"Darcie" is just kinda hard to say for Spanish speakers. All my life people have gotten my name wrong. It's no big deal… I totally get it. I mean, it isn't too common of a name — especially the way I spell it. Countless baristas have informed Dorothy and Dorsey that their coffee is ready. No sweat, I'm used to it. However, after 22 years of mistaken names, this month I got a new one. It's Daisy, and I love it.
Our first day, we met the whole hospital janitorial and maintenance crew. As one of the three people on the team that's pretty good at Spanish, it was important for them to know my name. After introducing myself Rito, our new boss, shook my hand said, "Mucho gusto, Daisy!". Yep, there it was. Daisy. Since that moment, I've embraced my new name. Rito has been a joy from the start. I mean it — he's the man. THE man. He was my Guatemala experience.
The lessons he inadvertently taught me and the good times we had together were the primary ways The Lord wanted to bless me in Quich. Because he was such a huge part of my month, I'm just going to make a Top 11 List for Rito Ruiz. Fair warning: I'm probably going to be long-winded, because the man is just plain worth it. Feel free to stop reading here if you just want to know the bottom line without the juice: Rito's the man & I'm very thankful for him.
11. The first thing you'll notice about him is his killer smile. You'd think his impressive mustache would overshadow it, but no. Somehow the two share the spotlight nicely.
10. Second thing you'll notice? His giggle. Gosh, it's pure gold. When he tells a joke, his eyes get all squinty and he automatically follows it up with this high-pitched, boyish giggle. When someone genuinely makes him laugh, he'll bust it out too.
9. After our first day of work, Rito pulled me aside and told me that he could tell everything we were doing was for the God's glory & he appreciated it. He's not associated with our ministry in any way, but is a man of admirable and contagious faith. I knew that we were off to a good start when he went out of his way to tell me this on the first day.
8. Our first job with Rito was washing floor-to-ceiling windows inside the hospital. He handed us a hose, a broom and some soap. Um, what? We're indoors, bro. He told us to hose everything down, put soap on the broom, scrub, then rinse the suds off with the hose again. Yep, a full-powered hose going off in the middle of a hospital. The amount of water just chillin' in the hallway was completely hilarious. We couldn't believe this was standard operating procedure. Regardless of what we thought, Rito told us we did everything wonderfully. The windows were squeaky clean — the Guatemalan way.
7. He always has time to talk. Work was secondary to him. Many US Americans might mistake that as a poor work ethic, but the reality was that Rito cared about putting his all into relationships. He'd ask about home, check up on how our month was going, teach us things from his past and fill us in on Guatemalan dos and don'ts. Always willing to listen, always willing to speak.
6. One day, To Rito taught me and two squad mates how to wax the floor with one of those big mechanical buffers. It seems so easy in the cartoons; I was excited to have a relaxed day of making floors shiny. Wrong. Dead stinking wrong. These are not machines, but animals. Mean, wild animals with minds of their own. I can't tell you how many times we ran these buffers into the wall. It was a mix of extreme hilarity and frustration. Rito, not phased by our struggle, was getting the biggest kick out of it. By the end of the day we finally got his stamp of approval & got those floors looking nice with relative ease.
5. I got really dehydrated one day late in the month and couldn't go to ministry. Totally my fault. He came to our camping site to find me in my hammock. He told me I looked like a sick kitten all bundled up. Aw, thanks, Rito. He stood by me, swung me, kept me company, and told me everything I should to do feel better. Rito introduced me to his pal that stopped by as his most cherished friend. I told him that's a two-way street.
4. Rito invited our team to church with him each weekend. He walked across town just to walk us back over his way on Sunday morning. It was awesome to see how his community of Guatemalans did church and life together. 2 sermons? 2 worship sessions? 3 1/2 hour service? "Aaaaaamen!"
3. Rito wanted to make sure we had the best experience possible in Quich. He took us to and told us about hidden gems across town. The best one? Burger of The Lord. One of his friends has a burger stand going on 20 years strong, but it's on the down low. He puts 5 kinds of meat on these babies… the small ones. The big ones have 7. Go, Guatemala, go.
2. In our first week, Rito pulled me aside from buffing floors to chat and ended up sharing his testimony with me. Even though I had a hunch before, that's when I actually found out he was a Christian. Long story short: he was born and raised in Quich with a noticeable limp.
In his teenage years he launched a professional career in boxing. He started getting recognized and famous for it – even invited on the olympic team. I got to see the actual framed invitation at his home. It's awesome! His dad and all of his brothers were alcoholics. Despite his small-scale fame and success with boxing, he turned to solutions from alcohol to cocaine to fulfill the purpose for his life.
He lost most everything. He compared himself to the prodigal son. God got a hold of him when he hit rock bottom. Ever since, he says he's been on fire for The Lord. He is so sure in his identity as a Christian. It's a genuinely beautiful thing to see.
1. The best thing about Rito Ruiz? He gives without taking. He gives without caring about his reputation or pride. He gives without expecting. He's pretty stinking poor, and he gives in so many aspects of his life. His thoughtful nature and God-given generosity combine to make him an incredible, incredible friend.
Giving without worrying about pride. Now that's something. Something not in my nature. Without knowing it, he encouraged me to pour out what I have: time, affection, attention, words of encouragement… whatever it may be, into bonds new and old. I don't need to doubt my giving when don't receive in return — even if it means giving up my cool kid card. In relationships this is hard for me. Doing hard things is good, though, he taught me.
Saying goodbye wasn't fun, but he made a new email account to keep up, so I've got high hopes for my new pen pal.
Cheers to hoses, 7-meat burgers, and killer mustaches,
Daisy
