Category: Guatemala

Lemoa is a sacred spot in Chichicastenango. It’s a retreat center belonging to the Metodista Iglesia. A small lake, giant pine trees and a stillness that brings peace. The Annual Conference gathering is here this week and we have come to participate today. Here we meet new friends and connect with old ones.

A highlight for me today was a conversation with the young adults who God is stirring into relationship and service.

They shared the story of how they organized themselves into a group of 9 youth and then they began to reach out to others and invite them to come join them. They serve together. They pray together. They keep inviting others and they tell us that “God is creating a connection”. This is what the God of heaven is doing! Even though they are in different places, the desire to connect is strong. Their peers are responding. “I see a new generation rising up to take their place!” What a joy to encourage and pray with them. We hope to connect them with our students at Franklin First UMC this summer.

The new Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Coordinator, Lourdes Mroczka, (LuLu) is here and she is awesome! She is a missionary with the Global Missions of the United Methodist Church. She is from Mexico and has served in Nicaragua, USA, and is now assigned to Guatemala. She gave an incredible report today about transparency, accountability and working collaboratively with many churches. Very encouraging.

The Call to Worship brings people in from their lunch conversations. The Bishop has taken his place. Presenters are sitting on the sides. The business of Conference takes place. Sometimes it helps perspective to see how other cultures express their faith and live their rhythms.

Dinner at Hotel Santo Tomas tonight with an FSU team working on their Masters in Urban Planning. Guatemala is their learning ground. Very good to see these students learning and becoming the leaders of tomorrow. God sure is changing our world. I hope our eyes and spirits are wide open.

Much good happened today. So grateful.

It’s a K9 Welcome in Guatemala!

It has been so long! I knew the volcanoes and mountains would be shouting “Bienvenidos!” before the airplane finished its landing. And I was sure my spirit would dance as I walked through the airport and felt de colores de Guatemala wrap around me like a blanket of friendship. I knew deep in my mind that it would feel different because I am different – but also so much like a second home.  Well…it was all of that, and a little something more! 

Usually there are officers with machine guns at several places in the airport and they may have been there today, but I didn’t see them because there were so many officers with K9 partners. Seriously, this is all new.  I must have passed 8 officers with dogs between deboarding and baggage claim!

So when this one female officer and her K9 partner were close to me I just thought the dog liked me. (I clearly was not thinking).  I stood and watched the belt full of bags rolling by and the dog came up behind me and nudged my backpack. I still didn’t think a thing…at all! I just thought the dog was cool.  But I also wasn’t giving them any attention; I just thought they were doing what they do, and we’re not supposed to distract them from their work.  I was watching for my bags; one of which was full of meds for the clinic.  I was focused on retrieving that bag; I didn’t even turn around. 

And then, in the nicest voice she could offer, the officer said, “do you happen to have any food in your backpack?”  And I said, “yes; do you think he smells it? I have all my snacks in there”.   She looked curious, “like what do you have?” “Well, my fitness bars, some peanut butter, almonds…that kind of thing.”  The dog was looking so hopeful at me. I was still clueless. 

And then she said, “Do you have any fruit?” I didn’t understand her at first and then I repeated…. “Fruit? Yes…I’m pretty sure I have an apple….”   She asked if she could see it. 

I opened my pack and there it was. My big beautiful apple that I was saving for after the flight. And then I remembered! And she was kind to say, “you can’t bring fruit into the country. There are diseases….”  Her K9 partner sniffed my apple and got his well deserved treat; actually he got several treats. He was very young, so I think he passed this “on the job training case” with flying stars!  She took my passport and went away, taking the dog with her. It was my first time to ever be sniffed out by a K9 officer. I’m glad my suitcase full of meds hadn’t come out yet!

Good grief; It’s been too long!  I had forgotten the fruit checkpoints and soldiers and inspections that I’ve experienced many times out on the roads here. I was grateful for the grace and had a great conversation with a different officer who returned with my passport and explained that the disease alerts had become really intense.  I shared that although I’ve made this trip about 18 times in the last 9 years, I totally was not thinking about the rule of no fruit. I brought meds for the clinic with no search. But the apple….  It’s great to be “back”. 

So K9 officers have been added (which I applaud and welcome) but let me share what is still the same endearing experience. The drive to Chichicastenango held enchanting scenery of hills and crops and forests and farmers working in their fields. Traffic was intense and the smell of burning rubber as the trucks took the declines was so familiar.  Tension and clutches screeching as everyone climbed the mountains, navigated the curves and swerved to miss the vehicle that just stopped in the middle of the lane; not budging.  

