So the world
race is supposed to be 11 countries in 11 months.. but since O squad left in
the middle of the month as opposed to the beginning, we’ve been playing catch
up this whole year to try and reconcile the months with the dates. Seems like
we played catch up so well we got an extra country.
Extra
blessing for us, we get to hang out in Guatemala to finish up our race, and one
of the coolest parts about this, is that we’re here in Antigua for Semana Santa or “Holy Week”. . . the
week of Easter.
begin to explain what goes on here during this week. Starting on Palm Sunday
the people begin to participate in “Processions” or Parades, where they carry
around giant coffin like boxes that bear many images of the crucifixion or Mary
or the Saints. People create “Afromba” on the streets, which are delicately
intricate carpets made of colored sawdust or vegetables or branches.
carpets line the streets of Antigua, and some take hours to complete. . . only
to be destroyed by the Cucuruchos or the carriers of the coffins. The Cucuruchos
wear purple robes and walk around
the city ALL DAY, regardless of whether they are carrying the coffins or not.
The smell of incense is thick in the air, overwhelming at times, and the colors are overpowering, not to mention
the amount of people who come to spectate.
first got to Antigua, we were informed that Holy Week was going to be something
to behold, and that has held true. At first, I didn’t really know what to
think, because we were told the Cucuruchos have to pay the church to
participate, and it is a type of penance to carry in the processions. The
coffins weigh nearly 2,000 – 3,000 pounds. They aren’t light. You can see it in
the faces of the people who are carrying it. This isn’t a cake walk. They have
parades for the men, the women, and even a parade for the children.
this, at first, brought judgment to my mind. These people are doing this to pay
for their sins, (which we Evangelical Christians are so quick to point out) are
already PAID for. BP and I really wanted to walk around with a sign for awhile
that says: “GRACE IS FREE!” (You can read her blog about it here: http://brittanypriess.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-triumphant-procession … I love this girl.)
However,
after having a close encounter with one of the processions, (which is easy to
do, since they travel all around the city, it’s hard sometimes to NOT run into
them) I had a bit of a change of heart.
Jenny, B Jax
and I heard a procession down the street one night, so we decided to try and
head it off to see if we could get up close. Well, we were successful. Behind
The Pomp and Circumstance of the processions is hundreds of years of culture
and meaning. We may laugh at the idea of having to pay for sins, but something
runs deeper here, for these people. This is something the people of Antigua
take seriously, and taking a second glance, I realized so should I. In America,
we MAYBE go to a sunrise service on Sunday, and if we’re lucky to attend a hipster
church, we may have a really cool Good Friday night service. These people put
MONTHS of preparation into this, and honestly, why shouldn’t they?
Regardless
of the way they see their sins, this is something the Guatemalans do to honor
God and His sacrifice for us. It is an honor for them to carry in the parades.
It is an honor for the families to create the carpets that are merely going to
be destroyed by hundreds of feet.
In a way, it
reminds me of how fleeting our lives are. This year went by so fast, and as I’m
sitting here watching the beautiful carpets being trampled underfoot, I hear
God say, “Kirsten, man is a glorious thing that was created for beauty, but it
is a fleeting glory.” Yet the Word of our Lord stands forever.
We may not
live forever, yet, we were meant to last forever. This year, this World Race
year, that somehow is ending in our 12th country, is a brief
reminder of how life is supposed to
be lived. In community, in love, in the constant pursuit of people who are
lonely and hurting and lost in their own desires. People who need to know that
Grace is Free, Love is Real, and Healing is Here.
Let me never
forget that. God allowed us a 12th country to teach me about the
fullness of his redemption. To show me what I was created for. To show me the
prize I’ve been running for.
This part of
my life, this season, may be over. This race has been run, but it is a mere
shadow of the Great Race, the one called Life, that I am continuing to run.
Life doesn’t end because this trip is over, if anything, it has only just
begun.
