Hi! It’s been a while!

We left for Guatemala on November 5, and we’ve been here for almost three weeks! The Lord’s moved a lot, as always, so I’m gonna write about it! 

To give you some background, I love cows. I would pass a cow farm on the way to school everyday in my hometown, and I just love them. And almost everyone on my squad, especially my team, knows this.

On the first monday we were here, we found out about out ministry. All the ministries were getting explained, and the teams that had those ministries got announced after! One ministry was getting announced and it was called Loving Arms. It’s a school where they need help painting and organizing to get the school ready to open up again, since they’re still closed from COVID. There’s also another ministry paired with it called Dar para Dar where its sports ministry, kids ministry, and helping build a house in towns called Chimachoy and Patzún. After announcing that, they announced more about ministry at Loving Arms.

They have lots of cows. And they need washing in order to get ready to go to sponsor families.  

Everyone turned around in awe of what was just announced, and people automatically knew it was our ministry. How could it not be? And it was. We got manual labor, sports ministry, and kids ministry. One of everyones passions. And of course, cows. 

All day people were coming up to me about it, asking if I was excited.

All I could say was that the Lord is so intentional. 

Through a silly, little desire in my heart, the Lord taught me that He truly cares about us. All the way down to the silly, little desires. What a Father. What a friend. 

As I was writing this in my journal, I got a picture in my mind of a Daughter telling her Father about her new favorite animal and color. The Father goes out and fills His Daughter’s room with stuffed animals & books about her new favorite animal. And He paints her room & nails with her new favorite color. This is how He fills our lives with our desires. As my Heavenly Father, He started placing cows in my life, as His Daughter, everywhere I went—and still is. Everyday on the way to or at ministry, I see cows. Every. Day. Its a funny thing to talk about cows, but He’s intentional in the little things. In the little things He’s opened my eyes to see. 

Going into another way I’ve seen His intentionality here through ministry is with something He’s been teaching me. Since Samaritan’s Purse, the 2 week domestic ministry we did in Louisiana before we came here, He’s been teaching me that I’m a crowned daughter. Crowned as His daughter. Something I’ve never identified as, but now I know is my identity. Ever since then, He’s reminded me of this through His truth, conversations, and the Lord speaking it over me through Himself & others. It was and still is a core lesson the Lord is teaching me, and has changed the way I view Him, myself, and others.

Last week was the first tuesday with Dar para Dar, where we did kids ministry and sports ministry. Half of the kids played soccer and half drew on coloring sheets. I went over to the kids coloring, and the first girl I met was just coloring away. I looked down at her paper and saw she was drawing crowns. And she proceeded to see disney princess stickers on her desk and put the crowns on the princesses. 

All I could think is that this is how the Lord sees us. Sees me. Sees her. Sees you. As crowned princesses & princes of the King. Daughters & sons of the Father.

Today, we went back to the same place and I saw the same girl. I look down at her coloring sheet, and yet again, its a crown. She handed it to me saying “Es para ti!“ — ”It’s for you!”.

All I can say is that the Lord is so intentional.

To remind me over & over again that I am crowned as His daughter is just the sweetest thing. And in the process of all of this, I can’t help but grow & start to see Him in everything & everyone. I can’t help but start to see His people as He sees them— in the same way He’s teaching me to see myself. As a crowned daughter of the King. What an honor it is to see with that perspective. 

Thankful for all that He’s teaching me through His intentionality with the little things. Seeing His intentionality leads to seeing more of who He is everyday. Through the cows & the crowns. What a life. A life of discovery. A life of fullness. A life of intimacy with Him. With Him, it’s good.

Love always, 

Ava :)