And then…we came upon a festival! I love the celebratory nature of this country.  Two live bands setting up. Cooking pots over fire. Every roadside stand with flashing lights. A food truck – Guatemalan style. And a giant firework display that will keep the whole village up all night.  What is it?? Cesar rolled down his window to ask the truck full of people about 2 feet away from us on the highway.  

“Es bendiciones de la semilla!”  It is the Blessing of the Seed! Of course.  It is planting season, so it begins with this blessing of the seed. Food, music, fiesta and prayers. All night. And then planting can begin.   And now that it is late at night, the trucks are pulling the hill outside Hotel Santo Tomas and it sounds pretty much like they are driving right through this room every time. Yes, I am back in Guatemala! 

There is a reason it’s been a while. I had to set aside several things in order to finish school and keep work and life moving forward. There are seasons when we just have to adjust priorities so we can do something else that requires our attention, and this was my season.  For the past two years and ten months I’ve tended to my learning and experience so I can share from a well that has been a bit more deeply primed. I’ve followed through one of Paul’s missionary journeys to Greece; visited the Holy Land with colleagues; spent my days in community ministry with the YMCA and finished my doctorate in ministry.  

And now…in such a very short time really, I am back.  Different and better. Grateful and ready. Amazed at all God has done with the church in Franklin, Tennessee; with Guatemala; and with me.  The journey just never stops, friends.

So, if a K9 officer nudges your backpack, turn around and see if he’s looking for something you forgot that you are carrying. His nudge might be important; a gentle reminder you didn’t even know you needed. That dog may have saved me from a much different experience on the road tonight. A very special kind of welcome! Grateful.

Easter morning comes with so much joy!  I jump up to see the streets after the night of Holy Saturday.  They are quiet.  The bell rings where I am staying. The brooms are just beginning to dawn and every now and then I see a well dressed couple rushing not to be late for an early Easter gathering that I cannot see. I slow down my pace and think of the women taking spices to the burial site of Jesus.

I receive word from home as the crowd gathers for sunrise and my heart fills with joy for what they will find. I feed the pigeons and two men who slept in the doorways; bread for this day…bread for life.  The liturgy begins pouring out of my mouth as I walk down the sidewalk: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and blessed is your son Jesus Christ…..”  My heart is full.

Listening for the message of Maundy Thursday in a different culture is not hard when everything around you is shouting in images and colors and fabric and incense. Who knew the world was so interested in Jesus Christ?  In spite of a host of holiday distractions to entice, what they have come to see is this story of the Christ.  It is a tradition of the 16th century (Spain) that has remained.  No bunnies, no eggs, no chicks to buy.  Plenty of food and fanfare, for sure, but total silence when the procession begins and the story passes by the crowd.
The only connection I can think of immediately is the Israelites when the Ark of the Covenant was going before them or passing by them.  I did not come to see so much as I came to be with these people as they express their greatest tradition and greatest love.

The message I hear on Maundy Thursday is not surprising….”love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

<pre>
Morning light comes streaming in
Greet the day creation’s song
comes before my walking
I love your morning sounds
the water washing storefronts
and sidewalks
The pigeons cooing in
Cathedral ruin crevices; bathing in fountains.
Flowers reaching for the
morning light…waiting
for the rising.

Saludos de personas abundantes
Amistad y gratis para el día
para amigos
Los colores del prestado
La adoración de Cristo
La historia de Cristo
Bienvenidos a la sabiduría de Dios
a mi corazón
La luz de la mañana
La luz de mi vida
La vida de Jesús el Cristo</pre>

I have been coming to Guatemala with my church since 2011.  It was first a place God sent me. I went in answer to a prayer when I asked, “Do you want me to go?” And what I heard, in the way my heart as learned to hear how God speaks to me, was simple and direct: “pack your bags; you are going to Guatemala!”  Many missions, visits and deep friendships later, it is a second home to my heart. I am still learning the “why” of that and I’m quite sure I am missing most of it.  What I do know is that it helps me to be with the people.  They help me remember who God created me to be.  It is not that this does not happen at home; quite the contrast! My church family and all those around me call out the person God called me to be.  But what it does mean is that somehow I am incomplete without seeing, knowing and being with God’s people all over the world. I have come to peace with that part of me.

In that first visit of 2011 our mission team spent the last night in Antigua. I found a book titled, Lent and Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala. The author is Elizabeth Bell.  I devoured that book and have turned to it many times during my personal Lenten preparations just to get a taste for Christ in other cultures.  And now…seven years later, I am experiencing what I’ve read and wondered about for quite some time.

So I am here.  And ready to see all God has to teach me along the way. Praying that it shapes me and molds me a little closer into the image of Christ.

