Accident in Sacapulas, July 17

We left Uspantan around 8:30 in the morning, about 30-40 minutes behind Ronny—the driver for the team. Roger, the missionary, called Ronny to get his location and learned that the brakes failed on the van and they had collided with another van in Sacapulas. Finding them in Sacapulas was no problem as the two crashed vehicles completely blocked the street. A crowd of people gathered around watching. Ronny was understandably emotional and upset. He kept saying how he had wanted to do a good job. The miracle in all of this was that no one was hurt—not a single pedestrian, the driver of the other van, nor one of the 12 passengers in Ronny’s van. Garry Eudy, team leader and former missionary in Guatemala, was talking to people up and down the street and finding out where the believers lived. The collision occurred right in front of a Christian home, and the house directly across the street was owned by a Christian family. It was empty and for rent, but the owner invited us inside to get us out of the sun and allowed us to use the bathroom there. We took tons of pictures from the balcony of that house.

Shortly after the vehicles were separated and the street cleared, Roger came to tell us that we needed to get out of there. Our instructions were to leave the house two at a time, with a few minutes delay between departures. We were to go to the end of the street, turn right and turn right again at the end of the block and walk up the hill to another safe house which Garry located. We waited there another half hour until the pastor of the church in Uspantan showed up and prayed with all of us. The pastor had gotten a man from the church to come in his van to drive the team to Guatemala City. Roger drove the SUV with the luggage. Garry Eudy rode with him. Unfortunately, we had to leave Ronny behind to wait for the insurance adjustor. To have that many gringos in one place was not helping the situation.

We stopped for lunch in a beautiful old hotel in Chichicastenango. The plan was to go on to Guatemala City with a brief stop in Antigua so the team could do a little shopping and enjoy the beautiful ancient city. Shortly after leaving Chichicastenango, we ran into traffic problems. We eventually learned that a bridge was being paved and the traffic was stopped in both directions. Though I had not been paying attention to the time, I would say that we were stopped, engine off stopped, for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, Vickie had been on the phone with Ronny. He had quite an experience after we left. Family members of the other driver showed up with the intention of extorting money from the rich North Americans. When they realized that we had disappeared, they came after Ronny and began throwing rocks at him. One of the Christians brought Ronny into his house to protect him. He was only there a few minutes when he received a call from one of the policemen telling him to quick sneak out the back way and run into the woods to a place where the policeman would pick him up. The policeman told him to get down on the floor of his jeep where he would not be seen, because the crowd had intentions to kill him. Ronny was dropped off at a bus stop where he caught a bus going to Guatemala City. Because Ronny and Vickie were staying in touch on their cell phones, and because the traffic had stopped, Ronny was able to get off the bus and walk to where we were stopped and ride back to Guatemala City with the rest of the team. The team did not get to do any shopping or any tourist activities, but they did see the mighty hand of God protecting and directing. Hardly anything went according to our plans, but God’s plans were not thwarted.

“The Lord says, "My thoughts are not like your thoughts. Your ways are not like my ways. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

“People may make plans in their minds, but only the Lord can make them come true.”
Proverbs 16:1 (New Century Version)

Medical Team, July 12-17

Nothing went as planned. The theme of the week was flexibility. With the elasticity of play dough this team was constantly adapting to changes in schedules and plans. The team of ten had 20 pieces of checked luggage, 14 of which did not arrive with them on Saturday night. The original plan was to leave the capital city for Uspantan by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Instead, we left at 10:30 leaving behind Roger Grossmann, missionary, and Garry Eudy, team leader, who were going to collect the missing luggage from the airport. The missing luggage contained most of the medications. Quite often medicine brought in by medical teams is confiscated in customs. Whether or not the delay kept them from taking the medicines, I don’t know, but nothing was missing, nor did it appear that the luggage had been inspected.

The medical team, from Central Baptist Church in Douglasville, Georgia, was truly a dream team. A pediatrician, an internist/surgeon, 3 nurses, a pharmacist, 2 strong men willing to do anything, a fluent Spanish speaking evangelist, and the pastor of the church who was a former missionary in Guatemala all worked together as having one mind and desiring only to serve and glorify God in their every action. Roger and Vickie Grossmann are the missionaries who have been working among these people for many years. Vickie is a nurse practitioner who has worked with many medical teams and regularly has her own clinic out of her home.

Soon after arriving in Uspantan, we had a lovely dinner prepared by a precious Christian lady. She told me that her food was delicious because it was prepared with love. Emi cooked for us every evening over a wood burning stove in her tiny restaurant named Kevin after her youngest son who helped her with cooking and serving. We ate quickly in order to get to church service on time. We learned at dinner that this team was in charge of the service. Joe Owen, team member and pastor of a Spanish speaking church, preached an impeccable sermon in impressive Spanish. This tiny church was filled with people—standing room only. The praise music was energetic and loud, instruments being guitar, drums and keyboard.

