No Other Gods

Last Wednesday we went up to El Papal to have our monthly Bible study.  On the way there, we have to drive by one particularly high hill that we like to climb up on because the views from there are spectacular.  You can literally see for miles and miles in any direction, and the three giant volcanoes you can see from up there look like specks off in the distance.  For me, it's like looking up at the night sky--it makes me feel very small and gives me the tiniest glimpse of the grandeur of God. There's one thing about that hill though that tears me up:  it's dedicated to the worship of false gods.  You can see evidence of it in the picture at the top of this post. The two dark spots you see in the foreground are where a Mayan witch has performed ceremonies to invoke the favor of their gods by sacrificing various things in fire, among them chicken eggs.  You can see the remains of the shells there on the ground. Sometimes we can see where offerings of food and flowers have been left in the cleft of the jagged rocks up here, like in the picture on the right. I can't go up there without thinking of Elijah on Mt. Carmel showing up all the prophets of Baal by calling on the one true God.  I always like to pray up there, just to spite the devil.

When we speak of idolatry in the American church today, we define it as anything that isn't God that takes the #1 spot in your heart, be it money, your career, another person...and that's true. But somehow as a kid, I got the idea that actual physical idols don't really exist anymore other than maybe Buddha.  Being in the highlands of Guatemala and seeing the worship of actual idols with my own eyes really blew my mind. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to see it; I can feel the presence of evil.  It makes my skin crawl.  Maximón is one of the worst.  Here he is over on the left. You can tell how people worship him just by looking at the offerings left at his feet. Maximón is a bully that people do not wish to anger.  They feel that prayers for revenge or success at the expense of someone else are likely to be granted by him.  What's worse is that this wickedness has infiltrated some of the catholic churches here.  When the Spaniards conquered Guatemala, they brought catholicism with them.  In an attempt to pacify the Mayan people, they blended some aspects of the two religions.  You'll find a statue of the virgin Mary in the same room with Maximón, with the same sorts of offerings being given to her. In Chichicastenango, you will always see a Mayan witch in the door of the catholic church burning incense. (see pics at very bottom) In turn, the Mayans have incorporated the cross and the dove in their worship (see pics of Mayan priest. Note: The 2 photos of the Mayan priest are pictures of pictures. I didn't take the originals.). So now what we have in Guatemala, especially in the more rural areas, is a wicked mix of witchcraft and catholicism--a system where the gods have to be appeased and can be called on to invoke curses or bring blessings, depending on which god you're talking to in the moment.  This idolatry and witchcraft can be seen all over the place here.  Even people who claim the name of Christ have been known to consult witches because it's just engrained in them.  For many, it's how they grew up, and leaving that practice behind can be very difficult. I can't begin to explain the deep sadness that seeing this with your own eyes brings to your soul.  

Such devotion...and all for nothing. 

The Lord is God; beside Him there is no other.

1.  A statue of the virgin Mary found in the same room with Maximon.  Money stuffed in between her fingers.
2.  A Mayan ceremonial altar incorporating the Christian cross.
3.  A Mayan witch in the door of the catholic church with her fire and incense.

A Home For Juana

Rogelio and Wilmar put the finishing touches on Juana's new home

I have had the privilege of living and working in Guatemala for just over six years now. During that time, there have been a few special moments that will remain forever in my heart no matter where I go:  the time I got to witness Desi's baptism in a damned up mountain stream in the middle of nowhere surrounded by people speaking in Mam...the time I delivered baby Sochi by the light of my iphone...the day I got to cut the ribbon when we dedicated the new church in Cochico.  Such amazing experiences I've had here!  Last Wednesday was another one of those times that I'll never forget:  we prayed over and blessed Juana's completed house, and she started to move in. It has taken me a couple of days to process this enough to even be able to write about it. 

People spread out to pray over each wall of Juana's new
home.  Marina is Juana's best friend and couldn't contain
her tears of joy!  The two men praying over the front door
and wall are part of the construction crew.

To fully appreciate all that this means, you have to know a little bit of Juana's story.  She grew up in a very abusive home.  Her father was (and remains) a drunk; her mother was too beaten down by life to defend her children. As soon as Juana turned 16, she ran away to the city to find work.  She scraped and saved every penny so that she could buy a little piece of land for herself and escape from her family. Before she could do anything with that land, she met and married a man who ultimately abandoned her when she was pregnant with their first child.  He later died in the desert trying to get to the US.  Her in-laws promptly kicked her out of their house, even though she was expecting their first grandchild.  Her son, Angel, has never been an accepted part of their family and never even knew his father.  Juana and Angel have been forced to bounce back and forth between her various family members for the last 12 years, staying until their hosts were sick of them and then forced to move on.  Most recently, she has been living with a younger brother who decided he no longer wanted them underfoot when he brought his girlfriend home.  The land she could afford to purchase all those years ago was a tiny plot on a very steep, lonely hill with no road access, and no water nearby.

But God...

New beds, mattresses, and a stove vented outside!

Juana and Angel now have a secure home on a new plot of land with one of the most amazing views of anyone I know. More than a dozen church family members and her pastor came last Wednesday to dedicate the house, and it was unlike anything I'd ever seen.  We prayed, cried, sang, prayed some more, ate, cried again...we were all so truly happy that something good had finally happened for this sweet mom and her son who have suffered for so long.   I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel to know that they'll never have to sleep on the floor of a dank room in the house of someone who doesn't really want them there.  Their new house comes complete with two new beds, blankets, pillows, towels, a stove, a table and chairs, kitchen supplies, a pila (giant cement sink sort of thing for washing dirty clothes and dishes), a cement floor, and a private, clean latrine.  I know that in my little corner of the world, there are still thousands of starfish stranded on the beach, but these two are now safely back in the ocean.  It makes my heart happy.

