This blog is all about life in Guatemala.
All of this is my normal. All of this is my daily life. To you it may sound foreign, unimaginable, or impossible- but it’s just life. It’s the beautiful, crazy, amazing life that God has called me into; and I wouldn’t change a single thing.
1. Chicken Buses
Everyday I get to ride these colorfully painted buses! Imagine a school bus packed full. Now add 20 more people into that bus. That, my friends, is a chicken bus. There are no boundaries in chicken busses- I’ve had more butts and bellies in my face than I thought possible.
2. Ministry
My team and I have been working with our host Luis’ ministry Nueva Generacion (New Generation). Nueva Generacion’s purpose is to help youth of Guatemala foster a relationship with God, discover their purpose in him and then helping them to grow spiritually and live as worshipers. As a part of this ministry we go into schools and teach values classes and english classes. My favorite part is the English classes with the 4th, 5th and 6th graders!
My team is also helping to teach English to a small group of youth who are a part of Nueva Generacion’s discipleship program. I LOVE this small group! We get to see them 3 times a week- twice for english and once for discipleship. It has been awesome growing these relationships to the point of joking around with them and having dance parties after class! These kiddos radiate the love of God!
3. Funeral
This past Friday the 3 teams in San Pedro, Guatemala went to a funeral for an 8 year old girl named Talia. We had met Talia’s older brother Gus when he helped translate discipleship class for us. I have never been to a funeral that felt so real. In Guatemala the funeral is held on the same day as the death. So less than 12 hours after her death her family and friends are in the funeral home mourning the death of this loved little girl. The mom comes into the funeral home crying out. She’s not looking for attention, or trying to hide her emotions- She is just crying out with grief of the loss of her little girl.
I never thought I’d be going to a funeral in Guatemala. And I for sure didn’t think I’d go to a funeral and then be asked to sing a song for a little girl I never knew. But there I was, with my team, singing out Amazing Grace to a little 8 year old girl and her grieving family.
After we were done singing the Mom and Dad looked at us and began to speak about their daughter. How she taught them to never let a day go by without telling those they love that they love them. However, the thing that amazed me the most was this family’s faith. LESS THAN 12 HOURS AFTER HER BABY GIRL’S DEATH this mom is sitting there saying that SHE KNOWS GOD WILL USE THIS AS A TESTIMONY TO OTHERS. Her Dad looks at us and says THANK YOU- we don’t know this family, we never met their daughter, yet they went our of their way to graciously thank us for coming to their daughter’s funeral.
4. Mud Slide
This Friday we went to the Mud slide in Santa Catarina Pinula. My squad mate Bri wrote a blog about this experience that explains it better than I ever could. You can read it here- I don’t know what I expected.
5. Picnic
Today we held a picnic in San Pedro Las Huertas for the local youth! This picnic was to promote the Vacation Bible School that we will be doing through October and November (this is when kid’s have summer vacation in Guatemala). Lots of local kids showed up along with kids from our discipleship class and it was so amazing! We played soccer, frisbee, and ate lots of food!
Be praying that these kids show up to VBS so we can continue to build relationships and share the love of Jesus.
6. Enrique Iglesias Concert
I went with 7 of my friends to an Enrique concert in Cayala Mall in Guatemala City. It was SO FUN! It was nice to be in this town because it was BEAUTIFUL and felt a little bit like America. We got delicious Macaroons, Burgers and then danced for 3 hours to Enrique! It was an amazing Adventure Day!
7. Scooter Rides
My Dad has always told me to never get on a motorcycle (or anything similar). They also told the parents at launch that most accidents on the race happen from scooters. Well I rode on the back of my friend Taylor’s rented scooter and it was SO MUCH FUN! Sometimes you have to be just a little rebellious to have a whole lot of fun! (Lylee and Chris take note) (Sorry Mom and Dad)
8. Volcanoes
San Pedro Las Huertas is surrounded by volcanoes. My good friend Bri had a nice reminder for all of us to not forget “To be in awe of the creator, not the creation”. That reminder is definitely needed when surrounded by God’s magnificent handiwork 24/7. For 3 nights now we’ve been able to watch as lava runs down the one volcano at night (yes they are active and have little eruptions but nothing that causes destruction to surrounding areas). As I watch the volcano erupt I’m constantly aware of how much my normal has changed since moving here.
9. The Market
If you think shopping in the US is stressful then you should never try to shop in a foreign market. “Special Price just for you!”, “What you looking for” ,“Pretty shirt for pretty girl” are just a few things being constantly thrown at you. But, if you’re willing to enter into the chaos you can come out with soccer jerseys for the equivalent of $5, loads of fruit for $10, nail polish for 10 cents, and a pirated “Paper Towns” dvd for $2.
10. Tuk Tuk
Traffic laws here are non existent. Stop signs? More like just go and hope the other person stops. Traffic lanes? HAHA yeah right- if you can fit your vehicle between the other car and the wall than do it! Tuk Tuks are especially good at getting from point A to point B without ever needing to use their brakes. It’s especially fun when your Tuk Tuk driver is racing another Tuk Tuk driver. I’m not really sure how these death traps even work- it looks like a tricycle with a tarp over it. However, these death traps are SO fun (and I get excited when we miss the last Chicken Bus run of the day because I know it means a Tuk Tuk ride!).
11. Community Living
I am living in a house with 19 other 18-21 year olds. You could say that it’s just a little bit crazy here at every hour of every day. But I LOVE IT! I’m beyond thankful for the moments of laughter and chaos, the same as I am for the moments of quiet hammocking. I’m constantly surrounded by encouraging, uplifting brothers and sisters in Christ who challenge me to be better than I was before. (Shout out to my family and kiddos back home who taught me how to embrace chaos!)
Dios te Bendiga (God Bless You),
Kelly 🙂
Prayer requests:
-Gus’s family as they still grieve the loss of the daughter and sister.
-My team. That we will focus first on God, and then on each other. Because when we’re focused on God we’re able to pour into each other the way God calls us to.
-VBS. That we’ll have lots of kids show up, and that we’ll be able to connect with them and introduce them to Jesus’ love.
-Our ministry host Luis and his family. They spend so much time serving us and those around them. Please pray that they’ll be able to find rest and peace this week.
-The mudslide victims as they continue to grieve the loss of their home and loved ones.
