7.04.2014

Gratitude

I'm sure many of you have read, or heard of the book One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. For those of you who haven't, it is basically about a woman's search and journey towards practicing Eucharisteo (the act of giving thanks to God in everything) by creating a list of all the small, daily gifts he gives us, recognizing his hand in everything, and how we can and should live this out in each one of our lives. I read the book several years ago, and just before coming on this trip participated in the corresponding Bible Study. While I was here, I decided to start my own list of all the beautiful things He has given me each day I've been here, in order to recognize his hand in everything, but also to help grab each moment I've been given. When you start to look at all the things He gives, you start to notice more and more His hand in everything, and it allows you to more fully take in every moment. As I was flipping through this list the other day, I noticed several gifts that appeared more than once, things I gave thanks for on multiple days over the last few weeks. I'm not going to share every gift I wrote down with you, but these that appeared more than once may give you a glimpse into the day to day life of working with SI in Magda, and the things that were important to me during this time. I've also included a brief explanation as to why I was thankful for these things. Enjoy. And be grateful because you are blessed. (Stepping off my soap box now.)

-warm showers because sometimes the water goes out/ the heating unit ceases to function, and so you're all the more grateful for piping hot showers when you have them
-fried plantains my favorite of the chapin (Guatemalan) dishes we eat regularly in the host homes, and any day with fried plantains is a good one
-agua pura safe water to drink so I don’t get sick (as often...)
-rainless days it’s rainy season... Days filled with sunshine make my heart happy.
-coffee the number of times I gave thanks for coffee over the last few weeks is somewhat alarming…or not. I, obviously, just embrace this addiction. 
-encouraging testimonies learning from, being challenged by, and being encouraged by the full time staff's testimonies and devos.
-rides to and from the Community Center because the hills in Magda are ridiculous, and so not having to walk is wonderful.
-safety I take for granted a community back home where I don’t have to think about this at all
-host sisters who talk, laugh, and play with their gringa friends
-translating experience using the skills God has given me
-working wifi because sometimes it goes out for three weeks…
-frijolitos our old-school phones the summer staff were given to use during the internship that allowed us to communicate easily
-rain boots again, rainy season. Dry feet are such a blessing.
-life talks if you know me at all, you know why this appeared multiple times in my gift list.
-Wisco love sharing in the homeland love with a dear roommate.
-saldo the minutes (for calling/texting) added to our frijolitos each week or so.
-balance in ministry between occupational and relational ministry mostly, amongst other things as well.
-pan dulce another favorite chapin food that makes my heart and belly happy.
-allowing for vulnerability being open and vulnerable with one another is beautiful.
-site understanding/task understanding being able to assist in ministry easily (after a time).
-clean laundry because otherwise your towels never dry…
-intern hugs because they know how real the struggle is, and so they can daily encourage.
-braided hair so you don’t have to wash it every day...
-hand sanitizer because sometimes there isn’t soap, and water can have parasites.
-kind host moms who feed you, take care of you when you’re sick, and love on you as part of their family.
-World Cup excitement because it’s everywhere, it joins people together, and you love soccer.
-FaceTime to stay in contact with the homeland.
-Argentina wins they’re the best. No need to say more ;)
-filling journal pages to help process and sort out life.
-healthy pollos healthy chickens mean better incomes for dear souls, as well as open doors for sharing Christ.
-seeing favorite littles smiles and hugs from precious little friends who remember you after much time apart.
-escaping rainy afternoons rainy season. Can you tell this was an issue for us?
-being part of a bigger picture because it’s hard to leave after a few weeks, but God stays and His work goes on, and this is encouraging.

Magda.


