Its been quite an interesting month. From what I read in other racers blogs, the best piece of advice seemed to be “drop all expectations.” With that in mind, I was able to make the best of my first crazy month. Just an overview/highlight of a few of our experiences and what we did:
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We stayed in Santa Cruz del Quiche, in our tents, in the hospital compound. It rained every night and most afternoons. A flooded, muddy tent was my new norm and I certainly had to “choose joy” in the midst of this and the frigid mountain nights.
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We were all together as a squad this month- all 60 of us! It was great, yet stressful and intense at the same time. We had some amazing squad times and worship times together, but it was hard to share 3 showers and 3 toilets with 45 girls. I'm looking forward to next month with just Team Fire Starters. It will be great for team bonding and to get to know one another more personally.
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My team's ministry this month was very different from what other teams were doing. We also had to choose joy in this. We were in search of the Unsung Heroes of Guatemala as well as seeking to develop new partnerships with pastors, churches or other Christian organizations to build our contact base. The hope is to send future World Race squads to places they are able to serve the poorest of the poor.
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Because of our ministry this month, I got to travel to many places around the country, including Antigua, Coban, Chahal, Guatemala City and Rosario Rio Hondo. It was great to see more of this beautiful country, meet people who are also doing Kingdom work and just have some fun with our contacts!
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Our whole squad (minus team leaders) took a weekend retreat to a beautiful resort like hostel at Lake Atitlan. This was an amazing weekend of rest, relaxation, bonding with squadmates and worship time. One night, a few of us went down to the dock and sang worship songs as we overlooked the beautiful night sky, volcanoes and the lake.
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I ate the most amazing tacos in my life!! Even though we were initially warned about eating food from the street vendors, by week 3, I was brave enough to try it. These tacos are nothing like tacos in America. These magical Guatemalan delicacies come with 6 tortillas, shredded chicken, sauteed onions, Hispanic coleslaw stuff and hot sauce. So delicious!!
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I really got to bond with my team this month and we would all agree that the “honeymoon” phase of our relationship is over. We are all being real with each other and learning what it looks like to live in community and truly love one another well. I feel like I am married to all 6 of them already!
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I've been frustrated with the language barrier. Although I have regained many Spanish skills in the past few weeks, I am not where I want to be. I can understand most of what people say to me and am able to carry on a simple conversation, but I suppose I need to realize that these things take time. With that being said, my goal for the next 2 months while in Spanish-speaking counties is to continue to work on my Spanish to get back to a comfortable, conversational level.
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The people here are so friendly and genuine! The unsung heroes project has given me the opportunity to meet so many people and hear about their hearts for bringing the love of Christ to their country. They are so thankful for everything they have, even if it is very little. Through watching them, I have been challenged to examine the attitude of my heart and to truly be thankful.
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Guatemala has captured my heart. I am in love with the culture, the people, the beautiful countryside and cute little barrios. People like Marco & Clara, Felipe, Rudy, Ricardo and so many more have shown me what it looks like to live the life Jesus has called us to live. Although they have little, they have given so much and I believe will reap eternal rewards for what they are doing here and now.
I wish I had time to share all the stories, the good times and bad, but those are just the highlights. Fortunately, I am keeping a handy dandy journal with all my day to day experiences and happenings. I do hope to write a “top 10” blog from each country, just to give a little glimpse of what I've been doing, feeling and experiencing, in hopes that the people, culture and country will come alive and capture your hearts in the same way they have captured mine.
