Reflections

October 25, 2012

Reflections

Tomorrow I leave Guatemala, ending my 20^th trip to the highlands over an 8 year period. Each and every trip has made a lasting impression which has shaped who I have become and who I am becoming.  I have cried. I have laughed. I have been humbled. I have been educated. And I have made lifelong friends on this journey. I have come to know our Lord like never before and have embraced the call He has placed upon my life. I am blessed, so very blessed by this mission.

Life in the Ixil is nothing like life in the States. I refuse to state the obvious impact of generations of oppression, war, isolation and poverty. That story is over told. Instead, my mind is focused on the unbelievable determination of a local indigenous leader who is driven to make a difference. Tabita Juana Toma de la Cruz. Her rock solid resolve to change a community for Jesus Christ is unwavering. Her story is made for TV – growing up without during a savage civil war; daughter of a prominent evangelical pastor who was executed for his beliefs when she was but 15. Beating the odds and escaping the chains of war and oppression. Getting educated in a culture that inhibits opportunity for women. Faced with choices, she defied the norm and decided to return to Cotzal – for the children; to lead the charge to provide a way up through education. She defines the term “street saint.”

God gave Tabita a vision in 2006 to start a private Christian School in Cotzal. Without resources, without a building, without teachers, without a recognized organization, she put up signs promoting the new school. She moved forward out of obedience, with great faith and abundant prayer. Twenty parents embraced her vision and signed their children up to begin classes in January of 2007. She scrambled to find classroom space, become recognized by the Ministry of Education and find teachers willing to work for nothing. Colegio Horeb had become a reality. Tabita gives all thanks to God.

Today, five years later, I watched as eight children graduated from 6^th grade. Six of the eight are girls, each with the intention of continuing on in their education.  In all, 86 children attended the school this past year (grades 1-6). W.I.N.D of God had the opportunity to come alongside Tabita this past year, providing financial support which allows the school to remain functioning. God led us to Tabita’s doorstep at the perfect time. It is an honor to be used by God in this way.

I am excited to get home tomorrow. Spending time with Tabita can only inspire. Her vision includes continued growth, the acquisition of property and the construction of a new school for the children. I am anxious to continue to tell this amazing story to W.I.N.D. donors and invite them to join into this amazing story.

Our Friend Don

July 6^th

I find myself thinking about a Guatemalan friend who passed away last Saturday. Don Langley (also known as Popi) lived in Nebaj. He operated a little restaurant which catered to gringos who might pass through the area. He also founded a non-profit called Mayan Hope which operated a little Special Needs School. We were told he went into the Nebaj hospital with stomach pain, was transferred to Quiche and died a couple of days later. He was in great pain when we last saw him in June. Of course he was still smoking like a chimney.

Don was a friend to many of the local gringos who lived short-term in Nebaj. It took a little while to warm up to him when we first met him. I would describe him as gruff; a man with an interesting history, perhaps coming to Guatemala to hide away or to escape the insanity of the world. He was quite opinionated about current Guatemalan politics. He followed Buddha for awhile and explored other religions, but chose none. He loved cooking. Each year he would prepare a huge gringo Thanksgiving feast, always making enough to take plates to the jail. His apple pie was the talk of the town. He cherished his rare orchids. He loved the children in the community, particularly those with special needs. He raised ducks.  He housed strangers, and hired only local people (even when he did not need the help). He took in stray dogs and cats. I do not think he ever cared what people thought of him.

Don would sit with us as we ate, a cigarette constantly hanging from his lips. He always seemed glad to see us again. I never told him the role he had in forming the identity of WIND. Once on one of our early visits, he told us of his founding of the special needs school. Nancy asked him, “Why did you decide to start the school?” He stared at us and paused, letting his eyes move to each of us and looking as if we had just asked the dumbest question in the world. I will never forget that look. Then he answered, “Because they needed it.” And with that he turned and walked back to the kitchen, leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. Such simple wisdom! They needed a school, so he started one. Later as we were forming our thoughts for WIND of God, those words returned to me during a fitful night of sleep. WIND became an acronym - When It Needs Doing became our charge.

