I’ve turned into an early bird. This morning my alarm was set for 5:50am. I had some reading time and was out of bed by 6:10. Our host picked us up at around 7:15 and the Joy Bombs were ready to start our day.
Every morning for about a week we’ve been getting up early and going to schools in the morning to serve breakfast. Most of these kids would not get to eat in the mornings otherwise, and for some of them this small plate of rice and beans might be the best meal they get each day.
We’ve been serving at a small public school called El Esfuerzo, and today we started serving at another school called El Calvario, which is a bigger and more developed building, so only the neediest 20% of children get breakfast here.
Next week we’re going to start serving breakfast at a school in a small town called San Antonio, which is about 25 minutes from our location. Yesterday our host drove us up to San Antonio so we could get a glimpse of the town and the school. As soon as we drove up the bumpy dirt road and into the forgotten town, my heart sank. The moment we opened the door of the van and stepped out onto the street, we were greeted by smells of all kinds, pigs on the street, children who have not bathed in weeks, and the usual amount of stray dogs (quite possibly better-fed that the people who live there). The school has a total of two classrooms for all of 1st-6th grade, and about two teachers for all those grades as well. Some children don’t wear shoes, some toddlers come to school with their older siblings because their parents have to work and are not home, other students run out the open gate across the tiny dirt road to their houses in the middle of the day, the children wear clothes that are torn, and have dirt on their bodies due to the lack of hygiene. Part of our team started playing soccer with them during break, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how happy and full of energy these kids were despite the conditions of poverty that they live in.
These few weeks in Guatemala have been a reminder that we don’t need much in life to be happy. Every World Racer who is on the field right now has packed an entire year into a backpack, and most of us have realized how much we are already willing to give up. Because we don’t need much. There is a saying that goes “Some people are so poor, all they have is money,” and I think there is a lot of truth in that. The kids in Xenacoj laugh and play and joke around with us in the park, they run out to say “HOLA” or “HELLO” to us as we walk by, they bang on our door so we can take pictures with them, they smile and laugh and tell us about their school, their siblings, their family, and their dog(s). They are laughing and playing just like any other child around the world, regardless of how much food they get to eat that morning or what clothes they wear.
A lot of these children have to help support their families as well. Many like Diego (whom I mentioned in my previous blog) have to help take care of their younger siblings if their parents are unavailable to do so, but they are still children. They still long to play in the park, to kick a soccer ball around, to eat ice cream from the corner shop, to swing around on a homemade swing, to chase the dogs, and to run around the streets.
I think God wants us to be that way too. I think He wants us to be able to live life like the children of Xenacoj, and run around rejoicing despite the hardships that come our way. To praise and trust Him in the midst of our troubles and know that Heaven is closer than we think, and in Heaven there will be no sorrow. To place our hope and our trust in Him and in Heaven, to laugh at adversity, and to let the joy shine through.
Love,
Raquel
If you would like to support me so I can continue on the World Race until November, please click the link above that says “Support Me!,” or send a check payable to “Adventures In Missions,” to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta GA 30374 (be sure to write Appealed by StewartRaquel on the memo line so it gets credited to my account!!).
