Dia de Independencia - with a new meaning...

This past Saturday, we had the privilege of being invited to an Independence Day fiesta in the community of Sejabal.  This was no ordinary celebration, for not only were they celebrating the anniversary of their country's independence, they were also celebrating the freedom of becoming official landowners.  

Below we want to use various pictures from the day to tell this story of Independence....we hope you enjoy.

The students of Sejabal were an integral part of the day's events.  Here they are parading in front of the crowd with Guatemala's flag.  

As is normal in the culture we live in, men and women find separate places to congregate.  Here is pictured men from various communities in the valley watching as the festivities of the day unfold.  

CAFNIMA, the organization we volunteer with, has been instrumental in helping some of the community members purchase their land by implementing micro-credit lending.  This elderly lady of Sejabal receives her documents from the farm owner and other lawyers who were present.   

Two men of Sejabal, one a prominent leader and school teacher, review the details of their new documents of property ownership.   

As with any good party or celebration, food and music must be present.  Pictured above is the valley's specialty, Caldo de Res y Caldo de Pollo.  It was also a nice surprise to see two men from Benitzul (the community we live in) playing the marimba in the local band.      

One of our favorite ways to capture the culture of the Valley is through photos of faces.  Above you see both young and old, united on this day to celebrate Independence!

These two faces have a significant meaning for us.  The little girl above is from Benitzul and is named "DeeDee," and the little boy in DeeDee's arms is the son of Roberto who works with us daily, named "Wilson Cristobal" (Cristobal is Kris's Guatemalan name).  

We are honored to have been welcomed into this community's day of celebration!

Thoughts on “Home” and “For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these”

We have struggled the past month to figure out what we should blog about. After a full three weeks back in the States, it has taken us a while to get back into the swing of things, especially as our main priority has been helping the McKinney family get settled into the Valley.

 First, a few notes about our time “home.” I put home in parentheses because we have realized that really for the past year and during the one to come we have two “homes”- one in Nashville where “home” is defined by the familiarity of a city that is hustling and bustling and filled with great parks and fun weekend activities, as well as by family and the community of friends that surround us, and one in the backwoods of Guatemala where “home” is defined by the relationships we are building with those who speak a different language, by the simplicity and slow pace of our living (which we have desired for a long time), and by the beauty which we wake up to every morning. As much as we miss our first “home,” we are very content with our commitment to another year of service and learning here in the Valley. And in the midst of all of this talk of “home,” we remind ourselves daily that “this world is not our home”… and we thank a gracious God for opening doors for us to experience two cultures, to grow in relationship with two sets of families, during our very finite time on this earth…

As far as our actual visit to Nashville (and into Charlotte, NC), we had an absolutely wonderful time catching up with friends and family! Below are a couple of highlights and lessons learned:

1) Our biological clocks are ticking! We realized that we are coming into a whole new stage of life as we met up with three different sets of very close friends who are expecting to add a new little one to their family by the end of this year or around the beginning of the next. We are ecstatic for each of them, and while the news is also a little overwhelming, we are reminding ourselves that God has a perfect plan and timing for us… and the bonus is that we get to learn first from our friends!

2) We are blessed. Celebrating a nephew’s second birthday and meeting another for the very first time. Going to Carowinds theme park. Enjoying a gorgeous afternoon at Arrington Vineyards. Fishing and skiing on the lake. A pizza party in the basement of Lipscomb’s engineering dept. Countless rejuvenating conversations, good meals, and prayers of blessing. God is good. Nuff said.

Now, on to “For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” I have thought of this verse recently as I have spent quite a bit of time with the McKinney children here in the Valley. I have been in awe of the kids’ courage in approaching and playing with the kids of the Valley despite language and other cultural boundaries, and I have been inspired by their untiring joy throughout the day, despite having had their whole world uprooted and placed in a very unfamiliar and sometimes even uncomfortable setting. Reflecting upon this particular verse, I think that Jesus takes time in his teaching to say that the Kingdom of God belongs to children because of (1)their inhibition in making friends and their inability to judge others who are “different” and (2)because of their ability to adapt and trust that their parents (or Father) know what is best for them and will take care of them . We certainly have a lot to learn from these kids… and we are looking forward to the year ahead!