Singing Hillsong in Guatemala... TAKE IT ALL!!!

Earlier this Summer I was blessed with my first opportunity of going on a mission trip. I went with my church at Purdue University through an organization called Literacy & Evangelism International, and such an absolutely amazing experience it was. We were in the country of Guatemala. Our objective for the week and a half that we were there was to teach English at a local Christian school called Colegio Mark in Cantel, Guatemala. We had a team of about 16 or 17 and so we were divided into pairs, and each pair was assigned to a specific grade to teach for the week. Now the way the school worked was that in the mornings until about 12:30pm elementary school classes (k - 5) were held, and in the afternoon we had middle/high

school classes. So in the morning, my partner and I were blessed to be with the best 2nd graders in the world! There was so much love that just radiated from them, and not only that but they were incredibly intelligent and so eager to learn English. Here are a few pictures of our 2nd graders. 

So in the afternoon my partner Paige and I had a little different situation than the rest of our team. Instead of teaching one specific class English the whole week, we were the music teachers, so every for every period another class came to us. This by far was one of the most amazing things I have every done. I have a great passion for  music and to sing, for children/youth, and for missions, and I had no idea how God would use all of these things that He placed in my heart; together. That week in Guatemala revealed to me just how much I was still placing limitations on God.  

Everyday that week, Paige and I worshiped God for 4 hours straight with classrooms full of young students who were just in love with God. During the week, since our focus there was to teach English, we taught songs in English. The best way to do this, we thought, was to find a song in Spanish so they would know what the song was talking about, the melody, etc. Then after that we would teach them in English.

Well it's crazy how God works things out. Literally one day before we left for Guatemala, Paige and I were going over our lesson plans and her friend happened to point out that she had a Hillsong album in Spanish, and it just so happens that Paige and I became the music teachers. The song we taught them was Take It All by Hillsong and the kids loved it! That week began the transformation in how I viewed worship. I was no longer seeking an experience with God while I was leading worship but I was seeking the face of God and trying to lead classrooms of Guatemalan teenagers who barely spoke the same language to see the face of God more clearly through the language of music. And it was so clear to me that they completely understood

every word and every emotion that God was giving to me, our team, and to the school.