For those of you who haven’t heard from me and are worried about my personal safety: I made it! We’re in Guatemala! We actually have it very good this month. Bunk beds, warm showers and very sweet hosts. We’ll be working with kids in a school and doing some manual labor for the duration of our stay.
The internal situation: Since this is our first country and first week, people keep asking questions about what I want to get out of this experience. This is some of what I’ve come up with…
- I want to learn to speak the language of children. I’ve heard it’s not as hard as I’m anticipating.
- I want to maintain a deep sense of awe with my surroundings, circumstances and with God.
- I want to tear down the fence I’ve built to protect myself because I’ve put Jesus on the wrong side of it. I want to have confidence in my relationship with God.
The external situation: Yesterday we rode an extremely crowded chicken bus. Many people crossed into my personal space and then crossed into another level of personal space that lies just beyond that. It was wonderful. It was like some strange kind of acceptance. Imagine 70 people on a school bus decorated with bright paint and lights that flash around a picture of the Virgin Mary painted in front of the driver to the beat of loud reggaetone music. Welcome to the chicken bus. That’s when I realized I’m about to fall in love with so many people.
Also, the view from my bed directly faces an active volcano.
I’ll keep you all posted as I figure out what it means to be on the World Race.
