The Saturday before the first procession of the Easter Season (known as Semana Santa), I sat in the shadow of the cross that overlooks Antigua, Guatemala, and watched the city vibrate with life. From the market at the ruins spilling out onto the cobbled streets, to the tuk tuks rattling through town, and the people dressed in colorful clothing walking to and fro. From up above, all i could hear was the wind. Fuego, one of the three volcanos surrounding the city, reached into the sky and through the clouds gathering at its tip.
Everywhere I looked, there was beauty.
That's the best way I have to describe that week in Guatemala- Beautiful. From the colonial appearance of the city to the bright colors at every turn, the blue sky, and the smiles on the faces of everyone we saw. We were surrounded by beauty. Coming from winter, even a Ga winter, to the land of eternal spring… it was so life-giving.
Our team of five spent the week laughing, walking, meeting people, walking, hearing stories, more walking, shopping, walking, immersing ourselves in the culture, walking, sharing Christ wherever we were… and more walking. It was exhiliarating. We met so many incredible people. We saw people who remembered Connie and I, people who asked Connie for the pictures she took of them over a year ago.
That struck me most of all. The trip a year ago made an impact. In a city with thousands of tourists every year, we were remembered.
On Monday, the five of us, with the team from the AIM base in Antigua, drove to Guatemala City with Betty, our friend in Antigua. Betty is a Guatemalan missionary who teaches at the Precious Moments school near the illegial dump in the capital. This is one of the most dangerous places in the city. It's gang territory and full of poverty… even though it's just a few streets away from wealthy homes. Children here are often born at home and without documentation… without which, they can't go to school. They become targets for gangs, for being trafficked, killed, or pulled into a life of crime. This school was started by a woman named Martita, specifically for these children. Currently, 170 children attend this school!
Last year, Connie and I attended a chapel service and exercise class with this school. We were struck by one little girl in particular, "Maria", who didn't participate. She didn't interact. She was alone, pulled back into the shadows, with deep, fathomless sadness in her eyes. Betty told us that Maria had been left by her father at the school the week before, saying that he couldn't be her father anymore. Abandoned, her life had changed forever.
Remember this girl?
Look at her now!
She's a completely different child. In fact, she is so full of energy that she WORE ME OUT! That was after wearing Connie (pictures above) and Ann out (see the video below), and before she wore out two other people. Her laughter and squeals reached the heavens and she ran everywhere she went. It was hard to believe this was the same child!
On the way back to Antigua, our team stopped at another ministry Betty volunteers at, an orphanage for AIDS orphans. There are 62 children there in all, ranging from babies to elementary aged. AIDS in Guatemala is a taboo subject… no one talks about it. The children know they have it and are scared; they don't understand it. They too have been abandoned. And while the staff loves them and cares for them, there aren't enough people to go around. The 6 babies at the orphanage all have flat heads from lying in their cribs for long hours a day. Sometimes teams just to sit and hold the babies for hours, giving them the physical touch they so desperately need.
It was so great to return to the school and see how Maria was. She's been on our hearts for the past year. And to finally see the orphanage and meet the children there. It was wonderful to play with them, to laugh and sing with them. And it was so cool to know that God has used Purchase Effect to help this school and orphanage. The proceeds of the products from Latin America go to help these two ministries. So being able to see what God has done was such a gift.
Quite simply, it was Beauty.
Beauty with Impact.
