(Guatemala Mission Trip rookie and group interpreter)
:)
I wanted to write a little bit about our experience at the Mayan Ruins today! I put on my "Dora the Explorer" alter ego before we left the mission house this morning and got ready for a full day of exploring with everybody!
The ruins are located about an hour away from the mission house. When we got there, the land actually resembled many other historic sites you may have seen in the U.S. I had this picture in my mind already of what it would look like based upon what I have read and seen in my history books. As is typical, they weren't quite like I had imagined. The ruins of the village are actually in good condition and quite visible compared to other sites here, but I had pictured them to be a lot bigger. Trees were growing on top of some of the ancient Mayan temples, and they had almost turned into hills, making them seem a lot shorter than I thought they would be in real life! My imagination was running wild as I tried to picture what they may have really looked like when the ancient Mayans lived there. We walked through the center of the ancient village past the temples and saw areas where they performed human sacrifices, as well as the areas where they played games that were actually a fight to the death! -You might see some of our silly pictures of us pretending to fight in this area. We had a good time hamming it up.
The most interesting and sobering experience while at the ruins was something that I never expected. In the very rear of the ancient village, there is actually a sacrificial space where modern day guatemalan/mayans practice sacrifices and rituals. When we came upon the area, there was a ritual taking place. John (the mission coordinator here in Guatemala) reminded us to "not be tourists" and quietly observe without pointing fingers. The ritual involved a "witch doctor" chanting and a mayan lady burning a sacrifice. There was smoke in the air that smelled quite unpleasant and I could just sense the darkness. John began to explain certain things about their beliefs and practices. It really opened my eyes to the darkness that is very real in this world. A lot of times I think we forget about "the other side". Today reminded me of that reality...as much as I don't want to be reminded of it sometimes.
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I have not been on a mission trip since the youth trip to Puerto Rico. I rekindled a few relationships and made many new ones! Something that really touched me during this trip was realizing that the abilities that God gives us should primarily be used for His glory. I originally sought my Spanish degree in order to get a good job in the U.S. but I have since discovered what a tool it can be to reach people! I spent most of my time talking with the families at our work sites, and was able to gain amazing insight to not only their day to day routines, but also their spiritual lives and needs. All of our families that we built house for attended the local church, and after talking with them, I do believe that they have relationships with Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Through their joy of gaining a new house, I could see that it was the joy of Jesus in their hearts. I enjoyed helping everyone communicate better with the Guatemalan people! I wish I had clones of myself to be with each group, but I was so impressed with the non-spanish speakers' abilities to communicate nonetheless. The language of God is LOVE! I am so inspired by this experience to take my ability to communicate with hispanic people (who are so often overlooked) back to the U.S. and I hope this might inspire somebody to use their talents to serve where God is leading them.
¡Adios amigos, y Dios te bendiga!
Leisha Sitton
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