I’ve been in Guatemala now for about 3 weeks. It has been different than life in the states and also similar. This is only my second time out of the United States, but it’s interesting to see how fast I have been able to adapt to this Guatemalan way of life. 

The things that are different are on one hand drastic and on the other hand logical if you think about it long enough. The biggest thing is you can’t flush toilet paper anywhere, but when you think about the time and effort it would take to change the plumbing tolerance for an entire country it makes sense. Another biggie you can’t drink the water that comes from the faucet. It won’t kill you, but you’ll definitely be stuck in the bathroom longer than you want. 

Houses being different is a whole separate category. All the floors are tile, which makes cleaning very easy. There is no heat or air, which is currently not a problem, because it’s the cool season (50-80 degrees). The houses are built with plenty of windows, which give beautiful natural light and great breezes for temperature control. A lot of people live and work out of their homes. They have tiendas (store in Spanish) in the front or first level of the house and they live in the back or top level. 

The similarities are what you would think, they are more abstract than physical. I have been blessed with a family that welcomes outsiders in with open arms and loves whoever walks through the door. Here as soon as we enter into the ywam base it felt like home. We have been treated like family and it has warmed my heart immensely. 

Our ywam family that we work/live with has been nothing but encouraging and kind. They are all so eager to learn and sharpen their English as we are all so excited and willing to learn Spanish. Learning different things about this culture from the people has been such an eye opening experience. It is a joy to not only get to know these people and this country, but to serve God here with them. Our love for Christ has been an amazing bridge and I can’t wait to see how much it impacts my story in the future.