Logistics Lessons

Months ago, I accepted the logistics role for my squad. Along with my squadmates Sadie and Gabe, I plan travel days and debriefs. I knew when I agreed to help that God would work in cool ways, but I could not have imagined how He provided for our Guatemala debrief.

For background, debriefs are a week of rest for the squad to process all God has done before moving to a new country. We were looking for a place to fit all 44 of us on a budget of $10 per person per night. In addition to fitting us, the location needed an area for us to worship and eat meals. Ideally, we wanted somewhere remote in order to rest well without distractions.

After a month in Guatemala, it was time to start planning. On our first “logistics day,” we began our search. At the end of the day, I remember feeling a bit disappointed as it seemed like hotels were the only places that could fit all of us. Additionally, all of the hostels were already booked for people’s new year travels.

A week later, the logistics team decided to contact anywhere that could fit us. We prayed that God would provide some sort of group discount to be able to fit our budget. The new strategy was to go on Google Maps by Lake Atítlan and go one-by-one to hotels, Airbnbs, hostels – anywhere – and email or call them.

As I clicked on places, I came to one that caught my eye. It was called Promised Land. When I pulled it up on Maps, I felt a nudge by the Holy Spirit and I knew it was special. Yet, the pictures looked strange, and I couldn’t tell what it was like. I went on their website, and I learned that Impacto is a Christian ministry that hosts mission teams at their property called Promised Land. I wrote them an email to see if we could stay with them. Later that day, I became a bit impatient and decided to call. They were busy at the time with an important event, but said they would contact me soon. We continued looking for other places, but I felt hopeful for Promised Land.

A week passed and we found other options, yet we still waited to hear back from Impacto. We wanted to know all our options. Soon, we got an email from Impacto, and it blew our minds. Our contact wrote:

Those dates were originally taken but as I was writing this email we got notification of a date change. I spoke with the staff about your email, and though $10 is not typically what we charge per night, we all agreed that since it was a team of young missionaries we were willing to house you all those 5 nights for $10 per night.

Not only did God open the dates for us to stay there, but He also provided for our budget. We were astounded!

However, we still needed to figure out our meal plan. Impacto did not have a working kitchen, and it’s located in a somewhat remote town. We started praying that God would provide food for us, and I communicated our worry to Impacto. They generously contacted everyone they knew to cater food for the week. I expected God to work something out.

A couple days later, we learned that no one was able to cook for us. I was disappointed, and we didn’t know what to do. At this point, we had about two weeks until debrief. We looked for other places to stay, but felt confused. It seemed like God wanted us to stay at Promised Land, but we needed to solve the problem with food.

As time ran out, we had to make a decision. The logistics team met and prayed with the squad leaders. We decided to go to Impacto and trust that the food would work out.

As Gabe and Sadie finished the travel details and coaches’ lodging, I went back to Google Maps. I clicked on each restaurant in the town near Impacto and asked if they could give a group discount. The Lord provided three restaurants and a café! Gabe made a deal with the café for breakfasts, and the other restaurants offered to cook multiple meals. The logistics team (plus Emma and Hope!) went on an adventure to buy some food to take with us. Every meal was covered!

Once we arrived at debrief, God continued to show His care and providence for us. I have many stories of little ways God worked each day. Overall, logistics has taught me to a deeper extent that God truly knows our needs before we ever ask about them. He is our Provider and Sustainer. His plans are worthy of our waiting. He gives us what we need exactly when we need it.