The Joy of the Lord

Hey! Me again!
So I have been trying to figure out what to post and the Lord went above and beyond with this that I can’t help but post it.
My team so far has taught English, helped dig into a mountain to build a bathroom, and cleared weeds on a different mountain with a machete. All these ministries have been so amazing and have already taught us so much. However the part I want to focus on is the digging into a mountain to build a bathroom. We went to a village to tell a woman that we’d be building her a bathroom and bringing her a new oven. When we arrived in the village we had to walk up a trail on the side of a mountain to get to the lady’s house. The only information we had of this lady is that she is a widow with kids. Aside from that we know nothing. We get to her house and it’s a small concrete room. Big enough to fit two beds along with a small side room to serve as a closet. Built next to her home was a dirt mound, the dirt mound turned out to be her kitchen. Her bathroom was four curtains held up by poles in the front yard area. This woman was the most joyful lady I have ever met. She welcomed us with hugs and invited us into her home. She didn’t have much but that didn’t matter, she had healthy kids and a roof over her bed that’s what mattered. When we told her that we were building her a bathroom, she simply didn’t believe us. She said she was undeserving but served a good God.
The next step was to level the ground next to her home to actually show her that we really were going to build this bathroom. I was handed a pickaxe and told to start digging. Every time that axe hit that ground I was filled with an abundance of joy. I tore a blister open and bled openly, yet I still kept digging with a soul full of joy! (Don’t worry I cleaned the wound immediately after.)

The next story I have is from our activation day. We were told to go into town and have fun with the Lord. I went with three guys from he squad and we had a blast! At the end of the day, we hopped on a crowded bus and headed back to the base. As we were on this bus I was sat next to a man. The man kept falling asleep, but would wake up immediately. Eventually I just said “Okay God, this man is tired, allow him the rest he needs. He can even use my shoulder if he needs to. I just want him to have a restful nap.” The second I said Amen, his head hit my shoulder and he was completely asleep. So I just laughed and started praying over him and his family. Some other members of my squad were also on the bus and one asked me why I was okay with the man passed out on me. I simply said “I asked the Lord for that. If God can use me as a vessel to bring peace to that poor man, then who am I to stop him?”

In both the stories I shared, there really isn’t any reason for joy to be present. However the Lord provided the unreasonable joy to spread. It’s amazing to see just how much the Lord can provide in different situations.

“And do not be grieved for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10

Thank you for reading to this point! Don’t worry I’ll be posting another blog soon! This one was a little delayed but I can’t wait to share more of the amazing things happening here in Guatemala. Thank you so much for supporting me to this point, it means the world to me! Always until next time!

-Kaili <3