annaritchie - Heavenly Homesickness

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By annaritchie Nov 28, 2022 7:00 PM 4 min read

Heavenly Homesickness

Hey guys! I’ve been living in Guatemala for a month and a half now, and I cannot believe how fast it has gone (that feels like a common thread ...

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Hey guys!

I’ve been living in Guatemala for a month and a half now, and I cannot believe how fast it has gone (that feels like a common thread haha). Anyways, I wanted to do something a little different today with this post. My heart behind my blog isn’t to share all the cool things that I’ve gotten to do and see, but rather bring you all back home into this journey with me, not just for the good parts, but also for some of the harder parts.

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of home. With the holidays coming up it is hard to avoid it. There is an ache that bubbles up in my chest when I see pictures of my family back home gathering for thanksgiving, or decorating the Christmas tree. That same ache is there when I scroll through insta and see pictures of DC’s Thanksgiving chapel, and all my friends and classmates who are now the alumni. It’s a complicated feeling, as there is nowhere else in the world that I would rather be, and yet, I could really use a hug from my mom right now. Though my heart yearns for home, I'm realizing that it's not my earthly home that it longs for.

That same ache returns during ministry, when our sweet Santa Marta kids come to soccer practice without shoes since they don’t own any. Through both of our ministries here, we do a lot of house visits. We start the house visits by asking the Lord (we call this ATL ministry) to guide us to the houses who need prayer or encouragement. Most Guatemalans are extremely hospitable, and they will quickly usher us into their home when we knock. Usually, the homes we go into are 4 sheet metal walls, a metal roof, and maybe a bed. That's it. Many of our house visits are geared toward those who are sick and can’t get out of bed due to their illness. This is devastating for families, because for many, they will not have the means to purchase the food or other essentials for the family. It’s also devastating because many of these people have no access to health care, and can only pray that the Lord will heal them or their family members. Yet even in the most dire circumstances, they are crying out to the Lord to provide for their needs and take away the affliction. They are crying out for home.

Eternity is written on the heart of every single person we come in contact with. My mom may be able to give the very best hug, but unfortunately it will never be able to take away the pain or the poverty seen in the streets of Santa Marta. My dad can welcome every single child from Santa Marta into our family and provide for them an amazing life, and yet there are millions of villages all over the world just like it. That aching feeling? It's heavenly homesickness. It comes from knowing that there will be a day when every child gets shoes that fit, when every person living on the streets gets a room in the Father’s house, where there is no more sickness, no more death, and no more poverty. Praise the Lord that that day is coming! Regardless of country, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or religion, there is no escaping the brokenness of the world. How amazing is it that we get to walk through this world and be messengers of hope! That every home we enter, we get to bring the message of the one who heals, who reconciles, who provides!

That’s all for today. I wanted to give a quick plug for Reindom, one of the ministries that we get to work alongside. I’ve talked about them before, but they are truly amazing. We just spent the last 3 weeks living in their ministry house, celebrating thanksgiving with them, and just doing life with them. They love the Lord a lot and it’s evident in every thing that they do. Not only that but they work so incredibly hard to show God's love to the people they serve. Currently, they are looking for people who would be able to support them and their ministry. If you're interested in learning more about how you can support them, please reach out to me! I love you all and miss everyone back home!

-KJ

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