A Missional Calling

I've blogged before about my March trip to Guatemala. I haven't, however, told you much about my best friend who has committed to work there for five years.

Colleen and I met when she returned from her sixth month internship at the New Life Children's Home (NLCH)  in Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Before we met, everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) told me we'd end up being best friends. Honestly, I could never have expected a deep friendship to develop so quickly. From our first lunch together over egg salad sandwiches to seeing her off at the airport for her new journey, we shared so many things together. It's only what I can describe as a sisterhood. She showed me what it looked like to fearlessly follow God to the darkest places in the world.

I feel privileged to know Colleen. I laugh endlessly with her and she helps my type-A personality learn to be more spontaneous. Mostly, I feel privileged to know her because I  know she's about to change the world. That's right, I said the world.
You can read my previous post on Guatemala for full details, but I will simply say that I have never experienced a place where the people were so despaired. I'm not talking about the Guatemala City, a thriving hub of business and progress. I'm talking about the poverty stricken suburbs. Places where murders happen everyday and become just a part of life. A place where people drink to numb their sorrows and seek out drugs to forget the pain. The most heart breaking result of all this? The children.

I've talked to many people about their views of world missions. They say, "Plant churches, go where no one has gone before." Planting churches in unreached areas of the world certainly has it's place, but I never want people to forget the need in places like Guatemala. These children are given a second chance in life. Further, they are the future of Guatemala. THEY ARE THE CHURCH!

Colleen understands that. I've watched her give up everything (again I do mean EVERYTHING) to follow God's calling to Guatemala. The children at NLCH are already

her own. She talks about them conversationally, like everyone around her should know her babies already. She thinks of them constantly and spends the little money she has on small gifts to take them.

It seems like with need like that and Colleen's heart for the people, this should be a simple journey. It would have been if those were the only factors. You see, God's timing is not dependent on anything. God didn't sit down and plan sending Colleen around the economical profitability of the United States. It honestly kind of sucks. The need is NOW. We've had plenty of people sit around and talk about solving world problems (in fact we devote entire organizations to just that). However, we have hardly anybody that's willing to GO DO SOMETHING!! What sucks is that when we have someone ready to go, it's a recession. I don't know anybody who is thriving right now. We know it's tough! (chalk that up to another thing people talk about a lot).

So here we are. We have a need. We have someone willing to go. Now all she needs is support. Colleen is currently in Texas waiting to start training for her new assignment. She may be waiting for awhile if she can't get the support she needs.

I don't believe that God is confined by the economy. I believe that Colleen can be fully funded TODAY! Are you ready? There's talk about investments going up and down all the time. Let's face it, it's not really working out for many people! LET'S CHANGE THAT! Let's invest in something that will actually make a difference in the lives of PEOPLE!!

Check out Colleen's blog for her full story and to follow her journey. Then, please give (Click on Colleen's name to give for her ministry) There is no gift too small. I'm investing in someone who will actually GO OUT AND CHANGE THE WORLD!