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"

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...

Rollercoaster / Q of D

I flipped through an old journal, and read what I once wrote, "life is a rollercoaster.  Rollercoasters can break down, but they can also be fixed.  So ride the rollercoaster [of life] to get fixed!"

My surroundings in Guatemala teach me a lot about life.  The simplicity and nature of it [life] seem to be different than what we tend to think of it as...because it's most common for us to think of life, I think, in terms of achievements, accomplishments, belongings, i.e. essentially the things we can do in life.  Guatemala teaches me about the basics of life.  It helps me to understand a passage, like Matthew 6, which refers to dealing with worries and anxiousness, or the lack thereof.

Culturally, I cannot relate to the passage...it talks about not worrying about having enough food to eat or clothes to wear (I've never had to worry about that).  However, it does help me reflect on many of the worries, or roller coasters, I find myself dealing with, which are often caused by me doing things other than the basics.  It helps me understand the power of being able to do without our own understandings, because we can be strengthened by our dependence on God.  If he cares for the 'lilies of the field' and the birds, certainly he will provide our needs.

But here's the thing.  We often struggle in wanting to be healed or provided with what/how we want.  We have these expectations of how God should help us.  The passage doesn't promise anything other than the basics, the minimum for a life of survival, to be cared for.  No wonder we find ourselves at a life low when we neglect that in our attempts to go beyond...

A Once in a Lifetime Easter Experience

The hype about the cultural traditions during Holy Week leading up to Easter turned out to be accurate!  We spent two nights in the popular city of Antigua, where literally millions of people travel to during the week to partake in the festivities and cultural traditions.

What are the traditions exactly?  Imagine a processional (parade-like) of thousands of men, women and children walking in lines throughout the streets, wearing all purple (and in some processionals all black), walking in these lines for sometimes up to 12 or 14 hours.  Processionals were scheduled throughout all hours of the day, one for each Catholic church in town, some starting at 4am, others not ending until 6am.  Along with the processionals themselves were 'alfombras', or carpets made of colored sawdust, flowers, fruit or pine needles.  Why do people do this?  It's a sacrifice, it's sacred, and it's inspiring.

 

There were thousands of church members walking in front of the large Jesus and Mary processional statues, but they did not walk in the center of the street but rather along the sides of the roads.  Then those (between 90 and 100 people) carrying the large float portraying Christ and other Saints walked over and through the alfombra carpets, literally destroying hours of intricate work...then followers would pick up the flowers or fruit to keep because the items were 'blessed'.

Before the processional:


After the processional:


To be an onlooker was interesting.  I was tired just walking to the streets where the processional was going to pass by, and I didn't have a huge statue resting on my shoulders.  Look at this picture in particular capturing the agony this young boy was going through while participating in the processional:

Notice the man on the corner is supporting the statue on his shoulder AND holding his baby son!

It was really cool being able to see the festivities in phases, because people building the alfombras would start during all hours of the day, too.  So we got to watch how it all happens.

Stencils were used to make intricate designs with the sawdust!

It was absolutely incredible to watch the masterpieces being created, step by step.

They watered down the alfombras to prevent wind from blowing pieces away.

WATCH this video of the processional happening right in front of us!!!

 And at the end of our time in Antigua, our host family made their own carpet, which we were able to help assist in the formation of!!!

 

 The end of our Easter week was spent with the family from Parramos, whose young girl recently passed away.  We stayed the night at their extended family's home, and I practiced making tortillas (last time it was Jenny that did it, now it was my turn!).

 It was a really nice time, there were many kids to play with.  Some of the youngest girls even sang us a song.  Listen in...

We are very grateful to have had these experiences and to be able to take in the Guatemalan culture.  And of course we were very pleased to be able to share in it with our 'extended Guatemalan family'.  We hope you can get a good glimpse at it too!

How You Livin'?

