Guatemala 2016 Update – Oreo and Rats
(Wednesday, July 20, 2016)
I met a new friend in Xenacoj this year. His name is Oreo. (That’s what I named him.). He’s mostly black with some white streaks along his belly and on his feet. He’s a puppy, and he hangs outside our door waiting for food or attention. Our team adopted him these past two weeks, and I think he’d have a forever home if we could clean him up and get him checked out and cleared by a vet. He has the most expressive ears and a tail that wags whenever we walk out into the street. He likes tortillas, chicken bones, and rice, but he’s not real crazy about fruit, vegetables, and black beans.
Oreo is one of hundreds of stray dogs that wander the streets of Xenacoj without a home. The dogs generally don’t bother anyone, but they will defend their turf when other dogs come around. Even little Oreo barks when any dogs come up our street. It’s not uncommon to hear dogs barking throughout the night as they get into spats with other canines roaming the streets.
Bob Barker would have a hay day here – “Don’t forget to have your pets spade or neutered.” Obviously, there isn’t any birth control for these crazy dogs. WIth all the dogs roaming the streets, there are not many cats, and there aren’t many other rodents (although we’ve had some rat sightings, but that’s a whole different story).
Last night, our family took a stroll to the grocery store after our work day. Guess what Isaac purchased? Oreo cookies! Seems kind of funny (to me).
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This morning, I started reading 2 Timothy up on the roof. In Chapter 1, Paul encourages Timothy to operate with the Holy Spirit’s power and self-discipline. He also reminds Timothy that he is likely to suffer as a result of his faith, and he tells Timothy not to be ashamed of the gospel he is representing.
This brings me to the “rat” story.
This week on multiple occasions, we have had dead rats placed in our street by our house. They are typically found in a plastic bag when we come out of our house in the morning.
Dave Sgro, the missionary we are working with in Xenacoj, is pretty certain they are being placed by a family who is involved in witchcraft. The rats represent sometype of curse. If it’s the family Dave thinks it is, they are placing the rats by our house, because they are upset at legal action that was taken against their son (or husband) last year when it was discovered that he was sexually abusing his daughter.
The medical team who was here last year was doing a check on his daughter, and they discovered all kinds of sores in her mouth. One of the doctors arranged to send the daughter to a hospital in Antigua where it was confirmed that she had been abused. The mother initially pressed charges, and the father was thrown in jail. It’s a longer story than this, but now the family is not happy that their son/husband is in jail. And they are determined to make life challenging for the “Gringo” missionaries and for German Espana.
As I thought my reading in Timothy this morning, I realized that the rats actually correlate to what Paul was talking to Timothy about in this part of the letter. Following Christ is not always the easiest path. There will be challenges along the way, and there will be people who want to make your life difficult as a result of your faith.
Pray for those who persecute you. This week, I’m praying for the “rat people”. I pray that God will touch them. I pray that they will experience the love of Christ. And I pray that they would begin to understand that the “Gringo” missionaries are here to help. Your prayers for the “rat people” and for our protection are greatly appreciated.
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After my morning rooftop time, I walked the streets of Xenacoj as Hannah ran on in front of me staying in my sight. I used the time to catch up on a few podcasts, and I also used the time to soak in the morning sights, sounds, and smells of Xenacoj. There is a constant smell of wood fires throughout the village – especially in the morning and the evening when people are cooking. The sounds of chicken bus horns penetrates the morning silence as buses line up to take villagers to other parts of the country. Young children are on their way to school. And shop owners sweep the steps in front of their stores. As you pass people on the street, the common greeting shared is “Beunos Dias.” Everyone says hello to everyone.
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Today, we worked on Maria’s house again. Our day was spent using a machete to scrape the bark of the wooden planks and putting the planks on the walls. I worked on the front wall. German and Jose worked on the street side wall, and Isaac and Dave worked on the back wall. The house is nearing completion. Tomorrow afternoon, we will most likely put the final touches on the walls before the electric, windows, and doors are installed. I expect that we will dedicate the house and turn it over to Maria and her family on Saturday.
I had an interesting experience when we arrived at Maria’s house after our lunch break. I had to use her bathroom. I asked her, “Permitimir user al bano?” (My Spanish needs some work.). She led me to the back of her small property where she she moved a wooden “half door” that blocked in the rabbits, ducks, and chickens that occupied the “bathroom”. Her toilet was a hole in the ground with board covering the hole. I removed the board and took care of my business. As I went back to work, I had a whole new level of appreciation for the bathroom facilities in my own home.
Most of the world lives like Maria (or in even worse conditions). In the United States, we live in extreme wealth. We have access to so many luxuries not found in most of the world. While I am looking forward to returning home in four days, I am deeply impacted by my time in Xenacoj.
Tomorrow morning, we will be visiting Ayapan again to play with the children, and we’re planning to visit another school near Maria’s house. In the afternoon, I expect to be back at Maria’s house working on her “palace” as she calls it.
It’s been another good day in Xenacoj!