Happy Independence Day! Today, we celebrate the independence of Guatemala, September 15. 197 years of freedom for this beautiful country. This day is quite like the most of us know as the fourth of July, but it starts a few days before the actual day, with much greater force.
Wednesday, September 12, the school bus full of kids, a van full of preschoolers and toddlers, and a car used for rest/water, were all taken to the neighboring city by lead of the police and firemen. While the torch was being lit at the main building, I was waiting in the resting car. My car. In the driver’s seat.
Yes, at the end of last month, I bought a car. A BIG thank you to everyone who has been financially supporting me, whether one-time or monthly donation, to allow me this vehicle! This gives me the freedom and independence to run the errands that need to be run, help out with Casa Shalom outings, and provide transportation for the ministry my team and I do in the villages and homes outside the orphanage. Now, I don’t have to message an Uber to refill my cellphone minutes and can run to grab materials for the kids if and when the needs arise. I can also provide transportation when the children, staff, and volunteers decide to run 6 miles to celebrate their independence. I have my independence.
Antorcha (the torch) is the name of the event this past Wednesday. It is celebrated in each region of Guatemala by thousands of Guatemalans proclaiming their freedom. A torch is lit in the city/ town nearby, and the group makes their way back to their homes by foot, running as a celebration. Homes and businesses on the routes will splash the runners with water, cheering and encouraging them.
I got to watch about 80 runners ahead of me, from Casa Shalom staff to volunteers, teens, kids, and family members. I was chosen to drive directly behind the runners, providing them with water and/or rest when they needed it most. With two other girls in my car, we were the “equipo de las bolsas de agua,” the water bag team.
We filled almost 200 plastic bags with water, tied a knot at the top, and gathered them in a laundry basket for the athletes. We also were provided with a megaphone, allowing us to encourage the runner who was falling a bit behind the rest of the pack. We had a speaker connected to a phone that we could play music through, playing the Guatemalan anthem as they entered the gates of Shalom in celebration after their 6 mile run.
I was going maybe 3-5 miles an hour, with my foot on the brake for at least an hour. Some were waiting to get back on the bus for a short break. Others (boys) were stopping facing the bushes to “empty themselves.” A few stopped just to tighten their laces or their pony tails. But the group was committed to staying together. We stopped every ten or fifteen minutes, for the slower runners/walkers to close the gap, to let some of the traffic by, and to allow everyone to catch a breath, grab a baggie of water, or cross the intersection safely.
During these breaks, kids would swarm around the four sides of my car, with all windows (and the sun roof) open. They were craving water, a shady place to rest, or even a short ride, hanging off the side of an open window. I was the driver, leading the way and keeping the athletes safe from the traffic. My passenger was the encourager, with the megaphone and music in hand. The backseat rider was caring over the weak and providing the water. We were a team of three.
Sounds like another team of three, right?! God directs and leads the way, watching to make sure we are cared for and safe. The Holy Spirit is living inside of us, encouraging and helping us in our journey. Jesus is right there with us, taking up our burdens along the way, filling us with the Living Water. It was encouraging to me to see these kids, teens, staff, and volunteers craving water and how refreshed they looked afterwards, as they continue to run. May I feel refreshed as I am filled with Him, just as the runners feel when hydrated.
He gives us the independence, the free will, to live our lives the way we chose. As the burdens, mountains, pains, and weaknesses come, whether figurative or literal, He is there to take up our weight, give us rest, fill us with the Living Water, and encourage us to continue forward. May I be reminded of this independence day each and every time I am independent with my new wheels or even every day decisions.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.’” John 7:37
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope,” Romans 15:13
(har)Perseverance on a mission 