When asked the question "How you livin'?", I once had to answer "in mansions and Benz, given ends to my friends and it feels stupendous."  When I had to answer that question I was told how to respond because I was rushing a social club, so it was not a real world answer that I gave, but it came from a real world answer some people do give.  The quote actually came from a rap video, however I do not know which one.

It is interesting for me to think back to that rushing experience, because I essentially lived a week of my life through someone else's directing, and yet it was acceptable.  But now that I reflect on it, years past, I can't help but think about other situations I come across where my life is directed by yet another [human], such as school or work.  We are positioned under someone else who has the power of doing something to their liking, so we at times find ourselves doing something that we may not even agree with.  Simple, but we expect that kind of directing from others because it is our job and we have a boss, right?  But take this as another example...we have the option of living our daily life by the directing of Jesus.  We can be plugged in to the needs of others; we can be so far outside of ourselves that we can't do anything but ask for God's direction because we know we can't do it any other way.

But what are we to do when the worldly system [school, work, etc] has us do something that interferes with Jesus' directing.  I struggle with that question because we tend to place so much importance on a job or education, after-all it does provide us with our way of life, income and knowledge base, but where is the fine line of distinguishing what we need to do for a job versus what we need to do for Christ?  I mean are we actually at the point where we do things for our workplaces for the money?  The question takes us to another question which is "do we work to live, or live to work?"  I feel that living to work would put us in the cycle and temptations of greed, always doing more work and spending more time just to acquire more things and live more comfortably.

Or we can just ignore His directing and keep up with the Jones' in our mansions and Benz.  Being in Guatemala gives you the 'in your face' reality that you need to work to live (obviously), but it also helps you learn about what you're working for.  Traditionally speaking, Guatemalans don't work to keep up with the Jones'.  They work simply to live, and they barely get-by doing it, through tremendously hard labor and low-reward type positions.  It amazes me to see the work ethic that it takes to 'work to live', because they aren't even trying to think of ways to 'live to work'...they know there's more to life than that.

I hope to better learn those ways...attitudes...as we continue to live here...working.

For entertainment purposes, here's a music video that I can remember watching and 'really liking' way back while I was in high school student.

In Your Presence

In the song In Your Presence, it is sung...

(by Chris McClarney) 

"In Your presence 

Is where I want to be
In Your presence
Is where I'm made complete

Lord my one request
Let me see Your face
This one thing I ask
Come fill this place

I give You control
I give up my rights
Cause Your ways are higher than mine
With all that I am
With all of my life
‘Cause Your love is sweeter than wine"

I find some pretty powerful lines in that song. "I give you control"...really? The idea of giving up control is almost unfathomable!  "I give up my rights"...takes me back to a previous post we wrote (refer back here).  

Challenge: If we know "your ways are higher than mine", then why do we so often resort to our own understanding?

S of D and Aside from Rights

Philippians 2:6-8
"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross."

What do you take from this passage?  Share your feedback with comments.

I can't help but think about the rights and privileges we strive to achieve in our own culture.  Is it time to lay aside our rights and simply live to love, to think of others better than ourselves?

Philippians 2:3-4 "Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others.  Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too."

Come to Senses

I like things to make sense.  I can talk about my plans or my dreams, and I make them make sense, because if they did not make sense then I would not know where to begin in obtaining those dreams.  As a reader, you probably already know where this is going...God does not always make sense.  Yes, I agree.  But God makes it clear, in many ways, that He is not going to make sense.  One example, for me, is through the story of the man who wanted to follow Jesus but decided he did not want to give up all that he owned materially (Matthew 19:20-22).  Does that make sense?  Why, with God being so powerful and mighty, would God need someone else's things, or ask someone to give up those possessions?

These are my thoughts.  God does not need them; God wants to be acknowledged as the prize, or the all you need in life.  We are not to live the day to day life to gather up more things, in fact, in the Old Testament it speaks of the forbidding to simply gather up tomorrow's food today (Exodus 16:15-21, 23-31)  I can not imagine having to live each day as it comes in our culture today. I mean, in some cases, we buy food a year before it gets eaten, what would we do if we were given an instruction like that in Exodus?  We buy meals that come in boxes and take less than 5 minutes to both prepare and eat...take the box out of the freezer at noon and be out the door for work at 12:05.

