When you travel, you experience new things. It sort of goes without saying. The first month and a half of the World Race has been full of new experiences, and I have throughly enjoyed them. But it was exciting when, here in Guatemala, I got a taste of familiarity. My ministry this month is helping out in a local middle school. I love midschoolers and I couldn’t wait to meet them. And it turned out, I got to be part of a new experience for them as well.
It was my fourth day at the school, and I was painting a classroom, when I heard some commotion behind me. It was a group of female students, who seemed to be nervously discussing something among themselves. I thought little of it and continued painting. But soon, they came up to me, and one asked if she could touch my hair. It was an odd request, but I realized they may not have seen blonde hair in person before, so I agreed. Word got around pretty fast that this was happening, and soon I had a line of students waiting to mess with my hair. It was a strange experience, but it fits with the theme I’ve seen throughout this journey so far: God can use the most mundane things (like hair) to make an impact and minister to people. So yes, letting people play with my hair was a ministry this week. That’s a first for me.
Some other firsts from this month:
Coffee Shops: I don’t often go to coffee shops, but in the absence of Wi-Fi where we’re staying, it’s been necessary to go several times. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but the cafe we found has some killer hot chocolate and crepes.
Food: We tried a traditional Guatemalan food which is basically green beans coated in egg with a spicy sauce. Green beans aren’t my thing, but these were good.
Housing: I’ll admit it. My squad has been blessed to stay in a nice house this month. But the “new experience” part comes in because there are 25 of us living under one roof for the month. (Pro tip: If you’re ever tempted to try this, make sure you like the other 24 people as much as I like my squad.)
So that’s that for now. I can’t wait to tell you more about what God is doing in Guatemala.
Dios te bendiga, amigos.
