El fin

Well, this will be my last post for our trip!  What a whirlwind.  Though we agree that the week seemed to start slow, in retrospect it blew by (isn't that how it always is?)  The final debriefing we had last night was really great because Ashley (the VP of HRI) joined us and filled in some holes in stories we heard or experiences we've had which were really meaningful.  For example, we weren't quite sure of our purpose going to visit Santiago and play with the children there other than the fact Felipe lives there and we could hear his story.  Ashley told us that the reason she has set up this visit is to make Felipe a leader in the eyes of the people in his village.  When HRI groups come, he chooses the children that go with them to eat lunch, and keeps an eye  out as we play with them.  This is because Felipe is the black sheep of his village due to his gang-banging past. Even though he is no longer apart of a  gang, he has that label stuck on him. When Ashley first came to visit Felipe, a member of the village stood on the steps of the church and screamed at her for associating with Felipe because he was a criminal and a horrible person.  Ashley retorted by telling that person that he without sin can cast the first stone.  (Did I mention Ashley is about the strongest girl I've ever met? And that just prior to this conversation she and I were comparing notes on all the seasons of the Real World back into the 90's? Hilarious.)  

Felipe and others like him with seedy pasts are very likely to have tattoos-gang associated or otherwise. In Guatemala, however, it is near impossible to be employed if you have any on your body.  Applicants are subjected to "physicals" where doctors must report findings of tattoos anywhere on their person.  So, something Ashley is doing currently is taking the ex-homies working for HRI or studying with them to get tattoos removed.  This is a long, difficult, and very painful process.  She showed some pictures of Alex--the Ghetto construction coordinator--and his face while he was getting the work done. No bueno. 

I think this new information we took to heart last night really sums up our experience here. It is the story of redemption through Christ's salvation for some of the lowliest people in the world (criminals, ex-gang-bangers, impoverished, etc.) and our responsibility as Christians to see all people through the lens of Jesus.  Rich, poor, criminal, saint, Christian, or not--they are no greater or lesser than us and we are called to love them (see Roman's 12--our devotional study for week). But love doesn't mean letting sinful behavior slide (Ashley gave us a great story of scolding her workers for being late and how ex-criminals will cave under  her anger like little boys), nor does it mean lavishing handouts on the underprivileged so that they never know an honest day's living.  I'm excited to see how this team will apply these principles back on our home turf.

Finally,  this experience was a great one in team unity. This is only my second mission trip, but the first one where I bonded with the other members of my team and truly got to know them on a new level.  There was a LOT of laughing this week. Like, I'm talking "tears in our eyes, bent over, can't breathe" laughing.  We have our fair share of inside jokes from the week, and if you are in Momentum you should be able to get in on some of them on August 25th when we share out in ABF.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself with them and now can call them all closer friends for this time.
Thank you for all of you who followed this blog faithfully,  encouraged faithfully, and prayed for us faithfully.  If you have felt called to be apart of this journey in any way, definitely check out Hope-Renewed.org for the chance to sponsor a student, donate to the ministry, or perhaps even go on a trip with HRI yourself.  

Muchas gracias y bendiciones!