Thursday, August 29, 2019

She Believed She Could So She Did

I have never been so compelled to write a blog post, but as I lie here in my bed, after climbing Volcan Pacaya, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and humility. 

Let me explain…

Many people know that I’ve had my share of struggles in life, but the struggles I have faced have just made the joys better.

It’s 10:30 here, as I sit in my bed, and I just got back from climbing a VOLCANO.  When we set out on this excursion, we thought, “what a cool experience this will be!” For the others in my group, this fun-filled excursion was just that, but for me, it was unexpectedly so much more…

We got to the start place around 3:45 PM and immediately getting out of the car, people asked us if we wanted a horse to take us up the volano for 200 Q, $30.  Honestly, yes…I did.  I wanted every bit of that horse to take me up the mountain, but $30 is over half of my weekly stipend, and the excursion already cost $25, So I thought, “How difficult could this be..?”  Very fricken difficult. 

I certainly slowed the group down as we climbed.  As the muscles in my legs burned, as ,my right leg froze up time after time, and as I wondered how much further until a break, I wanted to quit. So many times,  I wanted to take a break.  I wanted to get on a horse. I didn’t know if I could do it.

However, I persisted.

I watched my steps and thought to myself, “One step at a time.  I can do this.”  I didn’t ask how much longer because I was afraid of the answer.  Covered in sweat, I told myself, “One step at a time.”
Over an hour later, the most wonderful thing happened…we reached the dried lava rocks. We were close! However, this posed another hurdle.  It was so easy to slip. A few minutes into the hills and bounds of lava rocks, as my fatigued right leg shook, I fell and hit the sharp, cooled lava stones.  As I hit these stones, I was met by the hand of another…a man (maybe 30 y/o) who had seen me struggling on the way up reached out his hand to me, and in broken English, smiled and said to me, “We will do this together.” We walked sliding and slipping through the slick gravel-like hills, and then we hit a BIG hill!  That’s when his friend grabbed my other hand and said, “You can do this.”  Together we climbed through the stones and made it to a landing point.  I thanked the men whole-heartedly, and we parted ways. 

Next decision…Whether or not to attempt the part over molten lava, with sharp larger hot lava rocks.  My initial reaction was, “Heck no!” because it sounded like a nightmare.  But I persisted on because I figured I it’s better to try and fail than not to try…That’s when another beautiful thing happened.  Our tour guide, Mono, took my arm and said to me (In Spanish), “We can do this…I’ll help you.”  He and I jumped and climbed lava rocks (hand in hand) with skin-searing heat coming from the orange liquid lava underneath.  We climbed nearly 15 minutes (very slowly walking), and BAM there it was!  Orange liquid rock-not underneath, but right next to us.  The liquified rock was falling slowly, melting into the solidified lava rocks. 

That’s when I took the marshmallows out of my back pack.  I had bought these marshmallows (called “angelitas” in Spanish) this morning on my walk to school, just in case we had an opportunity to roast mallows, and here it was…the chance!  Mono brought a stick and we roasted marsh mallows over molten lava.  They actually caught fire next to the lava-Crazy! By this time, the sun was setting, which turned out to be so beautiful. After a few pictures and delicious smores, we started the decline. 

That was another adventure, with much slipping and a man on each arm on the way down.  But I was just filled with so so so much gratitude…I just climbed a fricken mountain.  Yes, it was terribly hard, and I probably won’t do it again…but I don’t need to.  Because I persisted and I did it.  I didn’t take any short cuts.  I endured pain, and humbling humanity, and I did it-with the help of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

We got to the end of the hike, and it was hours later than we should have returned, but my friends were so supportive.  Hungry, but supportive.

What beauty…the support from my team, as one held a light for me on the way down the hill.  Two stuck back with me as I struggled up the mountain, supporting me as I was telling myself I couldn’t go any further.  And others took plenty of pictures of us.  Everyone played a part.