Originally the plan for the medical team was four days at the Uspantan church, but another group was already in the town with a medical team. Being flexible, this team accepted invitations for two days in Pinal and two days in Nebaj. The pastor of the Uspantan church told us that he had hopes on getting work started in Pinal and for strengthening the church in Nebaj.
Pinal is a Quiché village with many poor people. Most of the children we saw were suffering from malnutrition, as were the adults. We gave everyone vitamins, other medicines as needed, kind words and encouragement. We held the clinic in a large open government building. We used sheets and large sheets of plastic to divide the area into consultation rooms. We had to be very careful about taking pictures here as the Quiché are not that open to outsiders. Nearly everyone spoke some Spanish, but many could not read. I worked in the pharmacy writing out the medicine instructions in Spanish and explaining to the patients how to take the medicine. This was a slow process for the non-readers as I had to make certain they had the instructions memorized before moving to the next patient. Three ladies from the church in Uspantan also helped in this process, though their main function was to get the people organized, handing out numbers for the order they were to be served, and taking pertinent information from each person. Five Guatemalan medical students were on hand to help and to learn. One in particular had a great desire to alleviate suffering and to help the poor. These students were extremely helpful, but they could only stay until noon which was when the last bus left Pinal, and we had no more room in our vehicles.

Wednesday and Thursday our clinic was in Nebaj. It was a rough ride to Nebaj with winding hairpin turns, large portions of unpaved and many potholes. In contrast, the scenery was amazingly beautiful and picturesque. It would have been worth the trip if only for the panoramic view, however there was more—so much more.

When we arrived in Nebaj, we could see that the church had everything ready for us. Dividers were set up for the consulting rooms. A large area was set aside for the pharmacy with benches stacked to use for shelves to put the medications and tables to separate us from the people. Benches were set up outside in a covered area to protect the waiting people from the searing sun. Church members were everywhere ready to help. At least four translators were on hand to help with those who only spoke Ixil. A tiny Ixil woman, Petronela acted as greeter and child care provider. Both days the church people prepared us a delicious hot lunch. The second day they even fixed us a special snack which is typical of their region—boxbol, pronounced bush ball. It is very similar to stuffed grape leaves. They use the leaves of the guisquil vine which are similar in size and shape to grape leaves. The rolled them almost the same way. The stuffing is masa with herbs, and they put a tasty sauce over it. I found the Ixil people to be very open and warm toward us. Our last day there, they presented each of us with a small tote bags, typical of the area so that we might have a memento of our visit to Nebaj.

Family News

Christine and Steven are now the proud parents of two beautiful boys. Tobias Grant Michael was born April 30, 2009. Mother and baby are both very healthy and doing well. I am not visiting them in Boston, MA. Little Toby is quite content and has little concern that his parents are suffering from lack of sleep. Henry doesn’t seem to have much interest in his little brother. He just wants to be near his mom, even though he has two grandmothers in the house doting on his every move and being captivated by every word he says. We both believe he is a genius and totally adorable.

Detailed planning and hard work produced an almost flawless wedding. What could not be controlled by Elizabeth’s extensive organizational skills was the weather. It was flash flood conditions all afternoon and evening of the wedding. Still with all that rain, just about everyone came who said they were coming and nothing dampened her enthusiasm. She glowed with happiness. Her two brothers walked her down the aisle and handed her over to Fernando. She was gorgeous. Fernando looked good too. The party afterwards was everything she expected. They are now on their honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean.

