Guatemala–August 2008 (R)

If you want to be a pipeline to and from Guatemala, it helps if you’ve been there. Lucky for us, this August, we got to take our first trip down to Guatemala with a couple other people from eXchange to see what was going on in Guatemala and how we could be more involved.

But before we started exploring Guat City, we went up in the mountains (to a town called Nebaj) to be a part of a New Testament dedication. In 1953, Ray and Helen Elliott first arrived in Nebaj to begin translating the Bible into the Ixil language. (I can’t imagine being the person who has to try to figure out which of the first disciples (Peter or Andrew) was the older of the two brothers because the Ixil language has no word for “brother.” There’s just “older brother” and “younger brother.”)

 

Anyway, the good news: 55 years later, the New Testament is finally finished and in the hands of the Ixil people.

 

Let’s talk about transportation. If we had wanted to, we could have volunteered to be motion sick for 8 hours straight in a chicken bus that was driving up the curvy roads to Nebaj.

 

Or we could have flown.

 

Guess what? We flew. All I can say is that the half hour flight was waaaay better than that drive could have ever been. Especially since the pilot let Nate fly. You have to check out the video that Scot Longyear put on his blog.

 

Another great thing about the Nebaj trip was that this was when we really got to know the people we were traveling with. Long hours of playing True Colors (aka “The game you play when you want to lose your friends”), laughing together in restaurants over three hour meals, and walking down dirt streets, in the rain, under an orange poncho can bring you together like nothing else.

 

All I know is that, after this trip, I would go anywhere with these people. It was that good.

 

Back in Guatemala City, we met up with John and Emily Wiggins. John and Emily deserve a lot of credit for eXchange being in Guatemala. They were the first ones to take a trip, and their experiences motivated the rest of us to get involved.

Not only are they committed to visiting Guatemala and helping out all the children there, but they have also decided to adopt a sweet little Guatemalan boy named Juan Pablo. Trust me– you want to read their blog.

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Along with hanging out with John and Emily and the babies, Scot, Steph, Mariah, Jody, Nate, and I visited several orphanages and transitional homes. I would try to describe our experiences, but I think I’ll defer to Jody and Scot, because they tell such great stories on their blogs.

At this point, I think I should tell you that while we were on this trip, we discovered that the absolutely best thing for us to do would be to pack up, move south, and live and work in Guatemala. Yeah. Right. I wish. A lot of good things did come out of the trip though, including dreams and ideas that we are already putting into action. Doesn’t it kill you that I say that, but I won’t tell you exactly what we have planned? I hate it when people tease me with vague statements! Nate did the same thing to you in his last post! But, the thing is, we’re just getting started on these projects and everything could change. One thing I hate even more than vague teasers is telling you we’re going to do something and then not doing it. So, I will tell you this: what we think these kids need most is to feel loved. They need to be recognized as individuals, not just faces in an orphanage. They need to feel special and important. And we think eXchange is ready to help do just that.

Rest assured, when we know more, you’ll know more. We won’t keep you in the dark for long.

Until then, keep praying. There are lots of details and obstacles that need to be worked through!

Rachael

Wood Pipe, Clay Pot, PVC

ipe. Tube. Conduit. A hollow cylinder.

 

 

I guess it doesn’t really matter what it’s made out of or what flows through it; any way you go piping is simple, bland, and deeply spiritual.

 

Yes, I really think a pipe can be spiritual. And not just in some hippy cliché “yeah man, when I smoke my pipe it’s like all the chaos in life becomes so peaceful” kind of way. If it leads us to think about more than just the physical, then I think it can be “spiritual.”

 

In some semi-meditative thought, I considered the history of pipe and thought about what its basic purpose is: transport. Modern pipelines transport oil, water, and even sewage: all things that society needs to get from one place to another. Initially, I only thought about all the valuable stuff we can get from a pipeline, but then I decided that it’s equally valuable for pipes to get rid of waste. The Blue Man Group brought to my attention this function in one of their performances where they not only used pipe to make wonderful music/performance art, but they also spent quite a bit of time explaining that most of the plumbing in the world is used to transport poo away (they had an echo loop on the word away.. away.. away). 

 

When googling pictures for this post, I found this one of a water main in Philidelphia made of wood. I’m guessing that, when it was built, water pressure wasn’t that big of a deal; in fact, they were probably just excited to have water flowing. I guess my thought was that the only reason why it matters what the pipe is made of is efficiency of purpose. Can you imagine trying to carry drinking water in a pipe with holes?  And yet you want holes in some drainage pipes.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s tough to carry out what you’re designed to do if you aren’t made of the right material. 

 

Anyway, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with us.  Well, over the next 12 months we’re working with our church to lay some pipe, not physical pipe, but spiritual pipe. We hope to connect our church community, eXchange, with orphanages in Guatemala City to allow love to flow between the two.  There won’t be any literal pipe. I guess the piping will be us. Not just “us” being me and Rachael, but “us” the community of people who are following Christ and serving him by loving others. We are the pipe.

 

I think Paul might have been alluding to this by saying we’re jars of clay. Back in Paul’s day, they used clay pots for transporting water, oil, flour, and probably waste in a similar manner as to how we now use pipes. (Although, I’d like to think we increased the efficiency and sanitary factors over the course of centuries…)

 

I’m looking forward to seeing how God can use a simple mission like ours in Guatemala to share his love with some unloved children, creating a bond (community) among eXchangers, and seeing God blow our feeble efforts out the of the water with his life-changing power.

 

Final thoughts: It’s crucial for me not to be a leaky pipe or one that’s polluting what I’m carrying. My prayer is that God would continue to refine the material that I am so that I can efficiently and effectively carry what he’s designed for me to transport.

 

 

 

Nate

 

Sofi the Schnoodle

A few months ago, we surprised our friends and ourselves by doing something we never thought we’d do….we got a dog.

See, we are not “dog people.” I’ve always been under the impression that dogs are kind of stinky and messy. They eat poop and don’t like to take baths. They make me sneeze and cause Nate’s eyes to water. And, if you get a dog, that must mean you really want to have babies, and we are NOT ready for babies. On top of all that, the idea of being parents to a 6lb. bundle of fur and slobber really seems to conflict wih our dreams of being flexible, going overseas, and not being tied down.

But, you know what, Little Dog hasn’t slowed us down one bit. She goes with us everywhere (and I do mean EVERYWHERE…airplanes, grocery stores, football games, hotels, churches, and weddings. You name it, she’s there!). She makes us laugh, and she doesn’t even bother our allergies. We love her so much, we might even have to start calling ourselves “dog people.”

–Rachael