Semuc Champey

This weekend I took a bus trip up to Carcha to visit my dear friend Rachel in her home there and make the trip to Semuc Champey. Semuc is one of those places that I have always been told to go visit, but had never found a way to actually go. It's beautiful. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, and certainly a place I wish to return to sometime in the future. Semuc Champey is Q'eqchi for "where the river hides beneath the earth" as the River Cahabon goes under ground for 300 meters with beautiful pools above in tiers. We took a shuttle out to Semuc with a very friendly ayudante named Daniel, who claimed that my name was so much easier than American names like Amber, Ashley and Lindsay. He's the first person who has ever said anything of the sort :) Once we got there, Daniel took the other travelers, a mixture of Europeans and 2 Guatemalans, on the "tour" while Rachel and I got to go off and explore on our own. It is a bit of a trek to the pools from the entrance in which we took pictures, admired the cave like structures, and even saw a snake (ew!).

Where the river Cahabon disappears under ground for 300 meters

We spent most of our time in two of the pools, one that was deeper so we couldn't touch and I loved treading water and just swimming around, and another that was shallow as we laid out and allowed the sun to grace us with its presence. There weren't a lot of people there, but it was probably the most diverse place I've ever been in Guatemala. There were Europeans, Asians, Guatemalans, and indigenous...and at least two gringas. It was fun to hear the rich mixture of languages, and watch an Asian man talking in Spanish with a Guatemalan man, and then the sons of these two men speaking together in English while they played and searched for goggles.

Beautiful green/blue clear waters of Semuc Champey. And example of the pools above the underground river

The next part of our adventure occurred when we were taken to the caves of Lanquin. Rachel wasn't particularly interested in going in, and nor was I, so we opted to go down to the river and read and relax for a while. We weren't seated long before a bunch of Q'eqchi women and children flocked down to the river side. At first a few children took off their shirts and jumped in, others more teenage age jumped in with their clothes, then we even saw a few women take off their cortes and huipils and jump in in shorts and their tank tops that they wear underneath. One older woman apparently didn't like this idea, and took her shirt down to her waist to cover up there and went in without anything else. The women and children had a good time calling out to her and then looking at us to see our reactions. Definitely one of the best people watching places I've been to in Guatemala :)

Q'eqchi woman keeping watch over the children swimming

Stories come alive

The other day I was eating lunch with Vicky and Andrea, as usual, and the president of SEMILLA, Willi, came and sat down with us. Somehow Willi began to tell his story, his testimony, and I found myself drawn into his storytelling. He grew up in a department of Guatemala, at age 11 his father was tortured in front of the family and then taken and his body was never recovered. In his teen years he grew away from the church and began taking karate and boxing lessons. He was father to his younger siblings, and helped pay their way through school. He was seen as violent, and got into some bad activities with a bad crowd. He was not a model citizen. In his 20s he began to wonder if there truly was a God, and prayed that if God was real, that he would be made very present and help Willi through his difficulties. He went back to the Catholic church, met his wife, got married, and moved to Guatemala City for work. A year or so later they encountered the Mennonite Church in Guatemala City, he continued on to Seminary, including EMS, and is now president of the Anabaptist Seminary SEMILLA. He is the most kind hearted, soft spoken, gentle man I have met in Guatemala. He greets everyone of the workers in SEMILLA and knows a little bit about what is going on in their lives. I have seen only him being calm, patient, and loving to his co-workers, family and friends. He is the model of a person who has been changed by the power of God and the Holy Spirit.

As I sat listening to his story, I was forced to realize that he is also the story of so many that I have heard about in our CASAS activities. We go to a Forensic lab in Guate City where they take bodies that have been recovered from the massacres and assassinations of the Civil War of 30 years. There they analyze the bodies, attempt to recover DNA, and match families with their loved ones who most likely disappeared many years ago. We hear the history of Guatemala from Hector Castañeda about the events of the Civil War that ended in 1996 with the Peace Accords that haven't done much. We go to the National Cathedral in Zone 1 and see the pillars with lists of names from the different departments who disappeared or were murdered during the Civil War. We go to Panabaj and visit the Peace Park where they have graves from one of the massacres that happened just outside of Santiago Atitlan. These were all stories of unknown people, but hearing the story from the mouth of a man I highly respect and work closely with is another time altogether. It makes the stories come alive more than visiting any of these places ever has for me. Suddenly they aren't just stories, but the reality of Willi. It's heart breaking. May Guatemala never have to face that type of conflict and devastation ever again.