I will again be in Nebaj in a few days time. It will not be the same without Don. I hope to visit his grave site and spend a few minutes in remembrance. I will miss Don. I will miss his awesome Taco Burritos. Don will not make any church honor roles, will never be recognized as a missionary. But he impacted so many people in his years in Nebaj.  The wake he made in life touched many – even this sojourner.

Looking forward to 2012

Dear Friends of WIND,

I enter 2012 full of excitement for what God is doing through the growing W.I.N.D. of God  ministry. It was so exciting for Maurina and me to participate in the graduation ceremonies in Cotzal this past November. I had many opportunities to visit with students and family members – and every one of them wanted me to extend their heartfelt thanks to all the supporters back home.  Without the support from many of the individuals on this distribution list, none of this would have been possible.

We joined in a celebration for 18 men and women who graduated from the Bible and Pastor training programs. It is difficult to put into words, but the ministry is so much bigger than the education of these 18 students.  Eight teachers received an income due to the program. However the incredible thing is the out pouring of community support for the graduates. The churches were packed out with family and friends of the graduates.  It was literally standing room only for the three hour event, a very  festive occasion. It was a privilege to represent all of our supporters  during my “extended greeting” at the ceremony. 

W.I.N.D of God continues to grow as we attempt to meet the needs in the Ixil. We will be expanding both our Bible Training and Pastor Training programs next year. This will result in a record number of students involved in these programs. We are very excited about a new relationship we are building with a private Christian primary school in Cotzal. Consider these facts:

·         The average Indigenous Mayan only has 2.5 years of education.

·         Only three of ten children (30%) graduate from sixth grade.

·         Only 39% of Mayan women are considered literate.

·         Only 54% of Mayan girls will ever enter school.  

Our initial plan is to help support the dedicated teachers who very seldom receive any income due to lack of resources. We are praying about our potential role in constructing a building for the school (they currently meet in rented space that provides a bleak learning environment at best). And if we dared to dream, the future school would provide a holistic approach toward serving the entire family. Our son Jordan will be teaching English at the school for the next three months. This will give us a much needed on-the-ground evaluation of the school and curriculum. You can keep tabs on his journey at: www.jordanrichardrice.blogspot.com.

Thank you very much for your ongoing support. Be assured that your contributions make a significant difference to the education process in this region.  I look forward to providing you with future updates on all these exciting projects as the year progresses.

Dream with me

Although primary school attendance is compulsory in Guatemala, starting at age seven, only one-half of those Mayan girls of primary-school age, who are classified as extremely poor, have entered school. Fewer than 10 percent of these girls aged 13–24 who entered primary school have completed the sixth grade, and just 14 percent of these primary-school graduates have ever enrolled in secondary school.

So let me do the math for us.

Start with 100 economically poor Mayan girls age 7.

50 will enter primary school.

5 will graduate from primary school.

1 might go onto secondary school.

Acceptable? Dare to dream with me. What if we could change this paradigm - even slightly. According to a 2002 census, Cotzal has a population of 9,037 people (the municipality which includes the outlying villages has a total population of slightly more than 30,000 people). With the Lords help – dealing with one family situation at a time – what if we were able to achieve a 100% primary graduation rate for girls who enter the program. We would see lasting change that would impact every aspect of the community within two generations.

Something to throw into the dream machine.

Can't help them all

Every conversation with Paul Townsend provides small jewels of wisdom or counsel. I often call him My Apostle Paul, but he would be angry with such a comparison. Today Paul took the time to tell us a little about Chajul. He often stops, moved to tears as he recalls some of the people who gave their lives to preserve God’s word during the war. The list of those killed because of who they called their King – is numbing.

This afternoon, in the quiet of his office, he broke our hearts with a story that runs parallel to our stay in the Ixil. A young shoeless shoe shine boy stuck his head in the office and Paul politely shooed him away. As he stared at the empty doorway, he said, “That was Manuel. He started coming around here a while back – wanting to shine my shoes. I paid him little attention at first.  Then I let him shine my shoes, and I learned a little about him. Sometimes I would give him a little soup which he would wolf down to fill his starving stomach. Over time I got to know him a bit and went to visit his home - such an extremely poor family, even by Ixil standards! Today I made arrangements to pay for his education; in January he will begin classes at the Christian School. I took him to Nebaj and purchased a pair of shoes and a shirt for him and his little brother. He was so pleased.” As he turned his eyes back from the empty doorway, I asked him, “With all this need everywhere you turn, how do you decide who to help and who to say no to?” He replied, “You can’t help them all. The Ixil people have one of the highest levels of malnutrition in the world. I have people coming to my door all the time – asking for food, asking for money, asking for medicine for a sick baby. You just have to say no sometimes. I’ve had people come back and tell me – thanks a lot - because you did not give me medicine for my baby, my baby died. It is hard, but you have to compartmentalize it. Sometimes God puts people in my path that I feel a overwhelming conviction to help. You just can’t help them all.”  

