HELP with your VOTE

Last post you read about our new Fair Trade business, called Las Casas.

Now you have a chance to help immediately!  All you have to do is VOTE.  We're entered in a GOOD Maker Challenge, where the idea that receives the most public votes wins a $2,500 grant!!!

Check it out AND Vote here...vote using your FB account or sign up for a GOOD account. THANK YOU...

Plug for Fair Trade

In the last post Jenny gave a plug mention to Las Casas, which is our new Fair Trade business venture in hopes of maintaining long-term relationships and impact in Guatemala.

*fyi, when opening the webpage in a browser it is recommended not to use Internet Explorer (for some reason, IE is not compatible with many websites)

Why the name Las Casas?  Well, for those of you who speak Spanish, 'las casas' is translated to 'homes', but the real meaning behind the name is in recognition of Bartolome de Las Casas.  Bartolome was a Spanish voyager with Columbus to the New World and exemplifies reconciliation.  Bartolome was once an oppressor, but transformed into the 'Defender of the Indians'.  Read more about him, and our founding here.

So the run-down on the business' mission is to MAKE LIFE FAIR.  We realize that there will always be injustice in the world, and the whole world will never be fair, but we KNOW on an individual level that we can be.  You can be.  We want to be intentional about living fairly.  And as a business, we seek to advocate for the oppressed.  We'll be providing indigenous Maya artisans with a consistent income so they can be empowered as leaders in their community and place their families on a direct path outside of poverty.

There are many ways you can get involved with this business venture.

1) Shop: support fair trade artisans

2) Donate: read about the CAUSE here

3) Host a Party: bring your friends together for a buying spree

4) Spread the Word: we're on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube

bringin Guate back...

It's been almost 2 months since we left Guatemala and I'm going through withdrawal. So we've made a few attempts at bringing some of it back...

First we tried to make pupusas. I know, I know, they are really from El Salvador, but we ate them every Friday night in Guate and grew to crave them in no time. There are several women on the street who sell them, and at about 25 cents each you can't go wrong!

Pupusas are corn flour (the same ground corn that is used to make tortillas and tamales) stuffed with yummy fillings (beans, cheese, meat in different combinations) and then made into a stuffed tortilla and grilled or fried. They are delicious and usually served with tomato salsa and a pickled cabbage side. Mmmm

this is what they're supposed to look like

 

please see above the ginormous pupusa my dad made, he had to biggie size it

Chris doesn't look thrilled, but he really does like pupusas

So they definitely weren't quite like the pupusas back home in Guate, but they were a good first attempt and we can only get better (right?)!

A few weeks ago we had a Guate reunion with the lovely ladies (minus my cousin, Jessi, who is in Canada) who came to visit end of May. We began our reunion with some incredible tamales. Everyone in Indy should seriously go to The Tamale Place. Delicious!

Mmmm tamales

Then we spent about 3 hours (no joke) sipping tea and looking at Guate pics and videos. It brought back so many wonderful memories and stories. If we could have, we probably would have bought return flights then and there.

We definitely dressed up for the occasion! While in Pana, I grew to really respect the indigenous communities, their lifestyle, and their way of dress. They back-strap weave their traditional blouses, called guipils, and you can purchase them second-hand to support the communities...and wear beautiful, one of a kind blouses! In this picture we're wearing 4 different guipils from 4 different villages (each village around Lake Atitlan has its own history and it's own traditional clothing).

our beautiful guipils!

And we wore our Guatemalan shoes! Linda bought her little flats at the market in Santiago. I bought my moccasins from a leather man we got to know in San Juan (David has a pair too). And Patsy and Megan bought their cowboy boots in a little town called Pastores (we definitely took a chicken bus in the rain to find them in a village I had never gone to, quite the adventure!).

our Guate shoes

It's always fun to reminisce about Guate and attempt to bring some of it back here. We will always try to keep Guate close to our heart while living in the US, something we are really enjoying doing through our Fair Trade venture, Las Casas. (helpless plug, sorry...but check it out!)

Stuff, stuff, stuff

A sting of anxiety. Pit in my stomach. Heavy sigh. I have so many possessions. I lived for a year with so much less and I was surprisingly so content. I've tried to hold off as long as possible, but this week we began to shuffle through our stored items and revisit our possessions that we packed away neatly over a year ago, which were only a distant memory before...

this is only some of our stuff packed away in a garage

David attempting not to create an avalanche

shoes, shoes, shoes

When we moved to Guatemala we stuffed 4 suitcases with the essentials (probably should have rethought the 15 books which were too heavy) and said good-bye to the majority of our stuff. We took older clothes: nothing new, nothing fancy, nothing expensive. Sure, we acquired things while we were down there. Volunteers who came down would give us their leftover clothes and we happily used them until we returned to the US. But I was so easily content with the few, the old, the re-used, and the simple. Not to mention I had no room to pack make-up, I only blow dried my hair 3 times the whole year, and hair conditioner was a rare treat. It was easy to live simply there. We couldn't fit a lot of things into our apartment. If we had too much stuff and didn't use it frequently enough, it would grow mold within a week during the rainy season.