So how are we to live in today's material world?  I believe the biggest issue within our society today is that we lose sight of God when we consume, not because consuming is a sin, but because when was the last time we had to "rely" on God, ask Him for our daily bread, or seek Him as a Grand-Prize.  When was the last time we intertwined God the spirit with God the physical?  When we consume, we begin to live upon our own understanding, our own abilities, and our own things.  We have instant access to our phones, entertainment, transportation, you name it, but we struggle as a whole to uplift and glorify the Almighty with prayer, loving our enemies, helping the homeless, etc.  We gather up our things, stalk up on food, and still worry about the next day, or complain about how busy our lives are and make it seem impossible to eat a nice meal with our families.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

Do we have so much that we forget to lean not on our own understanding.  Maybe we were not given the freedom to make things make sense.

Q of D

"When God is working in one life, He uses it to influence another life."
-author unknown

That goes to say that regardless of what phase we are in in life, God is always working around us and influences us.

Amen.  Never give up.

Above the Clouds

So, as we were driving to Xela the other week there was a stretch of road through the mountains that got up there in altitude.  It turned out to be the most beautiful sight imaginable.

In fact, we drove above the clouds.  Meaning, communities were housed above the clouds.  Now, from having come from the known to be flat land of Indiana, altitude is a sight to see to begin with.  But I was surprised at the ability to look down at the clouds.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a quality photo because as I pulled out my camera quickly, the setting was on "sepia" without my knowledge, but here it is:

Life @ the End of the Spear

End of the Spear is a very moving film, documenting the story of Christian American families evangelizing to Indigenous tribe peoples in Ecuador (beginning in the mid 1900s).  In summary, several families were on a mission to make contact with the Waodani tribe on the Amazon basin, whom were known to be very violent.  Ultimately, all the men who reached the tribe's land were killed by spears, tragically.  The families of the men later traveled to the same land and met with the tribe and lived amongst them over time.  Clearly the cultural differences presented issues, but throughout the test of time, the tribe and the American families made peace and were able to communicate the word of God.

During the process of building peace and understanding each other, a comment was made to a tribe warrior after he asked why the men did not shoot or fight back when the tribe attacked them.  The comment was:

"They came to tell you God has a son.  He was speared but did not spear back. [pause] So the people spearing him would one day live well."

At the end of the film, a warrior confronts the son of one of the men who was killed and confesses to be the one who used the spear to kill the son's father.  After the flow of emotion and decision not to take revenge, the son [Steve] explains to the warrior that:

"No one took my father's life.  He gave it."   He then narrates, "My father lost his life at the end of a spear. And it was at the end of a spear that we found ours [lives]."

The story provides enormous insight and inspiration, proving that love wins while also exemplifying God's way of life [ie non-violence].  The tribesmen were so entrenched in a cycle of violence, that they deemed it necessary in order to survive, protect themselves, and grow as a people group.  Those entrenched cycles still exist today, but they [the cycles] don't even have to be removed from the rest of society [whereas the Waodani tribe was removed from civilization].  We have urban gang culture invading neighborhoods; we have discrimination against foreigners or minorities on the streets, offices, and institutions; we have genocide that gets ignored or denied among nations; and we have cyclical political wars all around the world, demanding a certain way of life from others to benefit our own countries.  

If our mindset is to vote to benefit ourselves, how would we expect these cycles to end for others?  By vote I refer to everything from the names we support on a ballot to the daily decisions of each individual [ie choose to eat fast food, choose to ignore the domestic violence down the street, choose to support local farmers, choose to watch American Idol, choose to visit inappropriate sites], because everything we do stands for something, every time we pay for something we're essentially saying "I support this brand, from the advertisements to the materials used to make it to the way it was made and the people who made it."

