Priest to the Rescue

When I came into the bus station to see the French 14 year old girl staring right at me and laughing, I was not looking forward to this trip. Did I have to do 11 hours with this family?

Of course, God came through setting me up with some more wonderful people. I sat down and looked at the man next to me. I started my friendly chat asking him where he is from and where is he is going. "I'm going to visit a church in Panama for a mission." "I'm a Priest..."
 
Oh thank you Lord!

I look to the right and there is a nun.
He asks, "Would you like the window seat? " I say, "No, I'm fine here." I was focused on the seat to the right of me. The nun with the bible sitting in her hands-later on in the journey it was an Ipad in her hands-ha. Nuns deserve to participate in the technology trend too. 

As for my priest, I share my mission with him to believe in others, assist them through the church, spending time with the poor and needy, feeding them, and caring for their being. We had this discussion about being a missionary, which I was questioning this trip. He shared with me that he travels around Central America staying for certain periods of time. He has been a Catholic priest for 30 years and each day he "wakes up with passion"(his quote). I could tell that this man was just dedicated for life and there was no questioning his faith. He has never married or had kids. He doesn't feel the need to and wants to just live in his religious world. I am asking all these questions because I am always curious about the life of a priest and nun. This priest seems a bit more conservative as some priests are a bit more on the edge. 

The nun was focused on the bible, her Ipad, and book. She looked over and gave me an occasional smile. When we stopped for food, we snacked on some rice and beans together. He was my bus buddy and I was thankful to have him near me. He kept me calm, safe, and preoccupied for some time. 
When we stopped, he bought me some fruit and we were shopping around for hammocks. He would hold the hammock with the guy selling and let me sit and swing in it. When it was a cheap one, my butt would hit the ground. When it was a decent one, I stayed above ground with a chance of the bottom stretching like it might bust. When it was a good one, I was able to contently sit and happily swing back and forth.
This priest made up for the negativity I experienced and he helped me focus back on my mission and reason for travel. The reason did not involve trying to make French people happy with me.

Jewish and Atheist

I had an interesting discussion with a young 20 year old girl attending John Hopkins in the USA. She was half Jewish an half Nicaraguan.  She was visiting her family in Nicaragua and exploring the country.  Our conversation gravitated towards religion and faith(not by coincidence I believe). She shared her childhood growing up Christian and Jewish, but she never felt connected to either. She respected the temple and she respected the church-celebrated both Christmas and Hannukah.

It was clear in her voice that had some hesitation to accept one and to accept God. She had little belief in God playing a role in her life whether big or small.  She identified her own free will and personal choices as her own life. It was refreshing that she was not closed minded to one’s experience with God rather she wanted to hear it.  She wanted to hear about my experiences and I didn’t plan on sharing, but she asked. I’m not the type of Christian that forces people to believe rather I still remain a neutral therapist because that is how I am comfortable. I shared how God presents himself beautifully in moments of joy, sadness, difficulty, or need. When you are down to a drop of faith, her works with what you give him.

When something feels like complete disappointment, it is just a learning opportunity to grow.  There are wake up calls to learn and realize what is important.  There is a plan and purpose that connects with him and this takes time to understand or figure out by trial and error. She said she just can’t have faith in something she doesn’t believe exists. We went back and forth on her beliefs, but she did present a lot of interest and a lot of hopeful moments. When she could see the sincerity in my eyes and the fire in my words, it was evident that she was considering a possibility.  

Of course, she didn’t believe everything I said, but she was genuinely touched.  For me, what was significant for her was that she still had hope.  The hope was there that one day she might change her mind. She might have an experience, moment, or a conversation that just changes her whole world.

As a true believer, I sincerely hope that things can change for in a positive direction. It’s great to respect different religions and learn about them, but it’s another to believe in one..everyday…every hour…everytime..

God Surrounds You

The beauty of Jesus loving countries is how well marketed faith is: it is on car windows, on a boat, on telephone polls, in a restaurant window, in a holy parade, and on the street sides.  God surrounds you and sends you reminders that everything will be okay.  Look right in front of you...PRIS

The Religious Experience

Let's just say that I'm the type of person who thrives with different cultures. I love to learn about them intimately through real conversations, real learning of their everyday life, cooking with them, eating with them, attempting to work with them, and most of all: praying with them-learning about the role Christ plays in their lives. How does the church, prayer, religious community, music, gospel- get them through the day. 


There is always a curiosity to learn about how people accept their religion into their life. Whether it's a Hindu temple, a Mosque in Morocco, a Buddhist temple, or a Church- There is full commitment to being present and learning through ritual ceremony. I don't just float into take photos rather I want to be present for their religious experience to feel what it's like. 

When it comes to the Church, it's my number one place and my favorite place to visit.  To see how beautiful God's presence can be in a small space, a big space, a historic space, a fancy space-what matters is how people are interpreting this space.  How are they internalizing the message, the Eucharist, his spirit, the music, the Pastor etc. It's just a beautiful time to feel the moment and internalize what is being said. 

