Alyssa in Guatemala
Hello to all my amazing supporters!!
I hope this letter finds you all doing well!! I'm so sorry it has taken me such a long time to get this out to you guys. As I'm sitting here trying to figure out where to start, I would love to just say thank you so much for all of your support, whether it was financially, prayerfully or maybe even both! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have had this amazing opportunity to bless others and be incredibly blessed myself.
God showed up in so many real ways to me in Guatemala and many times it was through the people we met. I think back to our first day in Guatemala. We had just left the airport and were driving to where we would be staying for the next 4-5 days. I remember specifically looking out the van window at one point and seeing a mother and her little girl. The girl was sitting upon her mom's lap, hugging, laughing and playing with her. My eyes were immediately drawn to them, but then I looked up and saw their surroundings. Garbage everywhere, a house probably close to the size of your bedroom... they had nothing, yet there they were enjoying life together. I remember God saying to me, "These are the people you are going to be coming into contact with, blessing and loving. These are MY children." And those where exactly the kind of people we came in contact with all week. They were gracious, hospitable, loving and were always eager to give everything they had to please us.
On Tuesday night, I had an opportunity to give my testimony during the evening adult service. I thought I'd take a couple clips from my journal and share them with you about that night. "Okay, so wow tonight ended up being amazing! HOLY COW! God is so AMAZING!! I gave my testimony, which was totally humbling. I was so NERVOUS at first, but yet at peace... at one point I just prayed and gave it up to God. Immediate peace and confidence washed over my body. AMAZING! I spoke with confidence that came only from God. My thoughts were somehow so organized (as they had never been when I practiced it) and I had complete clarity in my train of thought as well. Goes to show that if God asks me to do something, He will always pull me through! Always! I just need to trust and obey Him and He will do the rest."
Wednesday night, however, was the most powerful encounters with God I have ever had!!! Just before the evening service that night, I had begun to feel sick. Not too long after the service started I went outside to lay down and get fresh air, I could barely sit up right without feeling sick to the stomach. Wayne, a missionary who we teamed up with in Guatemala, called an alter call. Then he specifically asked for any team members that wanted healing to come up front for prayer. A friend of mine, came and got me and helped me to the front of the room. She began to pray for me, which was followed person after person laying hands on me. I began to feel a light tingling feeling throughout my body. I knew something was happening, and as people continued to pray the tingling grew stronger and stronger and I started crying. At one point I remember the pastor's wife of that church come up to me. She placed one hand on my heart and her other on my back and started praying. I had absolutely no idea what she was saying, but I have NEVER felt God's power like I did in the moment. You know that feeling you get when your foots asleep? Yeah, I had that throughout my whole entire body and that's when I knew God was healing me! It was incredible. After the pastor's wife finished praying for me she hugged me tight and whispered into my ear. She said, "I love you" in English. At that point I lost it. I started bawling and feel to my knees. The next time I stood up, I no longer felt like I had to throw up or pass out. I was completely healed!!
God showed up in so many ways in those 10 days. Never again do I have to question God's presence, because I can just look back to those moments and so many others and remember what God has done for me, through me and around me! He is amazing and so incredibly real! If I was to sum up the trip in a few words, this is what it would be... "Amazing, incredible, God-moving, heart-healing, awesome, satan-stomping, empowering, jaw-dropping, spirit-filled and holy cow whoa to the max!!"
Thanks for making this trip possible for me. It means the world to me to have you behind me and supporting me! THANK YOU! God is so so SO good and I pray and trust that He will richly bless all of you in the way that you have blessed me! Thanks again and thanks for taking time out of your day to read this!
Alyssa
Posted by: Alyssa on 12/19/2008