The Accident—April 15, 2009

I had been to the Artisan Market and spent all my cash. My mind was occupied with decisions. Should I get more cash on the way home or wait until tomorrow? Which ATM machine would I use? What would be the most efficient way home and with the least “tumulos” (speed bumps)? All the while thoughts were going through my mind about how little decisions can have a great impact. If I stopped for a refreshing drink before getting cash, would this alter my future in some way? Would I be avoiding an accident or would the timing put me in at the wrong place at the wrong time. Sometimes the course of your life can change in one split second. Some might call these thoughts premonitions. Whatever you call it; this is what was on my mind preceding the accident.
I stopped for a frozen drink, only a few blocks from the ATM machine. Actually there was one even closer, just across the street from POPS the drink place. I wasn’t accustomed to using that one and didn’t think about it. I went to the CERCA shopping area, got the cash, and I noticed a painted van with Seguros painted on the side. I thought it was a security truck or armored car, but actually seguros means insurance.
My little station wagon headed toward my house. Within a couple of blocks of the house, I was trying to make a right turn, but an eighteen wheeler was trying to turn left onto the street I was on. I had to keep backing up to make room for that huge truck to enter the street I was on. This was a several minute delay keeping me from my destination and setting me up for my destiny. I made the turn and only two blocks up I needed to turn left. I was going slowly and had my blinker on. As I turned the steering wheel to the left, I felt the impact and heard the horrifying sound of two vehicles colliding. Airborne in front of me was a small white van. The van alit like a nose diving airplane, bounced, flipped over on its side, and did a 180° spin before coming to a stop. The front windshield had blown out on impact, and two guys crawled out the opening. This was a relief to me, because in those few seconds before the guys came out, I was thinking that no one could survive such an impact. Other than being quite distraught and thinking that I might end up in jail because I am a foreigner here, I was not hurt and there was very little damage to my Toyota wagon. People were all around me trying to help. I had a form in my car pocket which had instructions about what to do in case of an accident, but I was too upset to do the calling. I couldn’t think of all the words I need in Spanish. I did manage to call one missionary to come help. A man took my papers and called the insurance company for me. The Seguros truck that I had just seen while getting cash arrived within a few minutes. It was the insurance company for the other guys. It took a bit longer for my insurance man to arrive. I asked someone about calling the police, but the people around me all said that it wasn’t necessary and that the police were ineffective anyway.
In a little while I collected my thoughts and figured out exactly what had happened. The van was behind me and evidently impatient with my slow driving. Even though I had my blinker on indicating that I was turning left, the driver of the van proceeded to pass me on the left colliding with my front wheel as I went into the turn. A witness said he was really moving fast, which might explain how the van went airborne.
In spite all the agitation and trauma, I am grateful for a great many things concerning this unforeseeable event. First of all, there were no serious injuries. The driver of the van had a couple of cuts. His forehead and hand were bleeding slightly and he was limping. His passenger wasn’t even scratched. Both guys were wearing seatbelts. If you are going to drive like that, it is a good idea to fasten your seatbelt. I was not hurt and my car sustained very little damage. They had insurance. The people around were helpful and kind. A woman bought me a glass of water, patted my arm and spoke soothing words to me. The missionary woman I called came over and she called the one missionary who is an expert in these situations. My insurance agent had lived in Dallas and spoke very good English. Both agents knew each other, respected each other, and had worked together before. All of this waiting around and filling out forms took about two hours. During this time, a woman came out of a shop across the street with a cup of chamomile tea for me. I do love these people. I choose to see all of this as God’s protection and mercy toward me and those two guys in the van. From now on, I intend to pray each time I get behind the wheel and before I turn the key. It had already been my practice to pray for safety and protection as I am driving.

Last Words

In my heart I knew this was the last visit. She knew too. Almost as a postscript, she asked me give her clothes to her sister-in-law, my Aunt Caroline. “Look after Caroline for me,” were the last words she said to me. I said I would. My mother died a few weeks later and I kept my promise. For the next 28 years, I did whatever I could to care for Caroline because I made a promise to my mother. Caroline had a stroke when she was still a young woman. It left her paralyzed on one side. She had difficulty walking and in the last few years of her life, she was confined to a wheelchair. She lived in a nursing home just outside Dallas. Her husband died and left her with very little other than a social security check which barely covered the cost of the nursing home. One son was killed being the hero in an armed robbery. The other son was barely surviving financially, and was doing his best to manage his family and educate his children. When Caroline was dying, I was by her side, my mother’s words were still echoing in my head. I was not released from my promise until Caroline breathed her last breath.
The last words Jesus spoke to His disciples still speak to those who would be disciples of Jesus, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20) In these last words, we see the Lord’s concern for all the peoples of the earth. Honestly I never really thought this mandate was for me. It seemed to me to be for those followers who were present when He ascended, or it is meant for those whom God has called out for “special service.” I don’t see myself as an evangelist. It is not one of my gifts. I don’t see myself as a real missionary. God sent me to Guatemala to work in an office, not to evangelize. However, again my thinking is changing. What is important to my Lord must be important to me. In those last words we see what is most important to Him—making disciples of all nations, being His witnesses. The command is to teach them to obey. Jesus also said, “If you love me, you will obey my commands.” (John 14:15) This command is definitely for me and for every believer.

Weekend at the Beach—March 14-15

The older I get, the more I value the friendship of women. The Ladies Retreat was refreshing and I had a wonderful time getting to know some amazing women. However I will never see most of these women again. Here in my little neighborhood I am having an opportunity to get to know in depth some remarkable women. Age has a great deal to do with it. Women over 50 and over 60 have experienced a good deal of life. Our legs may not be the whistle bait they used to be, or our skin as smooth as a fresh peach, but hearts that have suffered and have been broken are compassionate hearts. Over the weekend of March 14 and 15 I went to the beach with 5 ladies from my neighborhood—all of us are well over 55. A few won’t say how old they are. Three of us are widows, and three are separated or divorced. The house where we stayed had a swimming pool, and we all put on our swimsuits and enjoyed the water. Try not to visualize six old ladies in swimsuits. It really is not a pretty sight. Everyone brought food to share and we had a great time preparing our meals together. Guatemalans prefer their music loud and they love to dance. I think there is something in their blood that they move so gracefully to the music. What I love about these women is their pure joy in living, how easily they break into laughter and their remarkable optimism. Life has not been easy for these ladies. Lupe, a widow has two severely retarded adult daughters. I have never heard her complain. She praises God for everything. Rita’s father was politically active and was assassinated. Her 25-year old sister was in the car with her father. She was shot in the head, never recovered mentally and died two years later. Her oldest son died in a car accident at the age of 33. Rita has the most amazing sense of humor and she keeps us laughing. I just wish I understood enough Spanish to get most of her jokes. Andrea’s husband began to abuse her when he took a mistress. She said she could have tolerated the mistress, but she did not want her three children to see her being mistreated, so she divorced him. She is a successful business woman with an amazing amount of energy. Her enthusiasm to get out and do things keeps the rest of us from sitting being passive. These ladies do not dwell on the things they have suffered, instead they find pleasure in simple things: a gloriously bright full moon, the thrill of a songbird, the sun setting over the beach, eating mangos right off the tree. I hope I will have an opportunity share the Gospel with them, but in the meantime I am learning a great deal about life from them.
(I changed the names of these women to protect their privacy.)

