Harry Potter VII

I had a day of indulgence as Edgar took the NC group to Antigua where they would stay until they left Guatemala, so he couldn’t very well pick me up today. Busy guy. Hehehe. I stayed home and read Harry Potter 7, which one of the disciples from the North Carolina group had given to me on Tuesday night, since he had already finished reading it. Could hardly put it down. I’ll give J.K. Rowlings one thing, she knows what the people like. Good for her. These books were a great accomplishment, although I still find myself frustrated with some of the world-views presented in them. Namely, “the ends justify the means.” The heroes of the story would sometimes act with low integrity, yet were applauded or rewarded for their attitudes and the outcomes of their decisions.

Well, it’s normal thinking in this day and age. Reading things like this only urges me to write something with a different world-view, one that more closely matches what God teaches through Christ. Like forgiveness, and love for enemies, and mastering the evil intentions of our hearts like jealousy or arrogance. I wrote a paper for a philosophy class once, comparing the world-views in Harry Potter to those in the Lord of the Rings, which has a distinctly Christian world-view. I have a completely different feeling when I read Lord of the Rings, or see the movies. Such is the subtlety of the teachings in the media. I wouldn’t restrict my children from reading Harry Potter, but I would want to read it with them and have discussions about how the characters behave, or could have behaved differently, or just to analyze the different world-view presented. There are many good lessons in the stories of Harry Potter, like loyalty and friendship, or equality between races and standing up for what you believe, no matter how much opposition you face.

Okay, I’m off my soap-box.

Later that night, I caught a ride with Gelion to church, where we had an all-regional singles devotional. I caught a ride home with Elizabeth and another brother who dropped us off, then I stayed up until 2am reading more of Harry Potter. Truly an addicting story. I hope the children who have grown up reading these stories continue to look for other books to read.

Una Cita de Tourismo

Another fun day of tourist activity! Gelion and another sister came to pick me up, and after getting Anghel, we headed for Tekpan (I hope that’s spelled right). It was great. So beautiful! It was actually the same road we took to Panahachel, so after about a 2 hour drive, we arrived to have breakfast at a quaint little restaurant in the hills. Rincón Suizo, I think is the name. Anyway, they had the cutest little hot-chocolate mugs. Mmm, so good…

After a stout breakfast, we headed to La Ciudad de Iximché. These are some ancient ruins in Guatemala, though aren’t as well defined or grandiose as Tikal. I’m really hoping to go there before the end of my trip. Actually, I mentioned it in the car on the way here, and Anghel said we could go if I wanted, as long as I paid for his hotels and bus tickets. I think it’s the only way I’ll get to go, because there’s no way I’m going alone, and no one else but Anghel can take the time off work or can speak enough English to communicate with me.

Anyway, back to the date. We really enjoyed all the rolling green hills of Iximché, and entertained ourselves like clowns by attempting walking-handstands, and climbing impossible trees. Yes, it’s true, my foot got stuck on the way up the tree, and I had to get pushed out by Gelion, boosted by Anghel. I’ll have to show you the footage. Embarrassingly funny! I had a great time.

After Iximché, which I was able to get in for the same cost as a Guatemalan (the ticket-taker was being very generous), we drove to Antigua. Once we were there, Gelion let me drive his car into the main city, to the mock-horror of the other passengers. Hehehe, so much fun! He was being very trusting, since I didn’t have my license with me and had never driven in Guatemala. It wasn’t so difficult, and it was a treat for me!

What else…hmm. We walked around Antigua (which is one of the older, quaint cities in Guatemala) and got some helado de fruta (fruit popcycles), then headed back towards Guatemala City. We stopped at a really cute restaurant on the way, and had some interesting Mayan drink called Atol de Helote…err…yeah, I think. Tasted like hot and creamy corn soup! Mmm. Really good. I shouldn’t have, but I ordered some móle de platano afterwards. It wasn’t as good as the móle Margarita made at Comenzano. ;)

We were all sogged out and ready for our beds by the end of the date, and I got home around 6:30pm. It was a lot of fun, and a great experience of the country. I’m really grateful for the hearts of the brothers I’ve met here. Even though Gelion and Anghel don’t speak much English, they still felt comfortable giving to me, and amazingly enough, we were able to communicate effectively and have a good time.

