Friday, July 1, 2016

Our first day of work started at Los Gozosos, a home and school for developmentally disabled children. This is the exterior of the facility. The wall and barbed wire that surround it are not to imprison those inside, but to keep them safe and protected.

At Los Gozosos, we completed many odd jobs.  We weeded...

...and painted...

  

...trimmed grass (the lawnmower was a familiar tool, but the youth had som fun figuring out how to trim grass with machetes!)

 

Fixed a broken window pane...

And, of course, played with children!

As for what we learned today, I was able to have a terrific conversation with many of the youth under the comforting shade of an avocado tree.  I asked everyone what experiences stood out as most meaningful so far on the trip.  Here are some of their responses:

• It was easy to see that the students at the seminary were just as uncomfortable as we were during that first meal.  Things got easier though.  We knew a only a little bit of Spanish and they knew only a little bit of English, but it was like God just bridged the gap of the language barrier and brought us closer together! In the gym, many of the youth commented on how fun it was to learn to play and joke in another language.

• Prayer can be an amazing thing.  Our tradition as a youth group is to circle up to pray, each of us taking a turn to say what is on our heart. There have been some special moments of prayer already.  Once, when Mark (Stid) had some difficulty at the airport because his middle name on his passport did not EXACTLY match his plane ticket. We circled up right there in the middle of the airport and by the end of our prayer, the issue had been resolved! God is truly great!

• Another time, we prayed for a family that works here at the seminary.  The family has had many challenges, but continues to remain faithful to Christ.  They are currently in the midst of more health issues and are in the process of building a house. We gathered in a circle around them and prayed that God bless their family and ease their burdens. Though (in this case) we may never know how God answers our prayers, the connection that we felt with this special family blessed us all in that moment.

• We had bittersweet feelings about the children at Los Gozosos.  Many of the students there had severe disabilities. We were told that in Guatemala when children are born with an impairment, they are often unwanted and discarded. The sad awareness of these children's plight hovered in the air around us. But as we got to know these special children, many of whom could not speak, we came to see the humanity in them.  Our youth commented afterward that a smile on the face of a child can really communicate a lot!

• Many youth shared stories of human compassion.  One example was of a teenage boy that visited Los Gozosos to play with the kids while we were there. He was asked why he came.  Was it community service for some school or extra-curricular program? "No," he said, "I just like it here!"  There were several other stories about how people who seemed to have very little gave great quantities of time and materials to support others in the community. They connected these experiences to the Parable of the Widow's Might.

• One of the most overpowering feelings we have had so far, though, is the contrast between the world within the seminary walls and the world that exists just beyond the gate. Outside the walls there is chaos.  There are lane markers on the streets, but drivers pay no mind. There is a speed limit, but rarely do the drivers heed it.  Motorcycles weave in and out between lanes of traffic, and the narrow streets are lined with vendors selling everything under the sun.  Once we cross the gates onto seminary grounds, though, there is order. There are flower beds and green grass, welcoming and curious faces all around. There is a sense of purpose and peace within these walls.

All in all, day one of our mission to Guatemala was powerful in ways that we would not have been able to anticipate!