"Quoting Guatemala"

      Last year I went to Guatemala for the first time and reflected on my experience by creating a list of the top reasons to go to Guatemala. Before I headed back again this year I was prepared to create a list of the top reasons to return to Guatemala. Except as I prepare to create that list 35,000 feet in the air, I'm realizing that it's going to be quite similar to that from last year - Guatemala is still beautiful, the people are still loving, and God's Holy Spirit is still found on every street corner. So instead I'll focus on all the incredible people I've had the privilege to travel with this week. I hope these quotes make it evident how much the presence of God in Guatemala (call it Godemala if you will) has taught us about our own calling in this world. So here, in no particular order, is this year's list:

The Top 13 Serious Quotes of Guatemala 2K15

1) "God really does exist! He has repaired us and uses us as a trophy of his grace."

2) "I feel very uncomfortable when someone says I'm a pastor because it's a lot of responsibility."

3) "The Kingdom of God is upside-down."

4) "The way you perceive Jesus is the way you will conduct ministry."

5) "An attitude of thankfulness is so transformative."

6) "Tears tell you what you feel most called to do."

7) "God whispers through our gifts."

8) "9 out of 10 times, our calling seems impossible because it would be without God."

9) "Hold hands when you cross the street." (Put this on a much bigger scale and it will make more sense)

10) "Your calling is something you feel, but it is affirmed through everyone else."

11) "Make the world smaller through relationships."

12) "There's church in that little room."

13) "You're all called to be followers of Christ, so be worthy of that call."

Thanks be to God. 

-James Compton

Back in our (un)comfort zone

      This week was my first time both out of the country and in Guatemala, but I don't think I properly prepared myself to be uncomfortable. I knew I would be in a whole knew world but had no idea how to even imagine what it would be like. Coming away from the trip, however, I can't stop thinking about the importance of being uncomfortable. 

      I first realized this when we read Mark 8:35, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who want to lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." Losing our life isn't just throwing away everything. Losing our life is opening our heart and mind to new ideas and not being afraid to let the old ones go. It's listening to God rather than our own knowledge. Often, God leaves the questions and not the answers. This can all be very uncomfortable.

      It's easy to feel uncomfortable in Guatemala while surrounded by foreign cultures, different languages, and poverty, but I don't think it stops there. Being uncomfortable from this alone is no indication of losing our life for the sake of the gospel. Opening ourselves to change requires a conscious choice to be uncomfortable no matter where we are. That being said, this trip doesn't end when we get home. If it does end for us, we've let down all of the people this week who have shared with us their story, vocation, and knowledge. 

      When we return, it is important that the memory of this trip doesn't seem like some dream in a foreign land. The greatest service we can give to the people we met this week is to continue to let what we've learned affect us. We must continue to make ourselves uncomfortable, for that's where we'll see growth.

-Drew "Pollito" Biddell

The Shoes of a Servant

All too quickly, our time in Guatemala comes to a close and it is time for us to return home.  But, not quite the same people that we were this time last week.  For we have walked with people his week whose lives we could never have imagined.  We have heard stories of courage and love - of people literally laying down their lives for others.  We have experienced gracious hospitality from desperately poor people and we have been at a loss as to how to say thank you.  We have listened carefully to each other as we have struggled with questions of how we are to continue to live comfortably at home now that we have seen the faces of so much suffering.  And we have asked questions about how we are to live now - how is God calling us to respond and how can we go home and live differently.

I have been challenged by the depth of the questions these young adults have asked and by their willingness to share their struggles.  My heart has been filled as I have watched them care for each other and for the people we have met.  Tonight, Susan and I gave them each a little leather sandal key chain - to remind them that they will need each other as they continue on this journey and that these sandals symbolize the shoes of a servant.  We have experienced many people serving us this week and we have witnessed people serving the least in our world.  We have experienced ourselves what it is to serve the poor and the least and in so doing, we have seen the face of Jesus.  We are called to continue to be servant people following in the way of our servant Jesus.  

My prayer is that each of these amazing young adults will continue to feel God's presence with them even as they listen to and live out God's call on their lives.  The journey has just begun.  Thanks be to God.

