Day 6 Market Day in ChiChi

Day 6: Thursday 3/12/09 MARKET DAY IN CHI-CHI!!
Oh my goodness! I found out that my friends Maria and Tomasa asked for me when I was sick. She remembered me! I feel so loved!
Well, it’s breakfast today and off to the market. Man was it stressful! Women 3ft tall in heels are so persistent with their blankets, table cloths and jade necklaces! The hustle and bustle was overwhelming, the haggling was nerve-racking and tiresome… yet… it was one of the greatest experiences of my entire life!!! Forget Manhattan! Chichicastenango here I come! I got nearly everyone something. I brought back a little taste of Guatemala for everyone… including my brother. Although I can’t see him for a while, he’s going to have an awesome present to come home to. It’s a handmade black, white and grey Guatemalan hoodie made by one of the cutest old men alive who helped me pick it out just for him. I hope it fits (XL!) Man, when I get so tired during our daily hike, shoveling huge piles of rocks at the worksite or playing tug of war with the children, not only do I pray but I think about my big brother and how proud he is of me. I think about him watching me and experiencing all of these amazing things with me… and it keeps me going. Oh how I wish my whole family can experience God’s majesty like I have. They would never be the same. But I have total faith that God will reveal Himself in a way they’ve never experienced before. And Oh what a glorious day that will be =D.
We didn’t have work today. We went to the cemetery and then VBS. I know you be thinking, what’s so good about going to a cemetery? But this was like no other. The Mayans celebrate their dead. They believe that when the dead pass, their after life is with them on earth and they are able to be used in ways like never before. Because of this, the tombs are like houses. Colorful ones! It looks like a vibrant city with lots of scripture and crosses and a sense of happiness. There were people there having picnics by graves and others burning incense and praying to their loved ones. It really got me thinking. If we are Christian and when we die, we get to be with our Father, our Creator, our Counselor, our Joy, our Life, WHY DO WE MAKE IT SO MORBID? Yes, we will miss our loved ones and mourn them and we WILL see them again, so WHY is it the end of the world? Let’s celebrate their life and their new birth in eternity! It is our ultimate life goal and our loved ones have worked at maintaining a relationship with Jesus and not conforming to the world… they DESERVE IT! Why is it always about “Woe is me?” let’s congratulate them, yes grief is a process, mourning is normal, but why make it a lifestyle? We’re just doing damage to ourselves and everything around us.
*Key question Vance brought up.*
“How do we explain to people that their deceased relatives (that they worship) may be in Hell because they didn’t know Jesus while we are trying to get them to know Him?”
Fast forward to VBS…
Maria made me a present!! She was so thankful for the Bible and just fellowship and she made me a gift with a note on the back telling me how much she cares about me and how she can’t wait until I return. I had to hold back tears when I saw that she left me her phone #. These people are just so welcoming and I see Jesus in every move they make.
It really jerked my heart when these women asked to see pictures of the U.S. When they saw pics of my school in comparison to theirs, I’m pretty sure they were amazed. One of the girls (17 years old), Miguelina wants to marry my big brother!! Haha. These girls crack me up. There is one older woman though whose childlike personality and faith moved me. Her name is Michaela (Me – Kah –el –la) which is so weird because I want to name my daughter Mckayla! How cool would it be to tell my daughter that she was named after a very special woman I met in Guatemala?! I think I will tell her tomorrow. It’s our last day in Chichi tomorrow and Chontalá and we’re going to have a fiesta! It will be so hard to leave this place and I hope I won’t cry too much. Well… big day, so good night!
<3 Sabie Q.