This week we began to go through all of our old stuff. What blows my mind is that I lived for a year without any of these things and I was happy and content, probably more stress-free than I've ever been (in regards to stuff). But what scares me the most is that all of these possessions won't be enough. In no time I'll find something else that I "need" to buy. Which, we all know I won't need, but I will find a way to justify it. I will purchase it at Goodwill for really cheap, and it will help alleviate any tension. But, as author Jen Hatmaker writes in 7, "I would like to be so focused on the valuable that what I am wearing doesn't even warrant mental space." How incredible would that be?!

Jen continues about how we justify each individual purchase: "This micro-justification easily translates to nearly every purchase I've made. Alone, each item is reduced to an easy explanation, a harmless transaction. But all together we've spent enough to irrevocably change the lives of a hundred thousand people...What if all my silly little individual purchases do matter? What if I joined a different movement, one that was less enticed by luxuries and more interested in justice? What if I believed every dollar spent is vital, a potential soldier in the war on inequality?"

I know that having a closet, or garage, or basement packed with stuff doesn't make me a bad person. But I don't want to want all of that. I don't want to feel like I "need" more things to be content or happy or accepted. I want to have a healthy, detached perspective on things, and I already find that increasingly more difficult here. I want to focus on the big picture: my purchases do matter, every dollar spent is my vote that is directly connected to the world I take part in creating.

Precious Kate!

One of the main reasons we chose our return date from Guatemala was so that we could be here for our niece's birth.  We were so thrilled to be present yesterday when she was born!  Kate Renee is so beautiful (and super cute when she sneezes!).  We're so thankful that mom and baby are healthy and doing really well.  Despite some initial fear of holding such a small little one, David did a great job carrying around all 7 pounds and 8 ounces of her.  We love our little niece so much already!

the adjustment...

"How has it been since your return to the States?" -- I've received this question numerous times the past few weeks. Hmm. Where to begin? How long do you have? Usually I smile and say something like "It's great to be closer to family and friends." It's just so hard to answer that question, there are so many things to say, so many things I'm still processing.

The easy answer is that the best part of being back, by far, is the people. Getting reacquainted with our community, catching up with family, reminiscing with friends...those are definitely the best parts of being back.

But there are also challenges, moments that make me feel like a foreigner, like a stranger. I don't know how to live here. How much is too much, how much is just right, how many questions can my mind tolerate before I self-implode.

Looking for jobs has caused us to question what is priority: jobs we're passionate about or jobs that push us out of comfort zones. We ride the tide of needing jobs to afford to live here and searching out jobs that help us find purpose in living here. We want to work and live in a community where we can dig deep in relationship, in service, in opening our home. Right now, it's all on hold and we're living in a space of not knowing what our lives here are going to look like.

When I think back to our life in Guatemala, it was so much easier to get involved in the community. There were needs everywhere you looked and people willing to engage in relationship. We met so many people by just walking up and down the streets:

We met Belem while eating sandwiches at a bakery. Soon we were coloring and singing together.

We met Lucia and her son, Tomas, on the street where they sold typical Guatemalan items to tourists.

Elias runs his parent's store, mostly on his own. We met him buying a headband.

Raul and David became friends when we first arrived and always joked about David's "love" for tomatoes.

It was easy to make new friends, it was easier to identify needs, and it was common to respond and try to help. It's so different here. We build walls around our needs and only let select people in. Some of us are prideful and don't want to accept help even when we need it. There are so many more barriers that you have to work to overcome before you can even get to know the individual or the need. In Guate there were so many natural opportunities to get to know people, build friendships, and share resources.

I take a step of vulnerability and admit that praying here feels different too. I know it's not true, but sometimes it feels like in the US we don't "need" God for our everyday needs. Back in Guate everyone I talked to, either personal friends or families that came to our office for assistance, everyone accepted the fact that they needed help and they needed God. It was very cultural for people to end conversations saying "If God wills it, we'll see each other again." People were so desperate given their poverty that they prayed to God for everything: corn, a blanket, some milk. Obviously the differences here are stark. If we need milk, we don't pray for it. We buy it.

I don't know what to make of these differences. I wish I could meet people easier and am confirmed that I will just have to work harder here to overcome those barriers. I think we should all pray more with a childlike faith, going to our Father with every need. But, the truth is, we don't have to here. We create our own opportunities to provide for ourselves. We don't have to ask God for it. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't. But it's obviously not cultural here to do so like it is in Guate. I struggle with this. I say it again: I don't know how to live here.