MAC Region Ladies Retreat—Feb. 19-23

Singing, praising, sharing, learning, laughing, shopping, eating out—the MAC (Middle America, Caribbean and Canada) Ladies Retreat was all this and more. I really had no expectations for these three days in Mexico City. My only goal was to not forget anything and still pack a light suitcase. Approximately 120 IMB missionary women and a team from an Arkansas church convened in a large hotel in the heart of Mexico City for a time of spiritual refreshing and fellowship. Being a rather new in this missionary role, I am curious to know the stories of the other missionary women. How did God direct them to the mission field? What was the nature of their “calling?” Every person has a story. Listening and hearing another person story opens the heart to love them.

One story completely mesmerized me. Gloria Sloan was sitting next to me at lunch. Someone asked her what work she and her husband were doing in Mexico. She replied that she was a widow and that her husband had died on the field. The other woman continued to probe until Gloria had told her story.
In June of 1999, the Sloan family had been missionaries about six months. The family and five summer missionaries were on the beach in southern Mexico celebrating the birthday of their younger daughter. Eleven year old Carla was holding the hand of one of the young summer missionaries when an undertow pulled them out to sea. Gary Sloan and two others went into the water to rescue them. They were able bring Carla’s body back to the shore, but were not able to revive her. Noticing that others were still struggling in the water, Gary went back into the water to attempt a rescue. He and two summer missionaries drowned in the rescue attempt. Even as the bodies of her husband and daughter were lying on the beach and the crowds began to gather, Gloria began to witness, “If this were you, where would you be? Let me tell you where my husband is now.” She told them about the glories of heaven and why she had such assurance. Gloria said that as she held her dead daughter in her arms, she felt the power of God come over her and comfort her. After a time of healing, Gloria and the rest of the family returned to Mexico where Gloria is still serving as a church planter. Gloria is also an amazing singer. The picture above is of Gloria singing for the ladies at the retreat.
Our speaker, Connie Cavanaugh, kept us laughing until our sides ached. The laughter kept us attentive to hear the serious and relevant message. Connie had a secret which she successfully kept hidden for a number of years. She was spiritually dry, in a spiritual wilderness. Often people who dry up spiritually just leave the church. They change friends. They drop out of religious life. None of these was an option for Connie because she is the wife of a prominent minister. Instead, she spent years faking her spirituality. She had the vocabulary down. She grew up in a religious home and she knew how to put on a spiritual face. Her book, From Faking it to Finding Grace, relates her journey out of the spiritual wilderness and back into God’s Grace. Her three messages revealed the God who never stops seeking us, who pursues us and loves us back into fellowship. Like a desert that springs into bloom when the rain comes, we have renewed spiritual vitality when God pours out His grace on us. What is essential in the process is being transparent and truthful about our spiritual struggle. We cannot lead others on the journey if we are faking who we are and where we are in the journey. Just before Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him, he says to him, “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me." (Luke 22:32) As we return to Him, we are to help our brothers and sisters become stronger. The writer of Hebrews tells us to encourage one another and to spur one another on to love and good deeds (10:14-15). We can’t truly be effective in helping and encouraging if we are phony. I highly recommend Connie’s book for anyone who has had times of doubt and spiritual dryness or for anyone needing assurance of God’s amazing love.
The Retreat accomplished its purpose. The participants were spiritually refreshed, encouraged, and spurred on the good works. Thank you International Mission Board for sponsoring this event.

A Chance Encounter

The US Embassy had just opened for business. The Guatemalan “cowboy” and the young woman were an unlikely pair to be on the US citizen side of the Embassy. It was easy to see that they were confused, and I was bored. Maybe it was a chance encounter or maybe God ordained. Whichever, the meeting became much more than I expected. The young couple from the country had come to the city to get US passports for their two young daughters who were born in Rome, Georgia. Their challenge was 6 pages of forms written in English and needing to be completed in English. I was sitting waiting to get a document notarized. Seeing that they could not read the forms, I offered to help. They proudly showed me the pictures of their little girls and explained to me how proud they were that their children were American citizens. After completing the forms they were told to go to the embassy web site and make an appointment for interview. There are internet places all over the city, but for them to use the internet was definitely not going to be easy. I gave them my cell phone number and shook my head thinking about the obstacles ahead for this couple. I never expected to see or hear from them again.

