(Blog written on July 25th while in Antigua, Guatemala)
(Currently we are in Panajachel, Guatemala)
Antigua comes alive and on the inside something stirs. The night life drives much of this city’s soul. As an outsider the pulse is intriguing. As I walk along the cobblestones skip by skip, step by step, the stirring continues. Would I sense this rhythm within myself if I were not in the midst of such life? Feeling the sounds of salsa clubs travel through you til they reach their end, from the streets to the towering Volcanoes, something calls out what is stirring inside. It creates contrast and forces introspection.
The timing could not be more perfect. As the first month of the race comes to an end, debrief is what brings us all to this wonderful city. Our squad is together for five days and the main objective is to process the month.
What does that look like? How do I process a month? Do I list what was done, task by task? Do I focus on the things that cut me? Do I converse on philosophies I witnessed in action? Do I dwell on my thoughts and get lost in the importance of what I think? I’m beginning to feel like that song from RENT…
“Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, how do you measure, measure a year…”
I went into this race with an expectation that things would not be easy, but I was blinded to what those things would really be. At first thought I prepared myself for cold showers, long bus rides, and strange food, but in the end it was something altogether different that I found myself tripping over.
We began our trip in Palenque, Mexico and one week in plans changed. Three teams (my team included) would be moving to small villages outside the Palenque area. For two weeks I began the learning process. I have been that of a dull sword and the people around me have been the sharpening tools (I’ll give Seth credit for that visual). Living in close quarters to people I hardly know provided a classroom for learning. And one month in class is still in session. We are learning each other. Discovering how we are all wired so differently is in itself a process that requires grace and patience. How do we view those closest to us? Do we see them merely as those we love? Are we content with relationships based out of comfortable boundaries? What is a comfortable boundary?
One month in, I can easily measure the amount of good things I have done based out of service, but that measuring stick is easy and polished and plastic. To measure this month based on the contact I have encountered with the people God has placed around me, now that measuring stick is painful and rugged and splintered.
