Itzapa Selfie!

Words from Sharon - January 15, 2015

Back at our host families for one night after our two day excursión with the members of the San Andres Itzapa committee.    

A lot of driving, but some lovely moments.  Yesterday we saw two ¨projects¨ which in their different ways are making a difference to some people in Guatemala.   We spent most of the day at Valhalla farm, an organic producer of macadamia nuts and macadamia nut products.   Enjoyed seeing the work they do there, including providing macadamia seedlings to indigenous people all over Guatemala.  Enjoyed macadamia pancakes and a facial with macadamia oil.  The women from our host families prepared a barbecue lunch under the macadamia trees and after lunch we had a very leisurely meeting with the delegation about where we are with the Sister Parish linkage.   

Then a drive through the mountains to Chichicastenango and the night at the Ruth and Naomi cooperative, hearing about how it was formed after the civil conflict in the 1980´s by widows who had no other means of supporting their families.   Bought some lovely handcrafts there.  (and there was a Hot Shower (,-)   And sleeping on a top bunk!

Today we began by Reading the Morning Office with our sisters from San Andres.  The five from Christ Church had the Little Benedictine prayer books that we´ve been using most days, but we also had a prayer book in Spanish and used  a combination of translations and Reading the psalm and canticle in Spanish.  It was extremely powerful.  

We spent the rest of the day in the ruins of Qumarkaj, a sacred city from Mayan times.  We had another lovely barbeque  and also another service of honor to the Mayan ancestors.   It got too late too make the handicrafts market, but we´ll have some shopping time Saturday morning before we leave.   

Tomorrow is a series of meetings and goodbye events here in San Andres and return to Guatemala City for the night.   And then home.   Wow.   What an amazing week. 

Words from Sharon - January 13, 2015

At the end of another eventful day.

This morning we went to the school which our scholarship students attend and met some of the teachers and had a tour of the school.  

Playing fields are never level, even in Montgomery county, Virginia, but seeing the struggle of the teachers to provide a learning experience for children who have only three years of half day school to compete in today´s world broke my heart.   After that we visited the homes of two of the scholarship students and were treated graciously by people who gave much more than they could afford to provide us with canned juices in hospitality.   I´ll never forget the pride with which 6th grade diplomas were displayed in tiny homes with dirt floors.  

That was followed by a relaxing visit to a local baths and sitting for awhile with our feet in the cool water.

This afternoon we went to visit the Episcopal Church in a local city and heard the story of that congregation.   Followed by a walk around the vary lively and crowded market. 

Before dinner, we read the Evening Office as usual and then got involved in a very intense discussion led by Brian and Julieta, the Sister Parish staffers about Free Trade and the implications of US companies having factories in Guatemala.   Starting with the question of whether having a LandsEnd shirt ¨Made in Guatemala¨ is a good thing or a bad thing for Guatemalans.   Far from an easy question.

Just stopped writing for a bit while the young girls in family picked out traditional Guatemalan clothing for us to wear tomorrow, with much giggling as we tried to make fit them right.

Tomorrow we´re headed out for two days of seeing a model macadamia nut farm, visits to a big cooperative and then spending tomorrow night at Ruth and Naomi, a handicrafts cooperative in Chichicastenango.  Then visiting ruins in Guarmaarcaaj and the Chichicastenango handicrafts market before returning to San Andres for one more night with our hosts.  

The living is certainly different here, and working to communicate past ¨Cuantos anos tiene el perro¨?¨is very taxing, but I wouldn´t trade the experience for anything in the world.

Words from Sharon - January 12, 2015

Words pretty much fail me to describe the last day and a half.   And since I´m using the internet connection of a young woman in my host family, I´ll just summarize.

We arrived in San Andres Itzapa around 5 p.m. yesterday and went immediately to the church which is our Sister Parish.   Christ Episcopal Church provides scholarship support for some of the children in the 5th grade this year (the school is ¨free¨ but the children are from families where shoes for school and school supplies would keep them from attending, and school is only compulsory through the 3rd grade here).    Most of the scholarship children were there, along with many of their parents, as well as the ¨Committee¨ of the San Andres church.   The chldren had prepared some dances of welcome, and several parents and children gave speeches of welcome.  Then the committee served sandwiches and drinks to everyone.   All shared as twilight fell on a big open balcony overlooking the mountains.  Before we went to our host families we sang and prayed with the (tiny) congregation there.

I was assigned to a family along with another delegate, Lissa Grunert.  Our hosts are Otto and Basilia.  They have been wonderfully gracious and we´re getting around both our lack of fluency in Spanish and learning some of the logistics of their home.   It has everything needed for living.  

Lissa wasn´t feeling well yesterday evening and this morning, so I got as much mileage as possible out of conversational topics like names of children and grandchildren, and ¨cuantos anos tiene el perro´_ (how old is the dog?).  Good will and smiles cover a lot of ground.  Food is simple and delicious.  

This morning the group along with the commitee members met in the outdoor courtyard here at Otto and Basilia´s, and listened, through translation, to Otto describing to some degree the history of San Andres but much more the history of his part of the freedom movement in Guatemala.   He was a freedom fighter of the Che Guevara era, and told the story of the people´s struggle in Guatemala with beauty and passion.  It was a very special morning. 

After lunch we walked to the ¨Church of San Martin." ¨San Martin¨ is a non-saint, and not accepted at all by the Catholic church.  He is almost an anti saint (?)   Some really weird legends about him, but a lot of devotion to this shrine, and apparently is regarded as somone who can help petitioners.   I´m still processing that experience.  Don´t think there´s much there for me. 

This evening, though, Otto and a woman from the committee celebrated a very elaborate and ancient Mayan ceremony calling on their ancestors to protect them (and us).  It was a very solemn ceremony and I´m very sure that God listens to his children; however, they cry to him.   They are good Christians and see no dissonance there.   Nor did I. 

Probably used enough of this gracious young woman´s computer time.   Thanks for your prayers and good wishes.   I loved hearing from a few of you about what´s going on there.   I don´t seem to be able to connect to the internet from my phone, but I believe a voice call would reach me in an emergency.   I´ll be here tomorrow night so will check email. 

Sharon 

We Arrived Safely in Guatemala

We've arrived safely in Guatemala after easy flights and connections, easy passage through immigration and custom, found Brian our Sister Parish coordinator and got settled in at the Sister Parish Center in Guatemala City.  

We had a couple of hours of orientation learning in general what to  expect for the next few days, followed by an interesting period of reflection on cultural differences and expectations.  Had a very nice walk around the neighborhood in the twilight.  Supper soon followed by prayer and practicing a couple of songs.   

All in all a great first day!  Here are a couple of photos of the Sister Parish center while we have wifi.

Our courtyard at Sister Parish center - Hello Maureen!

Our Living Accommodations

The North/South Sister Parish Delegates Travel to Guatemala - January 10, 2015

The North/South Sister Parish delegates left for Guatemala this morning. Keep us in your prayers this week.

At Blacksburg-Roanoke Regional Airport and Ready to Go!