THE CHICKEN DILEMMA

For the past several weeks, one of the projects I have been monitoring is in the community of Presbeteriana. Once a week I load up with supplies, drive half hour on pavement and another half hour on a very rough gravel road to get to this small community of 35 families. It is a relatively new community that sprung up after the civil war, not far from one of the main conflict areas. My job in this community is to work with the local pastor as he gives leadership to a project for the one room school. They are building two bathrooms with flush toilets and a septic tank and field. A team from the U.S. donated some money for the materials for this project and the community is responsible to do the work.

Along with this visit every week the pastor has his wife prepare a meal for me and who ever may be with me. It is always the same:  chicken broth served in a bowl with a couple pieces of chicken, potatoes and wiskil on a side dish, tortillas, and a glass of Coke.  It is pretty tasty, but herein lies my dilemma. How much chicken should I leave on the bones because I know immediately when I leave the table and go around the corner, the pastor’s kids, who he has been shooing away while we ate, will rush to my plate and see what I have left for them to eat . I want to be sure that I have eaten enough not to offend the pastor’s wife but also left enough behind for the kids to enjoy a bit of meat. It is usually the oldest boy in the family who gets first pickings. He is about 9 or 10. This is a hard thing for me to wrap North American head around.  

But it is the reality out here.  This family has a strong, vibrant relationship with the Lord. I asked Pastor Mateo what he preached about on Sunday and he made reference to 2 Peter 1:2-8. I in my broken Spanish and he in his (his first language is Quekchi) tried to communicate about the wonderful love of the Lord. We didn’t get very far but I know this pastor has a heart for his community and the people that live there and it is a blessing to me to be a part of their community as we work together to better their physical situation. 

Before we sat down for lunch the other day, the pastor and I washed our hands in the pila (an outside dish and body washing sink).  I noticed there was a toothbrush full of soap, and I asked about it.  He told me that the kids brush their teeth with soap because they don’t have toothpaste. These are tough things for me to grasp. I guess I have to look at the positives and see what is happening here, and not focus on the hardships.  In a couple more weeks the children in this community will have their first flushing toilets.  They know enough of dental care that brushing their teeth is important to them, even if they have to use regular soap.  They are able to provide food for their families and for guests as a way of saying thank you. 

Mission2Guatemala is working in many communities like Presbeteriana, and we are thankful to be working with Manny and Cindy Batres as they share love of Christ with the people around the Chisec area of Guatemala.

Rocky