A few weeks later I received a call on my cell phone from Alicia. At first I thought it was a wrong number and then she reminded me that we had met in the embassy. She told me that they were at the US Embassy with their children and that they had no money and no place to stay. What could I do? I am here as a missionary—one sent to help people. I called a taxi to pick them up and bring them to my house. (I don’t know the way to the embassy and back.) My missionary coworkers advised me to be cautious and not to leave them alone in the house. Therefore I was excused from work to stay with my house guests. Alicia, Lindolfo and the children had traveled on a bus for 10 hours to get to Guatemala City from their little village near the Mexican border. The children had not eaten since they left their home. Like children just about anywhere in the world given the choice of where to eat, they chose McDonald’s. They don’t have one in their little village, but they remembered from living in Georgia. The precious little girls, ages four and five, ate everything in their “Happy Meals.” It was easy to see how hungry they were.

They had appointments at the US Embassy for Wednesday morning and this was Monday afternoon. They were exhausted from their travels so they all went to bed fairly early getting us through Monday. Tuesday I decided to take them to the zoo. It is right next to the airport so I knew how to get there and back. None of them had ever been to a zoo and really didn’t know the names of many of the animals and I didn’t know all the names in Spanish, so it was a learning experience for all of us. The best attraction was seeing a squirrel with a huge avocado it its mouth. Avocado trees are more common here than any kind of nut tree. I just never thought of avocados as being food for squirrels.

Wednesday morning they gathered up all their belongings and headed back to the Embassy and then the long trip back to their country home where they live crudely, cooking over wood fires. Try to imagine how often you would cook if you had to gather wood and chop it and then build a fire to cook, and all you have to cook is rice and beans. Back in Georgia they had lived among other immigrants and managed without learning more than a few expressions in English. They worked at Tyson chicken processing plant. They had to return to Guatemala because Alicia’s mother was ill and could no longer take care of Alicia’s invalid 10 year son. Please pray for this family. Their needs are great and they do not know a loving God. I will see them again. They have to return to get the passports when they are ready. They promised to call, and I am certain that they will.

Remembering

It is Monday, and I am remembering that Monday five years ago. It was a wonderful day, beautiful and snappy cool. I took off work so that I could go with Fouad to a new cardiologist. His early morning appointment was in the Methodist Hospital in Sugarland. The doctor examined his list of medications and advised him to be very careful concerning injuries as he was taking a lot of blood thinning medication. We made an appointment to return on Thursday for more tests. We stopped by the Sugarland Mall to do a little Christmas shopping. Lunch was at Olive Garden. Fouad ordered lasagna and said that theirs was not as good as mine. We had an appointment with the realtor to sign the papers to buy the house in Heritage Grand, the retirement community. We finished in time to make it to Betty Strauss’ retirement party. Joe Adams was there, which really pleased Fouad. Joe and Fouad really enjoy each other’s company.


That day was God’s gift to me before my world came apart. Fouad fell on Tuesday afternoon and died on Wednesday—too much bleeding. My heart still aches to remember and I cannot forget. The best I can do is temporarily suppress. Has God been with me to comfort me? The answer is definitely yes. I am comforted in the midst of the pain, but I still grieve. Paul wanted to “know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering.” (Philippians 3:10) Now I understand suffering. This yearning I have in my heart for what I have lost makes me contemplate the yearning and suffering God must have for the ones who are lost to Him. The greater the love, the greater the suffering when the love is lost. “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Christ died for me. Can there be a greater love? What must I do in response? First, I must stay in loving relationship to Him, and second I must be about the business of reconciling the lost ones to Him.

Lake Atitlán and Guatemala Baptist Convention

November 11-13
The most beautiful area of Guatemala is around Lake Atitlán. The little village all around the lake are picturesque and seem to be from another time. It is a tourist dream. San Pedro de La Laguna, one of the lovely, little villages on the lake, hosted the Guatemala Baptist Convention. People came from all over the country to have their voices be heard and to learn about how God is working through His people. New churches and their pastors were recognized. Several groups sang for us. Just about half the people of Guatemala are indigenous and descended from the ancient Mayans. They maintain their own customs and distinctive dress. There are over 20 different languages and dialects spoken among these groups. Spanish is a second language for many Guatemalans. Most of the church services held in San Pedro are in a language other than Spanish. Many of these people came to the convention in their traditional dress giving us many photo opportunities. All was not entertainment at this convention. Even Guatemalan business meeting are a test of endurance, even more so when you have a difficult time understanding the language.
What is amazing about this little village is the high saturation of churches. There are three Baptist churches within a ten minute walking distance. As I walked the streets, I heard Christian music coming out from homes and businesses.

