Happy Birthday, Sonya (August 2, 2010)

Today we celebrated Sonya's 16th birthday with a trip to her preferred restaurant--Burger King!  (Again, I can't help but wonder sometimes, am I really in Guatemala?  Burger King?  The menu is a little different, though, in that you can have a "burger" of chicken nuggets on a bun spread with refried black beans, and the every present fried chicken dinner is also available!)

Veronica and Moises also joined us, as well as Ben, a math teacher from Las Vegas who is down here volunteering for a few weeks.  I have to admit, a hamburger tasted pretty good after going more than a month without one.  I got to sit at a table with just Sonya and Veronica, and it was a great chance for some "girl talk."  I can't help but wonder what the lives of these two young women will be as adults.  The have significant physical challenges, but, boy, having lunch with them reminded me of how much they are "typical teenagers."  I could see having them for roommates one day.

I also received my first "gift" from one of the kids.  In school this morning, Veronica had written her name on a large piece of paper, and presented it to me with great pride.  While this may not seem like a lot, knowing the effort Veronica has to make to even be able to hold a marker, this simple gift brought tears to my eyes.  I now have a new decoration on the wall of my bedroom:

The Weekend (July 30-August 1)

The weekend started early for me, with a trip to the city (Guatemala City) to look for a new stove for Mari and pick up one of our students at the airport. 

Stove shopping was interesting.  A number of stores only carried electric stoves, which I really don't understand since electricity is so much more expensive here than bottled gas.  We ended up at a familiar store--Sears.  Yes, Sears is in Guatemala.  And we found the perfect stove for the great amount of cooking Mari does. 

When I went to pay for it, though, I learned another lesson about life in Guatemala.  When you are going to put a large purchase on your debit card from the States, it is best to contact the bank ahead of time.  Sears, however, was very gracious, and we called the bank to remove the block.  Unfortunately, I didn't have all my account information with me, so I couldn't have the block removed until I got home!  We tried a number of work arounds, but still had to return to the city Saturday to complete our purchase.  I can't believe I've been in the city 3 times in one week.  The Friday trip home was unbelieveable.  It took an hour and a half just to get OUT of the city (usually about 20 min.).  Guess the weekend started early for more people than just me!

On the way home, we drove through Central Park in Antigua.  Imagine my surprise when I heard a band playing "New York, New York!"  Evidently these gentlemen are in the park every Friday afternoon, playing a "hit parade" of songs they believe the Americans would enjoy.  They really were quite good, if you didn't consider the tempo of each song was about a third of how we would play it in the States.

Friday night I learned another fact about life in Guatemala.  Yes, doctors do make house-calls, to unknown patients at 9 at night, in the middle of a thunderstorm.  The student we picked up at the airport became really ill on the way home, and by night was in a tremendous amount of pain.  All of the doctors Mari knew were in Guatemala City, at a medical conference, but one did give her the name and number of a young woman doctor who lives in the next town.  Though she had never met Mari, she willingly came to care for Phil, and gave him two shots and some other medicine.  She appears to be very competent, as well as gracious, and I'm glad to know her.  I would have no trouble going to her, should the need arise.  Another great contact.  A funny aside:  I do have a little trouble having confidence in a doctor named "Lucky Luna" but apparently Lucky is a common name here in Guatemala!

Saturday was spent going back to Guatemala to complete our purchase.  Mari and I made it a "girls night out" and had supper at Pizza Hut.  Sear, Pizza Hut--am I really in a different country? Sure felt like I was back in the States, expect for the Spanish!

Sunday I went to church and then out to lunch with Dick and seven of his kids from Chimal.  After taking home one who had gotten sick, we headed back to the orphanage and just hung out with the kids.  I got to see Chris Mooney for the first time in a number of weeks when he brought a team in to visit.  This was what Sundays were meant to be--slow paced and relaxing.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of this thing called a "Sabbath rest."

Getting to Work (July 26-28, 2010)

I think this is one of my favorite pictures of all time--

kids working together.

I got kind of a late start getting to the orphanage today, because I went with Dick, Leo, Manuel, Fernando, and Cesar to take Dick's car to Leo's shop in Guatemala City.  Dick has been having trouble with it for a few weeks now, and has seen a number of mechanics, all of whom wanted to do something different to the car, including putting in a new motor!  Dick has thought the problems was electrical, and Leo agrees, so Dick's giving it one more try to get it running smoothly again.  It seems Leo has the problem figured out, and his diagnosis makes sense to Dick.  Now if they can just find the part they need.  Dick's Land Cruiser is a little less than new!

The last three days, I've introduced "work" to the kids, and they've loved it.  I've managed to put together about 15 different task for the kids, and a number of adaptations of each for the differing skill levels of the kids.  I can hardly keep up with them. I continually hear a chorus of  "Paty" (how my name is spelled in Spanish!) as each of them wants me to look at what they are doing, and give them praise.  The teacher in me wants them to be more independent, but the mama in me loves that they want my attention.  These kids have gotten so little affirmation and have had so few opportunities to do anything that would earn them praise, that for now, they're gonna get all the praise and encouragement I can heap on their darling little heads.

Even Gloria, a Guatemalan lady who volunteers at the

orphanage 3 days a week, is joining in the fun!

One of the neatest things that has come out of this is seeing the kids work together.  Yesterday there were about five kids around one small table, each doing something different, but working cooperatively.  I don't think I've ever seen this much interaction between kids.  Of course, some of it is "fighting," like when Ervin tried to touch the blocks Heidi was using.  She's normally so quiet and passive, but boy, can she let out a scream of protest when she wants to.  Even this, though, is so good for her--to be able to assert herself in some small way and have it respected.  And, believe it or not, Ervin did back off and leave her stuff alone!  We'll work on sharing later.  It's hard to ask kids to share when they've never had anything worth sharing before.  All things will come in due time.

