Share Your Story (Impact Ministries)

From Darkness to Light in Rural Guatemala
By: Rita Peters, Impact Ministries Canada

Our ministry is located in the highlands of Northern Guatemala, where over the past 26 years we have witnessed many people being liberated from the oppressive spiritual darkness in which they and their ancestors had lived for generations. In many villages, traditional beliefs and practices rooted in fear have been passed down from one generation to the next. Yet time and again, we have seen the transforming power of the Gospel bring hope, freedom, and new life.

​I remember one such moment vividly.

Maurilio, a teenage boy attending our school, came to my house. He had been keeping me informed about his grandmother's illness over the previous weeks. This time, however, he came urgently and told me she was nearing death. I immediately followed him to her home.

They lived in a tiny wooden shack with a dirt floor and dim lighting. Her bed consisted of rough wooden planks raised only a few inches off the ground. She lay covered with every blanket available in the house, trying to keep warm despite her frail condition. Standing at the head of her bed was her oldest son.

I knew of her son as one of the prominent witch doctors in our village. Several of her children were involved in those dark practices. As I entered the room, I wondered what he would think of me or the message I was about to share with his mother. But regardless of how my words might sound to him, I knew I had no choice. If this woman was approaching the end of her life, she needed to hear about the salvation and love found in Jesus.

I pulled up a small stool and sat beside her bed. Gently, I explained how Jesus came to die for our sins and how, through His sacrifice, we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. I told her that if we confess our sins and place our trust in Him, He forgives us completely. Her eyes remained fixed on me as I shared the simple message of the Gospel.

When I finished, I asked if she would like me to lead her in prayer.

She nodded.

Under the watchful eye of her son, I prayed a simple prayer of confession, repentance, and faith in Christ. She quietly whispered the words after me.

When I finished, she raised her voice for the first time that day and joyfully exclaimed, "Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!" over and over again.

At that moment, I saw a joy enter her countenance that had not been there before. The fear and heaviness on her face seemed to lift. I realized she had been transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's beloved Son—the kingdom of light.

It was a powerful reminder that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace. Even in life's final moments, the light of the Gospel can break through the deepest darkness, bringing forgiveness, peace, and the assurance of eternal life.