Day of the Dead, November 1

I had several choices to commemorate this very popular Guatemalan holiday. The first was not so appealing—attend a funeral, a cultural experience. My favorite was to go to the kite festival in Santiago Sacatepéquez. For this I needed a guide and I couldn’t find anyone willing to struggle with the traffic and crowds for this once a year spectacular event. While despondent in disappointment, my neighbor Noly called and invited me to go to the cemetery with her. What a choice! I went, not really knowing what to expect. Noly was in her exercise clothes which surprised me, because she is a very elegant lady and is usually very well dressed—high heels even. We battled traffic everywhere, but Noly is a competent driver and knows her way around this city. Her plan was to park at her friend’s house and then we would walk from there. The way into the cemetery was like a carnival with booths lining both sides of the street. Most had flowers for the visitors to buy to put on family graves, but food stands were very popular, selling typical food and pizza even. The clowns really added to the carnival atmosphere. When we arrived at the Rios family mausoleum, Noly began pulling out all the dead and old flowers and replacing them with the new. She put on her rubber gloves and cleaned all the spider webs and dust. It was all efficient business until it was finished, and then I saw it. This heavy sadness that fell over her as she gazed at her son’s stone—Carlos Enrique Rios, November 25, 1965-October 6, 1999. It wasn’t too hard to follow the ritual, but the real purpose was painful.

The Day of the Dead or All Saints Day is a time to remember loved ones who have died. In Guatemala as in most countries many traditions and pagan practices obscure the original and main purpose of the holiday. A major tourist attraction is the kite festival in Santiago Sacatepéquez. The kites are launched from the cemetery with messages to the dead or to God. The kites are flown again on November 2 so that the spirits that visited on the first may return to that place of the dead. Somehow these spirits are supposed to use the kites to transport themselves. Another tradition in Guatemala is eating fiambre with your family and friends. I googled this tradition and found several different stories to explain it.

Once upon a time, there was a convent in Antigua, Guatemala, where the nuns had been celebrating the All Saints Day. They had an uninvited, but important visitor. They were really nervous because they did not have enough food to make a proper dinner for the guest, so they collected and remixed all the leftovers from previous meals, from slices of cheese to potatoes. As a result, the Guatemalan Fiambre was born and the guest was delighted!

Fiambre is really a marinated salad of many meats, vegetables, and cheeses. Some of these dishes can have as many as 50 different ingredients. It has been said that no two are alike. I went to Noly’s sister’s home on Nov. 1 for the first fiambre. Almost the entire family gathered to share in this meal and there was no shortage of food. Now Noly has 3 sisters. Two of them had prepared this fabulous dish. In order not to hurt anyone’s feelings, we had to go to each of their homes on two different days. It was worth the effort, not so much for the food as for the ambiance. This family loves jokes and funny stories. Oh how I wish I could grasp all the innuendos and idiomatic expressions of the Spanish language.

Reflecting on the holiday, I am grateful for the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

If corpses can't be raised, then Christ wasn't, because he was indeed dead. And if Christ weren't raised, then all you're doing is wandering about in the dark, as lost as ever. It's even worse for those who died hoping in Christ and resurrection, because they're already in their graves. If all we get out of Christ is a little inspiration for a few short years, we're a pretty sorry lot. But the truth is that Christ has been raised up, the first in a long legacy of those who are going to leave the cemeteries.
(1 Corinthians 15:16-20 The Message)

I am also grate that I don’t need to tie a message to a kite to communicate with God.

So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.
(Hebrews 10:19-20)

San Luis Jilotepeque, October 11

San Luis Jilotepeque is a little village about a four hour drive to the south and east of Guatemala City. My little church, El Aposento Alto, took two van loads of people on a pilgrimage to the inauguration of a new Baptist Church here. It was a beautiful drive especially for me as I had never seen the Guatemalan countryside. Being in very tight quarters for that long of a time also provides opportunities to get better acquainted with fellow passengers. Of course for me the challenge was to understand and follow the conversations. The pastor was in our van as was one of the adult Sunday school teachers. Both have the gift for gab and both had fascinating stories to tell about their journeys in faith. Sitting right next to me was an elderly widow woman with whom I almost immediately bonded. She has such sweetness about her. The church members in Jilotepeque fed us an interesting lunch, but I could not begin to describe it. It filled the empty place in our stomachs and those serving were gracious. We had time to walk around this quaint little village before the worship/inauguration service. I had never been to such a new church before or had any idea what was about to transpire. Several visiting pastors spoke and deacon and pastors from other churches questioned the new congregation about doctrine and beliefs and a challenge was given. Of course there was plenty of music, very loud music and singing. The tiniest of churches have huge speaker systems. They feel that others in the town will hear the music and believe. I am certain the entire town could hear the music because my stomach was vibrating and I was wishing for ear plugs. Now I know why there is a need for deaf ministry in this country or at least why there are so many deaf people.

Financial Conference, October 14

Missionaries in Guatemala are trying to reach upper class people through Bible studies centered on managing personal finances. This is the type of bible study that I hope to have in my home starting in January. One of the ladies in my neighborhood, Lolita, had heard about this study and the author of the study materials. At my party she invited all the ladies to attend a conference in which this author and two others would be speaking. Betty, one of my walking buddies, and I bought tickets for this event to be held October 14.

The Financial Conference was held at a large local hotel near our neighborhood. Betty drove and we had a marvelous time together. I really did not have the slightest idea how large a gathering it would be. The enormous ballroom was full to capacity—around 1,000 people in attendance. Everything was high quality. Even with my limited Spanish, I was animated by the speakers. Honestly, I have very little interest in finances. However these speakers emphasized having a lifestyle and attitude toward life that puts the financial side in perspective. All we have comes from God and belongs to Him. We are stewards of His benefits to us. He cares for us and withholds nothing we need from us.

