Listening to God's Voice (No Bolivia! Yes Guatemala!)

Today was a very meaningful day for both Liz and I. 

As many of you already know, we have been in New York participating in a pre-mission orientation program with the Salesians (Lay Missioner Program) with the plan to soon begin a year long mission with them in Bolivia.

WELL...... almost two weeks into the orientation program Liz and I began to experience a sense that what we envisioned as our personal call to foreign mission might not be fulfilled with the Salesians.

Knowing that harsh and abrupt decisions should never be made we decided to continue to discern God's call in our lives for a few more days while participating in the program. Thanks God for daily Mass, Prayer, and Adoration.

As the days progressed it became more and more clear that in order to respond to what we specifically felt called to do in mission we would need to change our plans, at least our plans with the Salesians. I believe the Salesians also sensed and discerned that what our expectations were for mission and what they could offer us wasn't going to be a fit so we mutually agreed that we should part and parted on good and respectful terms.

There is a small piece of me that is saddened that I will not experience the people of Bolivia, nor experience the culture, but I also realize that God's plans do not always agree with ours. 

So....... We are back to our initial plan of returning to Guatemala. Over the past 10 years we have frequented San Lucas Tolíman numerous times and each time felt God's presence and witnessed His Spirit in the wonderful people there. 

We will begin our stay in Guatemala in early September in Santa Cruz Atitlán while attending two months of immersion Spanish School. Also, just a short boat ride away across the lake in San Lucas Tolíman, we have some special friends there as well as the mission that we have visited for so many years on summer mission trips.

We will continue to discern our work in Guatemala post language school with an eye on assisting at our friend's rural school, offering diaconal services, and building relationships and spreading the good news.

Please pray for both Liz and I that we remain open to searching for God's voice and that we have the courage to continually respond.