Since arriving in Guate the language barrier has become a slightly complicated part of doing ministry. My team and I have become very familiar with google translate and asking people to speak really slowly so we can comprehend. This has made spreading the Gospel and the love of God a little more difficult than it would be to English speakers(although that in itself is a challenging task). I often find myself engaging in conversation and then feeling too incompetent to continue it past “como estas”, even with kids. This has forced us to push ourselves into learning the language more but also looking for new ways to communicate with people. I’ve found myself leaning into being an encourager in ways that can be understood in both languages. Just like anyone else, kids need and desire love and encouragement & oftentimes in these small villages they lack that. Parents are busy working or caring for their home and can’t focus on the kids as much as they might wish to. Over the last few weeks I’ve found that high-fives, fist bumps, and even little hand shakes bring the biggest smiles to littles ones faces. And though they might not know exactly what I’m saying, my cheers encourage them to keep going and to open up more. Just like my teammate Becca likes to say “love has no language”. Even when it seems too hard to communicate I’m reminded that we can show love in so many different ways. Pushing myself into the uncomfortable pays off daily when I get to see the joy and gladness on people’s faces after feeling seen and loved, all you really need is a smile and a high-five. 

All my love and gratitude,

Grace