Hello all, we’re in Nicaragua this month, serving with Canto Nuevo (“New Song”) Nicaragua in the town of Chichigalpa. More updates will come, but for now, in honor of #tbt (“throwback Thursday”), we’ll head back to Guatemala so that I can introduce you to my friend Olivia.
During our month of ministry in Xenacoj and the surrounding towns, one of our main projects was ministering to the widows. To be a poor,widowed woman, of indigenous descent, is to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy, with little expectation of a support network. Many days of the week, we would spend time in one of our neighborhoods, visiting widows to hear their story, to invite them to join us for Saturday service, to check on their health, and to give them a modest gift of corn, which is the main staple of food.
Our second week, we had our first Widow Reunion, where we had invited all the widows we had met in Xenacoj to join us for coffee and sweet bread while our contact, German, would present a devotional message and several of us would lead worship. We were a flurry of activity as a Squad, preparing our patio for the meeting. I decided to post up at our front gate and be the doorman for the party – help the elderly women step from the street to the property, help them in the gate, and welcome them to the gathering.
As the time for the meeting arrived, I realized we only had maybe 6 or 7 guests. We had invited many, many more, but rather than be disappointed, I thanked the Lord for the 7 who came and for the opportunity to serve them. I then noticed a couple of women walking quietly up the street, a slow trickle that turned in to a packed house of 60 guests on our small patio! Each of the women were dressed in their best attire and while some were shy, they were joyful to meet us all.
And this leads to Olivia. She was one of the smaller of the widows, but the light in her big smile and her eager “Buenas tardes” to us, along with big hugs, instantly won our hearts. I wanted to talk with her more, but there were so many people, I didn’t have a chance to send her off at the end.
A few days later, on our day off, we hopped on the public bus to Antigua. As we sat, waiting for the bus to start, who walks on, but my new friend Olivia! We recognized each other immediately and I asked my bus seat buddy to move over so I could chat with Olivia. Olivia and I ended up sitting next to each other and we got to talk for the whole bus ride. I found out that she goes to Antigua nearly every Saturday to sell her handmade goods and I learned about her grown children as well. When the ticket-taker stopped by our seat, I took the opportunity to treat Olivia and buy her ticket for the day. She was so overjoyed!
Again, our paths divided too quickly at the end of the trip, and I didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye. However, wouldn’t you know it, the following Saturday, she forewent her weekly Antigua trip to come to our last gathering of the month. This time, she also invited her niece, also a widow, to join her. I finally got to take my photo with Olivia and send her off with a bunch of big hugs.
(I’m also on my knees in this photo!)
Please continue to pray for Olivia and the other widows of Guatemala. Pray for GO! Ministries’ continued work in the mountains, opening up relational pathways to care for the lonely and forgotten and to share the love and Gospel of Jesus with them all. I absolutely loved our time in Guatemala caring for the indigenous widows and orphans while learning about their culture and history.
For fun – more things becoming normal:
– Drunk men passed out on sidewalks in Xenacoj (not fun, but becoming a normal sight)
– Being greeted by everyone, in broken English, like “Good Night!” at 1 o’clock in the afternoon!
– Beans and rice, rice and beans, beans, rice.
– Really loud motorcycles, trucks, dirt bikes at all hours of the day and night.
