An Interesting Day!I

Although it has been pretty quiet around here without any teams and without Manny and Cindy, Friday was an interesting day!  We were in town in the morning and saw three truckloads of police at the gas station.  This is super unusual, as Chisec just got police this past year and I think we have 1 truck and maybe 2 or 3 officers.  We asked the gas attendant what was happening and he told us that there had been a gun fight and 5 police were injured and 3 people killed, so now police were coming form all over Alta Verapaz to settle the situation.
As we learned more throughout the day, the activity centred around an area about half way between the mission site and Coban.  About 6 months ago people just started building little shacks at the side of the road; they were squatters, which is not unusual around here.  At last count there must have been well over 50 shacks within a 2 km stretch of road.  The posted signs read that they were "in negotiations" for the land.  Well, I guess the "negotiations" came to a halt on Friday.
By the time the situation was at its peak, there were about 200 police there(buses full of cops arrived on the scene). People were being evicted from their little homes and the police were maintaining a presence so no one would try to return.  Then to make things a little more interesting, in a community just a couple of kilometres away from this area, the police arrested one of the CODECA leaders and the people were rioting in response.
CODECA is the illegal organization that helps people steal electricity by connecting them illegally. I guess because of the road blocks and police presence due to evicting the squatters, the police happened to find one of the CODECA leaders and they arrested him, publicly.  The people of the community went crazy.  They were shooting off guns and throwing rocks on the cars in the road.  Needless to say, the road was closed until things settled down.  
The police were still there 24 hours later only allowing a small number of vehicles to pass through the area at any given time.  It meant what normally takes 1 hour 15 minutes to drive took 2 1/2 hours.
As I reflected on the unrest, I was thankful that the police did come and they were able to restore order in a reasonable amount of time and that they stayed to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of those travelling between Coban and Chisec.  I was also thankful that a CODECA leader was arrested.  I know the price of electricity here is unreasonable, but stealing is never the right alternative.  There has to be another way to solve the ongoing problem with electricity.
I was also sad, although, as I thought about all of those families who were evicted from their homes, humble as they were.  Where were they sleeping that night and what were they going to do now? Sad for the families who lost loved ones in the battle.  Most likely those lost will have been the men of the home - the providers.
The longer we live and work in northern Guatemala, the more we realize the problems and challenges facing this area are not simple; they are complex and often no one comes out the winner lest of all the Indigenous we work with and live alongside of.
It makes it challenging to figure out what to think or what to do.  Our North American thinking simply doesn't fit. This is a different culture and we have to respect that.  I am thankful on a daily basis, although, that my God is able to bridge cultural divides and provide us with a common ground where we can come together, in Him, seeking guidance and wisdom.  His ways are not the ways of man...they are so much better!