What if you cannot understand what is being said? It does not apply because you are still focusing on what you're feeling, observing, your senses and taking in the surrounding.  If you see the church committee smile and carry in the flower arrangement- you can see the love and the joy in their expressions. When you hear the Pastor's voice elevate and his tone of expression shift higher and lower, you can learn to identify what he is referencing. It just takes active listening and a positive attitude and will to learn. 

Over the years, I have attended services in French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Italian, Russian, and English.  In Morocco, I had an option to attend English services and I decided to attend French to learn and I felt connected to the French choir and my lovely Pastor. It just felt so right even though I only understand bits and pieces of the service. What felt right was the overall religious experience. It does not matter the language or the country rather it is how you connect to the overall experience with your observations, senses, and connecting with people and spirit.  It's not about hearing the historical text and knowing exactly what was said, but in this new experience. 

How Do You Feel?

What Do You Feel?

What is The Feeling?

Why Do You Feel This Way? 

Mormons, Versace, and Tikal

When a local tells you about Tikal, you see a big smile on their face and their eyes open up wide.  They are proud of their countries history and incredible archaeological attraction.  At first, I was hesitant and not sure if it was worth going. Was this just a tourist attraction that people check off the list? Getting there does take time and money, maybe I should skip it?

Straight off the bus into Flores, I made the decision to go and boy am I glad I did! The drive from Flores to Tikal is a bout an hour and is full of horses, sheep, corn fields, coffee farms, and acres amongst acres of lush green fields. The driver and I made friends and we were making jokes while the locals were sitting in the back sleeping. You think I would be sleeping after my bus adventure arriving at 7 am, but I was ready to explore.

Usually tours start between 4am and 6am for the sunrise tour, but I was there at 10 leaving limited English tours. My driver talked with some people and found me an English tour with a great tour guide named Versace( that's my name for him because he was a Guatemalan version of Versace with his slim physique, nice, hair, and nice features.

On this tour, there was a family of 4 from Utah, a Chinese mother and daughter from California, an older couple from Cuba, and then there was me.   At first, I did not have much interest in the touristy group, especially the kid who was falling asleep in the beginning of the tour. The tour guide noticed this behavior as well and said, "Now's your time to go take a nap in the car before the 4 hour tour begins." Our tour guide was so cute, so funny, and so full of knowledge. He has been a tour guide for over 40 years and he is still running on a full tank of gas full of passion and wisdom. 

With this tour, there is such a sense of mystery and wonder that touches you in a special way.  It's like the Mayan spirit is still living there and they are teaching you about their past world. The ritual ceremonies, how they built, how they cooked, lived, worked, and most importantly what they believed.  When you are sitting in a forest with hilltops next to you consisting of underground pyramids. a mysterious chirping sound, and just pure moments of silence-you wonder about what used to exist.  It was so long ago yet when you see the tubs where they bathed, the  stones used for ritualistic activities- it's as if you can imagine a life from long ago. It's incredible and the work never stops with archeologists studying and discovering more and more each day. 

With all these gigantic pyramids came steps and with steps came climbing and with climbing came views. It was so fun climbing towards the top and viewing the lush, green forest from above while searching for the other pyramids below.  

The tourists ended up providing a great dynamic I spent time getting to know the mother and the kids. She has a total of 4 kids-two boys and two girls.  The reason for their trip to Guatemala involves an invitation from her son, Jake, who is a missionary for the Lordes Saints Church of Jesus Christ. He is just 20 years old and has been living in Guatemala for over a year sharing the word of God with others and learning Spanish.  He was such a lovely, lovely person and it was so refreshing hearing him preach the word of the Lord. He demonstrated such interest in getting to know me and praised me for working in my purpose of the Lord-such meaning behind these interactions-such meaning.  The one who was falling asleep in the beginning of the tour happened to be his brother.  

His brother became my "Pequeno Amigo"-Little friend. 

Side note-- I use this term with those kids who I become friends with and develop a close connection.  I treat most children as little adults, which is why they connect so much with me. I give them respect and act as a friend who wants to l earn about them, have fun, make jokes, but they are aware of the boundaries.  This Pequeno Amigo's name was Taylor(all names changed for confidentiality purposes). He reminded me very much of a client I had from Beverly Hills.  We used to read together, hike together, swim together, and of course learn together. We worked together mainly on his social skills and ability to transition between tasks. 

Anyways, Taylor and I were walking through the forest together looking for snakes and any kind of animals we could find.  We  did end up seeing  a few different snakes(not anything huge),  howling monkeys, all kinds of birds, bats (eww), and a possom (eww).  We were really hoping to see a bear and when the guide asked us to choose between 2 routes. We chose the complicated one going through the trees and jungle thinking we could increase our chances to see a bear. Our guide was on the hunt for a Toucan bird(the Fruit loop bird) because I  really wanted to see one in it's natural habitat, but it didn't end up happening.  