Important people

Recently I have been realizing how many wonderful people I have surrounding me here in Guatemala. I really have assimilated well within my host family (after adjusting to living longer-term with another family other than my own), at SEMILLA/CASAS, at church, and my friendships. I thought I'd take a bit to reflect on some of the people who have been most influential over my months in Guatemala.

My host family: I know I talk about them a lot, but as many differences as we have, I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to learn from them. I have learned how to fit into another family, though I make mistakes all the time. They are loving and gracious enough to forgive me time and again, as well as help me though the difficult times. They push me spiritually to consider the Bible again, through a cultural lens. Currently we are working through the Gospels, with a chapter read and discussed most  nights of the week. I didn't know I had so much to learn yet about the life and parables of Jesus. And slowly, we understand the quirks of each other and are able to talk things out to be living loving one another instead of passing judgment without understanding. I have learned that I am very selfish in some parts of my life, that I can adapt to having little personal time and space, and that I need to be okay with taking some time to myself when I need to recuperate in order to not lash out at those who are important to me. I am especially close to Henry, Lorenita, Mitzye and Julian, who constantly tease me, make me laugh, cook with/for me, play games and watch movies with me. They are the siblings and friends that I have needed to support me, challenge me to be a better person and Christian, and correct me (by ways of making fun of me, of course) in Spanish and with the culture.

My host family: Henry, Mitzye, Lorena, Lorenita, Adan and Julian

 Abuelita, Tio Noe y Tia Francis: My second home in Guatemala. Doors are always open with a drink or quick snack to be shared. Abuelita, though occasionally still hard for me to understand, loves to talk and share her life with me. Today I discovered that she studied through sixth grade, and can only somewhat read Spanish, but loves to sing although she has to memorize the words instead of read them. She is conscious that her health is waning, and today voiced her question about why God has allowed her to keep living when she isn't doing anything to serve Him here on Earth anymore. I reminded her that she is serving Him by being an example and a witness to her children and grandchildren, and that if she is still here with us, God has to have some plan for it all. She said that is what God has been telling her, but with high blood pressure and many days of not doing well, she wonders how much longer she'll be around. Noe is my protector, car loaner, helping hand, and the one who always asks to make sure I have all I need at all times. And Francis is the one who keeps me in line by teasing me and also affirming me.

Tia Francis, Tio Noe and Abuelita with Lorenita at her graduation

SEMILLA/CASAS staff: president, my co-workers, the door keeper, kitchen staff, they are all wonderful. Wonderful people, each seeking where God is calling them and leading them in Guatemala, and giving of their time, presence and love. At the beginning of my time there I was uncomfortable during break and lunch times because I only really talked with Lucy, but now I can sit with anyone during those times and chat and share in their lives. I'm blessed to be surrounded by such open and caring co-workers.

SEMILLA Staff at our retreat in October

Pictures!

Cristy´s baby shower with the EMU group

Trying the new onesies on for size that I bought her

ANADESA cooperative with Michael, Rose, Alyssa, myself and Andrea

Boat ride across to Panajachel

Group picture in Panajachel

Two of my favourite ladies, Rose and Andrea

Teacher appreciate day presentation of their card, Alex and Jessica

John guessing the size of Cristy´s belly with string at her second baby shower with SEMILLA

Doña Eudelia, one of my favourite SEMILLA staff workers, imitating a baby´s cry when hungry

February

Happy Leap Year! Not a day we celebrate, but special all the same. This last month has been full of weekend trips and activities with the EMU group. They've gotten settled into their routines of coming and going to CASAS, Spanish classes, afternoon lectures or field trips, etc. At the same time, they are now counting down the days to their departure from Guatemala, and entrance into Mexico. They begin free travel next Thursday, and then head to Mexico the following Friday. They've been great for me. Before they were here I was at times lonely, and missing the aspects of friendship that I had at home. While most of these students weren't my friends before January 12th, I am blessed to call most of them my friends now. They've been the laughter, the teasing, the hugs, and the conversations that had been lacking in my life. I mean don't misunderstand, I have friendships and a great Guatemalan support system, but it's not the same somehow. Added to that, during the time EMU has been at CASAS, I've become good friends with my co-workers, Andrea and Cristy.

