I struggle with what to write for my time here in Guatemala. Life here is more than crazy. During my first week, here I visited 3 villages one in which had never seen white people. I went to a wake and a funeral for someone I didn’t know. I made tortillas. I slept on cider blocks with a pallet on top. I sat on my rooftop with a fire to keep me warm. I ate too many beans to count. I wandered town aimlessly in search for hot sauce. I feed children breakfast at 2 different schools. I ran around and participated in gym class and recess. I got to take a warm shower for the first time in a month. I visited a widow and heard about some of her life. All of that in a weeks time. Pretty crazy right?
Here I am now in a hostel for the weekend trying to figure out what story to tell. Do I tell you about little Ceasar who may not get dinner tonight but instead spent 1Q to buy cucumbers so I could try them? Do I tell you about German, our host, who is a breath of fresh air to all Christians a like? Do I tell you about cooking food for hours because feeding 30 people in a tiny kitchen takes forever? Do I tell you about how my “toilet” that leeks sewage every time I use it? Do I tell you about how I am writing a plan about how to help the special needs children here? Instead I am going to try to explain what happened on top of the mountain my 2nd day here.
So about 15 of us pile into a van to head out to a village. I have expectations of what the village will look like; tin homes, children running amuck and beautiful Guatemalan women living their lives. After a jarring ride there we stop the van and get out. My expectations are correct. Tin homes with dirty children running into the arms of gringos, beautiful Guatemala women cooking, cleaning and carrying babies on their backs. For me that is what magnificence looks like. When you look into the eyes of these children I see a future. When they laugh, I laugh back and in that moment I pray that these children never lose their humor. I pray these children never grow up. I pray they laugh without fear of the future. I pray that they learn and have opportunities to become someone. I pray that they find love in all the right places. I love these kids for I see potential for them.
We are just in the village for a few minutes to meet the people and hang out before we go to the next village. Dave, our contact, wants to show us this land he wants to buy. So we head down the dirt road and find this piece of land he wants. The land is on top of this mountain and we have a view of a lot of Guatemala. Its breath taking to say the least. Then the chief or “Hefe” comes and he talks to us. Dave tells him he wants to buy the land. The conversation goes on and while I do not get most of it what I do understand is that “Hefe” does not want Dave to get taken advantage of in the deal. Did you hear what I just said? Did you see what I just wrote? How crazy is that? In a deal that would potentially make a Guatemala a few extra dollars, the chief doesn’t want someone to get taken advantage of. He is protecting Dave since Dave hopes to partner with this village. Its amazing the love that Guatemalans have for anyone.
We walk back up the mountain because the van can’t make it up with people in it and at the top we hop it to drive to a next village. Something big happened on that mountain and I cannot wait to see what comes of it.
So that’s a little piece of my life here in Guatemala. Get ready for my next blog because its in the making. Promise I won’t make you wait so long next time.
All my love,
Mols
