Our principal method of discipleship is through meaningful, sustainable relationships with the Guatemalan people we serve. We follow the admonishing of St. Francis of Assisi in this area:
"Preach the gospel at all times.
Use words when necessary."
Focusing on those who are neglected and rejected by society gives us a unique opportunity to share with these people about the God who loves them enough to send us to help them. The fact that we see value in them opens the door to further conversation about the God who values them enough to create them, and who has a plan and a purpose for their lives.
We are often faced with hard questions during these conversations. "Why did God make me (my child) this way?" "If God can heal, why doesn't he heal me (them)?" "If God is good, how can he allow such suffering?"
There are no easy answers to these questions. We avoid platitudes such as "God's ways are not our ways," however true they might be. Hurting people are not ready to hear this.
Instead, we focus on prayer and Scripture to direct them to the truth about who God is, who we are, and the relationship he wants to have with us, not just in this world, but for eternity.
We point them to Jesus, who gave his own life to make eternity with God a possibility for them. We encourage them to call on him and trust in him as the face the challenges of their daily lives. We share our own challenges and struggles with them, and our dependence on God for all that we have and do.
And, we walk beside them to discover ways to meet these challenges through the other strategies we employ in our ministry, continually pointing out to them that our help comes from the Lord.
