Day 6

Student Reflection by Molly Morris

"It is finished" In the Gospel according to John, Jesus  spoke these last words from the cross. But what came after was far from finished. Jesus's ministry was only just beginning. The miracles, parables, and teachings were only the start of what was to come. While his ministry on earth as a fully human man had finished, his ministry continued with all his followers.

 

While our time in Guatemala has finished, it is far from ended. We have been charged to go home and share our experience. In the past week many stories have been shared with us, and the love and passion for the people of Guatemala have been given to us. Our trip does not end at the airport, just as the life of Christ did not stop at the cross. 

We learned of the La Puya community that is located just outside of Guatemala City. For the past two years they have been enacting a nonviolent protest against a mining company. Over the last two years, the mining company has been attempting to strip mine and use toxic chemicals to extract gold from the land. The government of Guatemala has supported the companies in this effort, often sending in riot police to disband the nonviolent protestors. The company removed their machines in March, only to return on May 23rd. The morning of May 24th, the day we left Guatemala, the  headlines read if the violent attack on the nonviolent protestors. The papers told the story of the 23 people who had been injured and at least four had been detained.   

This is just one of the many stories that we bring back with us. These people stories are now apart if our stories. As we come back from our "finished" mission trip, we need to continue to grow our ministry with all that we learned. The hard work has only just begun. And just as Jesus commissioned the 12 disciples in the end of Matthew, so too has everybody on this trip been commissioned to share each story we have been given.

Student Reflection by James Compton

Well, we're all in that end-of-trip funk as we travel from Atlanta to Roanoke on our last flight of our journey. It only seems appropriate as the final blog post to look back on our adventures and everything we learned.  As college students, we are all familiar with Buzzfeed lists that make procrastinating for studying way to easy (if you don't know what these are please check them out), so in similar fashion here are 20 things we learned in Guatemala:

1. "Sí" is the answer to everything. It will automatically inform whomever you may be talking to that you are an American who panics whenever someone speaks Spanish to you and you have major regrets for not believing you Spanish teacher when he/she said Spanish will be very useful. 

2. "Cuanto cuesto" means 'how much do I cost,' NOT 'how much does it cost.'

3. Guatemalans will by all means make sure you are comfortable and treat you with utmost hospitality. 

4. Next time you go to Guatemala, use the word 'chilero.' I'll let you figure out what it means. 

5. Nothing will bond a group of friends like late night card games and crazy dares in a small motel room. 

6. You can be a role model wherever you go in the world. Children don't look up to you because you are the same race or social class; they look up to you because in their eyes you know everything and are a lot more fun than adults. 

7. Americans eat too much too often. We were served a small breakfast (keep in mind that 'small' in American portions means 'enough' in portions of other nations), a sufficient lunch that was the main meal of the day, and a regular-sized dinner. Each meal I looked at my plate and thought I would be hungry the rest of the day, but after that meal I was prepared for a food coma. 

8. Guatemalan cooks know what's up. 

9. An excellent driver combined with a wonderful gringo-mobile makes for memorable car rides. 

10. We don't know enough about the struggles of Guatemala. 

11. We know even less about the hope there is and the many heroes that are fighting for justice and human rights in Guatemala. 

12. And we know even less about the best way to go about supporting these heroes and their causes. 

13. Spend in a week in Guatemala with CEDEPCA and you will know about these struggles, know about these heroes, and know how to support the efforts in Guatemala. 

14. Delirious students makes for dumb jokes that are always funny. Meh. 

15. Pepto Bismol is the eighth wonder of the world. 

16. There is a Guatemala Human Rights Commission based out of Washington D.C. You should go follow their Facebook and Twitter page right now. 

17. Being educated about an issue is the best way to support it and find a solution. 

18. Guatemala is beautiful. That includes the land, the people, the food, and the culture. 

19. Playing fútbol with 7 Guatemala children on a large gravel surface with stones being used as goals with be one of the greatest experiences of your life. 

20. There are two universal languages: laughter and fútbol. 

21. You have the opportunity to make a difference in this world. Don't blow it.