7.01.2014

Stories

Stories. I intended for these stories to be included in the last post, but didn’t want to bore you with an overly lengthy post. I didn’t realize how much I had come to have a relationship with several of the prestatarios until it came time to say goodbye to two of the women’s groups. Of the five loan groups that meet every 15 days (not on the same day), I have come to know several women from two of those groups pretty well. And even though it’s only been a few weeks, these women have come to hold a special place in my heart (There are men’s groups too, but as their meetings are later in the evening, I have not had the pleasure of participating in those meetings, so I haven’t gotten to know many of the men who have loans with SI…By the way. I don’t know that I’ve actually mentioned the meetings…each person who has a loan, and anyone who is looking to receive a new loan is required to attend one of five group meetings. For those looking to receive a loan for the first time, they are required to attend for three months before they can apply for a loan. These are a time for the prestatarios to learn about finances through classes called capacitación, and also a time for the Bible to be shared and the word of God spoken. Around 40% of the prestatarios do not know Christ, and beyond the home visits talked about in the last post, they are exposed to His Word at these meetings.). These are [some of] the stories of several women who have impacted me over the last several weeks.

this is the women's group that I became closest with at their first capacitación

Doña Elida
I’m not sure how old she is, but probably not much older than me, maybe younger. Saber (who knows.). She’s married, has two sweet children, lives at the bottom of the hill in Magdalena, and uses her loan to invest in the small tienda (store) she runs out of her house. Through a few visitas, several group meetings, and one project I have come to know her and her family fairly well. With my last group of students we did a project (projects serve to do something physical that helps to grow the business at no cost to the prestatario) with Doña Elida to paint her storefront. Most houses and buildings here are made of cinder blocks, and the front of Doña Elida’s house had never been painted one of the bright colors that fill this country. It was just gray. The front half of her house is where she has her tienda, serving people out of a small window, but because of the lack of color and advertising on the front, you couldn't tell it was anything different than any other house. So SI bought paint, and we spent a day painting the house bright blue to [hopefully] grab the attention of the people who attend soccer games at the neighboring cancha (soccer field/stadium). This will [hopefully] grow the business. Through the visits we did with her, and also through this project I was able to talk with her and her husband, just sharing life. Nothing profound, though there is something profoundly beautiful in just sharing life. Her husband told me (after we spent the whole afternoon talking, painting, and taking pictures with his kids) that he will tell the baby that he has an aunt in the U.S. (me) and they both told me that whenever I come back here to be sure to visit them. She greets me at the meetings, and welcomes me into her home for agua (not water…soda.), and we have come to be friends.

Doña Elida's youngest. Her husband calls him El Gordito. (Endearing term, but means fat...)

Doña Susana
Doña Susana is a much older woman, but from the same area of Magda, and also part of the same women’s group as Doña Elida. Actually, I think she may be her mother-in-law? Some familial relationship? Saber. She has used her loan to invest in her business of making bags and tablecloths. Her house is one that takes you back at first, because the American in you wonders at the dirt floors, wooden walls with large spaces where the sky shines through, and smoky fire in a dark room. But she quickly wins you over with her big smile and bigger laugh. She’s open to suggestions on how to sell/make her products better, but her family struggles financially, and her income from the bags is little. She’s got a lot of kids. Six maybe? Four? Maybe some are grandkids? The oldest boy is trying to pay his way through school, but has been out of work for some time. Unfortunately, this is an all too common problem here in Guatemala. I’ve met Doña Susana at the meetings and talked with her at several home visits. She watched us paint Doña Elida’s house, and joked that when we finished we should just come over to her house and keep going. One day, she came to Don Mario’s house to try to sell her bags to the students from the last group (they have a “market” day once during each group where various women come to sell bags, greeting cards, aprons, etc.), and I think she was nervous. It was her first time at the mercadito (little market). Normally she tries to sell by going door to door in Magdalena, and showing off what she’s made, which is tough. So I sat with her, helped translate, and talked. Sharing life. Asking about her kids. Telling her about my family. Making her feel more comfortable. She sold a few things, not much, but it was nice to be able to talk with her one-on-one. Now when I see her in the streets she gives me a big hug and says “¡Hola Seño!” Sweet woman. Struggling, but fighting. Fighting for a better life for her family and herself. She hopes that she can buy her own sewing machine some day, so that she can continue to expand her business.

