A Sign and A Wonder

Today after our village clinic, eight of us Guatemalans, and non-Guatemalans piled in the back of the red pickup truck to set off for home. It was an adventurous ride, as we rounded windy dirt roads, that the rain had long since washed out. We couldn't help but laugh, as we bounced and the truck bottomed out several times along the road. One of the translators yelled out "We're like popcorn"...Someone else shouted "It's like we are all in a blender." We held on tight, and soon the rain began to fall, a light spring-like rain that made you feel alive. As we climbed down the mountain side, I prayed in my head, "Lord, I need a sign and wonder about staying here longer into next year."  Which, looking back, seems a very selfish prayer...but God is so gracious that he heard me. Just as I finished praying, we turned a corner,and through the valley was rainbow, so close you could almost touch it.  Now, I have seen alot of rainbows in my life time...In fact, I probably could remember the first rainbow I've seen when I was about 5 years old and we lived in our old farm house. But, this rainbow was unlike any other. It was the biggest, brightest, and closest rainbow, that I have ever seen. I was in awe. It was my wonder....
But, I still needed a sign.

  We pulled into home, and the house was full of guests. We have two doctors, a midwife, the midwife's son, a single 20 something girl, and our three Mayan translators all staying with us! So, it felt like camp tonight, with lively chaos...people everywhere, and the dinner table was full! We talked, played cards, watched movies...And after, the evening was over, and I crawled off to bed, I turned on my computer to check my email. "Notification of a Donation received" was in my email inbox. I opened my email and saw that some on-fire prophetic friends from my home town, The Berwicks, had made a generous donation. That was my sign.

Mayan Rituals

1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. ³  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. ⁴  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. ⁵  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not ^[b]comprehend it. John 1:1-5

Today, we trekked once more, into the village of Chumisa, to set up clinic for the day.  We worked out of plastic medicine boxes, in small dark adobe homes, and saw 90 or so people. Fortunately, all of our translators came, and we were able to be very efficient in attending to all the sick.  When our day had come to completion, we stood beside the truck waiting for our village guide to lead us to a home visit of a very sick woman. As we stood there, we looked upon a site that appeared to be a Mayan ceremonial site.  There were two large charred pieces of ground where fires had been. Flowers, had been strewn about, in a circle. And, beside this spot was a kind of an arch way made with green bambo that served to encircle another area that had pine needles all over the ground. As we were examining the area, our friend, translator, and local pastor, Armando begin to describe the Mayan rituals that he believed must have taken place there. He began to describe the Mayan rituals that included sacrificing chickens to pay for sins, followed by blessings by the local Catholic priest.  

There is no litmus test for spirituality. But, to me, this was a perfect picture of the spiritual state of this particular village. There is a mixture of Catholicism with Mayan Religious sacrifices that has tried to replace the fact that Jesus is the perfect and pure sacrifice. Jesus, was the ultimate sacrifice when he died on the cross! He is still the ultimate sacrifice today! There need not be any more sacrifices of animals to pay for sins! HE paid for our sins once and for all!  

There is no litmus for spirituality. But, this Mayan ceremonial site was a great reminder of the village's need for Jesus. It made me more aware of the need for the light to pierce the darkness, and for the darkness to comprehend the light. 

an elderly woman from Chumisa

 Sometimes, as we work in these villages, and the spiritual atmosphere feels so heavy, I often wonder why. I wonder why, while these truths are going forth as our friend preaches at every clinic, do the people seem so dull to understand? We need a transformation in these villages. Transformation has to take place, or they will be stuck in their rituals that lead them to ultimate destruction. How does transformation take place, you ask? Prayer, prayer, and more prayer.

Join us in crying out for these villages! 

Dear Father in heaven,

Come to Chumisa! Change and transform this village! Let truth pierce hearts! May they know your son, Jesus!

Amen