Goodbye, Guatemala

The last week in Guatemala was a flurry of activity.  I took three 4-hour Spanish courses to practice the tongue and continue exposure to grammar while I had the opportunity to practice it (I was working on the imperfect subjunctive) and had the privilege of meeting with a variety of friends during the week.  Here are a few pic highlights:

 I traveled to Patzun with Aura, one of the nannies, on All Saints' Day (November 1).  The tradition is to decorate the tombs of loved ones.  Some who still hold to traditional Catholic beliefs leave food and drink (often Coca-Cola) for the souls of their loved ones, whom they believe will return to partake of the food.  Wandering around the cemetery with Aura, we saw a group of musicians serenading their family member's tomb, families picnicking, families mourning, families flying kites.  Like the houses, the tombs are often painted bright colors.  Aura's family, as evangelicals, do not believe that her mother's soul will return and thus decorate the tomb to honor her memory.

The other tradition on All Saints' Day is to build and fly humungous kites.  Traditionally, the belief was that the kites carried requests and whatnot to the saints above, but many now participate in the kite-flying as recreation, building kites with their families, friends, or other groups.  Here, this one is as tall as a man; in Sumpango--the heart of kite-flying--I hear kites can be several stories tall.

 Kites aloft!  I think they look like jellyfish floating in the air.

 Me and Aura.

 Aura's sister gave me another lesson in tortilla-making.  Here, we are in Aura's family's kitchen--notice cement block walls and the wood-burning stove.  I enjoyed talking with her sister because, as a public school teacher, she was able to explain her thinking regarding public education and the teacher strikes and school needs she faces.

 Enjoyed a super nice good-bye lunch out with the English family.

 The teachers hosted a Lunada of sorts for me--an evening meal.  Johana oversaw it and asked them to bring all my favorite Guatemalan foods--chiles rellenos, rellenitos, atol de elote, and a few other yummy treats.

Hermana Miriam, one of the nannies, invited me to her house for lunch.

 

 

 

 I hosted a tea for these ladies the day before I left.  I wanted to give them a time to relax and fellowship.  In my opinion, Guatemalan women are some of the hardest working women around.  The women here are all mothers (except me, of course) and all serve in ministry in some capacity.

The kids threw together a little going away party for me with yummy tostados and all.

I flew out on Sunday, November 6, and returned to Ohio to stay with my family.  I am thankful for the opportunity to live in Guatemala for the past 16 months.  As I've contemplated what to tell people about this experience, two things have occurred to me.  One is that it can be challenging to know what to share because it became life as normal.  Different from here, of course, but still, life.  (Kind of like when I moved to Kentucky and people questioned, What's it like down there? Do they speak English?  Do they wear shoes?)  Of course, I am glad to tell people about life as normal, or life from my perspective, but I'll take it as my cue that I'm giving too many details if I notice eyes glazing over. :)   

However, I have also realized that I have a unique opportunity to share with people the faith of those I lived beside and served with.  I read the passage in Exodus last week where Moses shares with Jethro, his father-in-law, everything God did to rescue the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.  Jethro, of course, wasn't with him.  But his response?  He built an altar to the Lord and worshiped him, saying that truly God was the God of all gods.  It is my hope that when I have an opportunity to share with others, my focus will not get trapped in the daily living side but will instead focus on obedience to Christ lived out through ordinary people who are choosing to serve God in their daily lives in Guatemala, leading all of us to the conclusion that our response, too, is to worship God for his greatness.

Let's Go Marketing

Got to take the three oldest girls to the market today. It was a whirlwind trip to buy fruit to makes smoothies for Pam and Steve and family's return from the States.  Yaquelin is showing experience in marketing--she knew where to get the best prices.  Somehow that market smell of raw meet seems to linger in my nostrils much longer than I would desire it to.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to have lunch with three guys from my Spanish school.  They are preparing for their mission in Mexico.  It was encouraging to hear their stories and see their enthusiasm for sharing Jesus with whomever they meet.

Last night we had Mystery Dinner night here at La Senda.  The kids had a blast sharing their riddles and trying to solve a couple of cases.  We also had Sudoku, 20 Questions, and Mafia (lightened a little to just be robberies instead of murders).  While the dinner was fairly normal (beans, rice, and atol, with the addition of chocolate cake), we added a secret ingredient to each dish.  The kids had to guess what it was.  Gerson got the most correct.  (Answers? beans--ginger; rice--cinnamon; atol--vanilla; chocolate cake--apples)