Check out the movie website here where you can link to different videos or reviews, including updates on the tribe's life today!

As a side note, it is discouraging to me that even with such a beautiful motion picture, critiques or opinionated discussions chose to focus on the fact that the lead actor is openly gay, rather than discuss the epic story of love, forgiveness, and transformation found in the film.  To me even mentioning the sexuality of any actor is irrelevant and only reinforces the fractures of our society.  Nevertheless, the film is worth watching.

Q of D

“Satan prompts us to give importance to what has no importance.”

-Brennan Manning

Q of D

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen -- not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else." 

-- C.S. Lewis

Life in Guate (La Vida en Guatemala)

We're getting settled into Guatemala!  Jenny and I just rented a bungalow, which is basically a single home with a bedroom/living room (one room), kitchen, and bathroom.  The rent includes everything (water, tv cable, electricity) except gas (for cooking) and internet.  And get this, the tv cable has like 70 channels (half of which are purely English speaking, including CBS (for football games), History Channel, ESPN, HBO, etc)...literally more than we had while living in the States; however, we do not intend to consume our time with the channels, although I am quite excited for access to the football games.

One of the things we really like about our bungalow is that it shares a courtyard with a few other bungalows, one of which is a Mayan family!  I'm excited to be able to get to know them and to play with the kids (one is 6 and the other is almost 2 years old).

Traditional Mayans are very proper and well versed in simplicity...meaning they literally do the work that is necessary (such as hard labor, textiles, farming) in order to provide for their families and they're satisfied with life.  Picture a family of 6 leaning over a bowl of beans while sitting on a dirt floor...that's all they "need".  From my experiences in the States, it's hard for me to imagine the US society being "okay" without access to the latest and best technologies, let alone the basics of life (home, tables, chairs, drinking water).  One story was shared about an elderly women who was given shoes to wear, but even when she had them she didn't wear them because she was so accustomed to not having them and preferred not to use them (since her feet were so well versed for the street rocks, etc).

There is a man that is paid by our landlady to do maintenance around the bungalows and courtyard.  He is very cute (deaf, only a few teeth), always smiling.  We rearranged some of the furnishing in our bungalow and needed his help (tools) to undrill the headboard to our bed (it was attached to the wall rather than the bed frame).  In order to feel comfortable with his help in our bungalow, I felt like we had to put away/hide some of our possessions.  I don't mean we had to hide our computer, etc in fear it would be stolen, rather I mean that we had to put our shoes in bags and clothes in dressers because of the multitudes of shoes and clothes that we have.  We've seen him with only one pair of shoes that have holes in them, he doesn't wear socks, and his shirt is dirty.  Even though Jenny and I packed our possessions in two suitcases each to travel to Guatemala, we still have more here than the typical Guatemalan...and yet the majority of our stuff is still in the States.

It is a lot harder here to come by things to buy, such as clothes hangers, pillows, and random other items.  We spent two days (and still don't have everything) walking around asking where to find various things and most everyone's answer was "La Dispensa", which is a store owned by Walmart.  And it turned out, even it didn't have any hangers, pillows, or plates.
  
We're still adjusting to the lifestyle here, but here are a few answers to common questions that were asked or that went unsaid during our transition from the States to here:
1) What are you going to eat?  - so far we've eaten pizza, eggs, beans, rice, chicken, corn on cob, vegetables, yogurt, sandwiches.  Food is similar, but portions are smaller.  Jenny and I have yet to get accustomed to cooking in home and have only been eating out as of now.

2) What are you going to do without football?  -it turns out I get football games in my bungalow.  In fact, I first started watching the Colts game in a native restaurant where it was commentated in Spanish.  In the bungalow I can watch it in English.  I have plans to still be competitive in fantasy football, as well!

