guatemala
"I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27: 13 & 14
well, i have been back on guatemalan dirt for 50 hours and 5 minutes, and i still cannot understand how a place i have lived in for a total of three weeks can feel so much like home. but, they say "home is where the heart is" and God has already started to plant these people and this land deep in the soil of my heart.
we drove the 4 1/2 hour trip from guatemala city to the village of canilla on thursday afternoon, traveling over "roads" that would never qualify as such in america, with drop offs on either side that make the grand canyon look small (okay, maybe an exaggeration... but it sure feels that way when you are sliding around in the mud, eyes closed, arms clutching the person next to you, convinced that you are soon going to be going over the side of the beautiful mountains you find yourself in the middle of... and that's just on the "main road"...), and views that would take your breath away. the roads are lined with corn fields, the green of trees and huge leafy plants, two-room cement buildings that many of these people in the country call home, and colorful cement buildings that make up the tiendas (stores) and homes of those in the villages. but perhaps the most beautiful view is the people themselves; the colorful fabric that makes up the skirts of the indian people, kids in tow, baskets on their heads and babies on their back, as they dilligently work their land. or the more western look of the latins, cowboy boots and hats, sitting tall atop their horses or whizzing by you on their motorcycles.
psalm 27 was one of the passages that grabbed my heart when i was here for three weeks in june, and i find my heart reciting it again many times throughout the day as i start to find my place in this land. i have been reminded that guatemala is full of culture and traditions that hold both beauty and sin, a deep sense of community and a deep sense of corruption. and ultimately, these are people searching for jesus, learning what it is to walk the path walked by christ, and love those around them, same as in america. today was the first day i worked in one of our clinics since the first time i was here, and, as i processed through the day, i found myself writing this to a friend:
today was "a little overwhelming, but wonderful just the same. i think one of the most dangerous things we see here is pneumonia. the nearest hospital is 1 1/2 hours away and they don't really have any equipment, so the next best hospital is 2 1/2 hours away, and they have equipment (like pediatric intubators), but they don't know how to use it, so the best these kids get is oral antibiotics from us or iv antibiotics if they go the hospital. obviously, the iv antibiotics are good, but if these people are going to take the time and resources to go that far to the hospital, then they are usually so bad that they need to be intubated, which does not happen. the first time i was here this summer, we sent a kid home with oral antibiotics and prayers that he would make it. he could barely breathe and we did a nebulizer treatment, but it didn't even touch his condition. it is so sad to think of the fact that these kids are dying of pneumonia, which is totally treatable. there is also a lot of cultural things that i am learning that impact their health state. their ancestors (the mayan indians) worshipped the corn god, so their corn tortilla is everything to them, so they do not rotate crops or value fruits and vegetables as part of their diet or anything. so there are a lot of deficiencies seen from lack of nutrients that are totally "growable" here. it is sad and hard to help them see the need for these other nutrients. it is really a huge reminder, though, of the effects of the spiritual oppression here, and the fact that underlying everything we do, medically or otherwise, the thing that these people really need is jesus. and for that reason, it is a blessing to be serving with a missionary family that understands that. today we were able to pray with a lady whose membranes ruptured in her 21st week of pregnancy and we are pretty sure that they will not be able to save the baby. it is moments like these that remind me why i am doing this."
i pray that your life is full today. and that you too have those moments that remind you that there is a God bigger than us working all out for good, that there is a Truth deeper than what our eyes see, and that you are reminded why you walk the path you walk.
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27: 13 & 14
well, i have been back on guatemalan dirt for 50 hours and 5 minutes, and i still cannot understand how a place i have lived in for a total of three weeks can feel so much like home. but, they say "home is where the heart is" and God has already started to plant these people and this land deep in the soil of my heart.
we drove the 4 1/2 hour trip from guatemala city to the village of canilla on thursday afternoon, traveling over "roads" that would never qualify as such in america, with drop offs on either side that make the grand canyon look small (okay, maybe an exaggeration... but it sure feels that way when you are sliding around in the mud, eyes closed, arms clutching the person next to you, convinced that you are soon going to be going over the side of the beautiful mountains you find yourself in the middle of... and that's just on the "main road"...), and views that would take your breath away. the roads are lined with corn fields, the green of trees and huge leafy plants, two-room cement buildings that many of these people in the country call home, and colorful cement buildings that make up the tiendas (stores) and homes of those in the villages. but perhaps the most beautiful view is the people themselves; the colorful fabric that makes up the skirts of the indian people, kids in tow, baskets on their heads and babies on their back, as they dilligently work their land. or the more western look of the latins, cowboy boots and hats, sitting tall atop their horses or whizzing by you on their motorcycles.
psalm 27 was one of the passages that grabbed my heart when i was here for three weeks in june, and i find my heart reciting it again many times throughout the day as i start to find my place in this land. i have been reminded that guatemala is full of culture and traditions that hold both beauty and sin, a deep sense of community and a deep sense of corruption. and ultimately, these are people searching for jesus, learning what it is to walk the path walked by christ, and love those around them, same as in america. today was the first day i worked in one of our clinics since the first time i was here, and, as i processed through the day, i found myself writing this to a friend:
today was "a little overwhelming, but wonderful just the same. i think one of the most dangerous things we see here is pneumonia. the nearest hospital is 1 1/2 hours away and they don't really have any equipment, so the next best hospital is 2 1/2 hours away, and they have equipment (like pediatric intubators), but they don't know how to use it, so the best these kids get is oral antibiotics from us or iv antibiotics if they go the hospital. obviously, the iv antibiotics are good, but if these people are going to take the time and resources to go that far to the hospital, then they are usually so bad that they need to be intubated, which does not happen. the first time i was here this summer, we sent a kid home with oral antibiotics and prayers that he would make it. he could barely breathe and we did a nebulizer treatment, but it didn't even touch his condition. it is so sad to think of the fact that these kids are dying of pneumonia, which is totally treatable. there is also a lot of cultural things that i am learning that impact their health state. their ancestors (the mayan indians) worshipped the corn god, so their corn tortilla is everything to them, so they do not rotate crops or value fruits and vegetables as part of their diet or anything. so there are a lot of deficiencies seen from lack of nutrients that are totally "growable" here. it is sad and hard to help them see the need for these other nutrients. it is really a huge reminder, though, of the effects of the spiritual oppression here, and the fact that underlying everything we do, medically or otherwise, the thing that these people really need is jesus. and for that reason, it is a blessing to be serving with a missionary family that understands that. today we were able to pray with a lady whose membranes ruptured in her 21st week of pregnancy and we are pretty sure that they will not be able to save the baby. it is moments like these that remind me why i am doing this."
i pray that your life is full today. and that you too have those moments that remind you that there is a God bigger than us working all out for good, that there is a Truth deeper than what our eyes see, and that you are reminded why you walk the path you walk.
posted by katie at 6:10 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Katie,
I was just reading some of your blogs. I am so excited for you. I am going to email you soon because I want to . I am glad that you are in guatemala and i dont think you are irresponsible or stupid....I think you are my hero.
Megan
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