Homestays and Hospitality

 

Guatemala has been an absolutely wild experience so far, from insane hikes and views to walking the streets of the local villages.  LIFT has been able to get a real in-depth and authentic experience of what living in Guatemala looks like.  

A special way that LIFT is able to experience Guatemala is what we call “Homestays.” Students International Ministry partners with local families in the city of Magdalena to have people stay in their houses. It is a really cool way to interact with people who have been living in Guatemala their whole lives, and a great window into the local culture. Most homestays have three to four students living with the family for the length of the trip.

I have been staying with a couple named Ana and Estella. Ana is a local construction worker and Estella is a stay-at-home mom with two daughters. I get to have breakfast with them every day, and dinner with them most days, along with the two other LIFTers staying with me. The hospitality and generosity that we are given is so much greater than anything that we could ever ask for, and they give it to us so joyously. When I think about what lessons I want to incorporate in my life when I get back into the states, I think about the warm comfort of being invited to the dinner table, with a delicious smelling meal that had been prepared for me. Even though there is a language barrier that prevents us from communicating easily and in more depth, some acts of love don’t require words to be communicated. If I have learned anything from staying with this local Guatemalan family that I’ve grown to love, it would be this – be patient, be kind, and give love to those that you may not even know. Jesus will be both served and seen through a life lived in this way.  

Caleb Shuffler

Below are a few photos of the festivities and decorating the streets with "carpets" made of sawdust, sand and flowers and processions (parades) celebrating Quarezma (40 days leading up to Easter) focused on the life and death of Christ.  Also included are some photos of LIFT eating out at the Sky Cafe in Antigua and a humble home in El Tablon (a rural poor community that SI has outreaches and ministry.