Hi, my name is Madison and I currently live and work full-time in Guatemala with a non-profit organization/ministry called Sin Limites. I am their program coordinator and if you are new here, please check out my first blog!
You may be curious about the title, “More was Required” or question what will she talk about in this blog? And I will explain into further detail but…
More faith was required. More prayer was required. More obedience was required. And ultimately, more patience was required.
This Past Season
These past few months were the most difficult for me and you probably question how?
Let me explain.
First of all, I know that God is in charge of everything. I know He is in charge of my work, my friendships, and for how long He wants me to serve in Guatemala. Like my mom has always told me, “God will make a way for you to stay in Guatemala. He will let you know when it is time to come home.”
I always understood what she meant and I thought I would need that advice in the future (for like year four or five), not my second year serving in Guatemala.
Because I thought my time in Guatemala was about to be over.
Financial Hardship
Like I mentioned before, I am a missionary and I have to raise all of my support to be able to live and work in Guatemala. It has been the most challenging for me because I always had the mindset of, if you want something, you have to work hard to get it. I was a workaholic and many times, I would think, “Oh I might be able to work 40-50 hours this week”.
For that, I never really relied on God to meet my needs. But I thank God, that my mindset has changed. He is certainly a provider for everything.
Philippians 4:19- And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
So like I mentioned earlier, I really thought my time was about to be over in Guatemala…
In March of 2024, I traveled home. I always enjoy going home to see my family, friends, speaking about work, and overall being in my hometown. Usually when I travel home, I am always busy catching up with friends and going to doctor’s appointments. It’s really tiring, but it’s so bittersweet and I’m so thankful.
But during my trip home, I started to think and worry about my future in Guatemala.
The truth is, I did not have enough money to live and work in Guatemala. I only had enough money to last me until May of 2024… and that included the money in my checking and savings account. It was a very difficult time for me, and I tried to save every penny that I could. I tried to keep my expenses as low as possible, but sometimes unexpected expenses would appear…
Just about every month, my mom and I would chat about if I would have enough money to pay rent for the following month. Many times, I would tell her, “No, I don’t have enough money for next month’s rent…” It was difficult and scary for the both of us due to the unknown, but we both knew I was coming home in August of 2024. I thought, “If I can just make it to the end of August, hopefully things will be better”. We tried not to worry and many times, we would refer to this verse.
Philippians 4:6- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Certainly, it was a scary time and every month, we stayed as encouraged as possible. God has met my needs before, and we knew He would do it again.
Well Guess What
I AM STILL IN GUATEMALA!!
These past five months were the toughest and I learned so much. Ultimately, I learned that more was required.
More faith was required. More prayer was required. More obedience was required. And ultimately, more patience was required.
I questioned God many times, “Why?, “How will I pay my expenses this month.”, “Is it worth it for me to travel to the US to work?”, “What are you trying to teach me?”. And looking back now, I was just too comfortable. I thought that since I had taken that leap of faith by moving and going to serve in Guatemala, that was enough for Him. But it wasn’t, because more was required.
In Conclusion
My faith and trust in God has definitely grown so much within the last few months. I’ve learned that His grace and mercy never fails!
And people may question, “What’s the purpose of your blogs?” and that’s a great question! You know, I never really had a real reason when I first started. But now, I have an answer… I love sharing my testimonies and my experiences. I love sharing how God has changed the lives of others that are close to me and how He continues to change my life every day.
Once again, the amount of love and support I receive is so incredible. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from perfect and I still make a lot of mistakes to this day… But God has certainly blessed me with great people and a great support system. For that, I am thankful!
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
XOXO,
Madison Archer