Doña Santiaga
I just met Doña Santiaga today (when I’m writing this, who knows when it will get posted…), but I feel like we’re friends. She’s in her sixties, has diabetes I’m not sure what her business is. Or was. She’s actually behind in her payments. But here’s the thing. Today she shared with us that her husband has been an alcoholic for the last 20 years. They’ve been married for 40 years, and she said the first 20 were great. But then he took a different job, and poco a poco (little by little) started to drink. Now he’s an alcoholic, and physically abusive towards her and their children. Most of me wanted to be mad. How can a man treat his family that way? Beating his daughters? Spending nearly all their money on alcohol? Not caring about anyone but himself? But that’s not how Doña Santiaga responds. She’s obviously affected and hurt by him, and wants to protect her children. But she’s strong in the Lord. I mean I have rarely seen such faith. Today as she relayed all these horrible stories about what they’ve gone through, she still would say that God is good, that God will provide. She has friends say “just go get a new husband who will give you money,” but she says “I don’t want to be known as that. God doesn’t want that for me.” She has other friends say “just go steal some fruit from someone’s land and quick sell it in the market,” but she says “that’s not how God wants us to go about this. He will provide. He will provide for this loan.” She’s part of a cuchual (I don’t know the translation. But it tends to be a group that supports each other financially. One of the women’s groups is set up this way. Each week they all pay in some set amount, and each week one or two women receive all that money. So you pay in most weeks, but then you receive others.) and knows that her turn is coming up to receive the money from the other people in the group. She told us that they’re not going to spend one centavo (cent) of the cuchual money, but rather put all of it towards paying off the SI loan. This was amazing to me, as she had just got done telling us how her husband drinks nearly all their money, and how they’ve had large medical expenses. But she believes that God will provide, and so they should use this money for the loan. My site leader asked me to share something with her, part of my testimony or a Bible verse, and I almost felt that nothing I could say would benefit this warrior of faith. I told her about the spiritual example my parents and grandparents set for me, and told her that she can be that for her children in the midst of this struggle. We continued to talk for awhile, just about ordinary things after that, but when my site leader told her it was my last day (of sites) she jumped up and started praying over my life. I know, I thought that’s what I had come to do for her, too. But I think one thing I’m learning bout missions is that yes, God can use me to share his word, or encourage his followers. But he also cares about what is happening in my own life. And at that moment he used a fellow sister in Christ to encourage and strengthen me. Someone I thought I had come to serve, served me. And maybe I her. But that’s the beauty of the family of God. As you give towards others, others give towards you. And in all of this we push each other towards the One who gives all. And hopefully those who don’t know Him, will see Him in us. Not just us gringos, because we’re not spiritually special for being from America. But all believers, from every nation, tribe, language and tongue. It’s pretty amazing.
just look at this precious woman.


I could tell you countless stories of the beautiful people I’ve met here. I can tell you of Marie who realized she could pay off her loan in one payment, and did so, so that she could get a new one to put towards a new business, and how that’s encouraging because it shows the program works. I could tell you of Doña Paulina who’s too ashamed to go to the meetings, because she received a loan from SI for her husband’s business, but he’s also an alcoholic (another serious, and unfortunate problem plaguing a huge population in Magda, but also something that has changed drastically in the time SI has been involved in the community) and drinks away every cent they take in. I could tell you of Doña Angelica who asked if she could put more than Q50 (less than $10, but the amount SI requires to be added to a savings account each month) into her savings account, because she wants to be ready for her daughter’s schooling (Um, YES!). I could tell you about several women who are unable to read and write, and so my site leader instructs their children to read the capacitación to them once each day so they understand the financial lessons.  I could tell you about the women who don’t pay, because they didn’t understand the agreements they had signed. I could tell you about the women who’s businesses are growing, who get it, who understand the importance of managing their money well. I don’t know that I can tell you about the spiritual lives that are being changed, because that’s the part of the story that is most difficult to measure. But I do know that lives are being changed. That God is at work. That His Word is going out. That hearts are becoming receptive. That people are seeking to follow Him. Maybe someday I’ll know, or will be able to see seeds I’ve been a part of planting, grow to fruition. Maybe not. All I know is that I am called to love, and I have been shown love here. And the love God has for the people of this community will continue after I am gone. It’s encouraging. He’s at work here, and that’s beautiful. And the work I’ve done is part of a much larger story, which goes on and on. I didn’t know I would come away from these weeks with friendships with the people who are a part of the loan program, but I am amazed how my life has been touched by people’s stories. And I’m amazed by the fight I find in the people of these communities. Please continue to pray for the word of God to go out as the people of Magdalena and El Gorrion fight to better their situations. He is at work, folks. Here, home, everywhere.