Backing up, the second weekend in February I made a trip to Honduras to visit my good friends, Pablo and Grazia. I had visited them about 2 years ago, but this time it had the added pleasure of seeing Grazia all cute and prego! She´s an adorable pregnant lady. It was fun to be with them again, relax away from the crowdedness of my host family´s house, and catch up on the ways that God is working in their lives. They have been very dedicated in their church in Tegucigalpa and I look forward to hearing how they will be used as disciples of Christ in the future. I was inspired by their dedication to their church family and as an institution, especially in the face of not always desirable situations.

The following weekend the EMU group went to Coban area with MCC, and I tagged along to visit a friend who is located in Carcha with MCC. The group stayed at Bezeleel, the Mennonite middle and high school, while I stayed at Rachel´s apartment/house. My favourite experience of the weekend was attending church and eating lunch in a small community, Campat, just outside of San Juan Chamelco. The Kekchi Mennonite church is a strong and populous group in Coban, and although we didn´t understand most of the service, I enjoyed observing the women and children we sat near. When we walked into church, late because of transportation issues, the congregation turned around and stared at us for awhile. Several children made faces at us during the service, or were so bold as to come up and talk with us. The three hour service allowed plenty of opportunity for us to get a feel for some of their worship. After the service, we were split into groups of 6 to go to homes of the families to eat lunch. They served us delicious caldo (a soup with veggies, a piece of chicken, and the BEST tortillas I´ve eaten in Guatemala). The house I went to, unfortunately, had a very awkward experience. The brother-in-law of the mother and the pastor´s wife ate with us. Julia spoke a bit of Spanish, but the man spoke only Kekchi. Julia often didn´t understand our questions, and rarely involved the man, so much of the meal was eaten in silence, or listening to the different sounds of Kekchi being spoken between our two ¨hosts¨. Luckily afterwards we were taken to a river, beautiful, and met up with the rest of the group. The EMU group had a very meaningful experience, despite rough living situations at Bezeleel.

This last weekend we went to Santiago Atitlan for 3 days with CASAS. Our first stop was at a coffee cooperative between Patulul and San Lucas Toliman. At this cooperative they have worked to produce coffee, honey and beginning with macademian nuts. They work with campesino farmers who have suffered from natural disasters and the Guatemalan armed conflict in order to bring transformation to their lives, and their communities. They work on alternative housing options, introducing pottable water to communities, and increasing the quality of education. On Saturday we visited ANADESA, a program that works in cooperation with MCC as a cooperative that consists mainly of women who create beadwork, provide educational programs in T´zutujil and Spanish, and occasionally work in the tourist industry giving tours and providing hospitality. Sunday, after a beautiful ride across the lake to Panajachel, we had a free morning to explore the market and get lunch before riding back to Guatemala.

In these next weeks I would ask for prayers as CASAS receives a new group today for 12 days from Fresno Pacific, the EMU group as they go on free travel and then on to Mexico, for my co-worker Cristy who will have her baby within the next two weeks most likely, and for another co-worker who is struggling with a rough parent situation currently. I give praise for good health, beautiful weather, the friendships I have developed and continued development of my Spanish. Thanks for reading!

Recap of the last 2 months!

January 29th... really? Just yesterday I was writing about Thanksgiving and somehow Christmas and New Years has come and gone without me writing on this blog. Thanks to a very friendly reminder from my father, I've decided to start by doing a recap of my last two months. Sitting down to write has seemed like a big deal, and I'm currently looking at the clock wondering if this is really going to be written today. Ni modo, doesn't matter, I'm going to try!

