Visitors!

We've been blessed to have lots of visitors this past month!  It's always great to share our lives here and introduce visitors from back home to new friends and community here.  We're sad to see them all leave, but are so honored that they made the trip! 

At the beginning of June we had a small group of family come - my mom, my cousin Jessi, my "Aunt" Patsy, my "Aunt" Linda, and Meghan.  Okay, so they're not all blood related, but they are family nonetheless. 


The group minus Megan. I didn't take any pictures so I borrowed this one - I'm sorry I don't have one with you Megan!

We spent a few days in Antigua, then we headed to Pana where we kept busy with work visits to homes and preschools, Spanish school, volunteering, and we tried to always end the day with dessert!  I was so impressed with how these women opened their hearts to the community and allowed themselves to fall in love with the people.  It was really great for me to view our life and work from a fresh perspective.  We had some great conversations about service and poverty and I felt filled with genuine fellowship.



The blood relatives

And of course we were David's greatest cheerleaders!  Someone has a video of us doing the wave in the gym, cheering and screaming for David and his team, The Mean Machines. They won both games and we take partial responsibility for that. ( :  I will be lonely this weekend cheering for David alone.

And then mid-June two of my best friends from college came to visit!  I was grateful for their bravery to tackle the journey and customs alone and arrive in a foregin country at 9pm - as one had never left the country before.  We started our journey in Guatemala City, did a quick stop in Antigua, and then spent the majority of time in Pana.  We had fun together shopping and making home-made meals in my tiny kitchen.  They came along to work with me a few times, but also set out on their own adventures with Linda, who was staying longer for Spanish school.

They were with me when I visited Rodrigo, which ended up being a very emotional day/weekend.  I was grateful for their companionship and support during the process.  They were so compassionate and wanted to do something to help.  It always helps to face pain when you're surrounded by close community (who let you cry and rant for hours).

A huge thank you to all of our visitors for coming!  We were blessed by your fellowship, support, and conversations.  Thank you for coming and allowing us to share our lives -- the beauty and the pain -- with you.  We are honored that you took the time, energy, and resources to come.  We can't thank you enough!

We are now turning our attention towards a long list of things we want to do, people we want to visit, and last-time experiences before we depart.  Reality is sinking in that we really are leaving our once-foreign-now-comfortable home.  Some days we are itching to be close to family and friends, to sit for hours in conversation and process.  Other days I'm just not sure how we'll say good-bye to our Guatemalan friends here.  We know God will provide the words and the way.  Step by step.

a birthday surprise

Celebrating my birth was a bit paradoxical after my recent experience visiting Rodrigo on his deathbed.  We actually spent the morning going to San Jorge to visit Rodrigo and his family.  Somehow, miraculously, he is still hanging on despite not eating for almost a week and only drinking spoonfuls of water.  While we were in San Jorge we also visited Santiago and his family.  The last time we visited them Santiago was working so he wasn't there.  It was great to be able to talk with him this time and see his family.  His grandson, Jefrey Javier, had a really bad rash that he was still recovering from, but he appeared happy nonetheless.

Then in the afternoon we went to church as normal.  Each week different people come to the services.  There are a few of us regulars, but there are always different visitors or different street kids who pop in from time to time.  Sunday was great because most of the regulars were in attendance and a few of my favorite street kids were there too.  Most of the time the kids come for the free coffee and cookies and then leave during the worship songs, missing the entire sermon.  But, for whatever reason, a few of them stuck around for the entire service on Sunday.  One of them, an 11-year old named Jesus, even shouted out an answer during the sermon and we were all impressed with his wisdom for such a young boy.

As always, the sermon was finished and we closed out with a song.  And then the worship leader stated that they'd like to end with one more song.  Happy Birthday filled the air and before I knew it the entire church was singing Happy Birthday to me.  And then a woman from the church carried out a chocolate birthday cake with candles.  I was so surprised!  My sweet husband had planned the whole thing and completely surprised me.  It's always great to have chocolate cake for your birthday, but what made it so special was that we were able to share the birthday cake with the entire church.  Little Jesus, the other kids who spend their days on the street selling knick-knacks, the recovering alcoholics, the gringos...the entire congregation was able to share together.

I was so happy watching the kids eat their cake.  I know it's rare for them to get sweet treats, so it basically made my entire day.  I was so surprised and overwhelmed when Jesus and his friend, Miguel, each brought me a gift!  Of course they had no idea that it was my birthday until the cake was served, but they each generously gave me a little gift from their stash of things they sell on the street, even though I know they really can't afford it.  I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our Guatemalan friends who upon hearing it was my birthday gave me a gift.  It's overwhelming to see how those who really can't afford it give so generously!

