In response to a Sunday morning Church service where someone shared about an upcoming mission trip to Guatemala, my then 8-year old son Jacob looked at me and said “I want to go to Guatemala! I can use my Spanish to tell others about Jesus.” Jacob is a Spanish Immersion student and he wanted to use his skills to minister to others. Trying to hold back my excitement and hide a few tears, just in case this was a passing interest, I said, “That would be awesome!”

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:30

On the way home from church, he peppered me with questions. “When can we go? Who would we go with? How much would it cost? Can I be baptized in Guatemala?” We went home and began praying daily over his calling and God’s timing. A week later God opened that door and introduced us to Paradise Bound Ministries. The PBM staff was able to connect us with a team that was preparing for travel, and in August, God faithfully brought Jacob and me to Guatemala.

Jacob beamed with love and pride as he spoke with both adults and children in Spanish. He could not wait to get to the villages and meet more people and was excited to return to the house we had built to see his new friends. He fearlessly gave his first public testimony to a group of villagers at one of the Medical Clinic/Outreaches we participated in, and he did it all in Spanish. At the end of the week, as promised, he was baptized there.

To watch my child’s faith journey through all of this was incredible. Jacob was confident that God had taken care of all of the details, and he never doubted God’s direction. He is a beautiful reminder of what it means to have faith like a child.

My own prayer life and relationship with God has increased tremendously since the day that Jacob declared his desire to go on this trip, and it continues to deepen every day. We both have found a great love for the people of Guatemala and the ministry that PBM does there. I plan to return with my church in February, and Jacob and I both are planning to go back every summer as long as God continues to call us.

Marjie Guerriero
Team Fearless/August 2019