Ornaments made of wrapping paper and string

Aaron, Dad and Brendan all celebrated birthdays in Guatemala City!

Backing up to December... I love Christmas! I love advent and all preparations for getting ready for Christmas. I made ornaments to hang on string in our house, Henry made a Christmas tree out of magazines, and we had ponche (a hot drink with a lot of fruits!) a lot as well as Christmas tamales. One of the most special things about Christmas in Guatemala this year was that my family came to visit! We had one full week together in Guatemala. We ate meals with my host family, went to Lake Atitlan for 3 days and had a lot of family time with games and reading, road a lancha over to Panajachel, hiked a volcano, went to some Mayan ruins, then had a going away dinner with my host family. It was WONDERFUL to show them Guatemala, my host family, my work, and a little of the culture that I have come to love and appreciate so much. I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas celebration.

Lago Atitlan

Brendan, Aaron, Dad and I kayaked on the lake

Both of my families at Iximche, Mayan ruins

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Last day in CASAS

Going away dinner with my host family and Rachel

New Years Eve I celebrated with my host family and extended family. The whole extended family came to our house around 10 pm. Fireworks are the big celebration for New Years and Christmas, and they started that night around 10:30 and went until at least 12:30 with the heaviest action occurring at midnight. We prayed and sang as a family around 11:15 then shared a dinner together before giving a hug to bring in the New Year. I feel very comfortable with my extended family after many of these types of gatherings, and it was a rather enjoyable event.

Cristy, Andrea and me in Antigua with the St. Thomas group

January 2nd we started back at CASAS. This month has been busy with groups coming to CASAS. The first one came from St. Thomas in Minnesota on the 6th and stayed for about 5 days with us. They were an excellent first group to have with very enthusiastic students, eager to learn and very curious. We had one day break before EMU came on the 12th. Coming with EMU was a dear friend, Rose, as well as other acquaintances or friends of my brothers. It's been very fun for me to have the chance to get to know the group. I've appreciated my position as a helper in CASAS. Experiencing the CASAS program from a different perspective is quite different. I enjoy getting to know everyone in the group and have respect as a "leader" of sorts, translator, and person who attempts to answer questions about culture and the likes. I have the benefits of feeling like I'm in college again with a group of friends, yet I don't have to attend classes or do homework.

EMU beginning their first weekend trip with some learning about Iximche

One of my greatest accomplishments this month has been starting to translate for the speakers who come to talk with our groups. Starting off was intimidating, and I was quite nervous. I get nervous almost every time as I am about to start translating, but then when the speaker begins I have to focus so much on what he/she is saying that I forget relatively quickly about my nerves. There are times when I don't know words, or struggle to remember paragraphs that some of the speakers throw at me, but Cristy and the leaders of the groups are usually forgiving and gracious enough to lend me their knowledge and help out when I need it. Translating is a skill I will continue to develop, but am already excited with the opportunities it could provide for me in the future as well. I also enjoy my position as a translator as it allows me to have more personal interactions with some of the speakers as well. As Rose informed me after one of my first times translating for the EMU group, sometimes I sparkle when I'm translating something that is especially interesting for me. I find myself analyzing the content of their talks much more than I did as a student because I am able to contextualize their information. I nod in my head (and maybe physically as well!) when they talk about syncretism, neo-pentacostalism, or the clash between the indigenous population and the ladino population. I'm fascinated by their conclusions about indigenous spirituality and the current context of Guatemala. I find I'm a more motivated learner now than I was while on cross-cultural because I have a reason to be motivated more than just for my 2 months of cross-cultural. I'm not sure if that will make sense... I hope so, and it's certainly not saying anything negative about my cross-cultural experience, seeing as it got me to this curiosity and eagerness to learn more about Guatemala, culture and religion!

My host family situation continues to be something that brings me a lot of joy. I am more and more comfortable living with them, and also more and more part of the family. This does bring conflict at times, as all relationships tend to do, but it's almost always conflict that is addressed and able to be resolved because we have a deeper level of trust and commitment to our relationships as well. I was especially blessed a week ago to travel with my host sister, Lorenita, to Puerto Barrios and Belice as I needed to renew my visa. After months of struggling with migration, I think I have everything under control and organized for the first time in a while. I enjoyed having a traveling partner, someone willing to explore a bit, and also enjoyed spending time in the water, whether that be the pools at our hotel or the Atlantic ocean.

