Talk a walk with me.
We’re in the little town of Xenacoj (Shen-ah-coh), Guatemala. The population consists of Guatemalans whose ancestry is found in the Mayan civilization. They are looked down upon by their European-descended countrymen. They are people who work hard every single day to bring in the bare minimum of what they need to provide for their families.
If you walk (wheeze) your way up the mountain road, you’ll turn around and see mountains and volcanoes towering in the distance. There are big cities like the capital, Guatemala City, and the tourist hub of Antigua only a forty-minute drive away. But Xenacoj, little Xenacoj, is tucked safely in a little valley 7,000 feet up in the mountains. It is the land of eternal spring. It’s home.
Home to 200 widows whose husbands have been taken by illness, accidents and murder. These women are as old as 80 something and as young as twenty something. They are mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers. They are fighters, workers and they all have a fire in their eyes. This fire says, “I want to live. I want to survive. I want to overcome the tragedy that I’ve experienced. I want to thrive.”
The Joy Bombs and I have been visiting these women in the afternoons. They welcome us into their homes and insist we sit, and many of them are eager to show us their kitchens or their weaving. Many of them won’t look us in the eye, beaten down by life and loneliness. Some smile without reservation, and some we have to coax out of their shell. One thing these ladies have in common is that at one point they had a vision of what their lives would look like and they were robbed of those dreams with the deaths of their husbands. They have aged rapidly, and while most of them seem frail, there is an unspoken strength deep in their bones.
What would you do? You’re a woman in a patriarchal society. You have between three and ten kids and your sole responsibility is to raise the children and keep the home. You might even have another baby on the way. One day you receive the news that your husband, the sole breadwinner and political voice of the household, is gone—he’s dead. What would you do? Would you cave beneath the pressure of the responsibility you now have? Would you be able to stand up, grieve, and make the decision to do whatever it takes to keep living?
I have so much respect for these ladies. They make something within me stir: compassion, heartache, joy, etc. Mostly I think it’s the Holy Spirit who dwells within me reaching out for these women whom the Lord holds a special place in His heart for. My heart is breaking and growing for them with every house we step into.
I will only be able to call Xenacoj my home for the next three weeks, whilst these women are here until the end. They need to be seen, they need to be heard, they need to be helped, and most of all they need to be told how precious and perfect and incredible and loved and desired by the Father of the universe they are.
So will you take a walk with me? Walk with me through this month and intercede for the widows of Xenacoj. They have been tested to their breaking point, and yet they live. They live some of the hardest lives I’ve ever had the honor of coming in contact with, but the point is that they live and they live for the King of Kings.
Take a walk with me. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when you intend to bless them and they end up touching your heart and soul.
Alberta: She has one son who is unmarried and takes care of her. She has pneumonia.
Perez Family: Lost their mother/wife ten months ago. There are six children.
Sierica: 77 years old. She has three sons, one stays with her.
Natalia: She has six children, but five have passed away. She has one daughter left, and weaves for a living.
Natalia: 78 years old. She has three kids, five grandkids and five great-grandkids. She weaves, but she has a poor immune system and stomach pain.
Victorina: She has seven children and fifteen grandchildren. She suffers from stomachaches and gastritis.
Edwarda: 75 years old and has 10 children. She can’t see well and suffers from 7 different illnesses.
Guadaloupe: She doesn’t hear well, and makes her living weaving. She lives with her daughter.
Maria: Only 40 years old. She weaves for a living. She has foot pain and gets cold very easily.
Linda: 31 years old. She has five children: Aura, Alex, Juan Carlo, Juan Gabriel and Adolfo. We moved them out of their home and into a new one that is larger and has electricity. We spent some good time with them and were able to really encourage them and pray over them.
It takes forever to upload photos, so if you would like to see pictures, you’ll find them in the “Month One:Guatemala” album on my Facebook page.
Love,
Taylor
