Shreiks of Laughter

It should have been no big surprise that it could rain 24/7 in the rainforest in the rainy season. Nevertheless, we were surprised when it rained again today. We were up early this morning for the 2+ hour drive to Buena Vista, about an hour from the Pacific coast of Guatemala. Buena Vista literally sits in the middle of a sugar cane field, about a half an hour off a main road, with one "street" down the middle, a former railroad track. The shanties are made of corrogated metal sheets, bamboo which grows around Buena Vista, railroad ties (not too surprising) and little else. As I mentioned yesterday, Buena Vista has no electricity or running water. It is like stepping back in time. Pigs, chickens of every imaginable variety, dogs, and children were checking us out at we arrived to lead the singing with the adults and children gathered to greet Groundwork Guatemala for their weekly worship. Once we had exhausted our repertoire of music, and the crowd had outgrown the leaky tarp under which we had all gathered and a pop up tent we had brought along, we headed for the soccer field left by the sugar cane company that owns the fields on one side of Buena Vista. The adults stayed to worship with Manuel, our Guatemalan driver and a ministry leader. The kids ranging in age from about 4 to 16 followed us to the field in the pouring rain.

This was no ordinary soccer field experience. First of all, local men were out cutting the grass for us with the Guatemalan answer to the lawn mower, the machete. Then there was the wild horse and her foal. We just played around the horses and their "droppings". Of course the balls would occassionaly roll off into the mud or the brush. On one of the trips into the mud, one the Guatemalan boys found two Mayan artifacts...a rather common occurance for them, but for us, it was truly amazing. They were easily 1000 years old; the picture is above. (I think the pictures are in reverse order; can't figure out how to move them.) Now throw in beach balls, instead of volleyballs, one blue soccer ball, about 50 or 60 children, about a billion mosquitoes, at least twenty red ants, all on Nicole, and gringo ponchos in assorted silly colors and conditions, and you have the scene. There were shreiks of laughter as the younger kids bumped and set and basically wacked beach balls to each other and us, and the soccer players raced back and forth strutting their Cental American stuff, while we just watched in awe...and goal tended...not too successfully. There is no way to adequately convey to you how poor these people are...they are malnurished, diseased, and just like the kids back home. Many don't have shoes, all are surrounded by filth, and still they persevere and many know that Jesus loves them. It was clear that their lives were so difficult, yet they found joy in balls, and competition, and friendship. It was an amazing morning.

In the afternoon, we again went on house visits. Most of these visits were outside, as the shanties there are less closed off than in the city. We sat or stood in the mud yards and listened to heart breaking tales of personal loss and great faith. All around us women were washing clothes in pelas with contaminated water from the river in which they also bath and drink. Many of the skin conditions we saw were as a result of exposure to that water. Groundwork is attempting to obtain a grant for a well for Buena Vista. Hopefully, the pictures will help give you an idea of what it is like there. Honestly, trying to describe this is not easy; just think of National Geographic, throw us in, and that is what our day was like.

Groundwork Guatemala and their American and Guatemalan staff work in places that are so uncomfortable, its hard to be yourself, until you remember kids are kids, families struggle everywhere, and Christian brothers and sisters lift each other up...with Groundwork's example, we tried to do our best.

Tomorrow we are off to Amatitlan, this time to do our thing in the city...another adventure in living and in faith. Why do I have the feeling it might rain again?

Blessings,
Your Guatemala Mission Team