Loving life in Guatemala so far! Our whole squad was placed at Agape In Action, a organization based in Quiche, Guatemala. The compound is on the hospital grounds and is across the street from the clinic. The city is pretty far up in the mountains, but we still get a panoramic view of the mountains that surround us. Every day, each team branches off and has their ministry at locations around the city. Some are building a playground, some are volunteering at a day care, others are working in the hospital. My team is working with a local school. We do a small lesson during the morning, and then after the kids are released at 12:30, we start construction. The school has less than 100 kids, and they all seem to really love it there. I think the best part about working with kids is that no matter where you are in the world, a child’s smile is the same in any language.
As for lodging, we have surrendered all comfort of a home, and have pitched our tents outside the compound for the month. I gotta say, tent life is growing on me. For the first couple weeks I had my tent in the dead middle of the pack because (yes, I am admitting this) still totally afraid of the dark. But as the weeks went on, my tent continued to get wet from all the rain and the wet earth underneath. So yesterday, I moved across town (town meaning the town of tents). I love my new neighborhood and the neighbors that surround me. It was a nice change of pace. Although I am now on the edge of the tent town, I think I’ll manage for the next week.
Every day, Pastor David, the head of the school brings us back to his house for lunch. His wife, Loli, cooks an amazing meal and my team gather around their family’s table. We get to share our meal with his two sons, Rene and Julio, and their daughter, Anna Lucia. Rene is in high school and is great with English so it makes meals at their house a little more do-able. Julio goes to the school we work at so during the morning we get to hang out with him, and then he usually sticks around and helps us work at the school. My teammate Mindy and him have become the bestest of friends.
Since being here, I have fallen back in love with simple living. It’s been nice to separate myself from the comforts of America. I think my generation especially grew up with the mentality of immediate gratification. Whether it is connecting on Facebook, watching the news on TV, or simply texting back and forth. Everything is instant. I think I missed the lifestyle I had in Ghana where things took time, and it challenged your patience. I missed being thankful for things like wifi, or hot showers. Getting back in that mind set has been a nice transition and although its been tough, its been so incredibly worth it.
Last weekend our whole squad took a bus down the mountains to Lake Atitlan. We got to spend the whole day walking around looking at shops, eating at cute restaurants, and got to go on a boat ride across the huge lake. The lake is surrounded by volcanoes, so it was absolutely beautiful. It was nice to leave Quiche and see more of Guatemala. When we leave our site on the 30th, we head down to Antigua, which is a hot spot for tourists. I was able to go there last time I was in Guatemala, so I am excited to go back. We will be in Antigua for one night and then we head down to Honduras! I can’t believe that I only have one week left here. Seems as if I just arrived.
It’s been super great having our squad all in the same place for the first month- we have been able to grow and learn from each other and it’s been a nice transition for us all. I think the thought of being gone for 11 months is pretty scary for all of us. Everyone here has something or someone that they have left behind or put on hold. But I think that’s the beauty of it all. I think when you separate yourself from things and people that mean a lot to you, you start to realize the depth of that love. And I think that’s something that I am really thankful for- I get to see just how much the people I left behind mean to me. I get to see those people supporting me and loving me from thousands of miles away. And I couldn’t ask for anything better.
Since being here, I have been reading the book, Love Does (thanks again, Matt!). Since reading it, I have come to experience God on a different level. The author is an amazing writer and incredibly funny. It is a story about Bob Goff’s life’s journey through many stories- some funny and some sad. Through his stories, I have learned a better appreciation for God and for all that He has provided us with. Whether it is hurt, or joy- we grow from both. Love is a way of life and being in this season of my life, I have to depend on love to transform lives that I am coming in contact with. Because if we all stopped to think about what the most powerful emotion we have experienced is, I bet most of us would chose love.
“The thing I love about God is He intentionally guides people into failure. He made us be born as little kids who can’t walk or talk or even use a bathroom correctly. We have to be taught everything. All that learning takes time, and He made us so we are dependent on Him, our parents, and each other. The whole thing is designed so we try again and again until we finally get it right. And the whole time He is endlessly patient.”
So has I enter my last week in Guatemala, I will try and soak up every moment- every challenge and every joy. And I will continue to let love transform lives of the people around me. When you challenge youself to love people the way God loves us, you start to see them not just as people, but as God’s children. And that’s a pretty great feeling. Excited to see what the rest of the month has in store for me!
