These past few weeks have been a sweet time of closing here in Guatemala. Here, I’ve felt so poured into and readied to finish our last country strong.

The AIM staff who live here are so intentional with the time they have with us racers and I’ve seen the mark they’ve made on our squad. We’ve continued to grow, unite, and serve like we never have before. I’ve seen the Lord work and work in and through us continually throughout this trip. The ministry hosts we partnered with became family and the people we served I grew to love deeply. Overall, Guatemala was a highlight from this trip and a sweet season to be in.

This past week my parents got to come and serve with me. It was such an opportunity to invite them into all we’ve been doing here, as well as seeing how the Lord has been working in them. I saw Him open their hearts here to break for what breaks His. I got to see from their eyes the realities of the things I’m exposed to every day. I got to see the passion of the Lord in them to want to help and do something about the things that go on in this world. I saw Him actively working in them for something bigger.

Going into this week I had fear my parents wouldn’t be affected or changed by what I do here. But their change was so great, it changed me. It gave me a realization of why I do all of this. Why the Lord needs people to go and be His hands and feet for the nations. I was opened again to the purpose the Lord has for me in this.

After a while you become numb to the ways you’re serving here on missions. But the Lord used my parents to remind me.

I saw the Lord use this week to do something in their hearts. To open them into deeper surrender. To reveal to them things they need to lay down to go deeper with Him. There were lots of tears and beautiful moments I’ll never forget. How the Lord had such purpose and intentionally behind these few short days. It was the experiential truth to Him doing far greater things than we can think or imagine. Because never would I have thought that this parent vision trip would have had the effect it did. Thank goodness He is God and I am not!

It was such a beautiful week to be so intentional with my relationship with my parents. To spend one-on-one time sharing our hearts about different things going on in our lives. For them to see a glimpse into the change in me, and I in them. I got to let go of some fear I had in coming home because I saw that the Lord had already been preparing a place for me there while I was away. Preparing a home that would be changed as I was changing.

Every time I stop and reflect I’m hit with an awe of the ways the Lord has moved me over this time. Every time I think He’s finished I’m hit with more. Every time I think He’s not moving, there He is. I’ve experienced so much of the God above that I simply can’t do anything other than love Him. What a good place to be that is. To be constantly made aware of the presence of God— you can’t help but see all He’s doing around you. And I never want to live another way!