Painting Walls, Touching Hearts
Testimony by Ava Fuller, Mobile AL
The Cottage Hill Christian Academy team arrived at Agua Viva on a Saturday night. The following day, we attended church services on the property. Our team was interested—but nervous—about hearing a sermon in Spanish. We didn’t know how the members of the church would receive us Americans but were very pleasantly surprised that all the members welcomed every single one of our team members. The conversation was a mix of Spanish attempted by Americans and English attempted by the church members. Overall, the church experience was one of the highlights of the trip and a warm welcome to the country.
One of the biggest concerns we had when traveling was the adjustment to new foods. However, every day the most delicious meals were prepared for us by Seño Janet, the Agua Viva cook. Even the pickiest eaters in our group enjoyed the Guatemalan food every day. One day, I even had the opportunity to visit Seño Janet’s beautiful home. I saw just how much she loves and cares for Agua Viva and how much her relationship with the Lord affects her and her family’s work ethic. This dedication proved to be a common theme among the staff at the school. Every teacher and administrator would always mention how God blessed them by allowing them to work at Agua Viva and that they are so happy to be able to worship the Lord at the school every day.
For our project, I and a few members from the team painted four classrooms. This was a tiring task; however, it was made enjoyable by the friendly instruction of the workers at Agua Viva. We laughed more than we complained about the tiny air-pockets in the walls that would soak up the paint. We had so much fun even when we had to clean out paint from the rollers in the pilas. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of everyone at the school as well as our team. Everyone had positive attitudes and kind suggestions to improve the project every day.
My final thoughts of this mission trip are too extensive to write, and all of them are positive. The community at Agua Viva is something that is rare in this world. We came to serve and pour into the school, but really, the school poured into us. I left with an even fuller heart than when I arrived. God revealed so many things to me about what it means to serve and one of them is that when you serve Him, He will always push you to do more. The joy found in loving His people excites me and encourages me to continue stepping out of my comfort zone for His glory.
