Central America Revisited – Day Five

“Why does your news talk so much about the weather?” An interesting question posed to me by my teacher this morning. I had never thought about what a preoccupation our news stations had with weather until he mentioned it. This question was one of many that we discussed this morning. It was a very challenging day for me because I am getting into the mid-week mental burnout and it’s only Tuesday. I told my teacher that my body was still in the classroom, but my mind had long since left. Five hours of class is a lot to deal with when it is just you and the teacher. There is no one else to interject ideas, field questions, or just provide a diversion so that you can hide in the background. Class was interrupted by the Director today though. It seems one of the families a member of our group is staying with, stole from a former student. Olga called me out of class to explain the circumstance and then for me to talk with the team member to see if he wanted to stay in that home for the remainder of the week or move to another home.(This is another challenge since Olga doesn’t speak English) Since he is not leaving anything of value (except his Bible) in the house while he is gone, he decided to stay. He said that if the family wanted the Bible, they were more than welcome to take it.

Let me back up for a moment. Once again the day started early(4:30) and breakfast was served at 7:00. I immediately left after breakfast to try and upload my blog before class at 8. When I finally arrived at school, the coffee was not ready, so I had to tough it out until I could conveniently tell my teacher my mind wasn’t functioning without coffee. He already knew that!

After class, Kerry, John and I went to a Guatemalan restaurant named U’tz Hut just off of Parque Central. It was a restaurant recommended by my teacher. I had asked about the typical food in Guatemala and he suggested this restaurant and to order the pepian or quichom. I ordered the pepian con pollo (chicken covered with a spicy brown sauce). It was served with soup, rice, and a radish salad. I think I could get used to Guatemalan food if any other dishes are anything like this. We had to eat quickly and get back to the school for our trip to Fuentes Georgianas or Aguas Caliente. This is a hot spring where the water is heated from a volcano. The water was too hot for anyone to get into, although a couple of folks in our group did get into the auxiliary pool that was a little more tolerable. Soon after departing from the school, the driver (Martin) and I began a conversation that was quite remarkable for me once again. After I told him about our group and what we were doing here, he asked me if I knew Pastor German Ramirez with the Methodist Church here in Guatemala. I couldn’t believe it. On every other trip, people have said they did not know about the Methodist Church and on this experience it seems everyone knows about the church. Martin even knew the location of the church. On the way he and I had an extensive conversation regarding the agricultural practices of the Guatemalan people in the mountain region. It was very interesting. I must admit I have never seen radishes or carrots as large as they are in this region.

Dinner tonight was chopped greens on rice with tortillas. The conversation this evening was a little more interactive. I think the family is finally getting used to having “extranjeros” in their home. We engaged in a little more conversation, although I think they are still unsure how to talk to us. We had a few laughs, especially when Luchie asked me if I liked cerdo (pork). She grunted like a pig, so I couldn’t help but ask her to repeat the sound once again. Diego asked me, “ If a Mexican, Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran were all riding in a car, who was driving? ----- the response ----- the U.S. Border Patrol”. I wish I could be here for at least two weeks because I think it takes that long or longer to make any significant progress.

I’m pleased that our group is as independent as it is in that several people are taking advantage of opportunities to engage the culture and interact with the people more so than any group I have been associated with in the past. I do miss the days when we didn’t have all of the electronics though. It seems several members of the group (including me!!) have been taking every opportunity to get online. I think it does detract somewhat from the experience although it is good to be able to communicate with home. It is good to hear from others that are preparing or have just gone on mission trips and their comments regarding how this blog is relating to their experience. Once again I am reminded of how great our God truly is.

This morning in my devotional time I read a wonderful quote by Brother Lawrence in “Practice of the Presence of God”: “..in the beginning of the spiritual life, we ought to be faithful in doing our duty and denying ourselves; but after that unspeakable pleasures followed: that in difficulties we need only have recourse to Jesus Christ, and beg His grace, with which everything became easy.” Being here in a place that has so little, the people having to deal with corruption and poverty, the spirit and the faith reminds me of the fact that God is all we need. All the rest can too easily become a distraction from what is truly important.