A Servant's Journey

     We just finished our final reflection and devotion time together.  As I looked around the circle, I saw exhaustion, fear, hope, joy, worry, wonder, and most of all gratitude on the faces that surrounded me.  We have experienced so much in this foreign land.  We have heard and seen, touched and sensed more than we could ever put into words through the Guatemalans, within our little band of travelers, and within ourselves.  We have laughed and cried, shouted and kept silent, hoped and feared, despaired and rejoiced...together.
     I can't imagine a better way to celebrate Pentecost than with this group in this amazing land.  There are some days in my life when I wonder just where God's Spirit is.  This week, there is no doubt that God's Spirit is blowing through Guatemala and through each of these young adults.
     For all of you who are reading this blog who raised these young people (parents, relatives, pastors, friends, teachers...all of you), you have given the world an incredible gift in the lives of these amazing people.  Their hearts are so big, so loving, so filled with generosity and a willingness to listen and learn, question and wonder.  Their faith has blessed me and challenged me and given me great hope for the future.
     As we concluded our reflection tonight, Kathy and I gave each student a little leather sandal to remind them that we are all walking this journey together.  We can't walk the road of Jesus' self-giving love by ourselves.  We chose the sandal because it it is not the shoe of the powerful.  It is the shoe of a servant.  Each one of us has experienced this week what it means to allow others to serve us, and God has cracked our hearts open just a bit to let us see how we, too, might be servants in our own lives.  My prayer is that we might grow more and more to understand what that might mean for our lives as we live into God's abundant life...together.
                                                                               ---written by Susan Verbrugge, Co-leader

Beloved

We spent our day today at ADISA, which is an organization in Santiago Atitlan that provides both a special education school for children and work programs for adults with intellectual or physical disabilities. This organization resonates deeply with me because I am very passionate about working with both children and adults with disabilities.

Society sends the message that people with disabilities are outcasts...inferior to those who don't have an apparent disability. Nothing could be further from the truth. People with disabilities are no different from seemingly "normal" people, whatever normal even means.

Jesus walked among those who were outcast by society because he saw them as they truly are: equally gifted, valuable, and beloved. ADISA exemplifies this love by supporting the incredible gifts their participants have and allowing them to be independent and take pride in their creations.

Jesus tells us that we are all his unconditionally loved children, and calls us to love each other likewise. I saw that love very clearly today.

Ginny

Living Uncomfortably

Everyone I have met so far from Guatemala on this trip, has been so happy and grateful, no matter where they have ended up in their life. I have especially seen that today, as we spent the day at ADISA. The people at ADISA have been through so much and yet don't seem to let anything phase their spirit and faith as they go through life. The work that they do they are so good at, what they did in one minute took me at least five to get the hang of.

One of the most important things that I have learned while being in Guatemala is that God doesn't call you to be comfortable.

"Call sometimes seems impossible, because it would be, without God." Once I heard this, everything made a little bit more sense. To me, call could be something that you may have a talent for, but you may not be able to see it in yourself. For so long after realizing that being a teacher was no longer for me, I have been searching for something more that I am passionate about and want to spend my life doing.. Something where I can make a difference in other people's lives. I have come to the conclusion recently, partly through things I have learned about and seen here in Guatemala, that I should stop searching for exactly what I think I should be doing, and instead try to understand and work with wherever God takes me in my life. I know that He has a plan for me and that He will call upon me at the right time. For now, I will just continue to try to live my life uncomfortably, helping others in any way that I can and continuing to learn. I am just going to jump into life, and meet God there.

Nighty poo, don't poo in you're nighty. - Steve (our trip facilitator)

-Sarah Pierce

The universal language

This afternoon after our visit to ADISA we were given about 3 hours before dinner for free time to rest, reflect, or explore the city. Following the precedent set by James last year, a group of 6 of us immediately walked over to a level patch of dirt and gravel sitting in the shadow of a volcano across the lake, with cinder blocks goal posts. This patch of ground served as the pickup soccer field for the local children; today a group of four somewhere around the age of 7 were playing with a miniature ball. Our guide (James) talked if over with them and joined their team against the other 5 of us. Over the course of the next 90 minutes we experienced the joy that futbol brings regardless of language or age. A man who seemed liked one of their fathers called at the "Gringo" and threw us a full size ball and a couple of other kids joined in. By the time we left there was a crowd for these kids and us, cheering along and laughing whenever one of the kids beat us. One of the best parts about this whole game was that it didnt really matter that we didn't know hardly any Spanish, let alone anything relevant to a futbol match, but afterwards we all agreed how we wish we did. There will be a rematch tomorrow at approximately 3pm, and all are welcomed to attend!

-Josh