Giant Iguanas‏

Hola hola...

Life continues happily here in the coast of Guatemala. Life is different and awesome. I know I have to soak up these experiences, adventures, and funny little quarks.

I definitely won´t go into all the little details that make this place so different from life in Oak Harbor, but here are a few of the reasons why I will be so sad to leave Guatemala someday...
-We wake up every morning to roosters crowing, TucTuc´s honking, firecrackers blasting, and giant iguanas racing across our tin roof.
-Our shower is made up of a straight-up pipe coming out of the wall (always cold water, don´t worry) and a tied-to-the-walls shower curtain.
-We go outside to wash our hands in the pila or use the "shower."
-Everyone owns a moto, which may or may not be making me want one...

When I first got into the mission field, Hermana Wetzel told me that I needed to just be ready and realize that these 16 months in the field are more like a 16-month camping trip, they way we live at least. Well, she just gets proven more and more right as time goes on and it is hilarious and awesome.

Now for the great things about the mission in general (more spiritual...)...
-We start every lesson with a hymn. Once we start singing, usually all of the little kids that had been playing in another room or area, stop everything they were doing, walk over to where we are, and just stare and listen for the whole hymn. It is incredible.
-We, in the States, don´t know what poor is. I didn´t know what poor was in La Mariposa (even though they are poor compared to people in the U.S., too). I´m sure that despite all that I´ve seen, I still don´t even know what poor is.

-I´ve witnessed pure humility, compassion, and charity. Quick story: I can´t even describe the house of one of our investigator families, family Merida. Even if I try it won´t do an ounce of justice, but here goes... they live with one or two other families. Each family has a room about the size of a normal bedroom. Everything (walls, roof, etc) is tin. The floor, inside and out, is all dirt. All this family has is a bed, a table, and a few bancos (benches, but not really benches as we know them) to sit on, and a few other basics. The rest is a fairly large open area. There are pilas and clothes lines to do their laundry. Anyhow, they were invited to eat with a member family, family Rosales, from the branch, and we were invited also. The Rosales family live in a typical La Gomera house: pretty nice compared to what the Merida´s have. At one point, Hna Merida came up to me and Hna Angel and said, "Oh Hermanas, how sad, they don´t have a place to go in their home if they want to be outside." The Rosales only have a tiny "patio" to be able to hang their clothes, and Hna Merida felt bad for them. That moment hit me hard. The people here are amazing. Hna Merida is one of the most humble, incredible people I have ever met. I´ve got lots of changing to do.

That´s all for now :)

Love,
Hermana Marin