Since Taylor was a kid, of course he loved to run and hike all over. At every temple we would run up the stairs and I would follow behind him.  My excuse was I was dehydrated and old and everyone just thought this was hilarious as I acted like I was out of breath(really no-soy fuerte).  On the last one, I said, "Okay, I'm not running this time." And then I ran up ahead of him. We raced up about 8 flights of stairs and I was trailing right behind him, but on the last flight I threw in the towel. I couldn't have him lose in front of his family so I just let him win;) We walked around top of the temple sticking our noses into the closed off sections wondering what was inside. 

When it came to the temple with the bats inside, I trailed behind him and when I heard one I ran out with my hands over my head. Bats are not something I enjoy being in a close quarter with at all!
Clearly it as some great entertainment for everyone and I just decided to wait outside.

It was so great exploring with this family as they just had such a young spirit.  The parents had such curiosity and interest to learn about the history of everything.  They also had a daughter who was doing missionary work in Fiji and another daughter doing similar work.  I told the mother that she must be so proud to have kids doing such wonderful things and she did not seem to think much of it.  It was nice seeing such a wonderful, Mormon family.  People have such stereotypes about Mormon's, but this was the nicest, coolest family.  When Jacob shared their rituals and customs with me, I realized that I was mostly living a Mormon life with my current behavior and active beliefs. It does not mean I am going to conform to being a Mormon, but is always interesting to learn about different peoples' beliefs. The strength of religion and family unites them. I have the religious component and can't wait to have that family unity they have one day. 

It was so nice spending time with them because I felt like I was a part of their family taking a trip with them. It's truly nice having a close-knit family and I admire it and it is a wonderful thing.  

The Spoken Word

When it comes down to the spoken and given Word, it may be honestly respected or disrespected completely.  Some cultures, religions, and people are very true to their word where as others are not.

Living in Morocco, it was fascinating to meet some who were 100 percent true and others who were on the opposite end of the spectrum. One word honest and pure and another word lost and dishonest.

Sometimes people speak a dishonest word without any insight or awareness and they keep disrespecting their word with no care in the world. Many were confused and lost souls out of touch with religion and chasing their own word.  It could be a lifetime of chasing for these unfortunate people. It’s a serious problem to hold no value to the word you speak.  The word’s value depreciates overtime and when you lose the value of your word, you lose the meaning to your life.  

Within the Moroccan culture, it is better to present with uncertainty and some possibility rather than just be direct.  I  bring up this culture because I lived in this culture and my behavior was influenced in a negative way by making false promises to human beings.  Human beings rely on my word and they take it to heart.  Of course, this does not apply to all people, some people may not pay close attention to the word, but others will.  And for those people which are affected, your credibility decreases.  They wonder about your word, your delivery, and your genuine character.  When presenting with a friendly character, like myself, a person my hold higher expectations with my word creating a higher need for the delivery.  

While in Morocco, many people are accustomed to those who  respect and disrespect the word and condition themselves to not focus on the real delivery.  There might be a good intention behind the lack of honesty with the word, but in the end result it does not benefit the human being.  When you carry this behavior to other countries that fully respect the word, you lose your credibility.   For example, In Guatemala I catch myself saying, “I will see you tomorrow” or “I will be back” when I am not sure if I will actually be back.  

Being an analyst, I analyze the times that I do this and I remind myself of the word.  While there may be good intention behind making a commitment or promise to another being, it is a disappointing result when you don’t come through.  Some may think nothing of it, but others can be sincerely hurt.  This is a learned cultural behavior that is being passed into new cultures-not great.  The more aware we are of our behavior, the more likely we are to change it.  We get stuck in specific behaviors because we just keep doing them with no specific attention to them. 

In Guatemala, people focus and depend on the interaction.  If you let them down, you will feel it in your heart.  For example, if you go by a fruit stand and say, “Oh you have the best fruit, I will come here every day.” And then you never show up again, the value of your word just went down.  It’s kind of like a stock where your stock depreciates in value.  Your word depreciates and you can spend a lifetime catching up if you follow cultural norms and don't make a change to your behavior. If you see that person again, you may definitely feel some guilt for not staying true to your word and being acting as a hypocrite.  It's not worth it going through life being dishonest and untrue to your word, just keep it as honest as possible and keep moving.
 

A good, honest word will get you everywhere in life and a dishonest one will get you nowhere. PRIS 

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is a Latin Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the tradition and belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ and his Real Presence in the Eucharist (Wikipedia).  


For this religious celebration, they have an extra special tradition, which involves bombs.  For the whole week, real bombs are set off throughout the city-yes real bombs.  No one really had an answer for what kinds of bombs, but they went off all through the day and all through the night.  You would be just sitting and eating your lunch and "Boom" it goes off startling you and making you jump out of your seat.  Once you got used to them, you would feel less startled, but somedays they would just continuously go off and it was distracting and annoying.  

On the actual Holy Day, they had a whole procession with men carrying Jesus on a platform while other men followed behind them dressed up in scarey masks.  The children would run away from the scary masks and so would little kids..  It was religious yet it felt more like a show rather than celebrating the actual importance.The real importance was celebrated in church.