3) Is it safe?  -police are often described as corrupt, meaning that "robbers, drug dealers, etc" pay police off for the police to stay out of their business, but it is a very close knit community and people look out for each other. In fact, it's often said that the people take things into their own hands and do the policeman's job when the police don't (**which can be a bad thing...one couple told a story about a group of Mayans who beat up and burned a fellow Mayan for stealing at the market...they killed him because the police were going to let him get away).  Drugs are also too easy to come by, just to give you an idea of the culture.

4) How long are you going to be there? -we plan on renting our bungalow for the year. Jenny's in a non profit position serving Mayan families for a year, and we'll evaluate it during that time.

5) Can you recycle there? -there are some recycle bins, or so we've heard, but we've learned that recycling bins are dumped with trash bins.  Guatemala doesn't have a recycling program, and they'd actually have to pay China to send recycling to China, so they just dig holes and bury everything to save money rather than ship it overseas.

6) Is it really hot there? -so far the temperature has been pleasant (mid 70's during day), however it is the rainy season and it can easily be predicted to rain every afternoon, sometimes for many hours.  Starting November, we're told it is always sunny and nice temperature, but gets cool (no less than 50 or 40) throughout the whole winter...no rain or snow.

7) Why are you living in Guatemala? -We feel blessed with the opportunity to experience another culture and to live by different standards.  We hope to learn about cultural acceptance, be a servant to surrounding persons, to empower the impoverished workforce, and to share our faith and be spiritual advocates.

Our town relies on tourism (to eat at restaurants, to buy textiles, and to stay in hotels, etc), which is odd because the consumerism concept does not make sense to the Mayans.  Meaning, they traditionally only possess what they 'need'.  It's a paradox that they're selling textile goods (which are awesome, btw) for tourists to buy their 'wants'.  It has been difficult to grasp ways to help and impact Mayans on deep levels.  We hope to join a congregation soon and fellowship at a church, however we haven't found strong ties at this point.

The community is different around this part of the world.  In our town specifically, there are a lot of travelers touring, but also a lot of foreigners (Europeans, Americans, etc) settling here for varying reasons.  It can be a struggle for us to pursue our "reasons" for being here (specifically to love and serve, to learn, and to be immersed), because we could find ourselves getting comfortable with our own culture given that there is a well built foreigner population.

Wisdom, Faith, and Dr Quinn (plus Q of D)

Check out the 2 minute through 6 minute mark on this video segment from a Doctor Quinn episode titled "Season of Miracles".

We've all heard the 'how could God do this?' comments before (because they are valid), and we can relate our own feelings and frustrations with wondering why the bad things that happen to good people.  I'm very pleased with how the show documented this universal struggle.

Sully says, "Maybe you were praying for the wrong thing. Maybe the miracle isn't in the healing but finding the strength to accept what has happened.  Instead of asking 'why me?' starting asking 'what am I going to do about it?'"  Now that is wisdom to my ears.  We can't avoid encountering difficulties in this world; but we can accept them, and make adjustments (one door closes, another opens; or one road ends and a new begins).

The Light is upon us if we choose.  The faith is by walk, not by sight.

Beautiful Things

In this post you will find song lyrics and a music video by the artists that form as "Gungor" in a song called "Beautiful Things".  I think it is awesome, so I write my own words and inspiration at the end of this post.

All this pain
I wonder if I'll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us


All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
......

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

.....................................

The simplicity of the song really gets to me, and as I listen, imagining that beautiful things are actually made from dust leads me to just Praise Him!  As the song plays, the message of hope and beauty teach me that these beautiful things are not the beautiful things that we allow the world to fill us with.  Sure there are nice cars and fashions that consume our thoughts and money, but it is us [humankind, nature] that we ought to be recognizing as the beauty, because that recognition could lead us to not relying on those worldly beauties, or to not seek other desires outside of our purpose or needs.

