Amor & Esperanza: A Very Special Day

Last weekend I got to do something I have wanted to do ever since Dan and I decided to return to Guatemala…

After two weeks of getting settled and going through the mandatory “getting adjusted” sickness it seemed like the right time for our visit to my former host family in Santiago. I wanted to just show up at my family’s house, but after finding out they moved since I last saw them I figured it would be better to call. So, on Friday night I called my host sister, Josefa, and let her know we were coming to visit.

Santiago is about 30 minutes from Panajachel in lancha (small motor boat) as it is situated on the opposite side of the lake. On the ride across beautiful Lake Atitlan I pondered what it would be like to see them again. I felt a mix of emotions, but mostly felt excitement. I have lived with multiple host families during my travels in Central America, but the one closest to my heart is the Damian-Sosof family. After all, I lived with them for an entire year; I shared countless meals with them, celebrated the holidays with them, and introduced them to my family- my parents, aunt, sister, Dan, and two best friends (all of whom visited me during my last time here). I feel a bond with my Santiago family that is hard to explain, but very special.

We met Josefa at the docks and she took us on a little tour of Santiago. I discovered that my host brother, Diego, is married and has a 3 year old daughter! Also, he has continued his studies and is now in University (a huge accomplishment!). He was in class, but ran out to say hi for a minute. I got to meet his wife and daughter. Both were nice, but a little confused on who the gringa (white woman) was. Haha. I also got to visit my former boss/the director of ANADESA, Juan Ramirez, and his family. I received some awesome news regarding ANADESA (the community group I worked with that is funded through Mennonite Central Committee). They recently became an official foundation (similar to the US equivalent of being a 501 3c). Also, they just purchased their OWN LAND! This is a huge deal as they have been working out of Juan’s small home for the past five years. That is where they hold all of their activities and meetings and where they sell their beadwork. They hope to one day build a community center and office for ANADESA on their newly acquired land. It will be a long journey requiring lots of hard work and money, but it was really encouraging to see them committed to their purpose and moving forward!

The best part of the visit was seeing my host mom, Andrea. As I walked into the family’s new home I heard her before I even saw her. She yelled “Buenas tardes!”, but in a kind of broken Spanish since she doesn’t really speak it. I walked through the door and ran to hug her and tears started streaming down my face. I just love this woman so much. She is the epitome of a servant and I see Christ reflected in her in so many ways. With Andrea unable to speak Spanish and me unable to speak T’ztujil you would think we were never able to communicate, but the fact is she was the family member I bonded with the most. There is just something special about her and I was thrilled to see her again. It was a really emotional moment that is hard to describe so you will have to just trust me. ;) Andrea prepared lunch for us including her delicious corn tortillas- fresh off the grill. They were delicious! Man, I have missed those tortillas! All in all it was a lovely day and one I won’t forget anytime soon. One of the best parts was telling everyone that we are not here on vacation (what they thought), but that we are actually living in Panajachel for a year. We invited them all to come visit us in Pana sometime and told them we’d love to have them over for lunch. It’d be a great role reversal for us to make lunch for them! I hope they take us up on the offer.