Hello all! I had an incredible week working in the beautiful village of Jol Sacjún. So many exciting things happened; there are many stories to share, and I could probably write a whole book about it, but I will highlight a few aspects of the week.
This week we had a joint group from John McMillan Presbyterian Church (my home church) and The First Presbyterian Church of Warren. They arrived late Saturday night (actually, there was a mudslide on the way from the airport in Tuxtla to Ocosingo, so it took them more than twice as long as normal to drive here because they had to turn around and go a different way, so actually, they arrived around 1:00am on Sunday). Sunday morning we made the beautiful drive through the mountains to the village of Jol Sacjún. I rode with the young men who travel with us to the different villages to work with us, so I was able to practice my Spanish on the way.
We worshipped with the people in Jol Sacjún and then ate together. In the afternoon, I lead initiatives for the group, so it was an awesome opportunity to apply some of what I have learned in my studies of Adventure Education.
We worked Monday through Thursday on an educational building and manse for the church. Of course, this meant that we mixed concrete and the skilled workers did the building. We had a lot of fun mixing concrete together and growing closer to one another as we worked side by side, both as a group and alongside the Tzeltal brothers.
Midway through the morning, we take a break while the brothers eat breakfast. This week, I ate breakfast with them, and it was a great chance for more conversation. As part of this time, I have become Chiapaneca by learning the ways of the people here. In order to be Chiapaneca, I have done things that I would not necessarily do at home, like drink Coke (I haven’t had a caffeinated beverage since elementary school, but it is such an important part of the culture here because refreshments are a speciality for celebration), drinking soup without a spoon, and gradually eating more and more hot peppers.
After we finish working in the morning, we eat lunch. There is a river in Jol Sacjún, so this week we were able to bathe in the river, which was a lot of fun. On Thursday, Josue and I explored more of the river together upstream. There is a great jump rock and a beautiful cascade. The river is very refreshing and it is fun to play together after working in the morning.
In the afternoons, we led Vacation Bible School for the 120+ children of Jol Sacjún. I helped lead games and also read the Bible stories in Spanish. It was a bit of a struggle because many of the children only understood Tzeltal, so even though I could express myself in Spanish, the kids still had no idea what I was saying. Thankfully, there were a few teachers from the Compassion center in the village and a young man from the church named Cedequias that helped translate into Tzeltal. They were a blessing.
In the evenings after dinner, I usually played cards with Josue and talked with the young men to both learn more about their stories and practice my Spanish. It means a lot to me when Sebastian’s face lights up when he sees that I understand him and that my Spanish is getting better. One night, I went for a walk with Nathan, Pablo’s brother, and we talked about his story and about Chiapas. He is a wonderful teacher.
I also led some of the nightly debriefs. There was some wisdom that I had gained from my studies of Adventure Education that I was able to share with the group. It was exciting to see the impact this made for the group as they continued to interact with one another.
On Thursday night, we had another shorter worship service in the village. Then on Friday, we began the journey back by returning here to Ocosingo. In the afternoon, we went to Toniná. I was able to translate for the guide, which was a cool application of my Spanish studies. I really enjoy Toniná and the view never gets old.
This morning, the group left for San Cristóbal, where they spent the day. I stayed here in Ocosingo and it was a refreshing and rejuvenating day. In the afternoon, I walked with Paola and Josue to the center town of Ocosingo to get ice cream. It was a fun afternoon wirh them. Josue and I have become good friends. As we were playing cards last weekend, I asked him if he likes travelling to the different villages for the summer. He replied “Yes, and I get to be your friend.” This relationship with him is really special to me.
We also ran into Cedequias in Ocosingo, which was incredible, considering his village is about three hours away. He had been travelling for work today.
Tonight the next group arrived from Salem Presbytery. Tomorrow we head to the village of Chaban to work for the week. Please pray for safe travels home for the JMPC/Warren group and for their transition back to post-mission-trip life. Pray for a child named Obet from Jol Sacjún, who does not have any arms. Pray for Cedequias, particularly that he will be able to get a scholarship in order to go to college. Pray for Pastor Roberto and everyone in Jol Sacjún. Pray for a fruitful week in Chaban and for renewed energy and rest for me. Pray that this may be a transformative week for the group here.