Lorena and I on the first day in Puerto Barrios

As for my faith development, something that I've been pondering recently is the role of the church in Guatemala, for example. The indigenous groups have their own spirituality, which is often combined with Catholicism. Just this weekend we had the priest of the Chichi catholic church talk to us about how syncretized their service has become. He talked about how the gospel's mandate is that we go out announcing the good news but by embracing the culture of the people we are sharing this news with. I really appreciated how he was saying their goal isn't to convert all the indigenous people to Catholicism, but rather share their faith with the indigenous, and in order to do that they have to have this mixture of their customs, symbols, etc. It's really a fascinating topic, but I think I will end here.

Prayer requests:
-health for the EMU group as well as other groups we have in the next months
-safe travels for weekend trips
-thanksgiving for my visa process and the end of my migration issues
-the Abuelita, mother of Adan, who is struggling with constant high blood pressure and leg pain. Their is some concern for her health and this week a family member was staying at their house every night to monitor her blood pressure, especially

For this I am thankful

For this I am thankful:
-for a host family who is hospitable, welcoming to me and other gringos, fun loving, accepting, and faithful in their own journey with Christ
-for beautiful sunny weather, green grass, beautiful flowers, and the smell of freshly cut grass
-Skype...so thankful for free methods of talking with, seeing, and hearing my beloved family and friends around the world
-counting down 1 month from today when my family arrives to get to know Guatemala and the Guatemalans I love
-a Thanksgiving dinner with my host family, and three MCCers who are studying at CASAS
-safety in Guatemala City despite reports of violence and deaths around the country on the news every day
-a faith that allows me to express myself in prayer, songs, readings and Bible study
-the Mennonite church that supports me in my faith journey in the US and here in Guatemala

This being Thanksgiving week in the States, my mind has been scrolling through lists of things for which I am thankful. The list can go on and on, and sometimes does, as I´m riding the bus and feeling overwhelmed with all the blessings I receive on a daily basis. On Monday evening I invited Rachel, Kyle and Kirsten, all MCC 3-year workers who will be relocating in about 2 weeks to Coban, Guatemala and Bolivia, to my house for a Thanksgiving meal with my host family. My host parents made some delicious ham, and I provided the ¨complements¨. I came up with honey oatmeal bread, sweet potatoe casserole, cranberry sauce (from a can), peas and carrots, and applesauce jello with pumpkin (made with the squash güicoy) bars for dessert. It was DELICIOUS! I often expect that the foods I attempt here in Guate City won´t turn out as I expect and hope, so I try to keep my expectations low, but this was a real hit. From the very first bites of the meal I was receiving praise, and I have to admit, that was a welcomed change :) I love to make food, especially when it is appreciated by others.

Honey Oatmeal bread that I burnt, but then cut off the burnt parts so it was delicious!

All of the food! Carrots and peas, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, applesauce jello, ham, oatmeal bread

My host family and guests for Thanksgiving Meal

When we sat down for the meal, I was asked to give the "bienvenida", of course, to welcome our guests to our house, and to the special meal. This included a time to go around and each share a special thing we were thankful for, just like my family would do at home. When I warned the gringos that I was going to do that before supper, Rachel responded saying she knew that was coming :) It's tradition... My host dad then lead us in several songs that we sing often as a family before I prayed for our meal. All those things my my heart swell. I'm proud of my friends, I'm proud of my host family, and I love seeing them interact together. To share a meal like that with people who are quite important to me was a real blessing. The other thing different about our supper was that we did family style dining, passing the food, and having the food on the table. When I first suggested the idea to my host mom, she was a little doubtful I think, but I reminded her that this is how we do it at home. Our conversations ended with commenting that Thanksgiving meals only end when you're starting to have trouble breathing because you're so full, a comment from Kyle, that was welcomed with laughter and jokes about our full bellies.