Beauty For Ashes

As we were getting ready to leave for Guatemala, our leadership team talked to the entire squad about some positions there would be within our teams. The positions are: Team Leaders, Logistics, Treasurer, Storyteller, Worship, Health Coordinator, and Beauty for Ashes. I began to think about each position and definitely felt the tug towards Beauty for Ashes coordinator. I called my mom and told her about the positions and expressed that I would love to be the coordinator for BfA. Days later, one of my Squad Leaders expressed that they would love for me to take the position for BfA. I was so thrilled and remembered a vision the Lord gave me earlier about me standing in a room full of people and speaking to them. When I was asked, the Lord put that memory to mind and knew that this is what He called me to take on.

So, you may be wondering what Beauty for Ashes is. Coming directly from their facilitators guide, BfA’s mission is to bring restoration, hope and healing to suffering and victimized women through ministry and training. Their vision is restored women of all nations serving as Christ’s ambassadors for change, healing and freedom in their homes, communities and cultures. They value authenticity, emotional and spiritual maturity, discipleship and longevity, prayer, and integrity. In my own words, BfA is giving woman an opportunity to come together, sharing the hardships and often the things we find ugly, and as a community centered around Christ we turn those “ashes” into something beautiful.

Isaiah 61:3 reads, “to grant those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”

In the guide that we are given when we are trained, it has biblical stories, activities, teachings, and sharing opportunities. BfA also focuses on four main themes: Identity, Worth, Forgiveness, and Community. Two weeks ago, our hosts told us that we would be doing a BfA in a village on the 12th. I was so excited to host our first event and beforehand I did a mini version of BfA with my team. It was such a fantastic time speaking identity into my team and just being reminded of who God called us to be.

So as we prepared for our event, the whole Gloria a Dios team was all hands on deck. Maggie, being our creative person, created our posters that we would hang up one the walls.

Amy and Mikahla went around town to get us our supplies. I spent the day translating the pages we would be using from the guide into Spanish. Since I was going to be speaking for the majority of the time and I speak fluent Spanish, I wanted to be able to reach the women in a language they understood.

As we finished that night, our hosts gave us the names of the villages that would be attending. El Amay, Los Lopez, La Cumbre, and Cruzchut. Our team decided to do a listening prayer and see what the Lord wanted us to hear about each village. As we each took turns with the four papers, the Lord spoke to us and we wrote it down. It was interesting to hear what the Lord was saying. Three things that really spoke to me and was evident the next day at the BfA event was God said there would be a woman who’s child is sick, a marriage would be restored, and there would lots of weeping. CHILLS!

Next day comes and we are ready to go! We get to the village of El Amay and around 2pm we begin to set up. My heart starts racing, mostly because public speaking is nerve-wracking to me, but I know the enemy was trying to put fear into me, so I just prayed that the Holy Spirit would come down. The theme we were focusing on was Community. We were told that these women would not be very open and would be reserved so we kept our expectations low for anyone sharing. But, as we did the icebreaker, the women were laughing and talking! As I spoke, I just prayed each word that would come out would stick to each of their hearts.

I was being translated from Spanish into Pokomchi (their native language) and it was interesting experience! We did a drawing activity about a time where we felt the Lord was with us. I shared a bit about my testimony and how the Lord was with me in those moments. As I sat down at a table, a woman began telling me about her family. Later on she would share with the rest of the group about her story. Her first husband would abuse her, but he soon got sick and died due to his alcoholism. She remarried and now her husband loves her and draws her closer to the Lord (a marriage being restored-our listening prayer). Maggie was speaking with a woman but needed my help translating so I went to her table. This woman shared how her son was very sick and doctors said he would not live. Her family prayed for their son and God healed him and now he is healthy (woman with a sick child-listening prayer). As I looked at Maggie, I got tears in my eyes because our God is so good! She also shared with the entire group later on.

After our drawing activity, we took baggies of fire ashes that we had prepared the night before and handed them out. I explained to the women that as humans, we carry burdens with us and we view our stories as ashes, but that there is redemption and freedom when we take our burdens and place them at the feet of Jesus. So, as the women brought their ashes representing their burdens and laid them down into a basket, we would give them a flower to represent the beauty that the Lord is healing inside of us. It was such a beautiful moment!

Then, we took communion. Many of the women did not understand what communion was so our hosts did a small preaching about the importance of communion and how God calls us to partake in this sacrament. Once again, a beautiful moment and the Holy Spirit was definitely present. We closed out the night and I was just in awe of how the time went. As we were packing up, the same women who shared about her child being healed asked for prayer. Her mother was going to get surgery soon, so as we began to pray, her daughters and the women began to weep (lots of weeping-listening prayer). Please be in prayer for this family and for healing to fall down on them.

As women we often view our stories as shameful or unimportant but God shows us that there is healing and freedom when we share. I pray that each woman there would find healing and recognize that their stories are important. I pray that each woman around the world would recognize that as well. Please be in prayer for the next BfA event we have coming up next week. Please pray for the doors to be flooded with women. Pray that the Holy Spirit comes and healing will occur. Pray that any plans that the enemy has to stop us or hinder any parts of the event would fall to the ground. Our God is so good and I know that He will be bringing beauty into each woman’s story.

My amazing translator and friend!

If you would also like to see the video I made about this day, go check it out!