For example, a motorcycle is a family vehicle here and
it is not uncommon to see dad, mom, 2 kids and a baby all on a small 125cc
motor bike. And…all without
helmets!
Another example is at our church; the wall is full of
large nails hanging at about 4 feet.
These are for the babies! Mom’s
carry their babies (actually up to 2 years old) in a fabric sling on their back
supported by a strap on their foreheads.
I have tried it and it is difficult, uncomfortable and heavy. Once the baby has fallen asleep, they take
this sling and hook the strap over the nail and literally hang the baby
up. That is where the baby sleeps during
church!
Then, the other day the truck we are using to deliver
supplies to Yalicoc (where the team from Pritchard is doing a water project)
got stuck in the mud and called for help.
A Guatemalan style tow truck came running (literally) to the
rescue! 50 guys with 10 ropes pulled a 5
ton truck out of the mud and up a steep slope!
Crazy!
But this last week we saw a first. We went to a birthday party of an older man
in our church. Basically the entire
church attended and the one room was not big enough to hold everyone. So, they simply removed the back wall and
extended the area into the outdoors!
Man, you know you’re in Guatemala when they remove a wall from the house
to accommodate people for a party!
These are just a few of the humorous things we see as
we share life with the lovely people of Chisec.
We also, however, see some sad things that cause us to shake our heads and
realize how difficult life is for the many people living in poverty.
Just this week
a one year old baby from our church died en route to the hospital in Coban 1 ½
hours away (in public transportation).
The family waited too long before seeking medical help and their little
one died. We got a call from our pastor
letting us know that the couple had used all of their resources to pay for the
transportation to Coban and now had nothing left to buy a coffin for their
baby. As is custom here, the body stays
in the home for 24 hours and the community come to visit throughout those 24
hours and then they make the trek, on foot, to the church for a service and
then the cemetery for the burial.
Because there was no coffin, this little one was laid out on the kitchen
table.
I don’t know about you but I wrestle with all kinds of
different emotions when a little one dies.
I know the people living in rural Guatemala do not
have easy access to medical care. The
clinic we have in Chisec really is not able to address anything more serious
than routine vaccinations and the common cold.
It is not their fault, but rather the fault of a broken system. So, when you are really sick, they tell you
that you have to go to Coban. Just that in itself is often deterrent enough
for a family to do nothing. They know
they cannot get help in Chisec and they don’t have the means to make the
journey to Coban and support themselves while there. And so
they wait. By the time they realize it
is serious, it is often too late.
So, how do we help?
How can we make a difference? That is a question we ask ourselves every
day. We know that simply throwing money
at a situation does more harm than good.
Years ago we read, When Helping
Hurts, and more recently, My Business
My Mission. These two books have
helped us to have a healthy perspective of our work as missionaries.
In situations of crisis, like the death of a child, it
is right to step in and help in whatever manner you can. But, these are one-time interventions in an
emergency. The poor don’t need a handout; they need a
hand up. And whatever we do must be encased
in the Gospel. Just like me, the poor need
to know who they are in Christ – sons and daughters of the King! Princes and princesses with access to their
heavenly Father. They need to have their hope, confidence and
dignity restored.
These are the things the Lord is stirring in our
hearts as we journey along with Him.
What a privilege it is to live among and serve these dear people.
