Guatemala Summer 2013: To Animate

I used to watch as church after church would honor my father and mother with gifts and a blessing before they left to work on a different ministry or in a different church. Every time, my mother's eyes would fill with tears. And my father would stand and look tall. Honored.

Today, I stood in front of a congregation. Better than that, a family. My view was distorted, a bit misty as my tears expressed the blessed and honored feeling that was deep in my gut. Because in just one short month, the church, Comunidad de Fe, took me in as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a pastor. As they stood and thanked me, I caught glimpses of smiles, of tilted heads, of lips that were mouthing 'thank you,' and of eyes that said, 'you better come back!'

This is a church that knows how to "Animate" people.

There's a word in Spanish that is often used with the sentiment of motivating or encouraging people. That word is: Animar. Literally, to animate. And it's more than just motivating (because there's already a word for that in Spanish). It's putting movement, action, steps into someone's life. To animate is to fill with life.

And maybe that's the best way to wrap this Guatemalan summer up. I have been animated by the people in Guatemala. Filled with life. Filled with movement and action. And really, I (and you and all of us) have been filled with life. Filled. To the brim. With life. Because through Christ's death and resurrection, God animated us by filling us with life. Now, every time that we 'eat of this bread and drink of this cup' we are animated.

I hope pictures of cartoons come to your mind as you read this. Full of color. Full of movement. Full of action. Because someone took a pen and a piece of paper and animated these drawings. Because the Artist of our souls fills us with color and movement and life.

Thank you for praying for me this summer, for keeping up with my trip, and for blessing me.

So, here are some pictures of the very people who have animated my life this summer: