Fourth of July in Guatemala (July 4, 2011)

 

Since this is my second “Independence Day” away from the US, I decided to bring a bit of American to Guatemala for the day.  Since we have a number of students from the United States staying at the house, this won an overwhelming vote of approval.

 

I offered to cook the evening meal, and decided we would have picnic fare—all before I checked the local market to see if what I needed was available.

The hotdogs weren’t too difficult, though I’m really not sure what is all in the “salsichas” they sell here.  Buns were a bit more of a problem, though.  We substituted “pirujos” which are LARGE oval shaped rolls, fat enough to fit two hotdogs.  One of the guys said that was the most bread he’d ever eaten with a hotdog.  Fortunately, the quality of the bread made it worth eating.  The various rolls and breads here are rich and soft and chewy—a food in themselves, rather than just something to hold the “real” food. (Yes, that is Coke in returnable glass bottles!)

The potato salad was a bit easier to find ingredients for—though the pickles I bought were more like cucumbers soaked in vinegar that what we consider pickles.  Needless to say there were no pickles in the potato salad, though the ones we put on the table were all eaten.

Baked beans proved to be the challenge of the day. . .especially since I had not planned far enough ahead to cook dry beans.  I managed to find canned “frijoles colorados” (“colored” red beans with bacon and chorizo) which I managed to doctor up with hickory smoked barbeque sauce and sugar.  They looked nothing like baked beans, but it was the consensus of those at dinner that they tasted pretty close to the real thing.

The crowning glory of the evening was “some-mores” which were the easiest to make—once I figured out which of the local crackers were similar in taste to graham crackers.  I think they were the hit of the evening.  It continues to make me wonder, though, at how expensive chocolate bars are in a country that grows chocolate!

After dinner we partied and danced and just generally enjoy each other.  This group of students is really a great bunch—especially two med students from Rush in Chicago.  They have proved to be excellent big sisters to Anita’s two girls (along with their more “permanent” adopted big-sister, Katie).

The only thing missing from our celebration this year was fireworks.  “Bombas” or large and small fire-crackers are available here year round, and are set off very early almost every morning for one reason or another.  Real fireworks are hard to find (except at Christmas!), and look as I might, I could not find a single sparkler! 

Feast Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ) July 3, 2011

Today, as I was walking to church, I had to take a number of detours due to preparations for yet another procession.  During this month, various churches around Antigua are celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi, or the Body of Christ. They primarily do this through “holy hours” and processions in which the Eucharist is carried throughout the city.

Their focus is on the Catholic belief that Christ is present in Holy Communion.  While I don’t ascribe to this doctrine (though I’m not sure we evangelicals have any clearer an understanding of the mystery of the Lord’s Supper and the impact it can have on us), it did get me thinking about another meaning of the Body of Christ—His church.

I was a bit surprised when the topic of Pastor Mike’s sermon today was also the Body of Christ—comparing the church today to the early movement of the people of The Way (the first century church).  It was a logical continuation of my thoughts on the way to church.  His focus was on the passion the early church had for speaking out about what they had experienced in the life, death, resurrection and appearances of Jesus.

Reflecting upon what we speak out on I’m afraid too often it’s about denominationalism and our personal interpretation of the Bible.  How much of our time is spent debating peripheral issues while a dying world is waiting to hear the Good News that Jesus has come to set us free.  How seldom does the world see us as Christians living in a way that reflects and invites freedom?  So often our approach to non-believers is “you have to” rather than sharing the freedom that comes in Christ.

We get stuck on debating doctrine, practices, philosophies and methodologies.  Don’t misunderstand me—I do believe in absolute truth.  I do believe that everything in the Bible is absolutely truth.  What I realize, however, is that my understanding of these truths is flawed by my own limited intellect, agenda, attitudes, and personality.  (The basics of my faith, and I believe the essentials for all Christ followers, can be found in the statement of faith of the Josiah Foundation, my sending organization—short, clear and to the point.)  I love this quote from a recent newsletter by James MacDonald: “On the majors? Conviction. On the minors? Tolerance. In all things?  Love. “

So, what is the cost of unity among Christians?  Our dying to self—to our understandings, preferences, and agendas.  To become, as Jesus prayed, one in mind, heart and spirit: 

²¹ that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21)

That we would seek to have the Mind of Christ, which, by it’s nature will change us and lead us from conflict to unity.  Could it be that the division among Christ-followers impairs our ability to share the truth through it’s very nature?

Hermano Pedro through a Team Member's Eyes (Thanks, Cathy Christensen)

Four of us managed to make it 3 days in a row to Hermano Pedro with great success.  We even took Byran, Sonya and Moises out to lunch as arranged by Chris and Nanette.  We must confess that two college girls, Andrea and Malissa, who are staying at the Fulps' house, were the reason we accomplished the task.

Needless to say each day was different and a blessing.  The first day, Tuesday, we met a lot of volunteers, some from Seattle.  We also met Jane, the woman with MS who comes to the hospital to massage the feet and legs of the children.  It was such a blessing to see so much love given to the children and youth.  Ted and I spent most of our time in the older girls and boys areas, and introduced our team member Susan to these incredible people. Susan is an assistant in the work study program of a high school near Seattle, so she is used to being with the physically and mentally challenged young adults.  She just fit right in!!

The second day, Wednesday, we took the kids to lunch, then hung around the children's ward.  It was quiet, so we had a chance to get to know Leslie a bit more.  Man, is she a pistol!! We also held and played with kids we hadn't before.  Don't remember all of their names, but I can say that it was a treat to spend even fleeting moments with these angels.  They do more for us than we could ever do for them.

The last day, Thursday, was by far the most fun.  A group of Guatemalan high school students were putting on a big "show" for the kids.  Evidently it was a holiday so they didn't have school.  So, on their day off they came, with amazing energy, to Hermano Pedro. They dressed like clowns and danced, fed, face-painted and loved on the kids.  One young man even wore stilts!! We tried to mingle without intruding because it was such a blessed site to see, and something none of us will ever forget. Even when the nurses put the kids in their rooms because it was too cold (77 F) the youth went in with them and gave them the cutest song and dance show ever!!  At one point they managed to include Ted, Susan, Emma and me.  It was crazy, crazy fun, and the children were in 7th heaven. 



Cristina

Christina from the older youth area watched, tentatively through the gate.  I couldn't persuade her to come in, so I went and got Mercedes.  The nurses were so generous to let Mercedes join the children, and she was so happy.  However, she didn't really care for the guy in stilts.  So, we hung out in a corner where she watched the craziness and I messaged her feet and legs.

Mercedes

Once again it was hard to leave.  However, this time we left them with love and attention from others.  One thing we noticed is how much more loving the nurses appear.  We can only surmise that the work the two of you have been doing is reaping great benefits.

 Here is a video I put together of our three days so you could see just how much fun we had.

In Christ,

Cathy Christensen

The Journey Home, July 1, 2011

Alicia in her make-shift car seat, ready for her first car ride to the hospital in Quiche

Today I returned to Antigua after spending four fabulous days at Hogar de Vida with Norm and Vickie Sutton.  In fact, the time was so captivating that Katie decided to stay an extra few days and return with them on Tuesday.  I wish I could have stayed longer myself, but I had work I needed to attend to here, and also will be meeting a friend, Katheryn, at the airport on Tuesday.  So, it was with somewhat mixed feelings that we set out this morning.

Vickie and Norman were taking Alicia to the National Hospital in Quiche to see a visiting neurosurgeon from the US.  Alicia is eight months old and not rolling over, nor will she support her weight on her legs.  Vicki had asked if I minded coming to the hospital with them since I’m more familiar with this type of thing than they are.

The doctor was one of the kindest men I’ve met here, and also one of the best teachers.  He explained in detail what he thought Alicia’s problem might be, and recommended she see a neurologist for a complete work-up.  We will be trying to make arrangements for this at Hermano Pedro on Monday.

I also met a couple of moms who were there with their little ones with hydrocephalus.  One would be receiving surgery today to put in a shunt.  The other had a shunt which was functioning, though the doctor took a lot of time explaining to the mom why the child’s head would not get smaller.  He also “taught” me about how to check to see if a shunt was functioning, and gave me some other new information about treatment options for hydrocephalus.  This turned out to be quite the education for me.

I visited with Jessica, from Agape International who had brought in this particular team of doctors.  We talked about the need for wheelchairs in the area, and I hope to be able to connect her with Hope Haven or Bethel to help with this need. 

As we were leaving, Sally, an ultrasound tech who lives in Quiche and does a lot of work at the hospital came up and said she had an in-patient she’d like me to see.  Francisco is a twelve year old who has been a patient at the hospital for the last year.  They have been looking for a more appropriate placement for him, and thought maybe I could help.

I was more than a little apprehensive as we went back into the hospital proper.  My experiences in the National Hospitals here have not been the greatest.  I had noticed that this facility was brighter and cleaner than others I have visited, but still was anxious about what I would find.  I was warmly welcomed by the male nurses on the unit, one of whom went to get Francisco for me.  Francisco is autistic, and no one there knows how to work with him, though they seem to care a lot about him.

Francisco came out dressed in oversized scrubs, but clean and healthy looking.  He immediately crouched down by the windows, but touched my hand for a moment when I offered it to him.  The nurse took him into the nurses station where he found a couple of plastic bags with a piece of sweet bread the nurses had saved for him.  This he took back into the hall and ate it crouched down in a corner, as if to protect the food.  I felt like I had stepped into the world of Victor, the “Wild Boy” of Aveyron.

The nurse explained that he had been being raised by his grandmother, who kept and fed him with the dogs.  He had originally come to the hospital with a large dog bite on his head, and has stayed there because the staff did not want him to return to that situation.  Francisco now spends most of his time alone in a room, and has all the characteristics and behaviors of a child who has been raised with dogs. 

When the staff had described him to me, I expected an aggressive, fearful child.  Instead, I found one selectively withdrawn from the world around him.  As I crouched down next to him and gently rubbed his back, he sort of “melted” into me, and even began looking me in the eye for brief periods.  He seemed a bit wary of me, but also quite curious about me.  I’m not sure he’s seen too many white women before, and I doubt many have gotten down on the floor with him.

It only took a few minutes with this sweet, lost child before I wanted to burst into tears.  Seldom do I feel like I want to scoop up a little one and take him home with me, but this was definitely one of those times.  I instantly knew I needed to spend time with Francisco. 

I asked the nurse if I would be allowed to work with him if I came back and spent some time in Quiche.  Without hesitation, the nurse said, “Please come.”  I explained what approach I would use in working with him, and the nurse thought there would be no problem doing this within the confines of the hospital.

I reluctantly watched Francisco walk willingly back to his room, and went to ask Sally where I could stay if/when I came back.  She was so excited she seemed to jump up and down, and said, if there was no room available at the Agape House, I could stay with her!  You can see how much she cares for this child.

So, in August I plan, God willing, to make a trip back to stay in Quiche for at least a week.  A week will not be enough, but I hope it will be a start.  In that time I hope to find some techniques that help Francisco connect with the world more effectively, and help the nurses find better ways to work with him.  If nothing else, this twelve year old will get a weeks worth of “mothering.”

In the mean time, I will be checking all my resources to see if we can find a better placement for him.  I have to admit, though, that while far from and ideal setting, I might be hard pressed to find a staff who will care more deeply for Francisco that the staff already caring for him at the National Hospital.  It’s pretty amazing. . .

Hogar de Vida, San Andres Sajcabaja, Guatemala (June 28-30)

Day One, Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Early this morning Vickie and Norman Sutton picked us up to travel with them to the Department of Quiche. to visit the children’s home where they are serving. (Norman and Vicki are missionaries from Christ Community Church in Omaha.)  I have been as far as the town of Santa Cruz Quiche on previous trips, but had never been to the “back country” in this part of Guatemala, and had been wanting to see Hogar de Vida since Vicki and Norman visited me in Antigua a few months ago.

On our way out of Antigua we stopped briefly in Chimaltenango so Normam could look at Dick’s old Land Rover which he’s trying to sell.  I got to hang out with Brian, Jason and Fernando while the group took a “test drive.”  I have not seen much of Fernando lately since he attends a church in Chimal, and is busy keeping up with his school work.  (Fernanado is one of the first of Dick’s kids I really got to know, and will always hold a special place in my heart!)  As we visited, I could hardly believe that the handsome young man before me was the same little boy who used to “dive bomb” my bed when we were traveling just a few years ago.  Fernando has a real heart for Jesus and for children, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for him in the future.

The rest of the drive was mostly on paved highways, and time went quickly as we all visited.  The last bit of the trip (from Quiche to San Andres) was on a dirt road that could challenge almost any I had traveled on before with its curves and ruts. 

We arrived at the home and were greeted by a number of the children who were just returning from school.  Some of the kids seemed to be a bit shy around these new gringas, while others asked Vickie, “You only brought 2?”  (A team from LifeGate Church in Omaha had just left. . .)

 

After a quick lunch, we spent some time getting to know the kids.  I helped with some of the homework the kids had, and Katie got to spend the afternoon holding Alicia, an 8 month old who is the “baby” of the home. 

 

 

 

Vickie had asked me to particularly concentrate on Leslie, a ten year old who is still in first grade.  I don’t begin to have a handle on what is causing her difficulties, but I do know she reacted to her homework as many of my kids in the past have—what can I do to get out of doing this?  After a short time in which Katie and I absolutely refused to give her any attention if she was not working (we wouldn’t even look at her!) she broke down and started working.  She really seemed proud of herself when she finished her work.

After a quick nap, we headed over to Canilla, another town about 30 minutes away from San Andres, visit Duane and Leslie Ficker a married couple who moved, with their children,  to this part of Guatemala a number of years ago.  Leslie is a nurse and with her daughter-in-law Katie runs clinics in the area.  Dale is a pilot, and uses his skills in a variety of ways to minister to the people in this area, including flying Leslie and Katie into a remote area inaccessible by even four-wheeler, to run a clinic there once a month. They even have their own landing strip on their property! (Dick, are you jealous yet?)

Since Wednesday is a day off for both the Fickers and the Suttons, they get together each Tuesday night for a time fellowship and worship to begin their Sabbath.  It was an unexpected blessing for Katie and me to be included in this special time of prayer and I enjoyed getting to know their family and ministry just a little bit during this visit.  Sharing the wonderful challah Leslie had made was just an added bonus.

I could hardly believe it was nearly 10 PM when we headed for home.  The drive back, though on a dark dirt road, had none of the “stress” of driving the same type of road around Antigua or Chimaltenango.  Norman said that they are not too concerned about bandits on these roads, as we are back home.  Guess there are not enough gringos here to make it worth their time!

Day Two, Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Our second day here got off to a leisurely start.  Since it was a day off for the Suttons, we all slept in.  I woke about 8 am and did some computer work and prayed.  When Norman and Vickie got up, they made us a wonderful breakfast of bacon, eggs, and homemade sour dough toast. 

Since the children were in school for the morning, I did some more paperwork, amid visiting with Vickie.  Shortly before noon we took a walk through San Andres.

This town is so different from Antigua, or even Santa Maria de Jesus.  It’s just quiet, almost sleepy.  Walking by the market stalls, we could look at items without being immediately assaulted with, “For you, I have good price!”  I actually enjoyed the time in the market, though we really didn’t buy anything.

We headed to a Liberia (book and school supply store) where I wanted to get some things to work on with Leslie.  I found a couple of neat puzzle activities, as well as some books that are not available in Antigua.  The store owner seemed a bit surprised by how much I was buying, and I bet this was his biggest sale since school started last January.

We stopped on the was back to get some snacks and soda, and I was excited to try the cream soda I found.  It was the first time I’d seen this favor in Guatemala, and the taste was every bit as good as the cream soda back in the States.  Score!

After lunch Katie played with the kids as I spent some time with Leslie working on combining letter sounds to form words using some of the puzzle pieces I had bought earlier.  I think we’ve found something that will hold her attention as well as challenge her to learn.  She seems to love anything she can manipulate, and I think we can get a lot of mileage out of teaching her with tangible objects.  This is not often done here in Guatemala, but Alfredo, the tutor at the home, came over and watched and seemed quite interested in what we were doing.

At first she didn’t seem to understand what we what to do, but after a few demonstrations, she caught on quickly. She would try to “read my reaction” to tell if she was correct.  Using my best poker face, I tried to teach her to check herself to decide if she was right.  It took a while, but the high point of my day was when she put together a word, and immediately said “perfecta” before even looking up.  She really was excited to succeed, and succeed she did.

