I've been gone for just over a month. But what can I say, I've been busy! You know, teaching kids and such.
And because I've been gone over a month, let me give you as brief of an update as I can about how the last month has gone. Hold on to your chairs, this may be a little incoherent:
Well, we taught the kids some more, and now we've on our third dance. They're awesome, but we've had a few temper tantrums out of them. Out of us, too. Chavo came to class and played his trumpet, and they loved him way more than they love us. We went to church a bunch of times, we even sang in front of the church! We went to San Marcos La Laguna in Lake Atitlan, which was legit. Then we went to Irtra de Retalhuleu (a super-awesome amusement park) for my birthday weekend. We went to class some more, and the kids made me birthday cards as a surprise. We got stranded in the middle of Guatemala for 3 hours, and we were scared. Katie slept in the back of a pickup truck. Chavo and I hung out with his family. We went to Antigua and stayed in the most legit house ever. We had a photo-shoot. We all got sick several times. We played for the church. We ate lots of Pollo Campero over the course of 6 weeks, and here we are!
Whew!
Ok, now to what I really wanted to talk about. Its going to get kind of depressing (and maybe a little scary for Katie's parents as well as mine) for about a second (so Mama, and Mrs. Dee C, who I would like to give a personal shout out because that sweet woman got MARRIED on the beaches of Hawaii not very long ago, might need to take a valium before you read any further into this blog).
Laws... don't work in Guatemala. I don't know if they've never worked, or if this is just a "in the last few decades" thing, but they don't work. Making a law against something in Guatemala is really just inviting people to PERSONALLY try it.
Cops as authority figures... are pretty much a joke. You know how when you're flooring it down the interstate and you see anything that even remotely looks like a cop car, and you immediately start going 10 miles under the speed limit? Yeah, that doesn't happen. There's a lot more that I could say, but I will not.
Politicians... are walking criminals. I'm not even kidding. The system works for politicians, not the other way around. Now, I'm sure you're thinking that ALL politicians are criminals. Not so. This is on a whole other level.
It strikes fear in my heart to type these words. You really don't know. Part of me even wants to save this post until I'm safely back in the States, where laws are at least a deterrent, and my daddy is close enough to kick some tail. But in 5 days, I will be back in the States, and I am done with the fear. Done with sugar-coating this place just enough to where the people that care about us are terrified, while still maintaining that this place needs Jesus yesterday.
Today, tonight, right now, I beg of each and every one of you. Pray for Guatemala. Pray for a Good Night to Guatemala, so that there may be a good morning. A new dawn. Guatemala needs the light of Jesus. And it needs to start with the worst of these. This movement cannot just start with the politicans and the authorities, because the people do not trust them. This movement must work from the ground, up. Pray to bring a Good Morning to Guatemala. Pray that Guatemala bids farewell to fear and adieu to violence. Pray that the good hearts of the people that we have met already spread to the rest of the country.
The people that we know deserve to live in a place where they can walk outside without fear. So do the people that we don't know. Pray that the next politician voted into office does actual good. We are happy that leadership is changing hands, but we would be even happier if it changed for the better. This is a critical time in this election. This election has the capacity to do some serious good, if Guatemala will let it.
Give Guatemala a chance. Give these children a chance. Inspire yourselves to change this country. Pray for Guatemala.
