by Megan Lehman

Over the past three years, I’ve loved being a member of these trips and one of my favorite parts has always been the wheelchair distributions. Out of all these trips, however, I can only remember helping with one wheelchair. I tend to find myself handing out reading glasses, which I absolutely love because it helps me see the experience with a different perspective.

After receiving their wheelchair, each person is wheeled over to a pastor and then wheeled over to the glasses station. Being able to speak Spanish during these events has made my insight to the experience much deeper than I expected. As soon as the recipient of the glasses realizes I can communicate with them in a somewhat understandable way, they tell me so much of their story. Today, a woman who was 89 years old told me about how she cannot see, but that God has gifted her with so much more than sight ever could. We met a man who was at the distribution helping his mother, who had needed a wheelchair for as long as he can remember.

We helped whomever we could with their glasses, finding just the right strength for their needs. And, heartbreakingly, there were a few we could not help, either because we didn’t have the strength that they needed or they simply needed more than we could provide. But even in this disappointment, everyone praised the Lord for what He DID do for them.

Tonight during our group meeting, one of the team members said that these people here in Guatemala are filled with a joy that we may not always comprehend. They are filled with a joy that does not come from material things, but from knowing that there is a God who loves them so much. Even when facing times that we in the United States cannot even imagine, the people of Guatemala are filled with a joy and peace that can only come from knowing the Lord. What a beautiful, and truly inspiring example, of God’s love.