My birthday gifts from Jesus (left) and Miguel (right)

In the back of our church there is a small room that has been converted into a "movie theater" with a screen projector, a few chairs, and big throw pillows.  I should explain that our church is actually a restaurant Monday-Saturday which closes on Sundays for our worship gathering.  After the service we had some time to kill before dinner so we let the street kids pick out a movie and we headed for the theater room.  The church/restaurant has a wall full of movies because they sometimes show movies on Tuesday nights.  It was fun to see the kids search through the rows and rows of movies and pick what they wanted.  Of all the movies, they settled on Pinocchio. ( :

It was really special being able to visit two families that have greatly impacted me and then to be able to share cake with a very diverse community.  I'm so thankful for a compassionate husband who creatively finds ways to give and share.  It was a beautiful day!

a dying promise

Today I took a few volunteers to a nearby town called San Jorge.  We were scheduled to do a few home visits and then stop in at the preschool and load up on hugs and smiles.  It turned out to be a very different morning.

Our second stop was a man named Rodrigo.  He's been suffering from diabetes for 7 years, has never had a constant supply of insulin, and so he's in and out of the hospital frequently.  We had heard he was doing badly again and so we wanted to stop in and get an update and see what we could do.  On these trips, I'm normally accompanied by my co-worker, Elisa, who is fluent in Kaqchiquel, as most people in San Jorge don't speak Spanish well.  It just so happened that Rodrigo is Elisa's uncle, so she was more than happy to accompany us on the visit.

I came in to work this morning ready for our visits when Elisa told me that Rodrigo was not doing well at all.  He had taken a turn for the worse and the family was beginning to gather around him.  I knew what that meant.  If someone is near death the entire family is called in and everyone surrounds the bed and waits together until the final hour.  I asked Elisa if we should still visit him, since I was bringing 3 white visitors with me.  But she was anxious to return to his home, so we all went.

Upon entering the small home, I immediately saw women crying and my heart sank.  Guatemalans don't show a lot of emotion, so I knew it was bad.  We were led into a small bedroom where an extremely thin, frail man lay in a bed under 3 blankets.  He was surrounded by his wife and other family members.  The room was hot and sticky and quiet as people cried silently.

It was a difficult situation to walk into, but I talked with the wife and took notes concerning his health.  He hadn't eaten in 3 days, he was mostly unconscious, and he did not want to return to the hospital.  If someone is admitted to the hospital and ends up dying in the hospital, it's a very expensive ordeal.  Not only does the family have to pay for the hospital bills, but they also have to pay for a specially licensed car to transport the corpse back to their town.  This is very expensive and has actually caused some families to leave their deceased loved ones in the hospital because they can't afford the transportation costs.

Between the hospital bills and funeral costs, many families go into great debt when a loved one dies.  Rodrigo did not want to put his family in this financial turmoil, so he was confident that he didn't want to return to the hospital.

After about 45 minutes of talking with the family, we decided it was time to go.  Rodrigo appeared asleep, or unconscious, during our entire visit.  I was proud of myself for keeping my emotions in check, although I had teared up once I didn't think anyone noticed.  We were walking out when Elisa called me to quickly come back.  Rodrigo had woken up.

We returned into the room and the family immediately ushered me to Rodrigo's bedside. Me?! Why me?! If he's only awake for a few moments shouldn't his wife and family talk with him?  But the family guided me to the edge of his bed, where I timidly sat.

Rodrigo slowly stretched his hand out toward me and I held his cold hand in my own.  It appeared to take him much effort and time, but he slowly told me that he was worried for his 4 children.  He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Please help my family. They need food. I worry for them."  I gently stroked his hand and told him that I would help them.  I wouldn't leave his children with nothing to eat.  I told him not to worry, that he needed his rest, and that I would find a way to help his children.

He slowly raised his other hand and painfully told me thank you.  He slowly said he was grateful that I was there and would help his family.  He said "May God bless you and reward you."  At that point I burst into tears.  I did not feel like I should be the one sitting on his bed holding his hand, I felt inadequate and at a loss.  I wanted to do more, go get my boss or someone with any type of authority to come and talk to him and assure him we would help.  Who am I to offer this dying man any type of hope or peace?  What could I give him?  Just my word.  Against all of Mayan Families rules, I promised him that I would personally help him and I told him I was praying for him and his family.  I told him God had blessed him with a beautiful family and I would make sure they were cared for.

Elisa and I sat on his bed and just cried.  I had nothing to offer them except my word that I would help this family.  It's hard enough to find words to say during these moments in English...let alone Spanish.  I got up and asked his wife to sit with him, that I wanted her to have the chance to talk to him.

