One whole year in Guatemala has flown by now and I believe the whirlwind has left me (Shane) a changed person, in many ways.
This last week a friend commented that I drive more like a Guatemalan now. Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not, but you may not want to catch a ride with me when I'm back in Montana. I carry a purse (a man bag here) to town sometimes and am not the least bit embarassed. In fact, purses are actually very practical men. I don't even mind hopping on the back of a motorcyle with another guy now, it's totally normal. The extremely over sugared coffee in the communities does not taste so bad anymore (I've had to get some cavities filled at the dentist though) and for some reason I have not noticed the food being nearly as salty lately (and I should probably get my blood pressure tested).
I'll also see the world through a different pair of glasses now. I've seen first hand that material possessions don't lead to happiness, and though I knew this truth before, I now understand it much better. Related to this, I also understand that poverty is not just a of lack of material things, but of relationships, with God and other people. I also understand much better how every culture has it's evils and goods and how shaped we are from the culture we live in. I've learned the only way to truly sort things out in this world is to better understand God's will revealed in the Bible, this will take a lifetime.
Recently, while doing some surveying in "Caclaib" for a water project I was invited to join the community for a special lunch. It's corn planting season here and communities all plant corn together, taking turns planting eachothers fields. The family that is getting their field planted cooks a special lunch for everyone on that day. I was very grateful to be able to celebrate with them and as I sat at the table not understanding Q'eqchi, I thought about how cool it was that God has placed me here in this tiny community in Guatemala to be a part of their lives. Not a scene I could ever had pictured a year ago, but now a memory that I don't think I'll forget.
