Sorry it has taken me so long to write another blog post! Being in Guatemala has been so cool and I have loved being in a new country! The culture and the people are so kind and I have loved getting to see where God is already moving! Each day that I go to ministry, a part of the team goes to a school for disabled kids in Chimaltenango. Each time I go, God reveals more of his character to me and introduces me to his beloved sons and daughters. A week ago, I arrived at the school for the first time and met all of the kids and the teachers. They were all a wide range of ages, but they were so excited and welcomed me so well! I got to help them make kites and then we sat outside to eat a snack. As they were passing out the food, I was trying to understand and speak Spanish, as all of these kids were asking me questions. From those conversations I now know how to say the word “flower” and ask “how old are you?”.

Now I would say that was a pretty big accomplishment for me, but God had more in store for me.

As I started to sit down after talking for a little bit, I got a flashback. It was a flashback to a dream that I had either during training camp, or before the race. In the dream, I was looking at an old, gray cobblestone driveway. There was grass next to the driveway with little flowers blowing softly in the wind. I was standing in the exact spot I saw in my dream.

It was only for a split second, but it was more than I thought would happen that day. I was so shocked and filled with joy because of it. It was confirmation that God had me right where he wanted me to be. Wow, God is so cool like that. Isn’t that so wild how he does that for us? For a while now, I had been asking God to give me dreams and show himself in everything. As I am writing this post, this verse came to me:

Matthew 7:7 - “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

What power I have in Jesus to ask God for dreams, visions, and for them to reveal them to me! I am beyond blessed to be a part of his kingdom.

I continued on with the day, but I was just filled with this joy and excitement for what God had revealed. I got to teach a lesson on colors in English, and learn some more things in Spanish. Then we had to say goodbye to the kids and head back to ministry with the rest of the team. For the rest of the day, I could not get over the fact that God had revealed something like that to me! It was a first for me, but it just made me want to chase God more and see what else he has in store for the team and the squad. One thing I didn’t think I would say in the middle of a gap year, “I can’t wait to go back to school!”

– Lauren