am blessed to have two beautiful sisters, a great father and a wonderful extended family. In addition, I have the privilege to be called "Uncle Mark" by Cecilia and now, by Robert. Actually, it might take a few months for Robert to start calling me anything. However, I think you understand.

Just as I have been blessed with a loving family, so have Cecilia and Robert. My sister and her husband are not flawless, nobody is, but they love their two children more than anything else. I am anxious to see my niece and nephew grow up with the guidance of their loving parents.

In a perfect world, every child would have loving parents- a mother and a father that cared about them more than anything else. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. 18.3 million children have lost both of their parents and have become orphaned. In addition, hundreds of thousands more children are abandoned each year.

Although we do not live in a perfect world, we have a more than perfect God. A perfect God who freely gives his perfect love to us, to the orphaned and to the abandoned children in this world. A perfect God who is the eternal Father to us, to the orphaned and to the abandoned children in this world.

As thankful as I am that Cecilia and Robert will grow up with two wonderful parents, I am far more thankful that they will grow up with one wonderful God. 

The same wonderful God that has blessed me with my family here in the United States has also blessed me with a 'family' in Guatemala. I have a lot more brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews in my Guatemalan family. In 2 weeks, I will say goodbye to my family here in the U.S. and say "hola" to my family in Guatemala.

No, I am not half Guatemalan (I would love that). However, I have been adopted into a Guatemalan family. Actually, I have been adopted into an orphanage. A home full of abandoned children, more importantly, a home full of love. This love has been given to us by our Father and I am blessed to experience it with both of my families.

As thankful as I am that I am called 'Uncle Mark' by the two beautiful children (pictured above), I am equally thankful that I am called 'Marcos, Tio, and hermano' by more than 50 beautiful children in Guatemala. 

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Welcome to the blog. My name, as you may have guessed, is Mark. I am a 21 year old and I just finished my Junior year at Roberts Wesleyan College (studying International Business). 

In less than 3 weeks, my name will transform from Mark to Marcos. Again.

Thus far, this name-transformation has happened 3 other times (May of 2010, the summer of 2011, and January of 2012).

In 18 days and 4 hours, I will drive 10 minutes to the Rochester International airport and then fly over 2000 miles to Guatemala City, Guatemala. 

Once in Guatemala, English will turn to Spanish and Mark will turn to Marcos. I will be home, because home is where the heart is and my heart is in Guatemala.

I will be spending 87 more days living the Guatemalan life. 87 more days with the name "Marcos." and 87 more days loving the children at Mama Carmen's Orphanage (Hogar Mama Carmen).

I cannot wait. First of all, I prefer to be called Marcos. The name "Mark" is just boring, "Marcos" on the other hand is very classy. Secondly, I consider Mama Carmen and the orphans at her home to be a part of my family. I love them dearly and I want to help them as much as I can.

Mama Carmen is a 70-something year-old woman who has devoted her life to serving abandoned children in Guatemala. I could talk about Mama Carmen forever, she is wonderful. For now, all I am going to say is that she is an incredible servant to the Lord and a testimony of His faithfulness. I am more than blessed to be able to serve our God with her.

Daily, I thank God for placing this passion in my life. The passion to serve his children, to serve the orphaned. James 1:27 says this, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (NIV)."

This is not just an 87 day journey, this is a lifetime journey. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for me, for Mama Carmen, and for the orphans.