Last Saturday I had the privilege of going to Semuc Champey with Cathie, Walter, and some of their friends, Erick, Gloria, and their family. Semuc Champey is a little piece of paradise. Although it took 4 hours to get there, 1.5 hours of that on a bumpy gravel road, it was so worth it. The closer we got, the more it felt like a jungle. There was so much life, so much green beauty. Vines were growing on all the trees. It was absolutely beautiful. But that beauty was nothing compared to what we were about to see. Cathie, Walter, and myself did a hike to the mirador (view point). Before we started it, there was a sign saying that it was 1.2 km long, would take about 1 hour and 15 minutes and was rated as 'difficult'. Turns out the sign was right as the hike was basically straight up. But it was so worth it. The view was breath taking. Semuc Champey is a collection of natural spring fed pools that are above an underground river. I had never heard of anything like this before but from the mirador we could see where the strong river went underground and then at the bottom where it reemerged. It is so hard to 
explain, a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. We then climbed down and went swimming in the lovely pools. I was struck with God's power and might in seeing where the river when underground and then also with His beauty and peace in the pools. A few verses struck me about water. God gives us living water. The most amazing thing. We never need more but thirst for more so that we can be closer to Him. He restores us. He replenishes us. He gives us life."God thunders across the waters, Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness - God across the flood waters" (Psalm 29:3)
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water" (Revelations 7:17)
"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul." (Psalm 23:1-3)"But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14)
Semuc Champey was a piece of paradise for me. I found rest, rejuvenation, and an awe for my Creator. It truly was amazing.
The next day it rained here like I have never seen it rain. Our road became a river. I actually could not get to the car without getting my foot completely soaked. But nonetheless we went to church. Thank goodness Rio Vida Church has a mike because otherwise it would have been impossible to hear Hermana Rita preach. And thank goodness we were able to hear her preach for the sermon was amazing. It was about loving God. I am still reading Crazy Love and am beginning to truly feel a love for my Lord and Savior so I was just soaking in her message. We need to develop a love and gratitude for our Lord that encompasses our lives. Hermana Rita gave us a few examples in which can truly bring us closer in love with God. I will share a few with you because I think we all need to do some of them - especially in our busy North American lives. She sets an hourly alarm for when she is awake. When it goes off, she stops what she is doing and just expresses her love to God and her gratitude for what He has done in her life. We can put notes on the mirror, a header on our phone, establish a set time in the day for sharing our adoration of our Lord to Him. Whatever it takes, we all should spend more time sharing our adoration to the Lord. I have decided that I am going to have tea dates with God. That is what we do with friends. We talk about coffee. Why not do the same with God? Prayer is powerful and I now have a desire to prayer more. I confess that before I usually prayed in the morning, before meals, and then when I was falling asleep. Short prayers. Nothing amazing. And definitely not prayers where I would listen for God. I am going to jump ahead to this past Thursday. Thursdays are prayer nights at the church. I hadn't gone to any and decided that that evening I needed to go. So I went and was completely changed. There was worship intermingled with prayer - yes, out loud pray your heart out type of prayer. As I did not grow up in a Pentecostal church, this is a little unnerving to me. But once I got past my pride or fear or whatever it was, it was amazing. God touched my heart. I knelt on the ground and cried while I was praying for Him to touch the lives of some of the broken families in the church. I then realized that I had a fear of love - of love going wrong, of giving everything, becoming vulnerable, and then being hurt. I prayed that God would take this fear away and allow me to fall head first into His love and return to Him the love I have been getting for Him. Prayer truly became powerful for me that night. Wow, God is amazing.
Back a day to Wednesday. Cathie, Walter, and I went back to Mocohan to do the last follow ups there. Praise God, the boy with the infected ear, no longer has pus or pain. He can hear better and his tympanic membrane looks a lot better. If you haven't already picked this up, I love Colegio Vida de Mocohan. I love the children so much. I just love Mocohan. So I was super excited to go back. It meant seeing Yoselina again (and being able to visit her family as we planned a home visit!), worshiping with them again, and being with people that love me and that I love. When we arrived, the teachers were still in their morning meeting so the kids were playing. The moment we walked through the doors, I was surround by kids. Next thing I knew, Yoselina was sprinting around the corner into my arms. She then introduced me to her older sister, Erika, who excitedly told me how Yoselina was so happy that I was sponsoring her and that they had a younger sister, Bebe, who I had to meet. It was amazing seeing her siblings and their love for each other and me. We then started playing Pato, Pato, Ganzo with a 
bunch of the other kids. I love playing that game. Not only does it mean having a good time laughing with the kids, it also means being surrounded by them. They were sitting on me, hanging off me, hugging me - it was fabulous. Then it was time for worship. This time I stood with Yoselina's class instead of at the back. It was powerful seeing them worshiping with such passion. Their time of worship impacted me once again.Then after check ups came the time I was expectantly waiting for. We took Yoselina out of class and went to her home. Her home is also her mother's business. They have a corn mill so ladies can grind their corn to make tortillas. Upon arrival, I immediately noticed it was concrete. Praise God! They had a roof, concrete floor, and electricity. What a blessing. I was pretty amazed because not many families can say the same. I brought some food with me: beans, rice, pasta, tomato sauce, tuna, cookies, and some fruit, all of which cost me about $10 Canadian. $10 goes a long way here but still, it really wasn't that much. However, after I gave a few gifts to Yoselina, I gave her family the food. Her mother started to praise God and thank me. She started to pray and as she was thanking God for blessing them with this gift, she started to cry. She was so grateful to me. And although from the outside it seemed like they had more than enough, that really wasn't the case. They owed the bank a lot of money. My little gift, blessed them immensely. She kept thanking God for what I had brought them and that I was now sponsoring
Yoselina (or Melisa or Chica as they call her at home). They showed me around their house a bit more. Yoselina, Elvia (her oldest sister who is in high school), her mother, and myself sat in the bedroom for a while. Her mom started telling me how Yoselina was coming back home so excited. She told her that the nurse from Canada was sponsoring her and that she now wanted to be a nurse too. Wow, how amazing is that? How did I, little Rebecca from Delta, impact her like that? God is good! She then told me how Yoselina was sad because I was gone (since we are at a different school now). She thought I had gone back to Canada. I'm so glad I hadn't gone back yet so I could share this amazing time with them! Elvia then told me that I was now a part of their family. This truly touched my heart. After chatting for a while, we came back into the main room where Walter and Jose (her eldest brother who is now going to teacher school) were standing by the computer. The computer that they borrowed money from the bank for. The now broken computer. Jose needed a computer for school and although Tactic has internet cafes, Mocohan does not. Unfortunately, their efforts to try and help him, ended up becoming nothing. This really broke my heart. Regardless of their struggles, they are a family that definitely loves the Lord. I was so blessed to be able to be a blessing to them. Before we left, I prayed for 
them. It was a really special time. I will never forget this experience. What an amazing family. After leaving and thinking about their debt, I was left wanting to do something. What though? Do I find out how much they owe and pay it? Is that the best thing? I don't know. I am just starting to read a book called "When Helping Hurts". Sometimes just giving, ends up harming. It is a weird concept to wrap your mind around for sure. So this is something I need to pray about and figure out how I can help them in the best way. God is good and He provides - whether that is in the form of answers to our questions, through finances, through unexpected gifts, or through His comfort and love. So there are a few more of my experiences, my challenges, and my joys.
I pray that you will be challenged and encouraged. I love you all.
Many Blessings, Rebecca
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul...Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground" Psalms 143:8,10
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