Cross Cultural Reports

Each year in the summer between their second and third year our students go on a cross cultural placement to enable them to see and experience ministry in another context. Over the past few weeks they have been sharing what they've been up to. This week we hear from Ana Rut:

During the month of August, I spent two weeks in Guatemala as part of my cross-cultural placement. I was there serving with the Iglesia Bautista Getsemaní in a little town called San Pedro, La Laguna. This wasn’t my first time in Guatemala, but it certainly was different to my previous visits.

During my time there I had the opportunity to teach in a little school linked to the church, called Liceo Cristiano Getsemaní. I taught ‘Christian Education’ to the boys and girls in the primary school in the morning, and in the afternoons I was involved with the church. Spending the mornings in the school helped me to get to know many of the kids that went to church but also many that had no Christian background. During one of the mornings a little girl came to me and said, “Thank you for coming and teaching us about God”. What a great encouragement and reminder that was. Being there was not only a time of having fun and making crafts, but a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel with many kids and learn about our great Lord and Saviour.

The church in San Pedro is very involved in the community. On many of the afternoons we went out to visit families in the town that weren’t Christians. We had evangelistic services in people's homes or just outdoors on the street. It was great seeing in practice the love for the community that the church had. They were not waiting for people to come into the church, but they were actively seeking to reach those around them; neighbours, friends, or people that they didn’t know at all. One afternoon was especially eye-opening when we went to visit a family that had just lost one of their daughters compared with the previous week when we had visited a mum that had just had a baby. The drastic contrasts of situations reminded me that although I was there for only a short period of time, for the believers in the church those situations were part of their daily lives. It was a great example and encouragement to see how the church was so intentional and willing to invest time in those around them. It showed how building relationships are vital for gospel ministry.

Guatemala is considered a ‘Christian country’, almost everyone has heard the gospel or knows someone that is a Christian, but sadly that is where it ends. Please pray for the church in San Pedro, that they may continue to be a faithful witness to the people there. But also, that God may strengthen and keep the believers as they seek to proclaim Christ.