Since the other kids had seen what we’d brought, I took the puzzles over to the kitchen area, where Leslie very willingly shared her treasures with the other kids. They had a ball building the piece into cubes, and shooting “dice” to read the letters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About five o’clock I decided to return to my room, and passed through the team kitchen.  I saw a group of children crowded around an adult who I could not distinguish.  As I  circled the group I saw Norman sitting on a stool as three of the girls were cutting his hair.  They were having a ball, and since he keeps his head basically shaved, there wasn’t too much damage they could do.  I think of all the things I have seen here, this touched my heart the most.  What I saw was here could only be described as a family—with the kids enjoying the privilege of cutting “Dad’s” hair.   While this may be a children’s home, it is so much more.  Here the children experience the love they had never found in their own homes—they are a family in every sense of the word.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

I spent some time this morning working on my newsletter for this past month.  Each month it seems harder to find the time to put one together, but I do enjoy sharing with all of you what God is doing here in Guatemala.  Sitting at the dining room table in the team area of Hogar de Vida is the perfect setting to get into the mood to write about this amazing country.

About 9:30 Vickie reminded me that their pastor’s wife would be selling granizadas (as she put it “snow cones on steroids”.  Would I want to walk down with her and the girls to get one?  If you know me, you know that sampling “local” food is one of my favorite pass times, so we were of in short order.  Not before, though, we picked up about five of the preschoolers, plus Marta who did not have school today.

Again I enjoyed the peace and quiet of walking through the streets of San Andres.  It was a bit unusual, though, to walk through a town where I am “inspected” as the new gringa.  Norm and Vickie seem to be the only North Americans living in San Andres, and though they bring teams in, we are still somewhat of a curiosity to the local people. 

The granizadas were  nothing like those I had seen in Anitgua.  Here they are crushed ice, two juices, bananas, and two types of fruit toppings.  They were amazing.  There are what they call “taco granizadas” which are savory rather than sweet, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to try them—somehow salty ice didn’t hold the same appeal as the sweet.

 

We sat down outside one of the local schools so the kids could eat their treat.  They had great fun sharing with each other, and even mixing the fruit and taco favors (yuck!).  They were really sweet—when I complimented two of them for sharing, they all began to share and want their pictures taken doing it.  The kids in school were having their morning snack break, and discovered we were outside, and soon filled the windows.  I was afraid that the school kids would be jealous that the little ones had treats.  Instead, they were passing their crackers out the window to share with the little kids.  I have seldom seen such generous kids.

When we got back, Katie, Amanda (a young lady from Arizona who is staying with the Suttons also) and I prepared lunch which we shared with the Fickers who had come to San Andres for a meeting.  I also got to meet Victor, who runs a drug/alcohol rehab program in Quiche, as well as Roy, who works with Agape ministries in Quiche.  Victor was very excited when he discovered that I knew about the Celebrate Recovery program, and we talked at length about how he was planning on implementing it in his home.

           

After lunch I again returned to my newsletter, at least until Vickie came over about 5 o’clock to tell me that Leslie was sitting all alone in the dining area with her homework.  I went over to find that all she had to do was write 7 words twelve times, but the task seemed to overwhelm her.  Couple that with the fact that the kids that Norman and the girls had taken swimming had just return, and it was almost impossible for her to pay attention to her work on her own.  With a little encouragement, and a lot of blocking of distractions, she was able to complete it without too much distress.  Vickie and I talked about ways she could help Leslie on a regular basis, and will begin letting her do her homework in the team area away from the other kids, where it is more quiet. 

I still don’t really have a handle on why school is so hard for Leslie, but did discover that with a little one-to-one attention she can accomplish a lot.  However, individual help is not something she’s going to encounter in the over-crowded Guatemalan school system.

For supper we had homemade pizza (a la Vickie and Norman) and no bake cookies to celebrate Manuel’s (one of the Hogar kids) birthday.  That is, we celebrated after he got dunked in the “pila”—a tradition at the home!

 

 

 

 

 

It will be hard to leave here tomorrow.  I’ve grown quite fond of the kids, and even more fond of Norman and Vickie.  I love the fact that God has provided me with friends from “home” even though we didn’t know each other in Omaha and now call Guatemala home.  I think this is part of the “hundred-fold” He promised us. 

Thanks, Vickie and Norman, for a wonderful four days.  I can’t wait to come back!