From a local market to Walmart

A couple Fridays ago a group from my school went to this famous outdoor market called San Francisco El Alto. It is a town above Xela that transforms into one giant market on Fridays. The streets are closed off except for a few to let the buses come and go, but otherwise it is a giant sea of vendors. Because it is so crowded I was advised against taking my phone so I don't have pictures, but apparently you can find anything there. We saw a section of people selling livestock (cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys) and another section for puppies, kittens and birds. Lots of fruit and vegetables, different types of meat including crocodile!! Plenty of clothes, shoes, household items and I saw a few people selling rocks. It was quite hectic so we walked around for a bit, had a snack and then left. The buses for longer trips, that leave from Xela are old school buses from the states. They are usually decked out with colorful paint or decorations. They are called "chicken buses" because there is a rack on top which holds the cargo of the passengers including chickens :) Personal space has a whole different meaning in most countries outside of the US so I can tell you the bus was FULL! Luckily, with people and not chickens, but wow.

Over the weekend I went to the hometown of my teacher which is about half way between Xela and the Mexico border. There was a big sale like Black Friday in a Mexican town about 45 minutes from the border. I need to leave Guatemala very 3 months to renew my visa so this was a good opportunity. We travelled all the way to Mexico to go to......Walmart! I couldn't get over the irony, but they did have good sales. The peso is weaker than the quetzal so prices that were already cheaper in Mexico were even better during the sale. I only bought a coloring book for the kids in the park, but my friends stocked up on soap, shampoo, make up, etc. There were people with some overflowing carts proving that "black friday sales" appeal to the consumer in all of us. Whether this is good or bad, I'm not sure but apparently "good deals" cross cultures. 

I See You

Over the weekend I attended a bonfire for the youth of the church I have been attending. It isn't a big church with just maybe 6-8 youth, but my teammates Chris and Liz serve regularly and hosted this bonfire for them. We sang, roasted marshmallows, had a little bible study and shared a simple meal. I was reminded that regardless of size, fellowship and community are two really cool things. My love language, or the way I like to express my care for others is quality time and words of affirmations Due to my limited language, words of affirmations are more difficult and so it has been a challenge for me to trust that "presence ministry" is enough. Whether it is sharing snacks and sodas or coloring together or hugs, I have to believe that this enough, that being present, attentive and acknowledging human dignity is a witness itself. Knowing names, acknowledging others seems like very little, but I don't think we can underestimate the power of these things which usually cost us very little.

In the states I try on occasion when someone asks for money to first ask their name and introduce my self giving us both dignity. I'm not just a free hand out and they are not defined by their need. This brings some dignity to the situation. Sometimes it leads to more, a conversation or a meal and other times it is just an acknowledgement of our humanness. The point for me is to communicate, I see you as a person and I am one too. This is powerful gift to offer but hard to measure. Being in another country and culture, this challenge is more apparent and not any easier, but it is a lesson I can learn and practice everyday.

#lovewins

It was interesting to be out of the country during the recent news of the election. I felt the same as some of you, grieved, sad, confused and speechless. What is interesting, is to talk to my Spanish teacher about this and explain to her our voting system. With Hilary winning the popular vote, but losing the election, my teacher asked, "Then where is the democracy?" Great question. In her opinion the US is the most powerful country in the world and has been to war fighting for democracy in other countries. She couldn't believe that our voting system could be called democratic. I tried to explain the theory behind the representation of voted officials etc. For me, it is interesting to hear her perspective and her opinion about our new president and to learn about the perspective of others who don't live in the US. I have a chance from the outside to hear and see the message the US is now sending to the world.

Our friend who is struggling with addiction has been in a rehab center for about 2 weeks. At first, we couldn't find her for a few days. Checking her house, the hospitals, jail and even the morgue. Come to find out a pastor took her from the park to this center he has to help addicts. It is not the best situation and none of us feel really comfortable with it so next week she will be moving in with Chris and our team will take over caring for her. This is still not an easy situation because she has spent most of her life on the streets so adjusting to expectations and responsibility are new. Overcoming addiction is about literally changing everything. This journey for her and for us, takes time, wisdom, patience, perseverance and lots of prayer.

Another girl from the states is visiting our team for 2 weeks. She is considering joining our team and came like I did two years ago to spend time with the team and experience life here. My team leader Karla, decided it would be fun for us the girls of the team to run a 5k. There are quite a few races here  because running is a popular hobby. With the altitude the two Guatemalans from our team had a big advantage during our first "training run" over Christa and I. The race is in 10 days so who knows if I will be able run it all. It might be my first 5k walk/run here and I can build up to an actual 5k run :)