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| GUATEMALA |
Director of Community and Caring
Day 10 in Place at the Table
Eleven days in. It's a victory! I am so excited to see what God has to teach us through this journey.
As I have been reading the devotional, both in The Place at the Table book and online from our PBF people, I am taken back to my first experience with another culture. I was 17 years old and had the opportunity to spend a few weeks working at the Central American Theological Seminary in Guatemala City. I had never been outside the U.S. except for a visit to Vancouver, Canada.
The trip was filled with new sights, smells, emotions and fears. I had no idea how most of the world lived and while I knew we would be visiting orphanages, I couldn't even begin to imagine how different my life was from theirs.
At one point, I remember having a discussion with a young man who was playing soccer with us. He said that, "all Americans are rich." I pretty much laughed at him and said "My family is NOT rich". He asked how many cars and how many TVs we had. My heart sank. It was my first realization that to him – to most of the world –we WERE rich. I had responded based on my only view of the world, which happened to be Bremerton, Wash., in the late 80s. (Stop trying to do the math to figure out how old I am!!!!)
Guatemala taught me a lot. I learned about the people and their culture but also about me and the way I live and think. I experienced eating whatever was available, which happened to be flatbread, chicken and fruits. Even then, the chicken was probably a costly gift just for us American teens. I pray that this journey of fasting and praying for those who are poor will teach us more about ourselves and that it will remind us that everything we have is a gift from God.
Pray:
- For those in our body who are unemployed
- For those in our community who are homeless
- For those in our body who are suffering from illness and disease
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