I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Jeremiah 31:3
This month is an all squad month, that means that all 55 of us are staying at Agape in Action in Quiche, Guatemala. We divide into teams to reach different ministries during the day but come back together at night. It forces us to be intentional about growing in our individual teams but allows us to grow as a bigger body and form relationships with the extended family of K Squad.
My team, Fiercely Rooted, is working at a senior center this month. We do whatever they need to help them run more smoothly. We have cleaned walls and made bus tickets, we prepare serve and clean up breakfast and lunch, and learn how to weave palm leaves. At first I struggled with feeling like there was more we could be doing but it has been such a blessing to see how the slow pace and down time has allowed us to invest in each other and those that we’re working with. No one at our ministry speaks English and none of us speak Spanish very well, it was intimidating at first but it has been really cool to learn from each other and joy to figure out how to communicate in other ways.
We got the chance to celebrate the Guatemalan Independence Day with them, they broke open a pinata and dove for the candy that fell as if they wed 6 years old. The joy they had in that moment was infectious. At 80-something years old they have such life in their eyes, and the way they greet us each morning is truly heart warming!
Memorable moments:
1. Repelling off the side of a fire station so that we could paint it.
2. Playing soccer and breaking open a pinata with men and women easily in their 80s
3. Walking by protesters in the city center and then being called home early from ministry the next day because more people were gathering throughout the city.
4. On our first weekend off, a group of us went to Lake Atitlan. The hostel we were in had an amazing view of three volcanoes.
Sights:
-the 55 members of K Squad
-the seniors of The Golden Years Senior Center
-rain (it rains here everyday)
-beautiful mountains/volcanoes
-horses on the other side of the fence from where we live
-dogs everywhere, I really wish I could pet them!
-road construction
-tuk tuks
Smells:
-weird smelling clothes (we haven’t gotten the hang of handwashing yet)
-tortillas
-palm leaves (they’re used to weave baskets and hats)
-crisp air
-fresh bread
Taste:
-coke from glass bottles
-coffee
-eggs
-frozen bananas
-crepes
Sounds:
-Spanish music
-55 people talking and laughing
-spanish and quiche
-horns honking
-tents zipping up
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Psalm 84:2
Discovery:
They tell us to go into the race with no expectations, I thought I did that, I was wrong. Everything about being here is different than what I expected. The day-to-day, challenges, victories, and community…it’s all different. The new normal is not having a normal. The challenges are different and harder than I expected, but the victories bring so much more joy and promise. The all squad month with my family of 7 and extended family of 55 is nothing like I imagined. I quickly found people that I can seek advice from, that are ready to listen, will sit in silence with me, and that trust me with their hearts- and what a blessing that has been!