This evening was a beautiful reminder of the love that surrounds me, through the trials that I face.  Reflecting on the immense support I have had from my family, friends, neighbors, and everyone in between.  That support has come in many shapes and forms, like an environmental services woman (that I had never met before) at work asking my story/mission while we were stripping a room, and then she gave me a big hug and a few dollars to support my fundraising.  It also looks like a visit from far away, support of my fundraising, a hug and smile, and now the men who held my hands while I climbed a volcano.  My mission is to achieve and spread love, and I am able to do that because YOU have taught me to love…and so I thank you! 



 Not long before the guy grabbed my hand.

Standing about 15 feet from liquid rock, falling like pudding.

Roasting marshmallows heated by lava!

Nice burn on those mallows.

My team!  Monos!

Beautiful sunset.


Grupo son nuestra guia, Mono.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Stand with Humility before Humanity


Stand with Humility before Humanity

I’ve now been in Guatemala for just over 2 weeks, and it really feels like a lifetime!  What a beautiful country and a beautiful culture of people!  There have been many ups and downs over the past 14 days, and I feel so blessed…

Mis compañeros and I are each staying with a different host family in a town called Ciudad Vieja, which is about a 15 minute bus ride from Antigua (the city where our school is located).  Our host families do not speak English—solo Español.  It has been a bit mentally exhausting because there is no such thing as passive listening.  It’s either zone out or try with all brain power to understand what people are saying.  I have done a bit of both.

I started Spanish classes at a school called “La Union.”  We take classes from 8 am to 12 noon, and then eat lunch after school.  There are activities planned by the school throughout the week.  The moto of La Union is, “Mi casa es tu casa,” and they really hold true to that.  Everyone at the school has been so welcoming.  My teacher is amazing, and on Friday, I chose to add hours for next week.  So instead of 4 hours/day, I’ll be studying for 6 hours/day.  We will see how that goes! I feel like my Spanish is getting better, but I wish I could just funnel it into my brain!  Poco a poco, as we say here (little by little).

The school plans actividades daily for the week, and we went to a chocolate making place.  In Spanish, the word means factory, but it’s much different than factories in the US. The factory is at the man’s house.  It’s a family business that has been around for three generations.  The man said that he grinds cocoa beans for 10 hours per day with a rock and slate (see the photo).  The chocolate was delicious, but SUPER high in caffeine (and I am certainly caffeine naïve).  I don’t think I fell asleep until 1 AM!!

Guatemala is a very Christian country, and it’s amazing how that penetrates society.  At school every morning, we pray before the start of classes with the teachers.  On the city buses, there are rosaries and pictures of Jesus, crucifixes, etc.  It’s really amazing.   There are so many churches here, and each church has a fería (fair) for their patron saint’s feast day, and sometimes for other holy days.  There was a big fería in a neighboring town, called Jocotenango, for the Assumption of Maria.  During school that day, we went with our teachers and took the bus to Jocotenango for la misa (mass) and we explored the fería a little bit.  It was very cool!

Thursday this past week marked 2 weeks in Guatemala, and as a group we decided we were ready for a good old-fashioned totally gringo bar.  We went to the most American place ever-called Antigua Brewing Company-and three of us got veggie burgers…no shame.  No regrets.  That veggie burger was the best damn veggie burger I’ve had, and the beer hit the spot!  Food here in general had been very different.  The majority of my meals have been carbs, and we rarely have vegetables because of lack of pure water to clean them.  So I loved the veggie burger!

It’s amazing how humbling it is to be a stranger in a foreign country.  Relying on the goodness of others and learning to trust humanity and to trust myself too. The generosity of the people I’ve encountered is amazing.  Everyone here dose their best, and that is enough.  The community is so strong-they build each other up, support each other, and that is how society works here.  It warms my heart. 

My neighbor 2 doors down makes Tamales every Saturday and sells them to neighbors for 4 Quetzales each (about $.60).  Neighbors come from their houses and buy tamales for dinner, and so she has a small business.  Another neighbor (poquito mas lejos-hace 7 o 8 casas) makes hot chocolate and sells it to neighbors for a special treat.  The ladies across the street makes tortillas from sunrise to sunset, and they are our main supplier, but people buy them fresh throughout the day for lunch/dinner.  It really is just a different culture, and a beautiful one at that. 