6.29.2014

Visitas

It’s been too long. Sorry, friends. Last week the wifi we use here in Magdalena was down for the majority of the week, in all the locations we can use it, and then we took off for the weekend to a very beautiful place on the Pacific Ocean, but again, without wifi. Eh, there’s worse things in the world than being on a beach with dear friends, and not having access to the interwebs. But now I am back, refreshed, and ready to tackle my last week of ministry sites before going to Antigua for a week of language school. (Wait, what? Last week?? That can’t be right…) (Actually…that’s a lie. The wifi has been out much longer, I wrote this in anticipation of it coming back, and now I’m actually in Antigua. Pretend this is a few weeks ago...)

The last few days and weeks have been busy, but don’t worry. I’m not going to share every single detail of what we’ve done, also because it’s not possible to. We had our second group of the summer over the last two weeks, two groups of mostly high schoolers from California. I had two girls at my site, and while they understood some Spanish, I got to do a lot of interpreting for them! It was fun, and I was encouraged that even though my Spanish is not perfect, I am capable of sharing between two languages. We spent the majority of the last two weeks doing home visits of prestatarios (borrowers from the loan program, remember our last Spanish lesson?). Between the language barrier and the extremely difficult situations many of the prestatarios and their families live in, these home visits can be a challenge for the students, but because of my Spanish and the small connections I’ve already made with the prestatarios, I was able to facilitate the conversation so that my students could understand the majority of a prestatario’s story, and also so that the prestatario could understand the testimonies my students shared with them. It’s been encouraging for me to be able to use the skills and desires to communicate cross culturally that God gave me in college in a very real, and practical way. I don’t know what my future career or life will look like, but I know that it will involve communicating in two languages (at least!), because I know this has come from God.

Speaking of home visits…they are a huge part of what the microfinance site, and SI in general does. One of SI’s core values and a huge part of their mission is relational ministry. Yes, the occupational ministry is important (this being the physical work that is being done. In my site’s case, the loans offered and received, and the work to make businesses grow.), but just as much as SI wants to see a business grow, or a student learn how to make art to support themselves, or a woman learn skills that will help put food on the table, they want to see the people of this community growing and flourishing in a relationship with Christ. This is the relational ministry focus of SI. And for the majority of the sites, this means home visits. Since this is such a big part of what SI and what my site does (and since I spent the last two weeks visiting countless individuals/families) I want to share what home visits look like for my site, specifically, and share a few individual’s stories. Sharing stories of life is really the only way to know someone, and while you all can’t physically be here with me, you can join in praying for these dear individuals and the work that is happening here, because you have learned something about their lives and struggles, but also about their triumphs.

