I have been here exactly 2 months and 8 days so far and I truly feel as if I have started a new life out here. I even forget at times that this beautiful country is not my actual home! The first weeks were hard because I had no clue where anything was or how to get anywhere. Thankfully I know my way around the city now (well the necessary) and I do not always have a lost look on my face.
Interesting enough, I always thought I was more of a "City Girl" but nope, not really. Once again, I learned something new about myself: I am now a "Small Town Girl!" Who would have thought right? I am from Bay Point, a tiny town in California. I always hated living there and as a kid dreamed of moving to a big city. Now that I am in Guatemala's Capitol, I cannot stop thinking about my trip to the 'Pueblo' or town that I was assigned to. I still love the city --but, for the reasons I am here for, I felt much more useful in the small town.
The first Town I went to visit was Atescatempa, Guatemala. It is right on the border of Guatemala and El Salvador. This 'pueblo' is very dry and hot. You literally sweat from just breathing! There is one park or plaza for the town and about three restaurants total. The day begins at 6 am with the market full of locals selling their fresh produce and live chickens. Everybody is up by this time buying or selling in the market until about 1 pm, which by this time only scraps of produce are left. You see women washing by hand or busy grinding corn to make tortillas. Everybody is having lunch at 1 pm and gathering their crops ready for the market the next day. By the time the sun starts to set it is almost 7 pm. and at this point there is not one person is in sight. Everyone is inside their humble homes made of adobe or metal sheets. Not very many people can afford cable let alone a television. Because of this, you often see neighbors spending time together and therefore it becomes a tight knit community where everyone knows everybody and each other's family.
As I had imagined, I had some personal challenges during my stay in Atescatempa. It included a little bit of everything to be honest, such as learning to wash by hand, getting used to not having a microwave (yes I live off of those!), and not having any type of entertainment such as a television or internet. Among other challenges I was eaten alive by mosquitoes, I often had to walk under huge spider webs full of black spiders the size of my hand and had to avoid catching fleas from stray dogs. There were snakes found inside the house and a rat in my room that would not let me sleep at night. All of this was a piece of cake to get used to once I had my biggest challenge: Being bit by a scorpion! I will admit I cried and literally thought I was going to DIE when I felt my arm and back going numb. Thankfully, I am obviously alive to tell this experience haha.
On the bright side, service in Atescatempa is amazing! You cannot find not one person who does not believe in God therefore conversations are very easy to establish. The people here are very humble and respect Gods word the Bible that leads to them inviting you in their home to listen what you want to share with them. Even the "big time drug dealers" here (yes they live in this small town to stay low key from the authorities) are very appreciative when you visit their home. They thank you for not excluding them from Gods message and listen very well. It is ideal for any full time pioneer! And just like any other territory, it has its challenges. For example, at times you have to walk up steep hills, sides of volcano's, or even cliffs in the scorching hot sun. It is not impossible, but very hard for some who suffer from health conditions. In addition, the majority of people here do not know how to read which means you have to be creative to be able to teach biblical truths in simple ways. Sometimes you have to draw it out and only explain just one scripture during your visit. These challenges were not easy to overcome but they were very rewarding! It was amazing to see how grateful they become when someone is willing to make an effort to visit their home and to teach them about Jehovah. My favorite part was always being able to see the change of expression on their face when they understood a scripture without being able to read! This made me realize how useful I felt as a full time pioneer. I had always felt like I was giving the best of myself to Jehovah but this time it was different, I was able to give even MORE than I ever thought I could.
Overall, if I had the chance to do all over again, I would pack my bags without a doubt! It was the most rewarding experience of my life and I am thankful to Jehovah for giving me the opportunity to spiritually help this tight knit community. It was obvious to them I was not a local because they had never seen me before and of course because of my accent. They made it very clear to me that they appreciated the fact that I left the comfort I have in the U.S. to teach them about what Jehovah has planned for humanity. This experience truly made my life feel like it had purpose and meaning, something I did not want to let go of when I had to pack up my suitcase again to leave.
Now that I am back in the Guatemala City, I am missing how productive I was in Atescatempa. Everyday I find myself thinking about the countless amazing experiences I had there and all the things that I also learned from the people of Atescatempa. I miss long days in service and having meaningful conversations. I miss the feeling of coming home exhausted from walking all day in the sun but feeling satisfied at the same time of finding more people who wanted to listen to you read the Bible. Because of all that I miss, I am packing my bags and heading off to another small town! This time I will be heading to the mountains of Guatemala where the climate is very cold. It is a very isolated small 'pueblo' named San Jose Poaquil in department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. I will be renting an apartment during my stay in this 'pueblo' and will be heading out in exactly 8 days! I am super excited to learn from the people of San Jose Poaquil and to be able to share once again the good news of the Bible! In addition, I am also learning one of the many Mayan languages in Guatemala that is called 'Kaqchikel'. Most people outside of the city that know Spanish, know it as their second language. The native languages of Guatemala are Mayan and in the region I will be visiting the locals speak Kaqchikel.
I am counting down the days until I leave and cannot wait to see what is in store for me! After being sick in bed for two weeks and being on tons of different medications(that's a whole other story...), I am positively sure that I want to take full advantage of the time I have left in this beautiful country. I am sure that I will have challenges but I also know by experience that they will be well worth it to serve our almighty God Jehovah :)
This was amazing to read, and very encouraging. Thank u 4 reminding me how joyful full-time service really is! This has sincerely made me excited about serving Jehovah. We read about experiences in the Anuario about people traveling 2 different countries 2 serve where the need is great, pero it's not often we actual know a local who is there. It's a great honor 2 have met someone like u, and please continue keep us posted! Que Jehova te siga cuidando, y ten mas cuidado con los escorpiones! =)
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