The first thing that stood out to me about the work being done in Tactic, Guatemala was the impact the children of the Vida schools have on their families. I learned that many of the children attending the schools were hearing the Gospel for the first time. As the children gave their hearts to Jesus, they would go home and share what they learned with their parents and family members. In turn, there were many testimonies of entire families being transformed by the love of Jesus because of the children.
The most pivotal moment of our mission experience for me was when we hiked up to the Chicoy sinkhole and then down into it. We learned of the bondage of ancient Mayan rituals and practices that still hold many Guatemalans in deception today, as they are unaware of the true Gospel of Jesus. In the center of this dark abyss surrounded by soot and mud, I was reminded that Jesus came to set me free and pull me out of the pit of sin.
We all found a place in the darkness alone to pray and hand over to God anything that weighed on our hearts. Thinking about the way the children in the schools had brought revival to their families reminded me of my own experiences from my childhood. I asked Jesus to completely deliver me of any traces of trauma still left in my heart that today cause insecurity, affect my relationships with friends, and spill over into my role as a mother and wife. I asked Jesus to leave no stone unturned, and told Him I didn’t want to climb out of that sinkhole the same.
As we hiked back to the top as a team, I was thinking about Jesus pulling me out of the pit He found me in when I gave my heart to Him years ago. What seemed quite sudden, the soot and altitude got the better of me and I experienced a severe asthma attack. Unable to take in any oxygen, I collapsed on the path. I am grateful that two other team members were behind me and one of them was able to catch me. By God’s grace, I was barely conscious but was able to use my inhaler, and soon I was breathing again and could stand. As my husband helped me up and out of the sinkhole, I could sense that this was not merely a physical reaction my body had to the environment I was in; something quite spiritual had occurred which I did not fully process until much later.
The prayer I gave to Jesus in the bottom of the sinkhole was bold. For me, the pit represented the trauma I desired complete freedom from. This is a metaphorical pit I have been working for years to climb out of. It is not an easy path to take; taking steps to allow Jesus to break generational curses and preserve your own family can be exhausting. There are times we grow weary and are not able to stand on our own, but God surrounds us with other believers who can catch us if we fall down and help us have the strength to rise again. If we keep our eyes on the light which is Christ, we will find the way out of the pit.
In Guatemala, revival has come through the living testimonies of the children, and they have changed the course of future generations. In my own family, revival is starting from the healing I found in Jesus at the bottom of the sinkhole. My heart has been healed, and I have faith it will forever change the generations after me.
Psalm 40:2 (NKJV)
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
He reached down and drew me from the deep, dark hole where I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand, He pulled me out To set me down safely on a warm rock; He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again. – Megan Hoover
“Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
