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.")