Like I said, home visits can be a struggle. You know that old game show where they have prizes behind different doors, and the contestant gets to pick one to find out what’s behind door #1, to see what they’ll be going home with? Home visits are kind of like that…only the situations behind the doors in Magdalena, El Gorrion, Buena Vista, or wherever we go are not so glamorous as the ones on the game show. But it’s true. You never really know what you will find behind a door, or piece of laminate (like a sheet of metal) that acts as a door, when you knock to be let into someone’s life. I mean this both in the sense that the house may be small, and dirty, and the American part of you wonders how anyone could live in these conditions, but I also mean that you never know the struggles someone is going through until they open the door and invite you in. And there are struggles in this community. Often times, our visits start with something to do with the loan: dropping off their libretas (little books they use to keep track of loan payments), taking pictures of what they’ve invested in (to make sure they are using their loan for what they said they would), or explaining that a prestatario can be making payments on the interest and not the capital until they are able to pay off the full loan (this is often how prestatarios who raise animals choose to repay, because they don’t actually have the money until they sell their animals, when they’re full grown, for food.). The loan talk opens the door for real talk. Sometimes people just need someone to talk to, and so a lot of home visits/relational ministry is listening. Sometimes we hear all the struggles that a family is going through, and sometimes those struggles affect how they are able to pay back their loans. Sometimes a woman will open up and share her whole life with us, struggles and triumphs, and sometimes we hear how that woman is turning to God, but sometimes we don’t hear any mention of God. To incorporate our American students into the conversation, we often ask them to share as much or as little of their testimony as they are willing to share, a Bible verse, or something God has been doing in their lives. Often times, God makes it so they end up sharing something extremely applicable to the prestatarios’ lives, even though they had no idea what’d they would find behind door #2, because He’s cool like that. Sometimes what I heard my students share allowed a prestatario to open up and share a similar struggle that otherwise may not have come up in conversation. And who knows how God will use these words in the future… we can only pray that our words are his words, because we know it is through him seeds grow to harvest. We end every home visit with prayer. We pray for the children, we pray for husbands or wives, we pray for good crops or healthy chickens, we pray for businesses to grow, and we pray, at every home, for each individual in the family to continue to search for and grow in God. Some households are already doing this, and we hope we can encourage them to continue. Other households are not turning to God, but we pray openly with them all the same, and in our hearts we pray they will find Him. Primero Dios (This is a phrase used ALL the time here; it translates to God first, but is used as we would say God willing.). As I said in a previous post, we care that their business is able to grow. But we care so much more that they grow in Christ.

I think God is using the relational ministry of SI to do some big things in this community. I’m not saying every prestatario is or will be a Christian because of our actions, but every one of them is exposed to the love of Christ. We hope and pray that our actions reflect His good and perfect love, that we can plant seeds of hope in people’s lives, and that as the work continues, God would cause those seeds to grow. It is a blessing to be a part of this ministry, for the short time that I am here. It is encouraging to know that the work will continue when I am no longer here, because God is infinite, and He is here, and He is at work.

I was going to share some specific stories, but I think that will have to wait for a different post, because this one is already getting long. Hang tight, dear friends.

This is really not the greatest picture of this family, but I have so few from home visits that I still wanted to share!


6.10.2014

Cows, Carpenters, Peas, and Avocado Trees

It's been awhile. I apologize. We changed houses and are farther away from wifi, I got a bacterial infection and was out of commission for a few days (doing much better, Gracias a Dios!), and we've been busy. These are my excuses. :)

Anyways. It has been a busy few...days? weeks? How long has it been even? Regardless, it's been busy. But I have some stories to share.

Cows and Carpenters
Last week we did several home visits to three men who have had loans with SI for much longer than many of the people we had previously visited. We visited two men with carpentry businesses who have been able to significantly grow their businesses, largely because of the loans they received. Now they are not only employing and providing for themselves, but also are able to provide for several employees. We also were able to visit with a man who keeps dairy cows, and who has grown that business with an SI loan. I know all you Wisco peeps may think that dairy cows are common place ;) but here it is not very common to keep cows for milk and cheese, and rather more cows are kept only to be sold for their meat later on. This is still a good business, but keeping dairy cows allows for this man to have a sustainable business. He currently is raising a bull, that when he sells he'll be able to pay off his loan completely. In a site where I'm told of so many people who are struggling to make payments, I came away greatly encouraged by this man who not only has income from the dairy cows, but who will also be able to completely pay off his current loan with the bull he is raising.

This one is his favorite cow.

