fractured thoughts on Zacapa

There have been so many different things going on that this post was hard to write: both because I kept running out of time to sit down and type, and also because it's hard to capture everything in a blog post. This post definitely doesn’t capture everything and it’s really not a single story as much as a series of separate memories! However, it will have to serve as your glimpse of my glimpse into the life here in Zacapa. :)

The first thing I noticed about Zacapa was the heat. It's the rainy season in Guatemala right now, so Guatemala City was quite mild. However, I've been in Zacapa for almost a week and I don't think I've seen the thermostat below 85 F, even in the evening!

Zacapa is where our church in Guatemala is based. It's been great to see Lynn Wirrkala again and meet Ryan Ruotsala (they're both working as missionaries here). I've been blessed to share a little bit of their lives and get just a glimpse of what they do. Since arriving I've joined outreach trips to some of the local villages, attended church services and Bible studies, helped deliver aid to mudslide victims (see next post), and met lots of really great people.

In the local villages where we went to do outreach, it was fun to just watch the kids' faces when they saw who'd arrived. Their faces lit up and they'd shout "Brian! Brian!" as they ran up to say hi. (Many of the kids call Ryan "Brian" as they can't pronounce his name.) In most of the villages we visited, the kids were really friendly—especially with Lynn and Ryan whom they knew well. It didn't take them long to get comfortable around strangers, though, and before long they were chattering to me, and wanting me to spin them around or play soccer. One of the coolest things was to revisit one of the villages and have a few of the kids remember me too. :)

There are two images I have in my head as I think about what I’ve seen of Lynn and Ryan’s work here. One is of Ryan "Pied Piper" Ruotsala heading off down a trail with a dozen children running and skipping along behind him. The other is of Lynn sitting next to the little local pool with a half a dozen young girls (several from the youth bible study group she helped start) gathered around talking to her. They may seem like odd images of mission work, but both picture to me the relationships they're formed here in Guatemala and work God is leading them to do with the youth and kids.

Half way through my visit, three guys from the USA showed up: Rodrigo, Jessie, and Aaron. They are on an eight-month missions-based trip that started in Seattle and will end in Brazil! One night while they were here we went and had an impromptu concert in the park. It was fun to hang out and sing (in Spanish and English). Danny and Lucia from Guatemala City were here too, so Danny played as well—which was awesome! Christine and Marilyn, two other American missionaries, joined us as well.

Sorry to those who know none of these people I’m talking about; I started writing with explanations of who everyone was and it just got too tedious! So look at the pictures and try to guess who’s who! Or skip to the next post. :)

I've met so many wonderful people since I've came here that it would be impossible to mention them all. Vivian, Doris, and Jaclyn are the ones I’ve spent the most time with. I met them part of the team that does outreach in the villages. They're the ones that gave me my Spanish name: Maria. Vivian is also the owner/teacher of a small English school. I visited her school one day and talked to three of her classes about Canada. It was so much fun to be in an ESL classroom again!

Salomon Archila is the pastor of our church and I first met him Saturday when we went to distribute aid to La Union (see next post). Dennis, another young member of the church, came to La Union as well, but he's left Zacapa now because he just got a scholarship to study agriculture in Portland! Any of you who live in Portland should look him up. Dennis’ sisters, Paula and Vanessa, are lots of fun too—and great singers!

Paula and Tatiana and others from the Gualan area spoke only a little English and I, unfortunately, speak very little Spanish. However, Paula and I still managed to communicate with the help of a dictionary and gestures. If I didn’t understand I’s shrug and say, “Si!” If Paula didn’t understand she’d smile and say, “Okay!” It was a good system. :)

Not really sure how informative (or well-written) this post is, but it'll have to do for now! :)