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Published: August 17th 2010
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About Town
Joy, cousin Taylor and Leigh with friendly Mayan artisan. Reflections from Las Ninas The day we left we woke up at 5:30 and drove to the airport. We took two planes and a 4 hour van ride. When we got to our house it was 7:00 (Guatemala time, 9:00 US time). I was so tired. I woke up the next day and the lake was shining blue. We could see so far and so far up the volcano too. Then we went to the market and it was crowded and overwhelming. There were a lot of people who did not look like me and wearing different kinds of clothes. But now I am quite used to it. I made two friends next door.
We’ve been swimming in the lake. It’s warmer than I thought and fun.
Leigh The Arrival It was a long journey to our new home in Guatemala. We left Atlanta early in the AM on Tuesday (8/10/10). Fortunately, thanks to Kiran’s Aunt Sue and Uncle Neil, we were well fed and well rested. Bob, Kiran’s Dad, along with Sue and Neil, provided excellent chauffeur service. After some delays, we arrived in Guatemala City a bit late. Our driver, Aklax (pronounced
The Morning After
This is the view from the back of our house. Aklach), was not there due to an assortment of responsibilities and unexpected events.
Thus, the surrendering came earlier than expected. We did our best to reassure ourselves and our fellow travelers. Alas, after 15 minutes of “what are we going to do” he appeared with a warm smile and a durable van.
June was a hard month in Guatemala. There were volcanic eruptions and torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Agatha. Many of the roads, and parts of pueblos, between the Capital and Santiago Atitlan were destroyed. Enough repair was done for us to make it, but it was a slow and bumpy ride. The endless scenes of simple huts, load stricken laborers and emaciated dogs were a lot to take in, particularly for the young among us.
We arrived in our new home in the dark and the rain, only to discover that we needed to hike the last part. We strapped on the luggage (a year’s worth) and quickly realized that wheeled luggage isn’t worth much on root and rut ridden dirt paths. We arrived at the locked gate to learn that Nicolas, the groundskeeper, had assumed we would not make it for the night.
The Lake
Leigh working on her form. A kind US couple named Jake and Amy (“Los Angelitos”) were staying at another house on the compound and let us in, showed us to our porch and went to notify Nicolas of our arrival.
When we awoke the next morning, we discovered an amazing scene from our back porch. The lake and the volcanoes are stunning and the flora equally so. After a trip to the market for fresh tortillas and pineapple, our weary bodies and minds began to come alive again.
The Settling In The days since our arrival have been filled with getting to know the hospital community, swims in the lake and a small pool near our house, time with our friends the Berger-Doanes who are visiting and an excursion across the lake to the town of Panajachel. We also made the arrangements for our one-on-one Spanish tutoring that begins Monday.
With the news of our sweet dog Larry’s death, the week has certainly been filled with some heavy sadness. Add to that the shock of a totally different way of life and its accompanying homesickness and it’s easy to see why some necessary tears flowed from all of us. That said,
Joy's Nest
It did not take long for her to find a good reading spot. we all feel good about this place we will call home for the next month and a half and are excited about all that it has to teach us. We remain deeply grateful for all the love and prayer that surrounds us. It is life-sustaining.
Where We Are Santiago Atitlan is one of the communities surrounding the large volcanic lake called Lake Atitlan. The majority of the people here are Mayan and the indigenous ways and language are very much at the center of life here. The first language is Tz’utuhil and Spanish is a second language for some, but not all. At the hospital where Kiran is working, a Tz’utuhil to Spanish translator assists the care providers. There is a 44%!l(MISSING)iteracy rate in this province.
Santiago Atitlan played an important role in the ending of the 36 year Civil War that plagued Guatemala from 1960-1996. During that time, the Guatemalan Military (mostly trained and supported by the United States) took the lives of 200,000, dislocated another 1 million, “disappeared” 50,000 and left 200,000 children orphaned. It is another horrendous story of US complicity in the devastation caused by war.
On December 2nd, 1990, a
The Parade
Sunday was The Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary. We stumbled on a parade through the town in her honor. young Mayan woman from Santiago Atitlan was assaulted by soldiers from the nearby military base. Both individuals and churches began ringing bells to bring attention to the situation and before long, a large crowd gathered and the soldiers returned to their base. Many from the community pursued the men back to the base to register their protest to such violations. As they arrived, 13 people, including women and children, were gunned down. The massacre was picked up by the international press and, after effective organizing by community leaders, the base was eventually closed. Many see this event as the turning point that led to the peace treaty in 1996 which ended “ La Violencia”, as it is called here. While some tension and violence still linger, the debilitating conflict that plagued this and other Guatemalan communities has largely subsided.
El Hospitalito One of the founding members of the hospital where Kiran is working was a priest from Oklahoma named Stan Rother. After 13 years of serving this community, including translating the Bible into Tz’utuhil, he was deemed a subversive by the Guatemalan military and killed in the town's Catholic church. At the time, he was harboring local Guatemalans
An Evening Stroll
As we walked over to see our friends the Berger-Doanes, we stumbled upon this view of the lake. who had been placed on the “death list” by the Guatemalan military. The violence was largely responsible for the hospital shutting down for 12 years. Eventually, a small group of concerned community members gathered with the dream of bringing the hospital back. They did, only to see the restored building destroyed by a Hurricane Stan mudslide in 2005. Within 3 days, they were operating in a new location. While most of the hospital's leadership comes from the community, it relies on foreign physician volunteers to staff the clinics and the 24 hour emergency room. To learn more about these incredible people and their work check out the website: www.hospitalitoatitlan.org.
In Closing We leave you with some faith-filled words that Ken Sehested, one of our pastors, sent us yesterday. May it be so!
Sisters and brothers, these are among the convictions that we harbor and herald:
Faith is not belief in spite of the evidence. Faith is life lived in scorn of the consequences.*
Faith isn’t a set of doctrines you agree to; or a set of religious habits you keep; or a particular emotion you feel.
Faith is trust that ushers us into a new way of Our Once Dirty Laundry
Drying things is tough during the rainy season. living.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is being joyful, though you’ve considered all the facts.**
Fear—not doubt—is the opposite of faith.
Faith is contagious. We catch it by surrounding ourselves with a cloud of witnesses, with the stories of faithful people, both from distant memory and direct experience.
Inoculate yourselves with stories of faith to ward off the fearmonger’s siege!
So let us persevere in the pace we have kept, laying aside every fear, looking to our Pioneer, who for the joy set before him disregarded all shame, that every lame and languishing name be ransomed and reclaimed from death’s grievous and groanful domain.
—Ken Sehested, inspired by Hebrews 11:1-12:3, using lines from *Clarence Jordan and **Wendell Berry. Circle of Mercy, 8.15.10
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Nancy Osborne
non-member comment
Yahoo, you're there!
Dear folks, It is so so so so (one for each of you) good to hear that you arrived safely and a little bit about your early days. How exciting and interesting and amazing and maybe a little scarey it must all be. And I'm so sorry to hear about Larry. What a sad thing to have to deal with in the midst of your transition. What happened to the dear guy? I'll keep holding you in the light. What an adventure. Love you all, mucho. Nancy O