The brunch during the program was excellent and efficiently served. Betty was enthusiastic about what she learned and bought one of the books so that she could pass on this knowledge to her adult daughters and to her university son. She will be a good ambassador for the neighborhood Bible study. I am hoping to have another party early in December just to keep this idea fresh in the minds of the neighbors.

As time goes on, I am gaining a deeper understanding of Matthew 9:38: “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." There is no way I could have orchestrated all the events that led up to my being here or the ones that led to making friends in the neighborhood. The harvest belongs to God. He is in charge. We are only His workers to help bring it in. Please pray that I will hear His voice and be obedient to help with the harvest.

First Visitors, October 1-5

Donna and Joe Adams were my very first houseguests. I loved every minute of their stay. I had to practice driving to the airport so I would know how to do it at night. Landmarks just don’t look the same in the dark. They arrived around 9:00 on Wednesday night and were here until Sunday morning when I dropped them back at the airport The challenge for me was navigating the city well enough to give them a good tour. They brought with them some good tourist books for Guatemala with fairly accurate maps and this did help.

The first day we toured downtown, the old part of the city. On the main square are the Cathedral and the National Palace. Behind the Cathedral is the Central Market. We did a walking tour of the central area using the guide book, and then we headed back to the Central Market to do some shopping. Donna was having a fabulous time taking pictures of all the ancient architecture and she lagged behind us a bit. Joe and I were entering the market parking lot when we heard Donna screaming, “Joe, Joe.” Joe ran toward her to see a man trying to yank off Donna’s gold necklace. When the guy saw Joe, he took off running without the necklace. There were plenty of police around the area. Seeing the guy running off and several people yelling at him, gave the police officers at the end of the street notice and they were able to catch him. Two officers dragged him by the scruff of his neck to where we were standing. Joe was furious and wanted to punch his lights out, but he restrained himself. Donna was beginning to feel sorry for the poor fellow. For him to be arrested, it would have been necessary for us to go down to the police station and fill out a bunch of papers. We opted not to spend our precious time doing that. Joe was satisfied, sort of, by an apology. He apologized and offered as his explanation that he was hungry and living on the street. Donna was feeling even sorrier for the guy when she realized that he had a bloody spot on his head where she had bopped him with the camera. That incident did not deter Donna from the shopping she had planned. After giving the police the basic information, we continued to the market in search of the perfect gifts for our friends.

The next day we had planned to go to Antigua, the principle tourist spot of Guatemala, but a neighbor came by to tell me that she heard on the news that the road to Antigua was blocked because of mud slides. We did a tour of some of the best museums of Guatemala City and had a leisurely lunch and returned to the market for a few more things and back to another market that specializes in artesian goods.

Saturday, we were determined to go to Antigua even if we had to make a few detours. It was raining and part of the road was blocked and we were held up for a little while, though not long. When we arrived in Antigua, the rain had stopped and we had a glorious day. To visit Antigua is to step back in time at least 200 years. Everything is picturesque. There are thousands of shops and more stuff to buy. I know we did not see it all, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we did see. We also left a few souvenirs in the shops for other people to buy. Because of the rain and cloudy conditions, I had been driving with my lights on. I forgot to turn them off. You know what that means. We returned to a dead battery. Another incident with police all around us trying to help get the battery charged. I am certain that the Guatemalans are the nicest people in the world. Everybody wanted to help. The police did come up with some cables, but I had to call someone who lives near there to come with a vehicle to connect the cables and get the car jumped. Fortunately we had no other incidences and we returned safely from Antigua, tired but blissful.

September 21-27, Working with Medical Team

One of the missionaries, Jo Brown, asked me to help with a medical team that came down to work in Palín, a small community about 45 minutes out of the capital city. The tiny church in that community is just getting started. They have been meeting under a fragile tent while their building is being constructed. A couple of the guys on the team worked on the construction of the church walls along with the Guatemalan contractor.

They had to be really short of Spanish to use me. My Spanish is not that good. Fortunately the translating was not that difficult. The first two days I translated for one of the doctors. Most of the physical complaints were very simple. The young children seemed to have sore throats, coughs, and stomach aches. These were easily treated and the team brought plenty of antibiotics, vitamins, and parasite meds. The old people just about all had the same problems—aching muscles, knee and joint pain. There were a few cases of diabetes. Most were not taking medication because they could not afford it. The goal of the team was to demonstrate God’s love and concern for them.

The last two days they were able to get a translator who is also a nurse. I got moved outside to help the team members who were working with the children. This was no small job. There were 4 of us and about 75-100 children ages 2 to 12. In the morning, most of the school age children were in school and we mostly had the preschoolers—no parents or rarely. In the afternoons, they were as thick as bees on a honeycomb. I love working with these children. They just want to please and they are so cooperative. No one complained that they were bored. If they did, they used a different word than I know. We told a Bible story and had a little drama to go with it. We sang song accompanied by a battery operated iPod speaker system. The children played games to memorize their Bible verse. The best part for me was all the hugs. Guatemalans are loving, affectionate people. They are also grateful for any attention, and they are not stingy with their thank-yous.

