Thoughts and pictures and contrasts

 Shirley, Sandra, Jorge Junior, and Pablito on the kiddie coaster at the zoo

 Phase 2 of making choco-bananos (chocolate covered bananas)

 Pablito enjoying this fine Guatemalan delicacy.  And we're teaching him to smile with his teeth. It's a work in progress!

At 6:30 on New Year's Day. Clockwise from the front left corner is Jorge Junior, Gerson (Pastor Jorge's youngest son, home for the holidays from El Salvador), Cesar, Hermano Eric, and Mario (our watchdog neighbor from across the street--he literally sees everything. It's kind of creepy if you think about it for too long.)   Junior and Gerson hadn't slept at all yet, and I don't think the others had slept much either, but they came over at 6:30 in the morning, for whatever reason.  Gerson made the comment that the only places open at that hour were the bar down the road and the Cerritos' house.  While for a lot of my time there it kind of bugged me that the doors to the house were so open all the time and so many people were around all the time, for the last few weeks, the hospitality and openness was pretty cool.  I want to be that hospitable with my home, and with my heart, offering people the love of God, hope in Christ, the knowing that there's another option, another place open other than the bar or whatever.  I know Gerson said that to be funny but I thought it was pretty cool.  If I had still been asleep like the other girls in my bedroom, not so cool, but hey, everyone got to take naps that day. 

And continuing my list of one thousand gifts
#10. giraffes--we went to the zoo one day and saw Guatemalan giraffes. These giraffes were born in Guatemala! And they were beautiful. I got lots of pictures and it was a very beautiful day.
#11. Pablito--he turned two on Saturday and I had so much fun at his birthday party
#12. piñatas
#13. church service in English
#14. ipods with recorded sermons and really good music
#15. moms who get it
#16. God speaking
#17. Megapaca


Guatemala is certainly a country of contrasts.  Last week I spent my last "official" Sunday at Pastor Jorge's church in Linda Vista.  Maybe I haven't explained much about the church.  It meets in a garage, we sit in plastic chairs, and it has a tin roof.  It's a small community, usually about 40 people or so come, quite a few children.  Jorge Junior leads worship, Sandra sings, along with Hermana Lety sometimes, and Bryan (14 years old) plays piano (he's sooo good!) and a couple teens take turns playing drums.  It's a pretty good worship band.  And after we sing for awhile Pastor Jorge gives the sermon.  Yesterday, I went to church at Mega Frater, about a half hour drive from Pastor Jorge's church.  Mega Frater, as you might guess from the name, is ginormous.  It is put on like a production, with videos and ushers in fancy black suits and drive thru communion. Heaven forbid you try to actually experience communion and have some meaning to it.  Granted, what was said before it may have been meaningful and I just didn't understand it, but the actual action of taking it was very hurried.  Holy culture shock from my church in a garage to Mega Frater.   Interesting contrast between the "rich" and the "poor."  Of course there's always more than what meets the eye, with the mega church and the small church.  And I think I'll just leave this at that.