(Sorry I didn't have time to flip some of the pics.)
It was very hard to go to sleep last night, and not terribly easy to stay asleep. We were awakened this morning by the incredibly loud sound of a radio in the room next door. It was alright, though, because it was already 6:20, and we had to be ready to go by 7:00.
We started the day with breakfast at David and Mirsa's house. We enjoyed an enormous stack of pancakes and some melon. The men left with David to go work at the school again. The women (except for one of our group, who went to the Bible College to teach for four hours) were enormously privileged to go with Mirsa to a women's shelter. It is ONLY because of her connection there that we were able to see it. It is in a remote location - even most of the people in Xela don't know about it, to protect the safety of the women there. They are mostly young women, who are running away from their families because of rape, incest, and abuse. Several months ago Mirsa was there and met a 13 year old girl who was holding her infant son, and her infant brother. There were too many stories that Mirsa and her friend Leslie shared to be able to retell here. It was heartbreaking to think of what these girls had already been through, and even more so when we found out that this shelter struggles to find food everyday. It depends entirely on donations, but getting the word out about the shelter poses a risk to the women who live there - many of whom are running away from very dangerous and well-connected drug traffikers.
Our job for the day was to repaint the kitchen. The building was very nice. We found out it had been built by a man from Spain. However, there are no funds for upkeep.. It was such an honor to be able to help out. There were several curious little children around, including one four year old girl who really wanted to talk to me. My Spanish, alas, isn't even at a four-year-old level. :) Figuring out how to paint the kitchen was also a very interesting challenge. To say that our methods wouldn't exactly be OSHA approved is like saying that the Pacific Ocean is a bit damp. At one point one lady was standing on top of a table, that was perched on top of the stove. It was ok, though, because it didn't interfere with the pressure cooker filled with tripe that was hissing away on the other side of the stove.
Mirsa and Leslie were able to go back to Leslie's house and get a ladder, which meant that one of our group was able to really get into the corners up high. (The ceiling was about 15 feet tall.)
While we were working Mirsa introduced us to a 15 year old girl who was there with her 8 day old baby. We got to hold him. What a precious, precious, poignant moment that was.
Over lunch (sandwiches Mirsa brought, and an exotic kind of fruit with orange flesh and a large, dark seed that some men use for shaving cream here in Guatemala) we talked about the needs of the shelter, and how to best help them. I suggested that they should get chickens. Mirsa thought that sounded like a good idea, and she called the director of the shelter, who said that would be a good idea. Mirsa is going to check to see how much it would cost to build a coop and get some chickens. I hope we can see it through and make it happen.
We quit work around 3:00, and got to go to one of the markets. Xela has many such markets, apparently, but I could hardly imagine how there could be more than the huge one we saw. It felt like it went on for miles, though it probably only filled a couple of city blocks. There were vendors who rented space indoors (quite a labrynth of narrow corridors, let me tell you!), as well as people just set up on the sidewalk. One lady's umbrella over her stand caught the wind and tipped over, breaking dozens of eggs and spilling several pounds of beans. We stopped to help her clean up as best as we could. I can only imagine what a financial loss that must have been to her.
The variety of things available was amazing. Everything from toilet paper, garden hoses, hand-embroidered fabric (quite expensive), pottery, used cooking utensils, and all the fresh veggies and fruits you could ask for. (Many I didn't recognize.) Leslie bought us a purple fruit - I don't recall the name - for 1 Quetzali that we split open with our hands and ate while we toured the market. Felt strange to spit to the many seeds on the ground, but that's what you're supposed to do. We didn't go through the meat section, because some in our party were a bit squeamish to see (and smell) so much raw, unrefrigerated meat.
However, the vegetables were so beautiful that it was all we could do to take it all in. Everything they sell there is grown in Guatemala, and their growing season lasts all year. The things I recognized included papaya, several types of bananas and plantains, mangos, watermelons, canteloupes, cucumbers, strawberries, onions, garlic, cilantro, star fruit, cucumbers, lettuce, cabbage, corn, lima beans, avocados - the list goes on and on. It was a feast for the eyes. We asked about prices, and found out, for example, that you can often get 2 or 3 big avocados (not the small, Haas ones from California) for around 8 Quetzalis, or 1 American dollar. Where was this market when I was vegan? :) I so wish we had access to such amazing fresh produce!
Here are a few pictures of the market:
After a shower and a tiny bit of down time (more for me than for Mark, who really deserved it - he spent alllll day hauling buckets of sand and rock at the school) we went to supper at David and Mirsa's. This time it was roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and the most delicious zucchini I've ever tasted.
When we had finished eating we went to a different church for their Wednesday night prayer service. This church was much more humble, but very spirit filled. After a wonderful worship, one of our members brought a word about the need to get things in your life right with God in order to have good soil in your heart. Afterward, the pastor said got up and told his congregation that everything Chris said was a confirmation of what God has spoken to him - that this was going to be a year of prosperity because of the congregation getting right with God. The people cried. There was an alter call, and one man came up to receive Christ. Again - we were so humbled at what we received on a trip where we came to give.
I know that these words are not sufficient to convey everything that is happening here, but I hope, at least, that you are able to see what a mighty God we have, and how very grateful I am for the chance to be here.
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