Reaching My "Woe Point" (July 25, 2010, Sunday)

Today I listened to the worship service from Westside via the Internet. I was privileged to hear the founding pastor of my home church, Dr. Calvin Miller,  preach this morning. The closest I can come to a sermon title is “Reaching Your Woe Point.” When he first began talking about this, I thought he was going to preach on brokenness. Instead, he preached a sermon on completeness, using 1 Corinthians 9:16-17.

Paul says:

“16Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.”

Some of Pastor Miller’s thoughts on this passage follow, primarily the ones that have helped me understand my call to Guatemala. He says, “None of us are worth our salt before God until you can finish the statement, ‘Woe be unto me if I do not. . .’(finish this statement in 25 words or less).” I realized even while he was speaking that in some ways my move to Guatemala was selfish—I would never have been truly content if I did not make this move. I can truly say my life would have become increasingly frustrating if I had remained comfortable in my job at Westside and in my home in Omaha. I could feel the frustration building as I waited to make the move—even as I grieved leaving those I loved. My work at Westside was no longer fulfilling to me in the way it once was. Maybe this is Bill Hybels talks about in his book Holy Discontent. That sometimes God actually uses our restlessness to move us where He want.

Pastor Miller also said: “You need to have a sense of calling on your life. You cannot know this sense of calling until you get to the point of saying ‘Woe be unto me if I do not. . .’” Every time I’ve made a major transition in my life, I think I’ve had this experience. When I came to Westside, I knew I would never again be content working in the schools. Even when I made the move from Preschool Ministry to Care Ministry, I felt as if I was being compelled to make the move. It was more than just the next “logical” step in my ministry career. Without making the move, I was not sure I would still have a career in ministry.

So it has been with this move to Guatemala. If I had not made the move, would God still have used me? I think He would have, for the sake of the people I ministered to. But would I have been in the center of His will for my life? I think not—I think I would have progressively become less of the woman He created me to be. I would not have been obedient to what I know He had called me to next.

Pastor Miller gave me a much needed reminder when he said, “Obedience is more important than performance.” I know this, I’ve taught this, and I forget this. This past week I’d been feeling very inadequate to meet the needs I see. What do I really know about deaf children? What do I really know about best practices in feeding kids with severe disabilities? For that matter, what do I really know about the lives of the women who work at Hermano Pedro? (I believe I have come to minister to the nurses as much as I have to the kids.) I was not feeling overwhelmed (yet), but very inadequate for the task set before me. Calvin reminded me that I don’t have to be the best at what I do (Paul wasn’t necessarily the best preacher) for God to use what I do for His purposes.

Bayron, my first deaf "client"

Bobby, an extremely bright young man, striving for independence, hampered by extremely limited motor skills.  What he lacks in skills, he makes up for in determination.  One of my "heroes."

Melvin, my novio (boyfriend).  Melvin cannot even move

but his eyes speak volumes and his smile lights up the room

So as Paul was compelled to preach the gospel, I am compelled to share the gospel through acts of service and through sharing what skills I do have to improve the lives of the people I serve. This is freeing (since I’m not responsible for the results, only the obedience) and yet an immense responsibility at the same time. I know I would not be true to who I believe God has called me to be if I were not here.

Will I spend the rest of my life here? I hope so. I’ve learned, though, that God can and will change our “compulsions” for the sake of the Kingdom. When I went to work in the Omaha Public Schools, I thought I’d retire from there. When I came to work at Westside, I was sure that was where I would finish out my career. However, looking back I can see how each of these positions was “training” for what I would be doing now. So do I think this is the “great call” on my life? Yes, but I know God well enough to know He can change this any time He wants to. But for now I can say:

Yet when I serve in Guatemala, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to serve. Woe to me if I do not serve here! If I serve voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. (1 Cor. 9: 16-17 revised for Guatemala, 2010)

Feast of St. James, patron of Antigua (July 24, 2010)

Cathedral in Antigua

This has been a week long celebration of the feast of St. James, culminating tomorrow, which is the actual feast day.  Antigua was originally named Santiago de los Cabalerros (St. James of the Gentlemen), and still holds St. James in a place of special honor.

I'm learning that every festival here has three constant components:  food, music and dancing.  Once again, we ate "street food" from a vendor Mari knew.  The ever present elote (corn on the cob) was supplemented with wonderful pork and beef  "tacos."  The drink was the traditional arroz con leche (rice and milk).  This may be my favorite part of the festivals.

The music this time was provided by four marimba bands, playing the same music in unison.  It's like having live stereo.  And the dancing this time was a bit different.  Los Viejitos (The Old Men) did their own version of  "line dancing" with the added attraction that they were all dressed up as old women.  This was really fun to watch, as they circled Central Park, performing different dances on each side of the park.  I had no idea these were men dressed up as women until Mari told me so--I thought they were young girls!  Their dancing was very entertaining, and we followed them as they moved around the Park.

The evening was capped off with fireworks.  Though I missed them on the Fourth of July in the States, I got to see some great ones up close and personal.  They were set off from the street on the north side of the Park, and we were standing in about the middle of the park.  Better view than I ever had at home, and not nearly as crowded as Rosenblatt on the Fourth!

The lives of the people of Guatemala seem very difficult to me.  I've noticed, though, that they never miss an opportunity to celebrate life.  Maybe that's why walking through the streets of Antigua is so enjoyable--they are filled with life.  What a wonderful way to live.