I've been in Guatemala for less than two days and the list of things I take for granted in the United States is growing exponentially by the minute. TAP WATER THAT IS SAFE TO DRINK, warm showers, flushing toilet paper down the toilet, street lights, refuse collection, and understanding what people are trying to say to me: being the utmost. My twitter, instagram, Netflix account, and iPad have yet to pop into my mind once (until now that is). I don't want to forget the way I'm feeling right now. Humbled, blessed, and privileged don't even come close to it.
And that's exactly the problem. The first two days of this service trip have made me reflect to the nth degree upon what I've learned about myself. I don't want that. I don't want to count my blessings solely because I've been slightly exposed to poverty. I read an article tonight entitled "The Cost of Short-Term Missions" by JoAnn Van Engen, a missionary in Honduras. Her point of view is what I want to change mine to for not only the rest of my time in Guatemala, but also for the rest of my life.
Van Engen said, "What is the purpose of the trip? Are we going through the motions of helping the poor so we can congratulate oursevles afterwards? Or are we seeking to understand the lives of third world people to recognize and support their strengths and to try to understand the problems they face and our role in them? Are we ethnocentrically treating the people of the third world as tragic objects to be rescued- or as equals to walk with and learn from?"
As aforementioned in an early post, I wish so badly that I knew Spanish fluently. I don't regret taking eight years of a dead language because Latin definitely helped me with my SATs and human anatomy & physiology classes, but I just get so frustrated because I want to talk to the nationals and fully understand their culture and their stuggles. (Shoutout to Kaitlyn for being an awesome translater though!) I don't want to learn about myself and see how fortunate I am. I want to learn about them and their needs and what I can do to help. Van Engen said, "Learning from the people of the country you visit will give you understanding of the country that a foreigner cannot give."
Thankfully, I have NEVER been someone to let a personal struggle get in the way of what I am determined to do. I will not be conquered by a language barrier. 17 years of education taught me better than that (Thank you, Mom!) There are other ways to learn than through conversing. I can observe, I can play games with children, and I can indeed communicate without words. It is alright to get frustrated, but nothing good ever comes out of dwelling on the negatives in life.
I hope everyone reading this had a great day. Spread the word about our blog; You, too, can help us fight injustice and poverty!
-Heather Monroe :)
No comments:
Post a Comment