Well, that’s all for now! !Adios por ahora!

Muriela's Shack...is home.

Well, Edgar’s been a busy man with all the responsibility of taking care of the North Carolina group, so I wasn’t too surprised or worried when he forgot to pick me up that morning. They all came to get me on the way back to church, where we had another lunch at Comenzano (where I’ve become an honorary member of the staff). Afterwards, I went to help them paint more of the mural, which by now had come a long way. I painted the word “HOPE” in the shapes of white cloud puffs coming from a train’s smokestack, then chalked some more inspiring words on each of the train’s compartments: esperanza, fe, amor. Hope, faith, and love. I wouldn’t be able to help them at the school tomorrow, because of a date I had planned with Gelion, so that was all I was able to do before we finished.

It started raining again, so we finished what we could and cleaned up the paint. Muriela from Comenzano saw me outside and beckoned me to follow her to her home, which actually stood only a few homes away from the HOPE school. I was amazed to walk through the flimsy metal walls to find a few rooms of a makeshift house separated by sheets or cardboard. There was even a kitchen with a little stove they had somehow plugged in, and a refrigerator, but otherwise, the house was bare. One room held all the beds, which were strewn about the floor haphazardly, and I was reminded again of the extreme poverty these people endured. Muriela then told me how flimsy her house was, and that one good push could topple everything. It would cost her $12,000 to fix it. $12,000; dollars, not quetzales! To keep a flimsy house from falling over. It blew my mind.

She obviously can’t afford that kind of money, or she would be in a better house to begin with. Muriel is a single mother of 3 children who are all over 7 years of age, her oldest being about 11 or 12. Muriel is in her thirties.

How can I ever be dissatisfied with my life when I remember her, when I remember how many situations are like hers or worse?

Beautifying the Escuelita!

No lesson again. When Edgar picked me up in the van with all the other disciples to North Carolina, I had a feeling the construction on the school would take the place of any other activities I might have had planned. At least I was able to help improve the school with the others, though I continue to feel disappointed that I’m not able to spend as much time with the teachers as I felt necessary to train them. Still, I know it’s all making a difference.

I helped layout the mural they wanted to paint on one side of the new playing grounds Edgar had made with basketball and soccer posts. Unfortunately, it started to rain heavily, so we weren’t able to do much other than make a chalk-grid and discuss how the rest of the mural would look. We tried to help the guys paint laminate on the new roofing slats they would lay on the school in the next few days.

By the end of the day, almost everyone was wet, tired, and hungry, but hopeful for the work they would accomplish and had already set in motion. It was great to feel that we were making a difference, and seeing the American disciples playing football in the rain with the children from the HOPE school made me see, once again, how incredible it is to be a part of this spiritual family. The way cultural boundaries are crossed and different people are united under Christ and his call for us to love one another…it’s incredible to see.

I also got a close-up on all the things about American culture I don’t miss, spending so much time with the N.C. group. Grumbling, complaining, selfishness, and independence seem to be the reoccurring theme. Namely, we’re immature and egocentric. It’s not that we don’t have other redeeming qualities in our culture, but these are the very things I believe makes most of the world dislike Americans in general. There’s a coldness in our culture, an isolation that isn’t healthy or beneficial for our relationships. There’s also a dependence on technology and an addiction to media which I see more clearly, serving in a place where advanced technology is scarce, and family and relationships are all you have to cling to.

If there is one thing I hope for my country, it is to bring more compassion, purpose, and selflessness to our youth. Maybe that’s why I need to go back. But first, I need to root this selfishness out of myself, and there, my friend, is the rub.

After a brief stop at the group’s hotel, we went out to eat at Pollo Campero, and I’m ashamed to say that I had 2 soft-serve ice-cream cones after a full meal of salad, Buffalo wings, and pizza. But boy, were they good!

Welcome N.C. - Sunday Service

Early morning service at 9am. There was a special welcome for the disciples of North Carolina, and their church minister gave the lesson in Cuban Spanglish. It was entertaining, though I admit to still having trouble following the message sometimes. I get the gist of it, but most of my spiritual food is coming from my own times with God. I really miss the lessons in my home church, the Turning Point.

I helped cook lunch again, and enjoyed the fruits of my labor once everyone else had been served. Mmm…I’ll miss Comenzano.

