Guatemala Day One
(December 28, 2007)
I write from a little internet cafe in Antigua, which is one of the only preserved colonial cities left in Latin America. There is some angsty Latin rock music blasting from across the cobblestoned street... the words sound familiar, but I don´t understand.
I can´t believe I´m in Guatemala. Despite my luggage not being here, I feel extremely blessed by my short experience here so far. I feel almost strangely (I don´t really know what other word to use) empowered by God. Perhaps strange because the times during which I feel He´s been propelling me are pretty random and nothing that would appear signficant on the surface, or by itself. Like today, my flight from Boston to ATL was delayed a whole hour, which I didn´t even realize because I was knocked out even before they started playing the safety video, so I had 10 minutes to get to my next flight at the end of the terminal. But when I was rushing in the ATL terminal to catch my next flight, I was on the brink of panicking, but even in that small moment, God brought peace in my mind and heart, and somehow I just wasn´t worried that I wouldn´t make the flight. I was the last one to make the flight, but there was a couple right in front of me who also had been on the Boston flight and just made it on time as well.
Those little things are what make up life for me; they are what edify my faith.
And of course, I didn´t really know anyone that well prior to this trip even though we are all from the same university, but it´s been so great spending time with these new people. About 5 of us got to Antigua in the afternoon on Friday and just roamed around the hood a bit... ate a yummy cheap late lunch, went around the market vendors, took a delicious nap, and went to this very cute/quaint Italian restaurant. During that meal... I found myself feeling so much more adult. It´s a feeling that has been quite common in recent times--the realization that I am not a kid anymore, and neither are the people I usually associate myself with. These associations represent a slow transition in my life into a new, different, and exciting lifestyle-culture of being a young adult. Our conversation tnoight felt so mature, involving politics, culture, life, education, but all was in good humor and not competitive or anything like that at all.
And tonight I read Mark 4Ñ26-29, in which Jesus talks about the growing of the seed planted by the farmer... just how this growth is not by our will, but by His. He is the gardener. And that is such a comforting feeling, to know that I´m not in charge, but that our Almighty, Sovereign, Loving God is.
Missing you all!!
Much love,
hei-yue
I write from a little internet cafe in Antigua, which is one of the only preserved colonial cities left in Latin America. There is some angsty Latin rock music blasting from across the cobblestoned street... the words sound familiar, but I don´t understand.
I can´t believe I´m in Guatemala. Despite my luggage not being here, I feel extremely blessed by my short experience here so far. I feel almost strangely (I don´t really know what other word to use) empowered by God. Perhaps strange because the times during which I feel He´s been propelling me are pretty random and nothing that would appear signficant on the surface, or by itself. Like today, my flight from Boston to ATL was delayed a whole hour, which I didn´t even realize because I was knocked out even before they started playing the safety video, so I had 10 minutes to get to my next flight at the end of the terminal. But when I was rushing in the ATL terminal to catch my next flight, I was on the brink of panicking, but even in that small moment, God brought peace in my mind and heart, and somehow I just wasn´t worried that I wouldn´t make the flight. I was the last one to make the flight, but there was a couple right in front of me who also had been on the Boston flight and just made it on time as well.
Those little things are what make up life for me; they are what edify my faith.
And of course, I didn´t really know anyone that well prior to this trip even though we are all from the same university, but it´s been so great spending time with these new people. About 5 of us got to Antigua in the afternoon on Friday and just roamed around the hood a bit... ate a yummy cheap late lunch, went around the market vendors, took a delicious nap, and went to this very cute/quaint Italian restaurant. During that meal... I found myself feeling so much more adult. It´s a feeling that has been quite common in recent times--the realization that I am not a kid anymore, and neither are the people I usually associate myself with. These associations represent a slow transition in my life into a new, different, and exciting lifestyle-culture of being a young adult. Our conversation tnoight felt so mature, involving politics, culture, life, education, but all was in good humor and not competitive or anything like that at all.
And tonight I read Mark 4Ñ26-29, in which Jesus talks about the growing of the seed planted by the farmer... just how this growth is not by our will, but by His. He is the gardener. And that is such a comforting feeling, to know that I´m not in charge, but that our Almighty, Sovereign, Loving God is.
Missing you all!!
Much love,
hei-yue