Day 8 Peacing Out

Day 8: Saturday 3/14/09 Mayan Ruins and Antigua
We left the rural areas and now we are now headed to the more industrialized part of the country. But before we get to Antigua, we stopped to see the ancient Mayan Ruins. They are sooo cool!!! Vance showed us an actual worship ceremony going on by the Mayans that still exist in Guatemala. It was so weird to see red headdresses (which signified a higher priest-like status), fire burning, sacrifices being thrown into the fire, alcohol being poured onto the fire to make it larger, and chanting softly. There were offerings of flowers of all different colors on the stone altar. We thought it was just the ritual of the Mayans to do that, but Vance showed us Scripture that described Old Testament worship EXACTLY HOW WE WERE SEEING IT! It was so weird to see worship like this, and know that this is the way the Lord’s people worshipped Him for hundreds of years. It felt like we took a trip back in time. All around us were altars that seemed as big as mountains. Apparently, kings used to see how high they could make their stone steps go. The higher they were, the closer they were to God, and the closer they were to God, the more they were favored and their country would be blessed. WHEW that’s A LOT of work in order to be close to God. It makes me so much more appreciative that my Lord sent His son to be with me, so that I don’t have to build that huge alter to get to Him. He is always one breath away. Mmm. I love it.
We are in Antigua now. It is a city that was inhabited by the Spanish for a while, so it had a lot of European influence when it was built. Just like most cities, we were right next to a volcano. The cathedrals were magnificent and the architecture absolutely ravishing. As you walk down the streets, you see people selling their hand made things, just like in ChiChi. But not ten feet away, there is a Mercedez Benz parked in the street. It is so confusing, and it shows how commercialized certain parts of the country is getting. It sort of hurts me, because I don’t want Guatemala to lose its culture. I am not saying the people have to remain in poverty, but I am saying that there is a richness of this country that cannot be replaced. You cannot sit down I this busy city and have an intimate conversation with anyone…at least as far as I can see. They are all on the go. It sort of loses its genuineness. I hate to see it be “Americanized.” So, needless to say, aside from its monumental beauty, I don’t care for Antigua very much. Soon we leave. Soon it’s back to the grind of school work and career-oriented goals. I will miss quality time with God’s people, but I know they are always one prayer away. I will miss “pato-pato-gonzo” and silly little kid’s songs. I will miss working my tail off and appreciating every sip of clean water I take. I will miss their beautiful smiles. Gorgeous mountaintops. People pulling on your nice clothes to sell something to you…just so they can afford to make their clothes. I will miss eating grass soup and having beans with everything. Guatemalan Coffee. Family. Kindness. I know I have most of this at home in the U.S. but you don’t get it like you do here. People say the Lord has forsaken this place, but I see Him moving in every single life I have come in contact with. Every single one. The Lord is our Father, and these people are our family. “Ohana” means Family in Hawaiian (for those of you who saw Lilo and Stitch), and Family means nobody gets left behind. We cannot forget about these people. Not just in Guatemala, but people in poverty everywhere! Poverty in the sense of…no food, clean water, shelter, family, friends, happiness, security, safety, spiritual soundness, faith. People have been robbed of this. And the ONLY way they will see God at work, is if we SHOW HIM TO THEM. That’s right. We need to be the hands and feet of Jesus and bring Jesus to them. Because when they pray, God isn’t going to pop out of Heaven and say “you called?” Nope! He is going to send US to answer those prayers for them. Disagree if you want. But how else will people get cured? How else will people receive a smile, or a hug, or a blanket? Will it fall out of Heaven? The Lord will give YOU the resources in order to give to OTHERS. Pay it forward. They deserve it, and we deserve to feel that gratification. Yeah….that’s what everything taught me. Until next time. I love you.
Sincerely,
Sabie Q.