domingo

For those who drink coffee, you can understand the collective comfort it can provide a mission team early on a cool Central American morning. Freshly ground, Guatemalan coffee becomes a gathering cry in the mission house. The day starts early in Guatemala, and it is easier to ease into those mornings because of the coffee and the two hour cushion provided by the time zone change. We all slept well last night on hearty air mattresses placed on sturdy bunk bed frames. Today, we were up and ready to roll.

Mona mentioned this morning how exciting it was yesterday to exit the airport in Guatemala City into a sea of aromas, colors, sounds, and humanity.  I had forgotten how that had hit me, too, on my first few trips here; it is an exhilarating and slightly frightening introduction to life in Guatemala City. Urban chaos is probably similar in every large, third world country, but I suspect it occurs in different flavors depending on where in the world you are. Guatemala City is flavored by diesel fumes and particulate, chicken buses, the roar of motorcycles, the aromas of street food, Mayan fabrics, rain, ferocious thunder, and lots of folks. Every place we will go this week has a slightly different flavor.  It is thrilling to be exposed to it and have the opportunity to make sense of it.  This of course applies to worship styles, too.

It's so easy to assume "our" way of doing things is the "right" way. One of the first lessons Americans learn here is that there are other ways of doing almost everything, and on Sunday, worship style was one of those first lessons. Psalm 25 is all about trust. In verse 4 is says,

"Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me
for you are my God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long."

Our day began with a look into His ways at Ministerios de la Cruz, a store-front church unlike most in the U.S. We were welcomed like brothers and sisters, and like our brothers and sisters, here we worshiped for two and a half hours. I'll be honest, it's a long time. We stood and sang for at least 45 minutes whiles liturgical dancers performed perfectly choreographed moves, non-stop. We worked at standing that long, while the dancers moved with ease in long-sleeved long white dresses with little regard for the humidity and rising heat. We know that we have much to learn. There was a lot to take in, but it did strike me that faith life here is a predominant thread in the fabric/culture of Guatemala. In our country, it seems sometimes as if it is has become more of an add-on or adjunct to our culture.  Not sure if that is a correct characteriazation but there does seem to be a profound difference.

Our minds are racing. There is so much to process in an experience like this. Motorcycles speed by during the service, cell phones ring quietly, babies fuss, "tweens" laugh and chatter, and we are trying to soak it all in; and. . .  it is all so familiar. One of the many lessons today may be that we are truly all the same in every imaginable way that matters. I have a mental picture of God looking down on us and asking, "What took you so long to figure that one out?"

This afternoon we assembled 200+ hygiene kits to help those individuals who lost their families and communities as a result of the volcanic eruption. We will meet folks this week who have almost nothing, but these victims of the Fuego explosion have exactly NOTHING. Thank you that we are able to help in this small but basic way. Groundwork will work through their connections to place these supplies into the actual hands of those in immediate need.

I know I ramble sometimes when I work on the blog and recognize I likely lose some of the readership when I do. So, to the point, I want you to know we are well; the kids are great. Mona and I feel fortunate to be having this experience together and with these eight, special kids, some of the many great kids we all know and love through Trinity and our neighboring schools and churches. Thank you for following our days here.  Every hour is something new and challenging in our faith walk together in Guatemala.

Blessings,
Megan, Alaina, Lexi, Mona, Ryan, Dylan, Marisa, Lauren, Adam, and Sally