So those are just some of the differences I'm experiencing and how it's affecting our "adjustment back." That's why it's so hard to answer the initial question. Of course we're glad to be back, but it's not as easy to just accept things like I did before. I question a lot more and it's a tiring road. But I think it's good for me, I think it's necessary, and I don't fear living in the questions. When I question more, I find myself depending on God more, and that's always a good thing.

back at it

I know, I know...we're not doing well updating our blog. Since returning to the States I've been having a love-hate-more-hate-than-love relationship with technology. I am amazed at the ease and convenience (and speed!) of technology and online interaction. But it seems surface-level at best and seems to draw people into themselves more than out toward others. I struggle to find a desire to get on facebook, and when I do it's always disappointing. Plus I spend hours online every day looking for jobs so when I have a free hour or two in the evening, getting on my computer is the farthest from my mind. Hence, no blogging either. But I want to do better. I know that technology can serve a good purpose and so I will try to do better.

Here we go....living in the States again. It's been such a treat getting together with friends and family and spending quality time with people. There's a lot to catch up on and "get to know" (our extended family gained 3 babies, 2 pregnancies, and 1 fiance while we were gone!). There seem to be a lot of physical changes (homes, jobs, schooling) but over-all I've actually been shocked at how many things are still the same. A year is really not a long time when you look at the big picture.

One huge adjustment upon returning was driving. We didn't drive anything (except David had a bike) for the entire year we lived in Guate. We walked everywhere and really grew to love it. When you walk to and from places there are so many natural opportunities to say hi to people along the way, catch up with the shop-keeper you pass on main street, or give a hug to the bakery owner's daughter. It was the best way for us to get to know our town and the people in it. You couldn't walk more than a block without seeing a familiar face and greeting them. I miss this tremendously.

I feel very isolated now. We drive around in our spheres of metal and have almost no opportunity to talk to anyone as we zoom past. It's quicker and more time efficient, but driving is also more isolating and draws you in to thinking about your day, your schedule, your timeline, and how many minutes you have to get to your destination before you're late. So, coming back it was not something I looked forward to. But the make-up of our cities is so different it's hard to avoid. If you want to see someone, you basically have to drive to them.

About 2 weeks ago I was driving on Interstate 465 to go see my cousin and I was rear-ended, spun out through 3 lanes of interstate traffic, and hit the median. It was by far the worst wreck I've ever been in. At one point I faced on-coming traffic head on and thought for sure I was going to be hit by a pick-up. Thank God I walked away without any injuries. But my desire to drive, or be in a car, plummeted and now I really hate driving. Before living in Guate, I had to tell myself to slow down and quit speeding. Now I find myself driving below speed limit and I have to remind myself to increase acceleration. It's crazy! I think David is rather pleased with my new driving tendencies, as he always thought I sped too much before. My car was totaled and we're down to being a one-car family. It's okay for now, but once we both have jobs (Lord haste the day!) it will be more difficult.

Job searching is dauntingly slow and tedious. It's completely electronic and on-line, which I hate. If I could just meet someone face-to-face and have a chance to talk about my resume or experience, I think I'd have a chance. But right now I'm an electronic resume and one of hundreds of applicants without a face. It's tough to just get an interview.

But thank God for our parents who have opened their homes (and refrigerators) to us. We definitely could not do it without them. The majority of our stuff is still stored away in our parents' garage and basement, so it hasn't been too crazy attempting to go through all of our stuff. I know somewhere there are still suitcases of clothes and shoes that we still haven't seen, and I think I'd like to keep it that way for now. The thought of unpacking and realizing how much stuff we own causes me to cringe a little. More on that later...

So those are the "logistical" updates of living back in the States. I want to blog more soon about the "inner-emotional" updates of living in the land of plenty. Overall, we're doing well adjusting and taking it all in. It is such a huge blessing that David and I have each other and can converse about things we aren't comfortable with or blessings in disguise. Sometimes we reminisce about Guate and all we can say to each other is how much we miss it. I think we're realizing that Guatemala challenged all of the answers we thought we knew and held dear, and now we're given the painfully beautiful opportunity to live amidst the questions.

I leave you with one of my favorite benedictions, which has been close to my heart since we've returned:

"May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen"

and we're back...

We have returned to North America once again.  We're still adjusting, still taking it all in with "new" eyes, still missing Guatemala and our friends there, but also very grateful. We returned to the US just in time to unpack, then re-pack, then leave the country again! We really wanted to make it to our cousin's wedding in Canada, but we weren't sure if we were going to be able to swing it so we kept it a secret. But I'm writing this from a patio view of beautiful British Columbia and the secret is out! We've enjoyed being in Canada on a lake surrounded by mountains...it reminds us a little bit of back home in Guatemala.

