What We Saw in Their Faces
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6
When my husband and I recently returned from a medical mission trip to Guatemala, we had the usual re-adjustment to the American lifestyle and creature comforts. Air conditioning. Fast food. Clean water. Toilets you can flush without using a bucket. Ahh. My gratitude-o-meter is soaring. Mission trips make us thankful for the incredible advantages we enjoy in our country.
The small towns on the coast of Guatemala where we set up clinics were barely on the radar. One of them had a few amenities…small shops with clothing, civic center, city hall, fresh-air farmers’ market. The church we attended was bare bones but had two open walls allowing mild breezes to drift inside.
The other clinical site was set up in a riverside school in a jungly area. Children played happily on a cement playground while parents waited to be seen. In both clinics, dental “offices” were set up with portable drills and the necessary tools for performing procedures. Pharmacists, healthcare providers, surgeons/therapists, and others gave out medicine and treatments. It was humbling for me to watch these dedicated professionals step out of their usual sterile environments to meet people in their place of need.
As the Guatemalans waited their turns at various stations, I watched these beautiful people. They were dressed up in their “good” clothes for us, many of the women wearing traditional lace tops in bright colors with pearl embellishments. I loved helping them find reading glasses and seeing them pick out colorful frames.
You could tell the ones who were of Mayan descent. Their broad features bore an eerie resemblance to images of Mayan warriors carved into Central American stone ruins, and they spoke in dialects handed down over the centuries. The Garifuna people, a mix of West African and Caribbean ancestry, spoke an Arawakan language and shared a boisterous joy in their drum music during worship at church.
Communication was complex because translation often went through multiple dialects. Many of the locals couldn’t read or write. Culturally, we might as well have come together from other planets.
But the Guatemalans challenged me with more than just their circumstances. I found that, despite the differences in our privileges, we faced the same obstacles in life. I saw people suffering from the pains of poor health, problems with family members, the struggle to find good work, limitations in abilities…and their need for healing from Jesus.
My heart ached when they had the courage to share specific problems, when I saw their tears, when I wanted so badly to bring them a touch of joy.
As I prayed for their requests individually, I ended my petitions with the simple wish for God to show them how much Jesus loved them. When they arose to leave my table, I was rewarded many times with a handshake, a thank-you, or a timid smile.
Those brief experiences still leave me wondering if our team made any real difference in their lives. We couldn’t fix all their issues. Often, I felt as powerless as the patients did. All I could hope was that they would see Jesus in us and respond to His calling as we shared His Gospel.
It’s always been hard for me to read faces, to react appropriately to social situations. But our experienced team leader knew what to do and had the heart to do it. One woman arrived at the end of the clinic day, having already walked two hours barefoot and paddled upriver in a small boat…just to get some vitamins for her son. Our leader responded by grabbing as many items as possible at the pharmacy to help this mom. Then quietly, our leader slipped off her own sneakers and handed them to the woman for the return trip.
This was just one of several stories I heard during the week, all of them uplifting in the sacrificial way our medical team members responded to the needs. They were Jesus in the flesh, their hands and feet doing His healing and work in Guatemala. It was such a privilege for me to accompany them.
Since we returned, it’s been easy to go back to my old ways. But the beautiful faces I saw in Guatemala are nudging my heart to respond with a new attitude. What can I do here to have an impact in the lives of others for Christ? How can I share His love in my realm of influence? Will I see beyond the sadness on faces around me and respond to hearts that need the joy of salvation?
Friend, once again, a trip where I was supposed to bless others turned into a blessing from God for me. My prayer for you and me this week is a challenge—that God will show us how to look beyond the faces around us and focus on their hearts.
That’s a gift and privilege we can all share, with gratitude.
Heavenly Father, You have created all mankind out of Your love. Teach me humility and how to truly love others sacrificially. Please remove all pride, comparison, prejudice, and laziness from my heart as I attempt to share Your goodness with those around me. Help me see the needs in their faces and react with a servant spirit. Embolden me to share Your gospel every day as I encounter souls who need Your redemption. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom.
© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Jesus #missions #missiontrips #witnessing #evangelism #evangelismexplosion #missionteam #Guatemala #Mayan #Garifuna
