Our missionary journey is not what we expected. It is so much sweeter.

I can’t believe it’s been  five months. 

Photo I took of El Fuego erupting - Antigua, Guatemala

Vonda and I landed in Guatemala on July 19^th and since then we have experienced the eruption of El Fuego, one of Guatemala’s many active Volcanoes, we have felt two earthquakes of which one registered 7.2 on the Richter scale, we have survived two hidden scorpions, and have avoided Dengue Fever transmitted by mosquitos,  (we knew many people who were very sick from it). 

As we took our first missionary baby steps all we wanted to do was run.  We wanted to build houses, install wood stoves and care for orphans, all day, every day.  But God had other plans.  Yes, we have done some of those things but not in the way we originally imagined.  God has called Vonda to not just teach at a missionary school but to be a missionary to all the people in her life.  My wife is a missionary to her family, to the students and teachers at her school and to our neighbors and friends.  She is picking up where she left off in the States and is a huge blessing to everyone who gets to know her.

I’m taking a deep breath as I begin to lay out what God is calling us to do in Guatemala.  God’s plan becomes more clear, almost daily.  And I have to tell you…it’s a little intimidating.  We will be living in San Cristobal, just outside of Guatemala City, for the next 8 months.  In August we will move to San Lucas which has a population of almost 20,000.  We’re moving to San Lucas for two reasons.  First, it is located closer to the village we have been working with so our drive will be 25 minutes shorter.  Second, it’s where our kids will attend school for the duration of our time in Guatemala.  We absolutely believe this is where God is calling us.

Our kids will be attending a Colegio which is a school for Guatemalans, not for missionary kids.  They do not teach in English.  At all.  This won’t be easy for our kids to say the least.  They are learning Spanish now but it is “poco a poco”, little by little.  Within a few months of Colegio they will be close to fluent in Spanish.  In the end, it will be worth it but there will be struggles ahead.

We feel God is calling us to the village of El Rosario

Over the next 2 years we will continue to work in the village of El Rosario.  El Rosario’s population is about 1,400.  There is a local “esquela” (public school) for K-6^th grade and a few small tiendas, not much more.  Most of the men work in the fields planting and harvesting blackberries or coffee beans.  The women stay at home to cook and take care of the kids. 

When I first visited the village my instinct was to assess their needs and do my best to raise the money to help them.  I believe God has asked me to “slow down”, to get to know the people, and to invest in long term change rather than short term support.  If you know me, you know it’s been a challenge.  As an entrepreneur in the States I had schedules and time commitments that had to be met.  I ran a tight ship and paid close attention to detail.  It’s different now.  Right now building relationships is more important than building houses. 

This is the school "kitchen" - We will begin construction of a new one in January

We don’t want to “fix” El Rosario.  We want to build relationships, encourage them, build trust, let them know we care, pray with them, learn from them and empower them.  We know we are all poor.  They happen to be materially poor but we all need God to heal our land.  It’s not about us.  It’s not about the people of El Rosario.  It’s about our Father in heaven. 

Our missionary journey is not what we expected.  It is so much sweeter.  God is working in our lives and answering prayers.  Every day is another opportunity to get to know Him better and to draw someone closer. 

If you would like to support what God is doing through us in Guatemala, go to www.GodCalledUs.com and click on the link “Support this mission”.  

If you have questions or just want to catch up, do not hesitate to contact me directly.  You can email me at georgesisneros@gmail.com or call our Magic Jack number in Guatemala, 970-449-9449 (local call for you).  I would love to hear from you!

www.GodCalledUs.com

Our lives are miracles...we aren’t thankful enough to realize it.

(The following blog post is by my 12-year-old daughter Cecilia.)

Today I went to El Rosario for the first time. It was amazing. I already miss everyone I met there and want to go back as soon as possible. Let me tell you about a part of my time there. 

It started when my family and I were walking through a path of corn stalks, coffee plants and other crops. After walking for a while, we saw a corn-stalk, tin-roof home.

“Buenos dias!” my dad called. There was no answer. We walked up a little closer.

“Buenos dias!” my dad repeated. A lady walked out, holding a baby in her arms. My dad introduced us to the lady, Doña Maria. He had met her before on previous trips. She welcomed us into her home, apologizing that she didn’t have any benches for us to sit on. She began to talk to my dad. I looked around the small house. It was just a little bigger than my bedroom. Completely dirt floors.  Patches of light streaming through the cracks in the corn stalks revealed smoke crowding around the home. Two beds lay at each side. A dresser stood next to one bed, a fire pit next to the other. Two buckets of dirty water lay against the wall. My nose began to sting. 

My dad told Doña Maria that we had food for her. He told her we would set it out on her bed and then she could put it wherever she would like. Mom, Dad and I took the bags we had been carrying and set all the food out. We brought out rice-arroz, beans-frijoles, milk-leche, apples-manzanas, sugar-azucar, flour-harina, and juice for  the morning.

She thanked us for all the food. You could hear in her voice even without understanding that she was more than thankful. She then told my dad stories that had happened in the last few days. That last night, she woke up freezing. She prayed to God that He would warm her. Just then, the sun rose and she began to feel warmer. Also, she recently had a dream about a visitor bringing her gifts. It makes you realize how the things we take for granted would be miracles in someone else’s life. If you think about it, our lives are miracles...we aren’t thankful enough to realize it.

My eyes stung from the smoke so I stepped outside to see my brothers watching Doña Maria’s other child, a six year old boy, flying a kite-cometa. He flew it without wind. His magic little fingers pulled the kite up into the sky. His eyes lit up and he giggled at the kite. How could he be so happy?

“Come on inside...” my dad said, “we’re going to pray.” He motioned us to come inside. I skipped over the patch of mud at the front door. We all gathered in a circle. Doña Maria began to pray. I understood words, but not everything. She thanked my parents and brothers and me. She thanked  God and described Him in beautiful ways such as ‘King’ or ‘Adorable’. She began to cry. Dad put His hand on her shoulder. I did too.“Gracias hermano, gracias. No puedo comer...no puedo pagar…” she said that she couldn’t eat or pay, but God provided. 

Have you ever felt...have you ever KNOWN...that God is there. Right there. So close that you could go out and grasp His hand. So close that you needed to hold His hand.  Each time my heart beat, I felt even closer to God.

She ended her prayer and said good morning to us. “Buenos dias, Buenos dias!” she said. We said goodbye and left. We left knowing that in just a short period of time, God was glorified and praised.

I heard this quote once:  “Missions exist because worship does not."

A missionary’s purpose, their calling, is to create more worshipers.  Think about that. Think about what that means in YOUR life.  What is God calling you to do right now?  How might your listening to God’s calling bring glory and praise to Him?  Think about how your mission, how your listening may create more worshipers throughout the world.

-Cecilia Sisneros, Missionary in Guatemala

If you would like to support what God is doing through us in Guatemala, go to www.GodCalledUs.com and click on the link “Support this mission”.