On the last day, a young woman came into the clinic while we were having our lunch. She was carrying roses, and she had her little girl with her—about 5 years old. The mother said it was the little girl’s idea to bring the flowers in order to express gratitude to the doctors and others who had helped her get well. The day before, one of the doctors had gone to her home to tend to the child because the mother thought she was too ill to bring her in.

After 4 long days of clinic and Bible school, we had a play day. We went out to some ancient Mayan ruins where many still offer sacrifices to the Mayan gods. We also visited Antigua which is the ancient capital city of Guatemala. The streets of Antigua are the original cobblestones and are a challenge to drive on and not that easy for walking either. The artesian market is quite fabulous. Guatemalans are famous for their beautiful fabrics which are unique to Guatemala.

It was an exhausting week for the body, but refreshing to the soul.

Neighborhood Ladies

Meeting the Neighbors

Not long after I arrived, the drinking water dispenser ran out. To replace the water requires strength and dexterity. The water bottle is a 5 gallon container that must be lifted about eye level and turned upside down over the dispenser. I decided I would go out in the neighborhood and ask someone to help me. I saw the neighbor next door outside. She has two adult sons living with her and she told me she would send one of them over later to change out my water bottle, but right now she and another neighbor were headed walking to a free cultural event in the area. Nolly, Sarita, Sarita’s 6-year old grandson and I walked about 4 blocks to a huge Catholic church. The street next to the church had been blocked off and circus type tent had been set up for the folkloric ballet. There was a marimba group that provided the music for the dances. A concession stand was set up just outside the tent for those who didn’t have dinner before coming. Once the dances began, I was totally captivated. I had no idea that Marimba could be so beautiful or that Guatemala had so many folkloric dances. This was also the first time for me to hear the Guatemala’s national anthem.

Nolly also invited me to go walking the next morning with her and two other ladies from the neighborhood—Betty and Carmen Yolanda. Thus began a daily routine of exercise. We walk from 4:45 to 5:45 every morning. Yes, this really is too early for me, but Carmen Yolanda goes to work early.

Making Friends

These 4 women have become very good friends to me. Nolly introduced me to a hair solon where I get my color and cut. She has also taken me walking to a terrific fresh market very near the house. To celebration the National holiday on September 15, four of us went to the National Theater for a Marimba concert. There were 10 marimba groups, all playing simultaneously. Each group has nine members—7 play the xylophone looking part, one plays base fiddle, and one plays the drums. The people in the audience applauded and yelled enthusiastically after every musical number. One song was such a favorite that the people got up in the aisles and began to dance and sing along with the music. There were 3 encores.

Nolly also guided me on a trip to Antigua, the ancient capital city of Guatemala, and a major tourist attraction.

Even before arriving in Guatemala, I had prayed that I would make Guatemalan friends and that I would be able to have a Bible study in my home, and even that at some point I might be able to lead a Bible study. Of course, my Spanish does have to improve a bit before I can do it alone. With this in mind, I had a little party last Saturday night to get to know as many of the ladies in my little neighborhood (30 homes) as possible. I handed out the invitations and prepared the food, waiting expectantly to see who would show up. Thirteen ladies came, of these 5 were completely new to me. A fairly young woman and her two little girls live on one side of me. I thought she was rather unfriendly or very busy as I had only seen her in passing and she was always in her car. It turned out that her husband had died in June of this year after a long illness. She really didn’t know anyone in the neighborhood because she had been so busy caring for her husband. I had to ask one of her daughters what was her name so I could address the envelope. No one in the area even knew her name—Elida. She stayed until the very end and seemed so happy to be in the company of all these friendly ladies. Two of my missionary friends also came, one to help and one to talk about a Bible study she leads. Several of the ladies were enthusiastic about a study right here in the neighborhood. We hope to get it going in January.

I packed my 2 huge bags and 1 carry on just praying that I had not forgotten anything important. One of my bags weighed a little under 50 pounds and one weighed a little more than 50 pounds. TACA airlines was generous to me and considered it balanced and did not charge me any over weight fees. I had some tense moments when the basket carrying my laptop computer hit the floor as I was going through security. It took about 30 minutes to get the computer to come on and repair itself, but it eventually did. I was laying hands on it and praying. It really is not that far from Houston to Guatemala City--around 1300 miles, which is less than from Houston to Boston. If it had been a direct flight, it would been less than 3 hours. This plane, however, stopped in Belize and again in San Salvaldor, El Salvador. I changed planes in San Salvador for a 30 minute flight to Guatemala City.

One of the missionaries met me at the airport and took me to my new home. It was about 10:00 at night by the time we got there and I was exhausted and didn't look around much. The missionary--Penny Stamps lives in Antigua so she spend the night with me and took me to the orientation sessions the next day.