My family is known for coffins.  Seven days a week, my host brothers (Alvero, Carlos, and Luis) work their butts off and produce BEAUTIFUL, hand-made coffins.  They are known throughout the town for their carpentry work (So much so that Ryan, another missionary, found my house by asking someone where coffins are made).  I’m talking NO power tools-filing, shaving, sawing, and etching designs from raw lumber.  I am so amazed by them!!  The guys also just built stairs onto the roof, so now we have a roof deck!

Things are going well here.  Thank you all so much for your prayers!  Much of the time my head is spinning, so much so that I can’t even think of the word I want to say, so prayer has been slow.  However, I feel God working in my life, and I am continuing to do my best to trust in His plan and let Him work.  As I said in my last blog post, Jesus is alive and present here (just as he is in the US), so no need to worry!  I’ll keep you posted on my journey, and I’m still trying to answer all the emails I’ve gotten. 

Please continue to know that you are in my prayers, and be patient with me!  Much love from Guatemala!

Tamales every Saturday from our vecina (neighbor)

La fábrica de chocolate

La fería para la Asunción

Un volcán "puffing"

Humberta (mi mama de la casa) nos aprendió como hacer tortillas.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Hello from Guatemala

**Diclaimer: I haven't figured out how to put accents on letters...Next time, maybe!**

Hola, amigos!  It's been (almost) 2 days in Guatemala.  I am living with a host family in la Cuidad Vieja.  The city is beautiful, and so are the people!  In my family, there are 7 adults, including myself, and a baby.  La familia is very welcoming and helpful, and I am blessed that one of the daughters is a Spanish teacher at the language school that I will attend, starting Monday.  

Yesterday, Melissa (another missionary) and I went to La Union (in Antigua) with our host parents, and we had a little orientation.  Juan Carlos and Julio are administrators at la escuela, and they thanked us deeply for the work that we were doing and for studying at the school.  They explained to us that Guatemala thrives on tourism because it helps to sustain the economy.  That encounter was very humbling. Despues del almuerzo, Julio took us on a walking tour of Antigua and we walked over 10 km.  We saw many iglesias (churches) and many ruins, and he told hours upon hours of stories in Spanish.  Antigua is so beautiful and has a very rich history.  Unfortunately, though, I didn’t understand most of it-got the gist maybe?!  Needless to say, Melissa and I were mentally exhausted when we returned to our houses.  We each took naps. 

After dinner, I learned how to wash the dishes…sounds silly, but there is a totally different process here!  We can’t put toilet paper in the toilets either because of the pipes. That was something new for me! 

As far as nursing work, I haven’t done any yet.  There are programas through the school, so I think I’m going to get hooked into one of them-or at least try!  As I said above, my host family has a baby, so I have been teaching the parents a lot about well-baby care, developmental milestones, teething, choking hazards, tummy time, etc.  (All in broken Spanish).  

A few reflections on mis experiencias thus far...

Something that really strikes me about the culture in Guatemala is that cell phones do not consume daily life.  En los Estados Unidos, we spend SO MUCH time on our phones, which takes time away from building relationships with others.  It takes the humanity out of life!  It also makes us less aware of our surroundings-whether it be from a safety standpoint or not-it causes us to pass through valuable moments without noticing the beauty of the moment.  This time in Antigua is a beautiful time for me to start to cut my ties (little by little) with technology.  It's good preparation for even less WiFi and resources in Honduras.  And it's a beautiful opportunity to take part in a culture of gratitude and community!

I feel so blessed to be experiencing Guatemala.  The humility, generosity, and genuine trust of the people I’ve encountered is very humbling.  I truly see Jesus in the people here, and I look forward to many more encounters with Him along the way!

Please continue to pray for me, my friends, and please know that you are en mis oraciones tambien!

Es un foto de mi mama, Humberta.

Esto foto es de La Union (la escuela)