Despair, Hope, Community, Rest, and Prayer; or, Tuesday in Guatemala

How to Walk Right Out of Yourself, might be another title.

Mitchie the Cat, my comforter in weakness, friend in anxiety

I woke up Tuesday in a fog of sleepy anxiety, which persisted most of the morning. It was my first day without a nap since arrival, but the power of the tiredness I felt was worrisome to me. What if I never got better? What if, day after day in Guatemala, I remained in this fog, unable to take in what I saw or interact with it? I was so deeply grateful to have been forcibly thrust by circumstances into close friendship with the other delegates. They promised me on multiple occasions that we'd get each other through this week, and that I didn't have to fear being weak: we'd support each other. I still literally leaned on arms all the way up the hill to our first activity of Tuesday: a visit to the Chay Balam School in San Andres Itzapa. 

I still don't feel I have the full story on this school or its role in the community, but I'll give you what I learned. Chay Balam is a public school for students in K-8th grade. It is also a bilingual school, teaching children in both Spanish and Kaqchikel, This element is very important to the elders and community leaders who oversee the school. Our church, Christ Episcopal, has been involved in providing yearly scholarships for 20 children who have been identified by the committee as needing and deserving them. We tend to provide scholarships for children in the middle and upper grades of school, as the community informs us that 3rd grade is about the point at which children are more likely to drop out of school. These are the advantages of doing this work collaboratively with a committee who actually live in the community, and of maintaining a close relationship with that committee.

This is the assembly and activity room. The teachers informed us that they often take turns having activities that require physical movement in this room, as well as using the room for all-school assemblies and events.

Chay Balam serves a population that is predominantly indigenous Mayan.

An elementary classroom; I think I remember it was for 8-9 year olds. 

The SAI committee went with us on our visit to the school. 

My English Teacher self warmed to this punctuation display

Classes number between 40-65 students apiece. Per teacher. That's a ratio I'd struggle with, as a teacher!

The kindergarten room! I took pictures to show Miles:

The view out a classroom window

I loved their dear names.

I still felt pretty dazed and sleepy, but was able to get out of myself especially for the classroom visits. I do love a cheerful classroom. I felt such a satisfaction, too, that I was seeing with my own eyes this faraway school which our church supports. I can tell them firsthand about some of the good they're doing!

To help us understand the scholarship program a bit better, we then did a couple of visits to the homes of scholarship students. 

Guys, this is a completely different part of town and way of life than that of our hosts. Homes here are extremely small, usually with great gaps where rain and wind can get in. 

There are several small rooms with roofs, who all open to a patio wherein are kept the garden, the fireplace and kitchen, and the animals. Folks are doing a whole lot with a very little. I felt honored to be invited for a visit.

Folks had been warned of our coming and received us graciously. Don't they look lovely?

The little boy in blue and black is the scholarship student in this family 

When we visited this family, we stayed a while, for several reasons. 

One, the lady of the house served us all canned juice! We were staggered by her hospitality. Secondly, I, uh, had to use her facilities. Thirdly, we ended up in conversation in which she and her children were very anxious to tell us about the death of the father of the family, and how it had affected them. The daughter (to her mother's right), asked to be taught by our translators how to say "My father died" in English, so as to communicate unmistakably and directly to us. I don't know how he died, but I know that this event was devastating to the family, emotionally and financially. The mother (& by the way, I did learn their names, just feel like keeping that quiet) broke down crying while talking about the loss of her husband. We North Americans were a bit awkward about this development, but Brian immediately began to speak comfort to her, and the ladies of SAI physically surrounded her. We soon circled the family and prayed fervently for God's comfort, help and protection. Her son (left) is a scholarship student; someone will have to correct me but I believe the daugher is, too. 

Framed diploma proudly displayed in a tiny house

Proud 6th grade graduate

Something miscellaneous you should know about San Andres Itzapa: Chickens and specifically ROOSTERS are absolutely everywhere, and know no limits in their persistent crowing. 

I don't know that we have pictures of it, but when some of us were admiring the duck (patos), and the train of patitos behind her, a child in the family rushed off, grabbed one, and handed it to me, for my entertainment! I'd already known tears, and then got to add laughter to the morning as I struggled to handle the wiggling little duckling and also avoid the hissing, furious mother duck.

When we left the house I felt like someone had reached down and yanked my spirit out of the interior if its own enclosure and set it in the open air, among other people. Praise God, for to be in the presence of this grieving and courageous family and to be focused on one's own mental state at the time would have seemed to me a sort of blasphemy. Please join me in praying for this family, that they may be comforted, supported, and blessed as they go one without their father.

Our party then boarded our touring bus for the next adventure.

Balan the dog was among the party, much to all our delight!

You better believe he has a friend in Don Otto. 

The afternoon included a restful visit to the water reservoir and public baths.

One is for fish, the other for bathing. Stiff penalties are threatened to those who bathe themselves or their pets in the wrong reservoir. 

Basilia & Julieta

This gave me a great chance to get to know Carrie better. I'm so grateful for the relationships of this trip! 

Don't you feel more relaxed? We did. 

The afternoon took us out to Chimaltenango, a bigger town about 20 minutes' drive from SAI.

This walk around town actually occurred after the church visit, but I didn't want to go out on the picture of the dogs eating garbage. You know. 

Padre Miguel, introduced previously, has a church here in Chimaltenango as well as the church in SAI. He invited us in that afternoon to tell us the story of these churches. 

The story was long, and even longer for being interrupted by translators every few sentences. But he patiently told us of his coming to this church, how it seemed large on the day that he first came, but how attendance dwindled and how he's worked to increase it. He told us the story of his encounter with the group in San Andres Itzapa, and how they were functioning as an independent church unit before he became their rector. It's a complicated history!

We learned that the church building in SAI is a rental, but that they hope to purchase a building in time.

Padre Miguel and me.

After the historical overview, we received a tour of the building, and stopped to sing some hymns and spirituals in the back of the church. What marvelous acoustics!

In the church tower and porch, we lingered to looked down on the town.

The town was simple, and hard on our North American eyes in places, accustomed as we are to taller, more stable looking, neater buildings, buildings which look like they have insulation, whose paint job is in good order, etc. But we watched smiling children and hip young people zipping by on motorcycles, and older folks walking and greeting one another and this warmed us. A small town, after all, is a small town. There were a lot of similarities with Blacksburg. 

I hope you're able to see this video in which Maureen rings the bell!

Tuesday was the day which brought me out of my internal soul-cylinder and out into Guatemala. Human lives, human friendship, inspiring human endeavors, the loveliness of nature and the defiance of spiritual song, these are things which coax me to life every time. Thank you, Guatemala.