Long Time No Talk, Part 2

Long Time No Talk, Part 2 is finally here. This part took a little bit longer than I had hoped, but here it is!

The month of December was pretty busy with work, the holidays, and my mom and friends visiting Guatemala. Even though I wasn’t home for Christmas, I still felt so much love from my family and friends. It’s hard to be away for the holidays and lowkey, I think they (family/friends) missed me a lot… Hahaha, I missed them too and I’ll try to be home for more holidays. 

Throughout these past several weeks, I reflected a lot on the year 2024. I think I’ve grown, matured, and built a better character… Many changes took place in 2024, and the truth is, I don’t really like changes and it’s hard for me to adjust sometimes. I like to hold onto what is comfortable and what I’m use to… 

But these changes have ultimately grown my faith and trust in God. I would not be where I am today without Him and I can share story after story of why I’m still serving in Guatemala.

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I think the year 2024 brought a lot of highs and a lot of lows. Of course, the highs outweighed the lows and I think I’ve grown so much more mentally, physically, and spiritually. 

In the blog post, “More Was Required”, I shared about how I thought my time in Guatemala was going to come to an end. There were five months that were extremely difficult for me financially. Monthly rent and weekly groceries were my biggest expense and I unfortunately had to dig into savings. At one moment, I only had $236 to my name and I didn’t know what my next step was going to be. I still had a few months to go before I traveled to NC and I worried a lot…

It was the unknown that was scary. 

A lot of opportunities started to open with work and I was thinking to myself, I can’t leave now. I can’t leave these kids, these families, my coworkers, or the baby that was just named after me. As much as I tried to figure it out all on my own and control the situation, it was hard and not working. 

I started listening to several Christian podcasts on Youtube. With two of my favorites being, “In Totality” with Megan Ashley, and “Better Together” on TBN. Listening to those podcasts daily gave me a lot of peace and it made me realize that everything was going to be okay because it was all in God’s hands. 

It was something that I had already known, everything being in God’s hands. But I needed to be reminded again of how powerful God is, and in His timing, He will work everything out. 

Romans 8:28- And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Over and over, I see how much God’s grace, love, and favor is in my life. He has opened so many doors and given me the opportunity to speak at churches, schools, and other events. Of course I’m going to share about my work with Sin Limites, but I’m also going to share my journey and give God all the glory.

Colossians 3:23-24 – Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 

I’ve Realized…

I’ve realized that God can use me in many ways outside of my work with Sin Limites. 

God isn’t only using me to be in the mission field with Sin Limites… He is also using me to be in the mission field with friends, families, strangers, and whoever else I encounter in Guatemala or in the United States. 

The last several months, I’ve realized the importance of living out a righteous life. I want others to see Jesus in me and how much He has impacted my life. Little by little, I see lives being changed and that inspires me to continue to do what I’m doing. 

“Every time I look up, I see God’s faithfulness. And it shows just how much He is miraculous. I can’t keep it to myself, I can’t sit here and be still. Everybody, I will tell till the whole World is healed.” – Kanye West

Patience

I think my word for 2025 is patience. 

I think new doors and new opportunities will open up for me and for Sin Limites. As much as I would love to rush things and make everything work out immediately, it’s not my job, it’s His. He will work everything out and I need to have patience and trust His plan. 

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. 

As Always

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me on this journey. I’ve said this before, growing up, I never expected to be a missionary or do this with my life. 

I was supposed to grow up, graduate college, get a big girl job with benefits, and live around the corner from my parents… Not live 1,700 miles away from my family, friends, or hometown. But this is where I am and maybe one day, I will return home. It’s all in God’s hands.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my blog. I’m not perfect by any means, but moving forward, I want to make the best decisions and continue to live a righteous life. I hope this blog inspires people and makes them proud. 

XOXO,

Madison Archer