Spiritual Formation | 3/9/2026 8:27:00 AM
Written by Tatum Ahlemeyer
Today we had the gift of beholding God in ways that I don't think any of us were expecting.
It reminds me of when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, right before He was arrested. The soldiers were looking for Jesus. Jesus asks the soldiers, "whom do you seek?" They replied that they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus responds, "I am He." Upon hearing this, the soldiers (the very ones who were about to arrest Him) drew back and fell to the ground. The weight of Jesus' glory and radiance knocked them to their knees. They found themselves in the presence of the Son of God. They had no choice but to stop and behold the Great I AM who stood before them.
Likewise, when we began today, we had no idea that we would walk into spaces where Jesus' glory and radiance made us stop and behold Him. No words can do it justice! But here is an attempt to recap some of the memorable moments from today.
Church this morning was really wonderful! We got to sing together in both Spanish and English. The church's joy was so full!! Jaide shared beautifully about God's work in her life, in both the good moments and the hard. Then, Klotzy shared a message based on 1 Peter 2:9. What an amazing family of God here in El Salvador!! Indeed, they are a "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession." And indeed, they are vessels of His light. We are humbled we could join them today and this week.
At the end of church, we were invited to each pair up and pray over one another. Within a few seconds, the small room was alive with voices, every person praying over their partner in their own native language. I got to stand and pray with an incredible woman named Amy. Amy happened to speak some English- and in the moments we shared she kept encouraging me, telling me to be brave, and that she is so thankful that we came El Salvador. When we prayed, we didn't know all of the specific words we were praying over one another due to the language barrier, but the beauty of it all is that God knows, and He hears our prayers.
Amy and I got to talk about how neat it will be, that one day we will meet again in heaven, by His grace. She told me confidently, with a big smile, "I believe we will recognize each other." Behold, our God.
In the moments that followed, the Lord continued to shine through this woman. After the church service ended, when everyone had left except for the team members and SII staff, Amy stuck around. We circled up with her, and through tears she shared her story. Amy is a single mom who is caring for her two young children. Her life has been nothing short of difficult. Yet, she has come to know and love the Lord, and with the support of SII and the church she is learning what it is to live with Jesus, even in the midst of great hardship.
While Amy was still sharing, her two children ran into the room because they had finished children's church. Both of them, her son Ethan and her daughter Amy (who we called "little Amy") made their way into the circle we had formed. It was here that time seemed to stand still. Klotzy asked Little Amy what she loved about her mom. Unexpectedly to us, she began to cry without even saying a word. Humberto said very quietly to us- "they are suffering." Little Amy walked across the circle to her mom, and they embraced. Ethan joined them too. What we saw was a young mother, holding her two precious children in a hug, comforting them, even amidst her own tears. We saw a picture of Jesus. Behold.
We had the privilege of praying for Amy, little Amy, and Ethan. In this time, we were reminded that we had absolutely no where to be except right there, in that moment. We were reminded of the kindness of God. He is truly the Good Shepherd, who knows His sheep, and calls each by name. Long before we met Amy and her children, the Lord pursued her and rescued her. And He continues to pursue her. She knows that the best gift she can give to her children is the love of Jesus. Behold, this Love.
After being with Amy and her children, we made our way down the street to Matilde. Matilde is the dearest 100+ year old woman ever (we do not know her exact age), and she lives in a very tiny house, without any biological family to take care of her.
It is hard to put into words the time we shared with Matilde, but I will highlight a few things that stuck out to us. First, it was just so amazing that we got to see her another year, as she expressed today that she is experiencing pain, and has asked the Lord to take her Home. She told us though, with a big smile, that God has responded "No" to her request. That He wants her to remain here for now. Oh, the wisdom of God!
What we do know is that Matilde has eternally impacted the lives of so many people, and especially Lipscomb women's soccer players and team members. We also know that she is near to her Lord and He is near to her. We look forward to the day when she will enter the kingdom of her God, the One whom she has dwelled with all these years. And we thank Him for allowing her to remain here with us for this time, and that we got to visit her today. Specifically, it was such a cool thing to see her and Klotzy reunite in person. Behold, the God who does immeasurably more than we could ever imagine.
We made a lunch stop and went back to our hotel for a few minutes to regroup, rest, and reflect. One of our favorite things on this trip has been our bus trips and meals together. Conversations have been so real, fun, and full of life. There have been lots of laughs and prayers shared and games played. We are so blessed to have community like this.
In the early afternoon we went to Thomas Rodriguez, to visit and play with the children there. It is such a sobering reminder every time you step foot into this community. At dinner afterwards, a few of us girls were talking about how these kids have so little materially, yet they are so filled with life and they find ways to give to us and serve us. It was really neat to see my teammates run around with childlike joy with these kiddos.
Covered in dirt… wearing big smiles… not once thinking about what time it was… we experienced new glimpses of the fullness of life that Jesus longs to give all His kids. Now, we pray for these families and children, that they may know God's love for them as they grow and live in His light.
To wrap up the night, we shared a sweet dinner together, and our end-of-the-day meeting was full of rich reflection. It was a long day, with so much that happened- things that were heavy and light and lots in between. To be able to end it by sitting, and beholding all He is and all He's done- it was a gift.
Behold Him! He is doing a new thing. In El Salvador, in America, in all the world, and in all our lives. May we have eyes to see and know that the Light shines, even in darkness. Oh, how Jesus shines!!!
