Xela

The next stop on our great trek home was the beautiful Guatemalan city of Xela (pronounced Shay-la).  Xela is 5 hours north of Guatemala City, a bit higher in altitude, and beautiful as all get-out.  And cold too.  Rachel and I were not quite prepared for that and so, for four days, we basically wore the same clothes (as in all our clothes) just to stay warm. 

In Xela, we stayed with Nate Bacon and his wife Myra in their beautiful home.  Nate is in the same Master’s program Rachel and I are in and so we took advantage of the moment and had our first class orientation (Jim DeBorst was also there with us).  Nate has a very fascinating story, growing up Lutheran and now filling the role as a Deacon in the Catholic Church.  He works with an organization called InnerChange, a community of missionaries that live in marginalized areas and do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.  They’re an amazing organization that serves all over the world.  Curious?  Please check them out!  http://www.innerchange.org/

We also had the opportunity to visit an organization that worked with young kids, mainly boys, who lived on the streets.  Many of these boys earned money by shoe shining.  It’s not a glorious job and you don’t earn a ton of money but it was enough for them.  And there were enough tourists and rich folk around for them to meet a “need”.   The organization we visited brought them in, gave them a temporary home and sought to get them back into school and/or to give them job training.  Sadly, many boys don’t stay very long as some are addicted to drugs or to sniffing glue, are caught up with gangs, or get picked up by the police.  In fact, shoe shining without a license (a.k.a. these little boys’ job) is illegal.  While we were there, some police raided the park and caught two of the boys, throwing them into group homes in the city.  It was all caught on tape and as I watched one little boy fight back with tears streaming down his face, saying how he didn’t do anything wrong, my heart broke.  Thankfully, this organization is working with these children so that being picked up in a raid doesn’t have to be a part of their future. 

In Xela, we also had our final goodbye dinner with Jim.  We had amazing artisanal pizzas (who knew?) and shared stories and jokes of our time working and learning together.  Though bittersweet, it was a great moment of connection and of closure.  After that meal, I officially felt “done” with Casa Adobe.  I was now moving on to the next chapter in my life. 

But first, a few more days of traveling and being a tourist.

Next stop: Mexico!

Stay tuned :)