I felt like I shouldn't have been the one talking to this dying man.  My Spanish was broken, my voice wavered with tears, my word was all I had to give.  But the family believed that I could do something, that I could help in ways that they cannot.  So they wanted Rodrigo to have the chance to ask me for help, to hear from me that I would find a way, to rest at peace knowing that someone somewhere was going to help him.  It's been a few hours since I left them and the weight of my promise still lays heavy on my heart.

We were able to bring a doctor to his bedside, who says that he'd have a chance at survival if he'd go to a doctor right away.  But Rodrigo refuses.  His family supports him.  Deep within they know that he is dying and they can't afford to have him die in a hospital.  As we were leaving, the family bought 4 bottles of pure water for myself and the other visitors.  They wanted to give us something for visiting.  I was sick at the thought of accepting anything from them, but I knew how offensive it would be to decline.

The injustice of the situation is that Rodrigo spent his life working in the fields to take care of his family.  He contracted a disease that should have been manageable with medication, but his poverty prevented him from having proper treatment.  So he now lies on his deathbed, too poor to die in a hospital where he may have a fighting chance.  And during his final moments on this earth, he worries for his family.  He worries that they won't have enough to eat.  He worries that his illness will leave his family in debt.  And he has no one with any resources to voice his worries to than a young white girl who just happened to pay him a visit that day.  He and his family have no where else to go.  He can't even afford to die.

coming "home"

We wanted to let you all know that we have come to a decision about our length of time living here in Guatemala.  After lots of prayer and consideration, we have decided not to renew our work contracts for another year.  We have truly loved living here and experiencing life in Guatemala, but we feel it's time to return to the States.  We haven't bought our flights yet, but we're planning on returning to the Indianapolis area around August-ish.

We can't even begin to count the ways that Guatemala has shaped us, challenged us, renewed our hearts, and given us a stronger passion to continuously be living lives connected to service and justice.  It has been an incredible journey, one that we see as a beginning and definitely not an end.

Living here will shape every aspect of our lives as we move back home.  We're both anticipating some culture shock as we readjust to American culture.  We ask for your patience, your prayers, and we ask that you please don't take us anywhere expensive for a while. ( :

Thank you so much to the many of you who have prayed through this journey with us, who have sent encouragement in various forms, and who have been sources of insight and support through some difficult times while living here.  We look forward to reuniting with friends and family and forming a new kind of community back in Indiana.

We LOVE you all and can't wait to continue the journey back home together!
-David & Jenny

Life in Guatemala: the rainy season

Everyone in Guatemala dreads the rainy season. It doesn't take long for the roads to flood and you're walking in ankle deep water...in flip flops.

But on a more serious note, the rainy season in Guatemala can be a source of much pain and disaster.  Typically, the rain begins in May and lasts until October.  However, people are seeing changes in the normal cycles and the rain has been coming earlier.  It usually rains anywhere from an hour to a few hours each afternoon/evening.  But again, this can vary greatly.  Panajachel, and many of the towns around Lake Atitlan, are located in a basin and sit at the bottom of several surrounding mountains.  This makes these towns very prone to flooding and mudslides during the rain.

The rainy season officially started a few weeks ago (although it rained quite a bit in April).  For the first few days all the water coming out of our faucets (including our shower) was brown.  It smelled bad and was obviously bad for our health.  It's also not uncommon to have frequent power outages.  Just today at work we had no power for a few hours.  And most everything becomes damp.  Clothes, shoes, sheets...it all feels damp and easily grows mold.  And that's just from my personal experience, and I live in a well-built home.  One cannot imagine the dampness and mold growing in the homes built of aluminum and mud.  It has made us so thankful for a home that keeps us dry.

When we came in September we went through a month of normal rain each day.  But in early October a tropical storm hit and we got a taste of a bad rainy season.  It rained continuously for 4 days: all day and all night.  Panajachel's tiny river, which is usually only a few feet deep at best, grew quickly.  The dirty, brown water created fast currents that were very dangerous.  Several homes that were built close to the banks of the river were in serious danger of collapsing and some actually did, as pictured below.  Most people with homes this close to the river have to abandon their homes during these difficult times.  They often have no where else to go, so the town gymnasium becomes a temporary shelter.

There are 2 bridges that cross this river, but one was completely washed out in October.

Homes that aren't swept into the river are in danger of flooding.  Muddy water pours down from the mountains surrounding Pana and mudslides become a very real threat.  A few years ago there was a mudslide outside of Santiago that killed almost 300 people.  Homes that can withstand the flooding are filled with mud.  Other homes collapse under the stress.

We only have 2 roads that enter Panajachel.  If one of them is forced to close, which is not uncommon during the rainy season, then the other is used only for emergencies.  Mudslides often cause rock slides, and last October there was a boulder the size of a car that fell in the middle of one of our streets.  They had to use dynamite to break it open and remove it.