Peas
On a different day I spent the morning helping a woman shell peas. She's received a loan from SI, and her job, or business, is to shell peas. She works for a co-op. One person plants the peas (like snap peas), others harvest, and she shells the peas before taking them to a factory where they are disinfected, packaged and exported. For several hours we sat and shared with this woman while we opened the pods and scraped out the peas. It's not necessarily physically demanding, though your back does hurt after, but it's long work. And not overly rewarding. We helped her with one large bag of peas, which resulted in 20 some odd pounds of shelled peas. For this she will receive Q1 a pound. It takes roughly Q7.5 to equal a dollar, so you do the math. Q1 for the peas and Q.25 for the pods, which she sells to farmers for feed for their animals. Not very much. But you will not find anyone more grateful for any job. She is able to stay at home to work, which means her kids get better care. Her family works with her, so they grow together. She can put food on the table, money in a savings account. Her children are healthy. She was incredibly open and vulnerable, and shared her whole life story with virtual strangers. She does not have much, but knows that all she has is from God, and thanks him daily for saving her entire family from alcoholism. God provides. He rescues and he provides. I may have not done a whole lot to help her business grow, but being there, working with alongside her allowed for us to share life, and share Christ.
She'd have 10 done by the time I had done 2. She's a pro...

Avocado Trees
Yesterday we moved some 2600 avocado trees. Baby trees...but hard work. We moved them, assembly line style, from a nursery to a semi, and from the semi to Magda. Farmers in the area are starting to participate in a program with these trees, a different micro-loan type program, and will receive them, plant and care for them, and will work with people in the states to sell the avocados and pay off their loan. Hard work. But it's part of the much larger picture we find ourselves in, and will bring blessing to many men in this area. Like with the loan programs I participate in, the men who receive these trees will have to attend weekly Bible studies. Spiritual growth through community growth. Both are good. Both are needed.
bien sucio. 

On every home visit I've done, every business I've seen, there has been one constant. My site leader summed it up well when we were with the man who keeps the cows. We were able to give his family a Spanish Bible, because of a donation from the group who was here, and share why our Bibles were so important in our own lives. As we were leaving she simply told him, "We care about your cows. We care about your business, and want it to grow. But so much more than that, we want you to know this word (pointing to his Bible) and to come to grow in Christ." That's it, folks. That's why we're here. 

6.01.2014

Sometimes on Sundays

Sometimes on Sundays:

-you talk sports with your host dad. And you both agree that Michael Yordin (that's how he says it) is the best basketball player. You also tell him that, no, you haven't seen Michael Yordin in person. 

-your host mom puts out bananitos and choco panqueques on the same day, and so you combine them, because obviously. Delicious.

-your littlest host sister is chosen to be the princess of the coming soccer tournament, and she gets to wear a pretty dress and walk out onto the field carrying flowers to start the tournament.

-you're reminded that church in Guatemala is way different than church in the U.S. But you're also reminded that preference in worship styles aside, you are worshiping and serving the same God. And you are reminded that God is able to transcend cultural differences.

-you're reminded that in Guatemala any noise made unto the Lord is a joyful noise, and so when any noise is made unto the Lord, it is made as loud as possible. Go big or go home, right?

-you're super impressed by the musicians at church, specifically the marimba players. Because 2/3 of them double as saxophone players, and switch freely between the two. During songs, no less. 

-you can't understand any of the words to the worship songs because the speakers are turned up so loud (joyful noises made to the Lord...) and so you just clap. For close to an hour.

-you're reminded that your service here is part of a much larger picture of the work God is doing in Guatemala, and around the world

-you're proud that you understood the Spanish message and didn't have to rely on the translation. And you're also nervous because you know sometime this summer you'll have to provide the translation.

-you remembered to bring offering money, but then since it's the first day of the month they don't pass around the offering plate as usual, but rather you have to get up and march around the barrel and you were not prepared for this. So you hand your money to someone else as they're on their way up.

-you do, however, get up to hug the people who celebrated birthdays this week. And you hug them, even though you have never met. (Birthdays are a BIG deal in Guate)

-you spend time fellowshipping with the other interns on the roof of your house before lunch at the community center.

-your heart is full when you see your sponsor kid and he waves and shouts ¡HOLA SEÑO! (seño being short for señora or, in my case, señorita. They used it all the time when I was at the Monroy school)

-you come home from the community center with a full belly and a full heart, and are thankful for those who prepared the food, and for a group that is willing to share struggles and triumphs from the past week.

-you get time to rest and recharge for another week in Guatemala.

host sister ready to be the princess of the soccer games

by the way...sorry the font was so small on previous posts! Hope this is easier to read.