FabFinca: 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!