Today I Carried 480 Pounds of Water

Today I carried 480 pounds of water.  I did this 5 gallons or 40 pounds at a time.  So 6 trips.  Why?  Because today there was a planned electricity outage in our region of Guatemala.  Our water is pressurized by an electric pump; so no elecricity = no pressure = no water.  While this was a planned outage, we did not know about it so we were surprised to learn of it.  My initial reaction was that this was not going to be a big deal.  We were not going to be at home anyway.  Then I realized that we needed to hand wash the dishes and be able to flush toilets.

We had enough bottled water for the dishes and brushing teeth, but with four extra people in the house there was a lot of toilet flushing that needed water.  So I trekked down to the neighborhood swimming pool and toted a few 5 gallon containers of water for the flushing.  I was surprised at how the inconvenience of having to carry water made me feel towards my host country and my landlord.

Yep, I said swimming pool.  We are blessed to rent a house in a beautiful little neighborhood and the owner has a pool.  The total distance for the round trip was probably 100 yards.  So as I am carrying one of the containers  I was struck by the Holy Spirit saying - "really, you want to complain about this and talk about how your landlord is too cheap to buy a gas powered generator for days like this.  How about the millions of people that walk every day for their water.  People who walk for miles on trips that take hours, to get water that is less than pure and likely to make them sick."

When the Holy Spirit was done with me, I could hear one of our friends saying to her 14 year old son - "you need to have a happy heart about this situation."  I made the most of the situation and had the opportunity to transparently tell Parker what I was processing.  We had a conversation about how we have made sacrifices to be here in Guatemala, but there are people that have very little hope of their circumstances changing and would do almost anything to walk 100 yards to dip cool water from a filtered and chlorinated swimming pool.

If you want to learn more about the global water crisis check out the folks at  charity: water (http://www.charitywater.org/whywater/).  If you hear the Holy Spirit talking to you take a minute to make a difference by getting involved.

An ounce of prevention....

So the summer of teams has begun! Last week started a series of back-to-back teams from now until August! This first team was pretty special since my mom and dad were leading this team from their home church, The Crossing. We had so much fun! Thank you Crossing Church for being the hands and feet of Jesus this week!

Nina (my mom Beverly) and Parker

This was a dream team! They came ready, willing and available to serve. They prepared devotions and crafts, they scraped porches and painted, they served lunch to hungry kids, loved on kids and babies, they taught kids how to brush their teeth and blessed our families.

My dad (Larry) painting.

Mom serving lunch at Manna.

Mariely and Kristen teaching dental hygiene at Manna.

Using her new tooth brush...

getting assistance from big sis...

Flossing tooo....

We took advantage of a unique opportunity with this team. One of their team members is a dental hygienist. So we partnered with another ministry, Servants 4 Him, to host a dental clinic. Servants 4 Him brought the dentist and many supplies, we brought the team and the patients!

Crossing Church team, Servants 4 Him team and EN team.

I am constantly amazed at the little things we take for granted in the U.S. - for instance, hygiene and health education. I can remember from my earliest days being taught the importance of brushing my teeth and regular dental visits. I learned about it at home, at school and every time I set foot in the dentist's office.

Most dentists in developing countries do what we would call, "triage" or "critical care" - in other words - they pull rotten teeth. Very few people brush their teeth, even fewer get them cleaned. They only go to the dentist when they have no other choice. By then, the aching tooth is rotten and requires pulling. Root canals aren't an option because a secondary infection can leave the patient worse than before. Extraction is the primary tool for most patients.

Dr. Dennis Ruano explaining procedures to mama.

Lee holding hands and comforting while Kristen cleans teeth.

This breaks my heart. Going to the dentist should be a good thing - not a terrifying trauma. The cure for trauma in the dental chair is preventive maintenance. I am reminded of Ben Franklin's wise saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." There is the rub - this culture does not utilize preventative maintenance for anything - not teeth, cars, homes nor health. A little planning for the future, a little care of your body or your home goes a long way towards preventing painful and costly problems in the future.