This week we had a joint group from John McMillan Presbyterian Church (my home church) and The First Presbyterian Church of Warren. They arrived late Saturday night (actually, there was a mudslide on the way from the airport in Tuxtla to Ocosingo, so it took them more than twice as long as normal to drive here because they had to turn around and go a different way, so actually, they arrived around 1:00am on Sunday). Sunday morning we made the beautiful drive through the mountains to the village of Jol Sacjún. I rode with the young men who travel with us to the different villages to work with us, so I was able to practice my Spanish on the way.
We worshipped with the people in Jol Sacjún and then ate together. In the afternoon, I lead initiatives for the group, so it was an awesome opportunity to apply some of what I have learned in my studies of Adventure Education.
We worked Monday through Thursday on an educational building and manse for the church. Of course, this meant that we mixed concrete and the skilled workers did the building. We had a lot of fun mixing concrete together and growing closer to one another as we worked side by side, both as a group and alongside the Tzeltal brothers.
Midway through the morning, we take a break while the brothers eat breakfast. This week, I ate breakfast with them, and it was a great chance for more conversation. As part of this time, I have become Chiapaneca by learning the ways of the people here. In order to be Chiapaneca, I have done things that I would not necessarily do at home, like drink Coke (I haven’t had a caffeinated beverage since elementary school, but it is such an important part of the culture here because refreshments are a speciality for celebration), drinking soup without a spoon, and gradually eating more and more hot peppers.
After we finish working in the morning, we eat lunch. There is a river in Jol Sacjún, so this week we were able to bathe in the river, which was a lot of fun. On Thursday, Josue and I explored more of the river together upstream. There is a great jump rock and a beautiful cascade. The river is very refreshing and it is fun to play together after working in the morning.
In the afternoons, we led Vacation Bible School for the 120+ children of Jol Sacjún. I helped lead games and also read the Bible stories in Spanish. It was a bit of a struggle because many of the children only understood Tzeltal, so even though I could express myself in Spanish, the kids still had no idea what I was saying. Thankfully, there were a few teachers from the Compassion center in the village and a young man from the church named Cedequias that helped translate into Tzeltal. They were a blessing.
In the evenings after dinner, I usually played cards with Josue and talked with the young men to both learn more about their stories and practice my Spanish. It means a lot to me when Sebastian’s face lights up when he sees that I understand him and that my Spanish is getting better. One night, I went for a walk with Nathan, Pablo’s brother, and we talked about his story and about Chiapas. He is a wonderful teacher.
I also led some of the nightly debriefs. There was some wisdom that I had gained from my studies of Adventure Education that I was able to share with the group. It was exciting to see the impact this made for the group as they continued to interact with one another.
On Thursday night, we had another shorter worship service in the village. Then on Friday, we began the journey back by returning here to Ocosingo. In the afternoon, we went to Toniná. I was able to translate for the guide, which was a cool application of my Spanish studies. I really enjoy Toniná and the view never gets old.
This morning, the group left for San Cristóbal, where they spent the day. I stayed here in Ocosingo and it was a refreshing and rejuvenating day. In the afternoon, I walked with Paola and Josue to the center town of Ocosingo to get ice cream. It was a fun afternoon wirh them. Josue and I have become good friends. As we were playing cards last weekend, I asked him if he likes travelling to the different villages for the summer. He replied “Yes, and I get to be your friend.” This relationship with him is really special to me.
We also ran into Cedequias in Ocosingo, which was incredible, considering his village is about three hours away. He had been travelling for work today.
Tonight the next group arrived from Salem Presbytery. Tomorrow we head to the village of Chaban to work for the week. Please pray for safe travels home for the JMPC/Warren group and for their transition back to post-mission-trip life. Pray for a child named Obet from Jol Sacjún, who does not have any arms. Pray for Cedequias, particularly that he will be able to get a scholarship in order to go to college. Pray for Pastor Roberto and everyone in Jol Sacjún. Pray for a fruitful week in Chaban and for renewed energy and rest for me. Pray that this may be a transformative week for the group here.
Josúe and I had a lot of fun working together this week
This young girl loved to wait outside our door everyday
Our group in front of our work project for the week
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