We have finally finished our first full week of ministry here Poptun and lemme tell y’all, it is hot here. It feels like a summer in NYC but different smells, riding in the bed of a truck daily, and much more dirt. We have been deep in it, doing ministry from 9-5 and these kids both feed me and drain me.
We’re very much grappling through cultural differences in that we are living in our host’s grandmothers place with our ministry hosts. Living with them, it has been a bit of an adjustment getting used to Guatemalan time after coming from a very punctual culture. The Guatemalan culture is so much less task-oriented and much more focusing on relationships and going with the flow. As somebody who has a checklist in their head that they have to whittle down, it isn’t quite as easy. I defiantly thank the Lord that He has guided me in adopting more of what that relational culture looks like in our ministry as we bond with the kids of our community.
Speaking of the kids, it is without a doubt, been amazing to spend the week with two groups of kids in the surrounding communities of Poptun. Our first location is in a village that the regional government effectively ignores. The kids there were shy at first, until we pulled out a soccer ball and they were happy to pass it around with us. Since then, our team has been split for education and activities, and soccer ministry which has certainly done a number on me. In our house visits we met a family there that had no running water, relied on the rain for it, and in the dry season they had to walk 30 minutes to the river for any water. There’s no school in the village, so the children have to walk an hour to their neighboring village which many are too young to do, resulting in many not receiving any education. The most heart-breaking thing for us has been a certain child who is a bit of a wild child and finds it hard to sit still because their own mother doesn’t want them. They are raised collectively by the mothers of the village yet have no true home to come back to and often have to sleep wherever they can, they are also under the age of ten. Structure for them, as we try to bring education, has certainly been difficult so it has been to a necessary struggle to try and meet them where they are at.
In that, and in this village I have found so much to be appreciative for and I have very much had my eyes opened to the side effects of so many blessings in my life. I’m thankful that I have parents who fiercely love me, that I had a school which reinforced lessons of kindness and respect, that water was never an issue. It positively hurts to look back at everything that has been taken for granted and that it has been flouted in the face of His grace now.
In the town over, which happens to be one of the largest in the area, we find that the kids there are much more open bubbly and active. They very much have me running across the field and leave me a little sore (because I’m older than I thought and pulled a muscle) and scraped up. Are they 12? Yes, but that’s irrelevant because… Anyways they are definitely pushing us in a way that really excites me. It’s great to see them playing and stop and say to myself, ok I want to do drills that emphasize effective coverage or focus on prepping for corner/ free kicks. In these we’re also gradually teaching kindness and discipline as we guide the kids towards retrieving their own balls, trusting one another with the possession, &c. These are things that I didn’t immediately realize would translate to personal responsibility and mutual trust with those around them.
Outside of our structured ministry, I am super excited, because we have planted the seeds to start weekend basketball ministry, where in addition to basketball, we will also be teaching English to those in the community who want to learn. It started with our ATL time which led to us playing basketball with a young girl, and after the game we talked to her folks and after communicating via brother Google Translate, that we were missionaries, they expressed wanting to learn English and that their kids would love to also continue playing basketball concurrently. I am just so thankful to the Lord that He led us to that through Alyssa wanting to by a basketball after we stopped in a random shoe store because I wanted cowboy boots and soccer cleats (don’t judge). Truly, He leads us in roundabout ways, but the wisdom of God is true, whereas our wisdom is folly (1 Corinthians 2:14).
As we end this week and look forward to the next week, I just ask that y’all pray for us. Please pray for me as I try to finish fundraising, and that I would continually press into the Spirit, that I may discern His voice and His will and what He is doing in every moment. Please pray for my team that we would have immense stores of patience as children’s ministry isn’t easy, regardless of where you are, and that we would speak life and love into these communities, that the Lord would hear our prayers and the prayers of those here and that He would continually bring about change to His glory and our salvation here. Looking forward to seeing y’all next week!
