On The Streets of Guatemala

Guatemala is extremely beautiful; there are mountains, trees, water and little Guatemalans everywhere!  We spent the first week (for our last training period) in Panajachel.  It’s a busy tourist spot.  Most of the tourist that come here are hippies.  The Guatemalans line the main street with baskets or small stands ready to sell their handmade crafts.  There’s so much bartering for every item there, even the food.  Our team would get excited, thinking that we made a good deal only to realize we were still over priced on many things.  Though many of the people there are Christians there is much oppression.  There were so many demonic wooden carvings in many of the stands.  There are a lot of drugs in Guatemala.  They would even sell tools to use the drugs on the streets.  We were continually praying in the Spirit and in our understanding.
The kids were so sweet.  There were a few of the kids that would follow us around everywhere, while we were grocery shopping, just walking around, or even while we were in a teaching session.  Sometimes they would come in and sit while we had our session and sometimes they would sit by the glass door looking in and giggling, and one boy,Jose, would give an occasional spider man reenactment as if he was shooting his spider web.
Some of the little boys that would shine shoes for money would follow us around and lick their finger and put it on their eye pretending they were crying saying “we so poor, so poor.”  We would just laugh and play with them, always making sure they had more than enough food.
 The Guatemalans are so little.  There were two ladies that I would always stop to talk to (the best I could) and pray for.  I would say loud in the street “does anyone know both Spanish and English” and someone would always come happily to practice their English. 

One was a 20 year old who would always have her baby in a sling behind her back.  The second time I saw her she got angry with me for not giving her money and as I was walking with the rest of the group she ran up behind me and punched me hard in my rear end haha.  I was shocked as I turned around to see that it was the little lady that I had been talking with and she followed us for a while speaking harshly in her language at me.  It was funny, kind of scary/weird at the time though.  A few days later she asked me to pray for her after she saw me pray for another lady! 

The other lady I prayed for was an older woman on the streets selling hand made bracelets, scarves, ect.  I believe she said she was 77 years old.  She had a pin on her shirt of a crucifix.  I asked her if Jesus was in her heart and she said yes.  It was so amazing how I was able to talk to her.  I first did my usual (does anyone here speak both Spanish and English) and a young Christian man selling in a booth close by came to me.  We realized that the old lady didn’t speak much Spanish either.  She spoke a native tongue.  All the sudden the lady who had hit me a few days before began interpreting this native tongue.  So through the two people I was able to talk to the older lady and ask her if I could pray for her.  Becky and I laid hands on her and began to pray as tears filled her eyes.  We spoke life into her body, soul, and spirit.  After we prayed she was so happy that she leaned in and gave us both a kiss.  It was so sweet as my cheek was sucked in, only held out by her one tooth. The next day as we were walking the streets she saw me again.  She was sitting on a curb selling items out of her basket and she motioned me towards her.  She quickly grabbed me, hugged me and gave me another kiss.  Before I left, she grabbed my hand and placed one of the bracelets on my arm that she made.  I began to tell her that I didn’t want to buy one thinking she was selling it, but she let me know she was just wanting to give it to me.  WOW!  That really spoke to my heart.  The only thing I think she knew in English that she would keep telling me was “I’m so poor, so poor.”  Knowing she had near nothing she still gave me something.  That showed so much love to me.