Dr. Dennis and his assitants...very serious business.

So cool I got to wear shades!

Yet, I am beginning to better understand the tyranny of the urgent - like "where am I going to get some money to buy some beans and rice?" I guess when you spend your day focused on how to feed your family, the "little things" like brushing your teeth don't even register on the radar. We take for granted the luxury of brushing teeth, regular dental and medical care. We take for granted the "daily bread." I'm pretty sure you have more than the "daily bread" in your pantry. (I know I do.)

So what do I do about this? This bothers me, but how do I live differently because of it. The scope of needs can be overwhelming. I am learning to ask the Lord, "What is the next thing?" What is it you want me to do next? How can I serve today? If I focus on today's daily bread or today's calling, I don't have to drown under the weight of what could or should be. God's got it - He can handle it! He just wants me to be a willing vessel in this moment for what He has set before me right now. What's next for you?
(Probably, brushing your teeth! hahaha)

Clean teeth and smiles! 

The Ringling Brothers come to Pana...

well, not exactly the Ringling Brothers, but there was a circus that came to town this week. The small empty lot, adjacent to our Dispensa Familiar (small grocery store chain, owned by Walmart) is where we found ourselves last night in the Big Top Tent of the Lopez Gaona Family circus.

Rich, Kasia, Mike, Adele, Cheryl, Lungi, Lee

Me, Parker & Anna Kate 

the head of the dog is Oreo, looking at his adoring owner Lungi

We were invited to go to the circus with our friends: the Buhre's and the Robert's. We decided to buy the upgraded tickets, so we could have front row seats (chairs) instead of bleacher seats. I actually had two chairs stacked on top of each other - neither by itself could actually hold a person, but together they managed to keep me out of the sawdust. I was very grateful for my two chairs because the bleachers were a series of 1x5 wooden boards tied to a rickety metal frame. Let's just say that Guatemalans must not be very litigious.

The show started with some goats trained to run around the ring, hop on stands and walk across boards. It migrated into a classic staple of every self-respecting circus - the Clowns. The clown acts were heavy on dialog (in high-pitched, rapid fire Spanish), low on side-splitting comedic antics. The clowns were my least favorite part of the show. We saw horses, acrobats, a "trapeze" artist and more clowns. The acrobats were really quite talented, I really enjoyed watching them. The trapeze artist, wasn't really on a trapeze - it was two long strips of red fabric which he wrapped around himself and flip-flopped through the air. Fortunately, he was very athletic and brave as he flew around the tent without a safety net to catch him. During the Intermedio, the audience was encouraged to get snacks while they assembled a cage around the ring. The zenith of the show was watching the four Bengal tigers (which used to belong to Michael Jackson) as they jumped through hoops of fire, danced, growled and performed with their trainer. After the show, we were able to have our picture made with the Bengal tiger cub. What an adventure!

Our family with Kasia, Lungi and tiger cub Achilles!

I have to be completely transparent here - the only circus my kids have ever been to is - Cirque de Soleil. This is kinda like visiting the Eiffel Tower and then going to see the amateur sculpture outside the Public Library. There is no equality in comparing the work of a genius with the work of your average Juan. My standard for "greatest shows on earth" is slightly skewed - know what I mean. BUT - I have to say that we really enjoyed the circus. You could tell that they know what a circus experience is supposed to include. It had all the circus essentials - popcorn, hotdogs, girls selling souvenirs, animals, performers and clowns. (The only thing missing were the orange circus peanuts, but I didn't really miss that.) They really wanted to entertain and amaze their audience. For those in attendance that have never been to Cirque de Soleil; they probably were amazed and entertained by the wonders of the animals and the acrobats. I bet for many of the Guatemalans, they have never seen, heard or smelled real live tigers. It was good, clean family fun - which is not always easy to find in Panajachel. What a great family adventure!