I once heard a caller on a radio station share a story, explaining the beauty of God and the beauty of a relationship.  He said, "God doesn't want a clean you [referring to his battle of addictions], He just wants you."  I can't help but feel excited to hear the inspiration and to imagine the impact of the message "give yourself to Christ first, then your life will be changed" rather than "change your life, then you can receive Christ."  When I heard the song for the first time, I thought the line was "you make beautiful things out of the dark" instead of "dust".  This caller's story helped me understand that beautiful things can be made out of our "darks".

Too Late? and S of D

Can you relate to the "down times"?  When things aren't going the way you'd like, or when you're aware of mistakes you've made but don't have the courage to fix it?  How do those "down times" ever get better?  Is it simply a matter a time when things start turning around, implying it's a waiting game, or can we actually control, influence, or have a say in our lives?

Let's inspire each other...

It's not what you did, it's what you're going to do!

"Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess." - Philippians 2:11

...it's not too late...

Foreign Thinking

Visualize a wide-eyed blank stare of fear, both hands on wheel, paled skin, with a police officer reviewing information behind your back.  I was witness to that scenario [some sort of traffic violation], however I was just driving by.

What would it feel like?  We might know the feeling of getting caught doing something we shouldn't have done or getting pulled over for a ticket, but certainly the legality of our citizenship prevents us from understanding other perspectives...like being called "illegal". 

How would it feel to be considered "illegal"?  Think for yourself.  How would it feel to walk into a grocery store or down a street, knowing that someone sees your physical appearance or hears your accent and immediately labels you "illegal" or unwanted or, recently in Indiana, deemed to go to jail.  Or better yet, how would it feel to leave your home for a foreign land where you don't know anybody, but do know that many in the land will discriminate against you, yet still you believe that it's probably the only way you can provide for your family?  Why do "illegals" do that?  Is it because they want to be American?  Or is it because they "have" to be American in order to survive?  Or neither?  Maybe it's because they want to overrun our nation.

Actually, my opinion is this: why do we ask these questions or attempt to answer them when it's not an issue up for debate...they "have" to come, and our society has actually profited from them.  Our society has taken advantage of their low pay services in order to sustain our lifestyle (manicured lawns, cheaper fruit, etc) at a low price.  Plus their countries were overpowered by our trade policies, our prices, and our overload of excess.  This creates few options and that's what we gotta expect if we strive to be the superpower of the world.  What are we going to do when the low prices begin to disappear? Our lives won't be sustainable unless we cut back on our wants, which we've begun to witness over the last several years, yet we continue to retain our wants.

So instead of debating, we ought to seek other perspectives and see what ideas for solutions come from others (who don't look like us), because yes, immigration is going to be a long-standing political issue whether we deport them [undocumented citizens] or not.  Last time I checked, those of us who call ourselves Christian follow a power that is higher than government...higher than "American" and higher than "citizen." We follow a higher example, one of a man who reaches out to every person and offers acceptance.

I will never forget the wide-eyed blank stare on the face I saw in that car, and I was just driving by.  Only he and our government (and God) know what occurred that day, but I hope that that man is given a voice to share his story, because it is he who knows...not us, "the legals".

You may have a different opinion.  Please retain your right and share with us.

W.I.T.N.E.S.S. and Q of D

Here are some notes from a recent Sunday Teaching from Pastor Jay at Shepherd Community.  The teaching focused on living life in community and through the eyes of God, about being a witness to others through our livelihood; WITNESS.

Way of life   (live as a witness; represent God)

Intentional   (make a reminder list; find people that are in need)

Teach others   (know the Word; be ready and prepared for opportunities to share the Word)

Not up to us for success   (rely on God; seek Him, not money)

Ears...use them   (don't miss the hurt that people have; listen and recognize one's assets)

Share life together   (we live in a world so lonely; community is broken)

Simple   (reflect God's grace; don't get caught up in the business of the world, keep it simple)

"Preach the Word of God, and when necessary use words."  - Anonymous

What are your own thoughts on witnessing or ways to represent God?