When there is such abundance back at home in the States, it is hard to accept that we cannot at least help more of these beautiful people. I pray that W.I.N.D. can help in some small way. With a focus on providing affordable quality Christian education, it might help a little. But I guess you can’t help them all. Oh God, give us a passion for the oppressed, the poor and the widowed.

But the Church grew

From my journal… We met today with a man named Ramando. He the Director of a Christian School in Chajul. It is connected with to the local Methodist Church. He showed us around his Church and we toured the school. Then we finished up in a beautiful sanctuary where about 600 people cram into the pews every Sunday for a 6am service (which last two hours – mas o menos). They have home groups and offer a VBS program.

He told us a little about the history of the church – specifically around the war years. He showed us an interesting looking garden area. Apparently during the war – the army forbade them to go to the river to hold baptisms. So they built this tub like structure behind the church. There they continued to secretly hold baptisms until the war was over. After the war they filled it with dirt and planted a garden. From it new life continues to emerge. During the war, everyone needed to be inside their homes before dark. Ramando explained how the army would scatter empty cans all around. In the pitch black of night if the soldiers heard the cans being kicked, they would start shooting. The next morning they would often find dead dogs which had been shot as a result. Sometime there were friends who had stumbled on the cans on their way to the bano during the night. They were shot and often killed as well. He told of the instance when one night the Army hung a dead body over the doorway of the church – saying that only death mattered. The Church did not matter - it was a waste of time. He said; “The army was trying to destroy the church. But the Church grew during this time. God can not be deterred. To this we said, Amen.

Rich

Open Door

Open Door

This is a picture of a door leading to a classroom in the current space being used for the Christian School in Cotzal; 82 students, grades 1-6 being taught under a leaking roof in dank facilities. The parents of these children have decided it is worth the 25Q per month (about $3) to have their children in a Christian learning environment. Public education would be free – but the public education is not effective. So they dig deep into their limited budget and pay the 25Q. If a family cannot come up with the 25Q, Tabita and the teachers quietly help cover their cost. They do not turn anyone away who wants to learn. Sadly, as the children learn to read and write, the number of students drops off as the parents feel they have learned what they need to know. But Tabita and her staff tirelessly work to inspire the students.

God led us to Cotzal. He called us to raise the education level of the people in the Ixil. He led us to Tabita, a real saint to the children she teaches. He showed us the way to this open door to new possibilities – an open door to making a difference to the children of Cotzal. An open door to bringing a better tomorrow to a region weighted down by years of war and oppression. But what? How? With what resources?

The real question is:  Do I have the faith required to jump in with both feet and say yes, we trust that God will provide the financial resources required to build a new school? Or would I rather hedge my bet and throw in a few dollars to provide materials and perhaps scholarships?  A question of faith?!  If I feel called, why would I doubt that the resources would be made available – and in abundance!  It requires a kind of “Sun Stand Still” faith to make it happen.  Do I have the confidence to look Tabita in the eye and say, “I believe God will raise the necessary money to build a school where He will be glorified.  Let’s get started!”  It is a question of faith, is it not?

Amanda sent me an email asking what was I doing on 11/11/11 at 11:11am. I was literally standing at the open door way of Tabita’s home – being invited in to hear her story. I believe we were being invited to take part in a new chapter. I invite you to join us on an 11:11 path of prayer. Everyday – when you can think about it – join us at 11:11am in prayer for the children of Cotzal. I trust God will tell you how to pray. I believe that amazing things will begin to happen. When God whispers a reply, I ask you to drop us a note and tell us what you heard.

Rich

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14