Today our devotion focused on how God has placed Open Doors before us in Guatemala. We focused on the Ask, Seek, Knock passages in the book of Matthew. We are so grateful for the opportunities that God has given to us to help others find the narrow gate that leads to salvation.
We learned today about the history of the Guatemalan people so that we would understand them better. We learned about Mayan culture through their music,(see photo of Teresa playing a flute with our museum tour guide) the history of some of the buildings, and how Mayan religious beliefs have influenced their culture. This helps us understand what common ground we share. We also learned about how the coffee industry impacts their culture. We had many opportunities to interact with families who make their living by selling woven textiles that depict different aspects of their culture (see the traditional Mayan costume of our guide). We learned how much the Guatemalan people of both Mayan and Ladino descent value work. There are few panhandlers or beggars in this society. The people work hard at their crafts, whether it be with wood, leather, textiles, etc. so that they have something to sell. They do not want to take any handouts, but work very hard to produce and to sell their handiwork. The woven textiles that tell the story of the Guatemalan culture remind us of how the Lord has built His church, weaving together the many different talents of His people into one body that can share His story!
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