It was a crazy last couple of weeks in Guatemala. We met with so many friends and painfully said good-bye to them, not knowing when we'd be reunited again. There were many tears and lots of hugs and we were overwhelmed with the generosity of many under-resourced families who gave us beautiful gifts to remember them by. We had to get an extra suitcase from Mayan Families mainly to fit all of the gifts we received. We were overwhelmed by their generosity and love. While it was extremely painful saying good-bye, we know that we can never forget these friends and the blessing they have been to us. We will always be connected through prayer and fond memories.

Our last visit with the Rodriguez family. We got together on what would have been baby Merari's second birthday.

One last picture of David, Lucia, and Tomas (to appreciate the height difference between David and Lucia) 

We made bracelets with several children before we left as a fun farewell activity

Flying into the US we were stunned by huge parking lots, pristine highways, and about a billion Starbucks in the airports. But we were thrilled to be greeted by our immediate family members in the Indy airport and we all went out to dinner for endless salads (oh how I missed you salad!) at Olive Garden. It was wonderful to be reunited with all of our family and catch up on all the little things we missed over the past year. I only accidently spoke Spanish to the waitress once.

Being back is an emotional mix of everything: joy, anticipation, fear, sadness, shock, luxury, and everything in between. Our first morning back I went on a long run alone and decided that I wouldn't...I couldn't...look for answers. I had to find a way to live in peace with all the questions and all the tension. It never seems fair that we can come and go as we please, experience parts of the global north and south, and ultimately choose our professions, lives, and opportunities because we have the resources to do so. But I can't ask the why questions anymore. They lead me down a dead-end road of guilt and hopelessness. I will never have an answer for why I was born into a beautiful world filled with love and opportunity while so many are born into a world of pain and poverty. I will always be fuzzy concerning the fine line between building a financially stable future and not storing treasures on this earth. Is there such a thing as "being too generous" you may ask, and I have no answer. I have to be okay with not having answers. I have to find peace in the struggle, in the tension, in the messy dialogue. And that is my prayer as we return. 

David and I had about a billion conversations about US re-entry when we lived in Guatemala. Our last night in Guatemala I cried out of fear and deep tension. I felt like my heart was breaking and I would forever be leaving pieces of myself in Guatemala. But yet my heart is always with our friends and family in North America too. So I guess you could say my heart is broken. But you could also say my heart is growing as it remains with so many loved ones all over the world. And the truth is that my heart may be like this forever, stretched and torn and broken, yet perhaps more complete than it has ever been before.

So I'm slowly learning to find peace and contentment amidst the questions, the tension, and even a broken heart. God never promised us comfort and ease and that's not what I want to seek. In fact, I'm trying to cope with the pit in my stomach at the sight of so much comfort around me in North America. There are loftier purposes which we are made for and I humbly attempt to seek that uncomfortable and narrow road, step by step.

(Many have asked if we're going to continue our blog State-side and we have every intention to do so. Give us a bit as we re-adjust and get back into our rhythm, but we hope to update more frequently on our ideas and hopes for living back in the good ole USA)

be still

Living here has taught me to be still. Sometimes it feels like that's all I can really do. I had a woman cry to me yesterday for injustices I can't go into on this blog. My heart broke for her, my Spanish faltered, and I honestly couldn't do a thing. I sat still with her, just listening.

It's funny though. When I see an injustice, when I see pain, my body wants to do something. I want to respond, my mind races with ways I can help. But sometimes there is nothing more to be done than just to be still and listen.

It used to be that when I thought of serving God I thought of doing. But more and more, I realize that from a Biblical perspective it's much more important to be than to do.

Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

Straight to the heart of all of us do-ers. How is God exalted? By us being still and relishing in His existance, in the knowledge of who He is. This verse has intrigued me lately and it's growing to be one of my favorites.

In the hectic schedules of our day, it's a challenge to be still. But perhaps it is necessary to still our minds, our bodies, our hearts and truly reflect on who our God is. Perhaps that is the best way God is exalted. Not in huge acts or miraculous works, but just in being with God and being of God. I think this verse highlights the simplicity of the human-God dynamic. God is not looking for us to fix, to heal, to answer. Against all our natural instincts, I think He is looking for us to reflect, believe, be.

That's what God's been showing me lately...

S of D and Personality Challenges and Q of D

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
"Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.  And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.  Repeat them again and again to your children.  Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.  Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders.  Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

I have an introverted personality, so I tend to process things silently and within myself.  This verse passage speaks to me as a reminder that I ought to be living my faith outwardly, which does not always come naturally as an introvert.  If I mix the tiredness of a given morning with my tendency not to talk unnecessarily, then it becomes a challenge to "talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are waking up."  But I appreciate the meaning and the importance shown upon our interactions and shared communications.

I will strive to be a better communicator and be aware of my faith in all situations of daily life.  After all, as a Diamond Commercial once stated, "with every waking moment...love grows."