The photos are from La Iglesia de la Merced.  The backdrops are prepared new each year with the expressions that particular faith community creates. The adoration of carpets made of flowers, sawdust, vegetables, etc. are both the creation of the church family and also their offerings of the best of their land for this seasons.

Waking up the morning after Election Day is, for me, an exercise of my faith. This morning our country wakes up to a truth: we have elected a new President of the United States of America. People voted. A President was elected. I don’t have to “win” or “lose” in this truth. I live in a country where we exercise our right to vote. We, the people, did that and the practice of doing it is a significant part of what shapes us in being the United States of America. I am grateful to live in a country with this practice.

This morning I go to my quiet place for my spiritual practices, as this is my daily rhythm. Silence, Scripture reading, prayer, writing. The practice shapes who I am, and I need this alignment. This morning those prayers now name the person elected as our future President: Donald Trump. May God capture his heart and guide him and prepare him for the time to come.

As for me, and I hope for many, there is good work to be done today. Work that provides hope for children who need adults to care enough to read with them; work that develops young adults into leaders who hear their call to ministry; work that strengthens our ability to share hope, healing and Christ with all the people in our paths; work that faces hunger and says, “I have enough to share”.   The work of being Love and Grace wherever we are, all day long. Teachers will teach. Nurses and Doctors will treat patients. Police officers will watch traffic and keep peace. Community leaders will hold meetings and decisions. Students will think and reach new insights. Plumbers will fix problems.  Bus drivers will get kids to school. Moms and Dads will dress, feed and send their precious ones off into the day.

Our hope does not come from the results of an election. Our hope comes from God, the maker of heaven and earth; the One who created the sunrise; the One who set the boundaries of the seas; the One who breathes into us the breath of life; the One who came and poured out his life that we might live freely, abundantly and eternally. Christ shows me the way to live faithfully in the world. Yes, even in a political world! Many who have gone before us practiced that way. Many are still practicing it. And more will follow if we stay the course. Of all days, let us live it today so that others can find the Light.

LORD, thank you for being greater than our fears, our joys, our plans and our wounds.  Help your people everywhere to rise up, give thanks and follow you today. We trust you, Lord, and we love you.  Amen.

“Vona, where do you go to church? Or…are you going to church?”  That is the most common question I get these days. My pastoral transition from a traditional church setting to what we call, “extension ministry” brings a lot of curiosity.  And most of the curiosity is about “church”.  Not surprising, is it?  It feels like “Church” is a curiosity for many.  So where do I go??

Today I’m headed to worship at a new church plant in Nashville.  I’ve been wanting to see (curious) what God is doing there. Last Sunday I worshiped with my mom at her church in Kentucky; the first time I’ve worshiped there with her in maybe 10 years.  All the Sundays of August I was teaching at Epworth UMC for a church-wide study.  And in July I worshiped from the pews of 61st Avenue UMC with my Hispanic brothers and sisters of Ebenezer. It made me feel connected to my friends in Guatemala; I needed that connection.

For me, the question is not so much “where” right now. It’s why.  Why am I going today?  I’m going because I want to see what God is doing in the churches all over Middle Tennessee (that’s the curious follower of Christ in me).  I want to to support my pastor colleagues. I want to “show up” for the Church.  But I’m going for a much more important reason than all of these.   The journey of being someone who is trying to live a life that honors God is not an easy life. It requires unusual choices, high risks and sometimes great heartache. It calls you into situations that don’t fit the rules and occasionally you get hurt in there.  It also leads you into the deepest places of life, joy and peace that you can ever find. Nothing compares to the journey with Christ. I like adventure and I trust God.

But this is definitely not a solo journey. We need….I need…the strength of others who also believe. Nothing compares to the blessings we experience among the community of believers.  None of us will have the complete faith we need in every moment of our lives. But of all us, together, will not only find what we need, we will be the Light that shines in darkness..the Light that overcomes the darkness; the Light that is the Church. However and wherever and whenever they gather.  Where are you going?

It is a day for unpacking. It is a day of being so thankful for what it feels like to come home!  Every item I pull from my jumbled suitcases brings blessing and smiles.  There is the dress from wedding joys. I will forever be grateful for the love this couple found together.

I will forever remember the joy of being with my mom and sister as they experienced Guatemala for the first time. I will never forget God’s gracious provision of this  miracle on the 4th of July. It was a different kind of family reunion! One to cherish.

Oh there are the tissue flowers from VBS in Mexico! The bracelet I still have to finish making; the mask of a lion.  I hear the children’s laughter.  I see the shining light in our teenager’s spirits. Notes fall from my journal and I am reminded how faithfully God spoke to each of us every day. My heart is filled up, over flowing and spilling all over the day.