Most of the church crew who came to pray over the new house.  Pastor
Bacilio is the handsome fella in front with the cowboy hat, squatting
next to Juana.  Notice the big smile on her face!

To any of you who have ever sent me a dime, thank you is so very inadequate.  You allow me to not only be here, but to help people in a very real, tangible way.  Sometimes people ask me how many people have gotten saved as a direct result of my ministry.  I wish I could answer that question, but I can't.  I have shared the gospel in Bible studies, in sermons, in conferences, in youth events, and one on one, but no one has ever responded publicly, so it's not a number I can count.  But I will tell you this--in poverty-stricken areas like Santa Barbara, generally speaking, families stick together and take care of their own.  They don't share because there isn't enough to go around.  So when word gets out that the people in one little church are blessing the neediest of people around them, it brings people in.  They want to know what's different.  Building Juana's house was no exception.  In fact, one of Juana's own brothers got curious about why people were going out of their way to help his sister, so he came to church two Sunday's ago and ended up getting saved!  The real beauty of Loving InDeed is that the assistance people receive points them to Jesus, the father of orphans, defender of widows, healer of the brokenhearted, and friend of the sinner.  

Watching Miracles

View from the land I really want to buy for the LI ministry center.  Look at those mountains and all that green!

You would not believe what God did yesterday! Remember last week I told you about the cocode (community leader) guy who wanted me to buy land, put it in the name of the community so anyone could use it, and then give him a little bribe? Turns out that there's gossip going around out in that area that there's a white girl wanting to buy land because she wants to mine it, and he wants to make sure that doesn't happen. Where does this nonsense start? Good grief...the only thing out there in those hills is goat poop. I don't think that's terribly valuable. At any rate, we have different levels of community government here, just like in the states. That particular cocode was a very small fish. The other day a very LARGE fish in that pond, a man named Mateo, somehow got a hold of my name and number and called me personally to ask me to please not leave the area and take my program elsewhere. He apologized profusely for the confusion. I invited him to the church yesterday to talk with me face to face since I was going to be out there anyway for the medical mission. He came with another community leader friend of his, and I was so impressed with these guys! Mateo is a cocode of the first level which means that he is right underneath the #1 man in the entire municipality (like our counties). He has four communities under his direct authority, he has headed up multiple development projects including things relating to fruit trees, gardening, and various critters, and he is an evangelical pastor. He is wanting me to move the program to another area of Santa Barbara where he promises he will give me a place to put the ministry center. I explained why I can't do that (I'd lose all the families I currently have because it's too far for the ladies to walk), but told him I'd be open to possibly starting another branch of the program in his area. He also said he'd help me find land down in the area where I am looking because he has some measure of authority and many contacts down there too. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation, and it will be wonderful to have a Christian indigenous man with his level of authority on my side. God is giving me favor in Santa Barbara that would have taken me years to build up on my own. I can't begin to explain to you how very hard it is for a foreigner to win the trust of the Mam population here because they have been so mistreated for so long. 

Pastor Bacilio and Joel checking out the land

Then (and this is the AMAZING part!!) we were talking about areas that are still untouched by the gospel. I told him that someone had told me of a village called Pabatzlom where there is no church of any kind. I only have a very vague idea where it is and a crude map. (By crude I mean a line with an X and the word "cemetery" on it.) This village has been on my mind for months now, but I have had no time to go exploring to try to find it. My plan was to try to visit there, see for myself that there is no church within walking distance for them, and if not, try to get my foot in the door by bringing Loving InDeed there for 6 months like I did in Tuicogel. Once the people get to know me and get comfortable with me, I could try to start a Bible study. The trick is actually finding this place! Would you believe that not only does Mateo know where Pabatzlom is--HE'S THE COCODE THERE TOO! I was completely blown away that God would place this contact right in front of me--I didn't even have to go look! I still have no idea how this man got my name or phone number. 

The first time, the only property for sale was above the yellow line.  This time it includes the land below the land
 and a whole lot more that you can't see.  There's no way to get it all in the picture!  I'd own both sides of the river
 there and several mature fruit and coffee trees.  It's gorgeous, quiet, fertile...perfect! 

All this to let you know that God is working all these details out for Loving InDeed and for the people of Santa Barbara. As far as the land goes, I have pretty much decided against pursuing the 5+ acres I found the other day. There is no way for me to really know who is the ethical owner of that land, and I have no desire to get in the middle of a family fued. The piece I looked at before that one and LOVED (the place with all the fruit trees and the river) is now back on the table. My issue with that chunk was that it was too small, but the owner's father owns the neighboring land, and he is now offering me another piece. The site is stunning, fairly level (which is a HUGE perk and nearly impossible to find in that area), it already has electricity, and water is close to the surface of the land making a well fairly simple. It also has road access. It is PERFECT. Joel, my architect friend, went out there with me yesterday to have a look, and he loved it too. In his opinion, there is plenty of room for the center I want to build (I had already drawn up a detailed sketch with measurements) and plenty of outdoor space left for greenhouses, little barns, and places for the kids to play. The only glitch is the price they are asking. Pray with me that they come down to something more reasonable! If this ends up not working out (although I really think it eventually will), Mateo is going to be looking for land for me too. Please keep praying that God would give me discernment in these matters and continued favor with people in authority out there. And I don't mind telling you that I'm in over my head with the Bible studies, the constructions, the scholarship program, the general running of the food program, the home visits, the search for land, the reading/math program...I desperately need more help. What I really need is a Guatemalan man with a driver's license, his own pickup truck, and a need for a job so I can hand the construction stuff off to someone else. Your prayers for these things and my sanity are greatly appreciated!