On Sunday, June 3rd, we received our first-ever mission team of youth in Coban- the Otter Creek Youth Group (OCYG). They were one of the most energized groups we had ever seen after a very early rising, morning of air travel, and afternoon of bus travel. We were soon to find out that the energy, bright smiles, and trend of positive attitudes of this group would not fade throughout the week, even in the midst of endless crafts and games, very tight sleeping conditions, and even more road travel. At the devo on the first night, the chaperones reinforced the theme to the youth that this trip was not about them; rather, it was about God and how he was working in them and through them and in the Valley. These students definitely took that message to heart! (And we believe that is a huge reflection upon the amazing adult leadership they had within their group- we MUST give a big shoutout to team leader John Roberson, as well as Greg, Jill, Amy, and Kelly... they were awesome!)
The OCYG made their way into the Valley on Monday after a helpful orientation at Hotel Don Francisco, which helped to give them some insight into the objectives of Project Ulpan, the history and economic state of Guatemala, the culture of the Q'eqchi' Mayans, and their own role in both serving and learning from the Q'eqchi' students with which they would be working. We tried to make it very clear to them that this was different from a typical "youth mission" where teens from the states come with a mindset that they are the "rich" coming to "give" of themselves and "bring God" to the poor; we challenged them instead to think of themselves as equals with the Mayan youth, to really try to levitate the Q'eqchi' culture, to keep their eyes open for ways God is already present and working in the Valley, and to be willing to both give and to receive during their week with them.
On Tuesday, a group of about 25 secondary students from the Sequixpur community joined us at our base camp location in Benitzul. We chose this group of students for the integrity they had shown in continuing their education and pushing to start the first "high school" in their community. I can still picture the huge smiles on the Mayan teens and the OCYG teens faces as they met for the first time and their two cultures began to collide. We all know how tricky and drama-filled teenage girl friendships can be... but it was no time before they were painting each other's nails and braiding each other's hair. God was proving to us very quickly, as he has with every team that has come down, that any language or other type of cultural barrier could be easily overcome with LOVE!
We started off on Tuesday with several mixer games. One of the favorites was our authentic Valley take on the "pass a life saver on a toothpick" game- using non other than nails and washers (thanks to Kevin Colvett's innovative mind)! As I said, it took no encouragement on our part to get the two groups of youths mingling and working together.
Sadly, we did not get many pictures of the other activities of the youth in the Valley. The first morning, they discussed with the Sequixpur students what God looked like and meant to them, then they made clay crosses and bandana bracelets to remind them of God's Presence always "around" them. The following day we walked up to the Benitzul primary school and the Sequixpur teens were empowered to help lead the same activities with the younger students there. That same morning we also played a very serious (and dangerous) round of musical chairs. The kids enjoyed that almost as much as the Benitzul community fiesta the night before, a complete cultural experience with caldo (brothy chicken and vegetable soup), marimba music, and dancing (don't tell the church elders! ;-)). The picture below is from Wednesday evening and our attempt to skype with the Otter Creek congregation. Sadly, we couldn't get the video to work.... but hey, it was another perfect opportunity to integrate our groups and talk about how we had seen God at work!
After three days in the Valley, we took both groups of teens on a very special "field trip" to see the Mayan ruins of Tikal. The Sequixpur students followed around the guides and their professor, taking notes about the history of their ancestors, which was now materializing right before their eyes. The OCYG students just stood humbled and amazed before the tall pyramids, soaking in the rich beauty and intelligence of Mayan culture. Below is Humberto, one of the Sequixpur students who begged me to take his picture, standing in front of one of the largest pyramids in the Grand Plaza.
While the pyramids are the highlight of Tikal, we also thoroughly enjoyed searching through the trees for the howler monkeys who were calling out to one another and who sounded more like jaguars or some other fierce beasts than mere monkeys.
One of the neatest aspects of the trip to Tikal (at least for Kris and I) was that we were able to include our whole Ulpan Valley team- Cesar, Roberto and Julio. They were as wide-eyed as the secondary students as they walked among the giant structures. Because a couple of the Sequixpur students couldn't make it, we even had room for Roberto's and Julio's wives and youngest childrent to come along, as well. I (and many others) LOVED watching and playing with Wilson and Julito as we walked through the park.
Needless to say, the trip to Tikal was the ultimate experience for the OCYG teens to assist them in "levitating" Mayan culture. It was a perfect end to our week of cultural exchange. Kris and I parted with the team after Tikal to head to Belize for visa renewals and a few days of vacation, but we heard that there were tears running down all the teens faces when they had to say goodbye to their new friends. We believe they now have a new vision of what brothers and sisters in Christ can look like... mission accomplished!
Kris and I thoroughly enjoyed our few days of rest and relaxation in Belize. Our favorite memory was probably from our day on the beach at Caye Caulker where we went snorkeling with an awesome guide named Sean and swam with (and even held) sting rays and sharks.
