“Gracias a Dios” for God’s presence and every small miracle

The past year God has placed several amazing people into my life as friends, pastors, a support system and to stretch me as a Christian in Guatemala. One of those people is Rigoberto, the guardian of SEMILLA. He´s often the first worker I see in the morning, and the last one I see in the afternoon. He is always smiling, has a greeting, or asks about whatever weekend activity I had with the group we are hosting. He is often the last one to eat lunch or la refa, the one running to the front door to open the portón to let a car in, and just a real servant. Though it’s technically his job to be serving in SEMILLA, he does it so well. Everyone loves him because he is so kind, smiling, and never in a foul mood. He embodies the person I would wish to be as a servant to others.

The Guatemalan people have been God’s light in my life. They have taught me to take higher value in my relationships, to stop worrying about the hour and instead focus on the present, and to be hospitable in my home, on the street, or in the bus. Their everyday speech reflects their trust and faith in God with phrases like “Dios primero” for future activities that are uncertain, “Dios le bendiga” to the neighbor you pass in the morning, and “gracias a Dios” for every small miracle during the day. I have learned to look for God´s presence in my daily life more than ever before. To this I respond, thanks be to God for sending me to a new place and a new cultural context so that while I reach out to others, He is also reaching out to me through the Guatemalan people.

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Peyton Erb (left) with members of her host family in Guatemala City. Courtesy of author