Guatemala Again!

Friday, October 8, 2010 - Written about Full Day 2 (Thursday)

I don’t know if I can even remember yesterday at this point! It is Friday night at 9:30 and ….

I never was able to finish that thought until now – Wednesday, October 11, 2010. Will I even be able to remember last Thursday? It seems so long ago! I could have journaled the old-fashioned way, but I did not take any paper with me because I was relying on being able to use the computer. There just did not seem to be enough time! Thursday we went to the school in Pacux and read Bible stories to the kids and did crafts with them. They listened pretty well. There were 4 or 5 groups of about 30-50 kids each. We first took pictures of the groups and printed them for their teachers/classrooms. Then we divided off into age appropriate groups for the Bible stories. I’m not really sure which age group I ended up with, but it was lower elementary I would say. During the picture time, they were pretty wild and wouldn’t line up and acted crazy. Typical kids, huh? During story time, they listened pretty well, although a couple of the boys got up and walked over to the grassy area to pee. It is ok in their culture for men to go outside whenever they need to. After the story we did a craft and passed out stickers. They LOVED the stickers and wanted more and more. We finally had to say, “no mas (no more).” They kept asking over and over. We then left from there and went back to the hotel for lunch. If I remember correctly, we had some chicken burritos that day. One of the ladies took pictures of all our meals. I wish I had done that. Maybe I can get copies from her! After lunch we headed back to the school for the 7^th graders. The school only goes through 6^th grade, but Highview started a middle school for sponsored kids and will add a grade each year until they graduate! The ladies (Jodie, Amy and Stephanie) talked with the girls about purity, passed out some books and gifts to them. Corey, Richard, and Aaron talked with the guys about purity and wise choices. It was great to see our translators interact with the young girls. Ingrid really talked with them about purity and making the right decisions to follow Christ in their lives and when they choose a spouse. A couple of the ladies, Renee and Nancy, got to meet the two girls they sponsor for school. It was really neat. After that, we left for the market in Rabinal. It was a local market for the people of Rabinal to buy food, clothing and such. It had some interesting things. I took pictures but tried to be inconspicuous by hanging the camera at my side and snapping. Some pics turned out ok and others didn’t, but I didn’t want to offend anyone by snapping pictures all the time. We ate ice cream after a couple of hours in the market and then headed back to the hotel for supper and lounging for the evening. We were able to Skype with Briggs another time on Thursday, which made this mommy’s heart happy! We packed up and got ready for Friday at the park with the kids and the LONG bus ride back to the city.

On Friday, we ate breakfast at the hotel in Rabinal for the last time (I think it was eggs and toast, beans, and fruit) and got ready to head to the park in Pacux for playing with the children. I was not feeling great that morning … tummy ache and all… so I took it easy and was left in charge to keep an eye on everyone’s belongings. Others played with the preschool kids who came. I also helped face paint a little because it was right near the bags and it was something I could do without making myself feel worse. I even learned a few Spanish words while at the face painting booth and was able to ask the kids what they wanted … Corazon, estrella, pescado, cruz …I was so disappointed that I had forgotten to take my Spanish dictionary, but all was well in the end. I still wasn’t feeling great when it was time to board the bus for the LONG, winding, narrow roads back to Guatemala City. That ride was a lot better than Tuesday’s for sure, but was still crazy with all the washed out roads and stuff. We again stopped at Edwin’s for a bathroom break and for him to pick up the coffee that people had ordered. We forgot to order some so we didn’t get any L. We arrived finally in Guatemala City and went to the market there. It was really nice and we got Briggs and Aaron matching Guatemala soccer jerseys (although Aaron wanted a soccer coat but thought it was too expensive) and I got a Guatemala bag. I had a deal working with the guy (because you can barter with them) when Aaron stepped in and messed up the whole deal! I still got a good deal, but would have had a better one (and all I did was say I don’t want it and walk away, whereas Aaron was trying to make offers.) Anyway, it all worked out and everyone enjoyed the market. We then went to a restaurant (don’t know the name) that was so good! We had steaks (awesome!), potatoes, rice, corn, and appetizer, dessert and coffee… all for like $20.00 per plate. I even got to try to make tortillas. Mine was not circular, maybe more like rectangular! After supper we headed to our hotel, Vista Real, one of the top rated in all of Central America. It was definitely 5 star! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! It was nice to have steaming hot water coming out in a powerful stream! We also had a pillow-top mattress with at least 10 pillows on the bed. It was awesome! Breakfast there was ok, but everything else was magnificent!! We slept well that night!

On Saturday, we ate breakfast and headed out to Tabitha’s House and the Guatemala City dump. I HAVE NEVER EXPEREINCED OR SEEN POVERTY LIKE I DID THAT DAY. People actually live in the midst of the dump. I mean, they live with the trash. The government gives them this square spot of land right in the middle of the dump to make their homes. “Houses” were constructed out of a little wood, a little cardboard, and some tin for a roof. It literally was the hardest day because it was so emotionally draining. Ruth had asked me to work with the kids, and then when I realized Aaron was going to be downstairs, I opted to stay with him, because I was so overwhelmed and feeling out of my comfort zone. I just could not help but wonder why God would allow me to be born in the United States with all the blessings and privileges that come with it, and these people were born in the dump with all the curses that come with it. I just could not fathom it. As I sat there and watched, I saw the women sing praises. I heard Susan share her awesome testimony with the women there. And then, I saw God move! One young girl (who had been raped and held for several months and was now pregnant) jumped up before the “invitation” had even been given. She accepted Christ and I believe 2 other women did that day. It was such an awesome thing to see. After that, we all ate McDonald’s (it was the 2^nd time for Aaron and me because we ate it at the mall on Tuesday when we arrived - which is more than we eat it in the US!). I wondered if the women and their kids had ever had the greasy mess of food before? We compiled food bags and got ready to enter the actual dump area to pass it out. Geovani (one of the translators) told us not to take our camera since it was so big so we don’t have any pictures of our own from there, but some of the other ladies took pictures and were willing to share. What poverty and hopelessness I felt in there … and yet, I believe God was there. We prayed with several families. Several of them proclaimed Christ and one of the ladies homes I went into prayed a prayer of rededication. The lady I specifically prayed with (Fildelfina??) told Aaron and me that even though she didn’t have much, we were welcome to stay with her anytime we needed. She proclaimed over and over “God is big (Dios es grande) and God is good (Dios es bueno). I just could not believe that someone living in those conditions could say those things and mean it, but I saw her face and know she was sincere. It is so hard to even think back about it now to write it down. It just (as Aaron said) sucked the life out of you. I can’t imagine waking to that everyday of my life. They rummage through the garbage for things to recycle, for food to eat, for clothing – for just necessities of life in order to survive. Many of the women we spoke with had been raped and had numerous children because of it. I know there hearts were weary, but I could sense a glimmer of hope in them because of Christ in their lives. I would never have imagined or believed that I could feel God’s presence of all places – in a dump – but it was there just the same. After finishing at the dump, we went back to the market, just to walk around and get a change of scenery. We then went to Kakao for supper and had another delicious meal. We ended the night by saying goodbye to our sweet translators. We couldn’t have survived the week without them – well, maybe Aaron could have because he held his own pretty well, but the translators God blessed us with were just as passionate about ministering to the people as we were. It truly was a blessing to be a part of this trip. I’m thankful for the opportunity to go there. I learned that God is the God of Guatemala just as He is the God of Louisville, Easley, and everywhere else in the world. “There is no one like our God!”