Hey Friends & Family!
I am so excited to share more of what the Lord has been doing in my heart in Guatemala! This past week (Nov. 18- Nov. 22) has been such a blessing- we had the joy of hosting a VBS in Sumpango! Sumpango, Guatemala is a beautiful town with hilly stone streets and tall vibrantly-colored buildings closely nestled together just a 15-minute drive from our base. I love Sumpango not just because of its beauty and tranquility but also because of its kind people. However, just like most of Guatemala, the people of Sumpango know and love Jesus, but they are completely unaware that they can have a personal relationship with Jesus. My team has had the privilege of working alongside Reindom ministries to reach the hearts of the children and teach them how to be disciples of Jesus not just believers because Reindom is passionate about raising up a generation of Guatemalans who know the Lord intimately, live in community, and who live excited for the return of the King.
Part of living intimately with the Lord is spending time with Him in private. The theme of the VBS was “La Habitación Secreta” or “The Secret Place” and we taught the children about what pursuing the Lord in secret looks like but also what it means to be the dwelling place of a living God.
Matthew 6:6 says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” As followers of Christ, we are called to meet the Father in our secret place to pray, but also to sing songs of worship and read and study His word. It was so fun to put this into practice with the kids! We memorized scriptures, shouted songs of praise and played out-of-tune instruments to the glory of the Lord, and learned how Jesus’ death on the cross tore the veil of the tabernacle so the spirit of the Lord can now dwell within us!
As I’ve grown, so has my understanding of my identity as a daughter of the king and the weight of Jesus’ death and resurre
ction. Being on the race has been an intense time of learning about God’s character and how to follow Jesus- and by “follow”
I mean adopt His way of life. As a part of discipleship training racers are assigned books to read by our coaches and the book my team is reading is called Practicing the Way: Be with Jesus, Become Like Him, Do as He Did by John Mark Comer.
Diving into this book has taught me so much about spiritual formation, the importance of habits, and why Jesus is the perfect Rabbi worthy to be followed. Comer discusses that while spiritual maturation does not magically happen we cannot work our way to sainthood. It is not a matter of if we are being formed it is who or what are we being formed by so if we want to look like Jesus we must make steps to look like Him, such as practicing spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are habits of devotion: fasting, meditating on the Word, prayer, repentance, worship, solitude, silence, celebration, and service.
Dr. Robert Mulholland defines spiritual discipline as “acts of loving obedience by which we offer our brokenness and bondage to God for healing and liberation.” It was when I was pushed to my limits that the Lord tenderly taught me that I was never supposed to serve or love others out of my own strength. God has given us the gift of contemplation. We get to look at Jesus, looking at us in love. We have the gift of reading the Bible and seeing how much God loves us on every page. By partaking in spiritual disciplines I create deeper intimacy with the Father and experience His love AND I get to then pour it out on others.
The Bible says, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” This scripture highlights the importance of works and faith in conjunction because one without the other is useless. As a disciple, I have the right and responsibility to meet Jesus in the secret place and let Him build my faith and then go out into the nations and do good works that point back to the Gospel! So that is exactly what I will do!
I am so thankful for the time I have spent here serving with Reindom in Guatemala and I hope to return to work with them again soon! I am also so thankful for the intentional time that I get to spend with the Lord and for all that He is teaching me! Thank you so much to all of you who are supporting me and following me on my World Race journey!
Prayer Requests:
Please thank God for all He is doing here in my heart and in the hearts of those we serve! I ask that you pray for God to continue to prepare the hearts of the people in South Africa that we will meet and for God to equip us physically and spiritually as we get ready to fly out of Guatemala and spread the Gospel! Please continue to pray healing over my squad as several of us are still ill! Thank you again for all of your prayers!
Grace & Peace,
Maggie Claire Richardson
Thanks so much for the update. It sounds like God is working in and through you! I’m sure you’re going to be sad to leave those precious Guatemalan children, but what an impact you’ve made while you’ve been there. We’ll be praying for safe travels as you head to South Africa. Stay safe and know that you are being covered in prayer.
What a blessing you and your team have been to these children in Guatemala. It is so different to see how responsive they are and see how children in America can sometimes take their blessings for granted.
May you find peace and comfort during your journey and prayers for those who are sick that they will get well soon.
Safe travels,
Donna Beverly