The rainy season is difficult on everyone, but it's a terrible risk for poor families who don't have adequate shelter. Their health, safety, and few material belongings are all at great risk. Many homes have dirt floors, which becomes mud in the rain and children who sleep on the floor easily get cold and sick. Sometimes it's difficult to sleep in our warm, dry bed at night thinking of how many families are wet and cold. So the next time it rains, let's all send up a prayer for those who are in the midst of the rainy season and without adequate shelter.

The Actions Prompted by Values

We recently had a nice small group discussion with several other young expats living in Guatemala.  All of us grew up in the States, so we wanted to process thoughts regarding ways and ideas to connect and convey our experiences abroad in beneficial ways to friends and family.  The importance behind the subject lies within the fear that saying 'we lived simply' or 'we sacrificed making money' or 'we served', or something to that affect, would come across as being better than someone who hasn't done what we've done.

So here's what I'm thinking.  In no way whatsoever would I ever begin to share my experiences because I want to 'teach' something for reasons thinking I'm better.  I believe community is a very important aspect of life.  I believe sharing my experiences is a form of community, of which love is expressed.  If I weren't to share my experiences, then it would mean that I'm not contributing to our community (whether it's for an individual relationship, small group, workplace, etc).

I also believe that sharing isn't meant to be manipulated as a 'change' agent.  I recently 'liked' a quote posted on Facebook that said, "consider how hard it is to change yourself and you'll understand what little chance you'll have in trying to change others" (official quote by Jacob Braude).  I believe change is inevitable, and, better yet, a good thing.  We need change.  Look at history.  Before major advancements in technology, such as cellphones and internet, what were social lives like?  Change is always happening.  But change is always for an individual to be done by that individual.  I can't, or don't want to, force it upon you.  For example, just because the technology is available doesn't mean it changes me.  People change, whether knowingly or not, through their actions of participating in the technology.

So it's the same with sharing...the sharing, or conversing of experiences may help someone change, but the meaning behind sharing is to love and to engage, and sometimes to challenge, so what is said or shared doesn't change someone, but rather the person chooses to change or be influenced by what they heard, saw, etc.

In our small group discussion the topic of values arose.  What do we like about living in Guatemala?  We enjoy the beauty of the land, the small/local businesses, the friendliness of the people walking on the streets, no traffic, the work ethic of the laborers (who walk several miles with firewood bundled on their backs by a strap around their forehead), and the simplicity of day to day life (only needing to spend a few dollars a day, buying fruit or vegetables that are only available because they're in season, walking or riding a bike). But those are all things that people can achieve in their lifestyle in the States, as well, so why live in Guatemala?  We moved to Guatemala because we wanted to, because we had a lot to learn from the culture, because sometimes in the States we just lose focus of life by participating in 'too much'.

In reality, what does the generalized culture of the States value?  I mostly view it as power.  It's about setting yourself up to succeed, to achieve privilege and benefits.  So yes, to many opinions, Jenny and I moving to Guatemala is countercultural.  We've essentially diminished all opportunities to earn an income, or to move up the ladder within a company or workplace.  But that's not what we've been valuing.  Guatemala has meant so much to us because we've gained better understandings about poverty, about work ethic, about community, and about God.

I've been learning that I tend to look at my 'work' for satisfaction.  For example, I want to see results in the projects I do, so when I don't see those results or when work is slow or boring, I feel dissatisfied.  Now that I know I have that tendency, I've been able to slowly tweak my habit into refocusing my attention to God, and to the simple day to day opportunities that are always present.  Rather than expecting my personal achievements to fulfill me, why not let God fill me?  I don't know why that was so difficult for me to realize before, but being in Guatemala has helped me understand that.  I want to be honorable like the day-laborer who suffers back pain from carrying so much wood, but yet he does it because that's what he has to do.  It's how he can provide for his family, he doesn't do it for personal satisfaction...it's just work, after all.  Yet when you come across such a day-laborer, they seem full of life.

I believe that everyone has their experiences for a reason, and those reasons are good.  Just because someone does something different than me doesn't mean its disrespectful, like 'why aren't they doing it like me?'  Who cares why, everybody's got to do things as they know it, but we've got to use it as a learning opportunity and as an opportunity to be open-minded.  Because it's a given, what I know today I will someday know to be different.  God is constantly revealing himself, and the truth is we'll never fully know.

All that to say, we will be returning to the States someday, and I personally really look forward to it, except for the culture shock adjustments.  Even though we chose the unconventional, countercultural path by living in Guatemala, I have been able to make considerable professional strides; strides that I otherwise never would have come to see as an option.  In fact, I'm in the process of building my dream in starting my own business.  It'll be a fair trade business, that will hopefully be a longterm opportunity for us to maintain connections and relationships in Guatemala.  More info about the business and the launch of the website will come soon...