Coming home.
As I sit here in Houston for the most boring layover ever (seriously, what is there to do between 5-9 am?), I just wanted to send out my last reflection before heading home. The thing I’ve appreciated most about Barb and Gerry is how integrated they are in their community. They made conscious and intentional decisions to be a part of the community. They didn’t buy a house far away and live in a bubble, they chose to live in the neighbourhood. They didn’t get interpreters, they learned Spanish. They didn’t just import their furniture, they bought locally. I’ve definitely been impressed by how aware they are of Guatemalan culture and history. Almost every day as we walked the Pilas students to school, ran errands, or just walked the streets; they would regularly stop and say, ‘hi’ to people on the streets that they knew. Barb and Gerry are a Godly example of what it means to live incarnationally.
For me, this is affirming and challenging. It affirms our family’s decision to live in the church community, but also challenging to figure out what that looks like. There are so many things to consider: where to send our kids to school, the programs to sign up for, the neighbours to build relationships with. It’s easy to hide in a bubble and stay comfortable. Yet, throughout this whole process of preparing to come to Guatemala and living here for a week, I’ve definitely been challenged to prayerfully discern what incarnational living looks like for me.
Thank you for your prayer and support (especially those who helped out Steph with the kids!) for the past week. Although I haven’t really responded to emails, I’ve appreciated the encouragements. Definitely feel free to reach out and ask away about what this process has been like.