After lunch, the others headed to the school while I took a much needed nap. Things were beginning to get crazy, and I could tell the following week would put my lessons with the HOPE school teachers on hold. I was right.

North Carolina Group Arrives!

Estuardo picked me up around 8am, and we headed to the church office with a couple of teen disciples. Today, the youth ministries would be cleaning and painting the children’s ministry classrooms. I helped at Comenzano (Betsy King) to prepare lunch for all the North Carolina disciples that would be coming in later that day (about 22 of them). They would be staying for a week to do construction on the HOPE school and then take a few days to be tourists.

I helped in the kitchen, and as soon as they didn’t need me, headed down to help clean the children’s classes. It was great, listening to the radio (they play a lot of my favorite American songs out here in Guatemala) and cleaning to the upbeat rhythms and familiar tunes.

Then the American disciples arrived, and it was back to Comenzano to help. It was fun to feel at home in the kitchen, and then serve the disciples from America as if I were a native Guatemalan. I was even able to help translate some Spanish for them. Hearing all the gringo accents made me remember my first few days in Guatemala, and how I must have seemed to everyone. I suddenly realized how much I had learned in the past 5 and a half weeks, and felt very grateful for the experiences I’ve had.

After serving lunch and having some myself, they sorted the disciples to various homes they’d be staying in for the first night. We had a teen named Jill (14 years old!) stay with us, and I don’t think I ever felt more aware of my age. It still shocks me when I realize I’m not the youngest person in a group anymore.

Once everyone found their host-homes, the roomies and I headed to another disciples home, where we had a fantastic dinner prepared for us while we toured a local fair (faria) together. It was great. Gelion and Quincho helped explain different Guatemalan facts to the group. Gelion bought some unique candies for everyone to try, and I got to talk to various brothers and sisters from the North Carlina church. It still feels funny when they ask me to help translate, but I like being able to help. We stopped to throw some baskets to try to win a prize, and three girls from the group won something. I was one of them! Woohoo! Poor brothers…hehehe. Looks like the girly, granny shot is the best one for rigged fair-games.

After a few rounds on the bumper cars, (my first time driving in Guatemala!), we rode down a huge slide on gunny sacks. Good times! Gelion and Quincho kept saying what a big kid I was. “Sí…y que!” Hehehe, that’s my trademark saying out here.

Anyway, we walked back home at around 8:30pm, then told some horribly corny jokes to pass the time until dinner was served. We were all hungry by then, so were very grateful when the carne, bread, beans, and Guatemalan salad was served. Mmm mmm mmm…so good.

Jill and I arranged to share a little time with God tomorrow, and got to bed fairly quickly, as tired as we were.

Hasta mañana.

Panahachel, here I come!

WOOHOO! My first real tourist trip since I came back to Guatemala. I found out this Friday morning that Edgar wouldn’t be able to take me to the school, since he was taking Nancy and her family to Panahachel for some sight-seeing. Well, since my lessons depend on my equipment, and since I can’t bring my equipment to the school by bus (not safe), I accepted Nancy’s invitation to come with them. After all, I hadn’t done any real touristy things since I got here, and the opportunities were rare.

It was fun! Edgar and his family came (his wife, Alma, and two children, Pablo and Kamila), as well as Nancy’s son, Calvin. After a 4 hour drive, we got to cross the lake from Panahachel to a little barrio called San Pedro, where we bartered (regatear) for souvenirs and other things. I feel bad sometimes, because I get really good prices…maybe too good. I bought a hammock for almost half the price they asked for it. It’s not one of those cheap kinds, either, but hand-made. Poor Guatemalans… Must be the Jewish blood in me…hehehe.

Next time I’ll try to be a little more generous.

We crossed the lake again to return to the main city, and continued shopping, though I didn’t buy much afterwards. I did help Christine with her bartering, though, which she appreciated, since it saved her about a third of the cost.

Whew, I’m tired. The drive back home was quiet, since most of the group was sleeping. We finally stopped at McDonalds at around 11pm (I just felt like going straight home) to have dinner, and then finally got home around 12am.

Time to hit the sack. I’m in Evelyn Ramirez’ bed tonight, since Nancy and Christine are in mine and Evelyn Guitierrez’s. ¡Buenas noches!