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It was an early morning for a very impactful day.
With these posts, you will find a lack of exhaustive detail because we really want the kids to share their experiences when they arrive home. Really, this blog is so that you can know a general idea of what the team is doing and so when you ask them questions, you can point to a post and ask them to explain more. However, every post will feature something from one or more of the team from their post of view.
We left on the bus on Mar. 13 for a cemetery to meet with the executive director of Centre fof Transformative Missions, after a brief presentation on what World Renew does in Guatemala from the National Director.
We arrived at the cemetery. It was a pretty cool place. Compared to the cemeteries we have here in Canada it is much grander. Gravesites are almost like small castles beautifully carved and owned by different families. At least that's it looked like at first. But after being introduced to our tour guide he showed us how the cemetery reflects Guatemala itself. You have a huge pyramid style grave site extravagantly decorated and beautiful looking. And just 4 steps away we see what they call the gallery. Coffins are given a spot on an immensely long wall for 7 years. Then they're thrown into a mass grave. Its the same in Guatemala. You have the rich sleeping meters away from the slums. This is their reality. He explained to us that Guatemala has wounds it needs to heal. 5 major ones. This was the first. Social/Economical. The second wound was Racism. He explained how colonialists had come and brought with them their ideas of white superiority. The Europeans needed land to implement their ideas for a developed Guatemala. So they took it from the indigenous people. Forcing them to be slaves, be killed or move away. This started the racial war and ideas that indigenous people are not as intelligent as the urban Guatemalans. This ended the second wound. The third wound was the one that shocked me personally the most. The religious war. When this topic was brought up I imagined some sort of domestic crusade. But it was a war between Christians. The evangelical protestants and the catholics. The catholics were the first to guatemala. They spread to the rest of Guatemalans and soon everyone was a catholic. It came to a point where the Catholics had so much power in government since catholisciscm was with everyone that a president attempted to take away some of their power. He brought in the first evangelicals. Promoting them over Protestantism. This began the christian war we see everywhere. ANd has played a huge role in shaping Guatemala. The last and final wound was the civil war. This 35 year war between the rebels and tthe government showed the corruption in the guatemalan government. He explained that the rebels were movng towards the communist revolution. The government went to the USA for support. The war that ensued was eivesting for the country. Splitting it to its very core. Not only did it cause immense pain and death. But it ripped the other wounds open even furthr. gThe leaders of the two sides targeted other Christian groups, other racial groups and other social/economical groups. This war ripped the counrtry apart even farther. Increasing the divisions and fixing nothing. Going through this cemetery was such an eye opener. Especially when you see that many injustices that happen in Guatemala, happen in Canada as well. The only difference is that we cover them up better. This was the national Guatemalan cemetery.
Callum MacLeod
In the afternoon, we went to two centres for education and safekeeping for children, after a great lunch in a modern restaurant.
We had a fantastic self-guided road tour on our way back to the hotel afterwards. Worship music, a bible study and dinner rounded up a great day. 5:30 a.m. start tomorrow for an eight hour bus ride to Sayaxche-so prayer is much appreciated.
Thank you for your support. When your children get home, ask them about the day of hugging. I am not going spoil it here and now, but I think everyone had one of the most impactful day of their lives today. There were tears, laughter and love all around.
The team is really turning into a family.
God bless from Guatemala City!