#TEXAINE

Eduardo Herrera
Jul 23, 2017 · 5 min read

On the previous post I talked to you all about how much fun I had on the first mission trip of the summer season and also how God moved through the week, the next week was a totally different.

My good friends from Texas and Maine decided to come back to Guatemala this year and they decided to require me as part of the staff. The thing was that when they came down I was currently working with the guys from North Caroline, so the deal was that the day the NC team flights back to the United States I’d be joining the Texas and Maine team.

The day had finally arrived, half of myself was sad because my good friends from NC left, however, the other half was so excited to get to work with the other team. On our way back from the airport we received a call, asking us to hurry because 15 of the team members were sick and the decission was taken, they had to be taken to a hospital. At the Bible Institute, the atmosphere was tough. The doctors were checking them, the ones who were totally fine were worried for their friends and love ones.

The diagnosis was unsure as well as the way this illness was spreaded. I didn’t think twice when I broke into one of the bedrooms to see how one of my friends, Maddie, was doing with this crazy virus. She was so pale and weak that I had to help her to get on the bus (She was so sick that she didn’t even remember that was me who helped her). When the bus had set off, Kebin and I were in charge along with the trip leader, Nick. Kebin decided to make some activities with the healthy ones to keep alive the positive atittude. We failed. It was hard to laugh or even smile, we were all worried and the activities previously arranged were stopped until it was decided what to do for the rest of the week.

The next hours were the saddest ever! Nobody was playing, laughing or chatting (they were on their right of not doing it), so with the staff decided to take a nap to get some extra energies. Honestly I couldn’t sleep, I was so worried for my friends at the Hospital that I started to feel overwhelmed by the situation. We all had to step back and let God work in this situation.

Sometimes we don’t know what this type of situations happen, and we might feel that God is not there with us, but indeed, He is there. I was feeling confused by all these events, these guys planned this trip for so long and they get really sick and none of the activities was carried on. The only thing that We could do in this situation, was to pray and let God work through the doctors and all the people at the Hospital. It was hard to do it when you see the 90% of the team sick but in those problems is where our faith and trust in God is tested.

The next days were even tougher, the news were that they had to stay at the hospital for two days more. We were all praying for a miracle and that this situation could stay in the past and continue with our normal activities throughtout the week. I was feeling useless and anxious but I did learn to step back and let God work in my life to put aside what was attacking me, He is almighty and He does know what to do. We did food distribution and Bible School for two days, which helped us to distract our minds and receive from the Lord through people’s testimonies and kids’ laughters. At the end with less than the 20% of the team we achieved our aim: To do food distribution and Bible School.

After two days, we saw the greatest miracle ever! Our friends were out of the hospital! It was good to see them again after those intense days. It surprised me how positive they felt in spite of what happened, I mean being REALLY sick at the hospital in a foreign country might be hard! My eyes were opened up and I saw God’s mercy and protection when I was worried and overwhelmed by the situation on the previous days. Sometimes, things might go as we want but the Lord knows what all of it happens even though at first we all might see darkness.

At the debrief meeting, each one of us (staff and team members) shared how we saw God’s hand throughout the week, I was amazed that even it was a rough week they all shared something positive where God showed up. It was so encouraging to hear what they shared, but what it impacted the most was that they are planning to come back next year! That’s impressive. Sometimes when I go through hard times I forget that God is right beside me, fighting for me and giving me the strength I need to defeat those obstacles.

You might think that it was a horrible week, but let me tell you that it was not! In spite of the hard times we all went through it was a fun week, for example getting to see once again my friends from Texas and Maine, getting to know Bailey, Sydney and Mykayla who never stop laughing, enhancing my incredible Texan accent (lol), shouting at MyKayla hold your horses because she speaks so fast, making new friends on both teams, among others. But the most important thing, I learned that God is always there maybe we don’t see or feel him working in the moment but He is always there, next to us showing his mercy and power.

It was week of lessons, different emotions and memories, until next year Texas & Maine!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. — Proverbs 3: 5–6

Eduardo Herrera

Written by

Traveler / Photography / Mission Trips

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade