A Transition made easy by ...

Transitions from one country to another have not been easy for me. I find myself a bit reluctant to step away from what is familiar and step toward, yet again, the unfamiliar. I had the same thought this time, with one added "bonus." Something I ate or drank on my last day in El Salvador didn't settle well. Actually, every couple weeks, my stomach seems to register an objection about something. Never beer, thank goodness. Curiously enough -- and sadly -- I think a couple times it may actually have been a bag of water.

Anyhoo, I only mention feeling less than stellar because I don't like travelling when diarrea and / or vomitting are distinct options, and I was going to be travelling to Guatemala the next day. I went to dinner with my host family, Reverenda Irma, and her husband Padre David, and tried to tell them "Thank you." I told them that travelling alone is not an easy thing, and it becomes a very important thing for a solo traveller to have a safe place to be, and before the lump in my throat robbed me of my ability to speak, I opened my hands and said in a whisper, "Muchas gracias." Irma reminded me that I always have a home in El Salvador whenever I return, and David reminded me that El Salvador needed a deacon. We walked after dinner and talked about the cost of living, square meters of homes, and the need to live behind bars. I noted that it was my first nighttime walk in a long while and how it was yet another sign of their hospitality and one more reason for my gratitude.

Irma drove me to the bus station very early the next morning, and I really wasn't feeling well at all. I slept fitfully on the five-hour busride, and in addition to feeling physically ill, I was feeling sorry for myself and travel-weary. I generally enjoy looking at the scenery and could barely muster the energy to do that. Occasionally I did look out the window, wondering mostly how close I was to the next bathroom. When I looked, the views, like everywhere else in Central America, were breathtaking. The Pan-American Highway really is an experience all its own. It's similar to a rollercoaster, I think. For much of it, it goes up and down and all around. There's barely room on either side. On the inside track is a mountain and on the outside track are kiosks (yep, just for fun, that's what I'm calling them) selling a variety of things, and just beyond these sticks-and-plastic bags structures are deep, wide, lush valleys speckled with people's homes. That contrast is really quite familiar to me now, and my thought was, "I'm not sure how much more of it I can take."

That thought was amplified on my taxi ride from the bus station to my hostel. I just could not take in one more thing.

I arrived at the hostel and was greeted by Marie, the owner's mother. She showed me to my room and offered me a glass of water. I settled in the living room to watch "Mama Mia!" with two other Americans, and Marie offered us tea and cookies. The other Americans are Andrea and Monica. Andrea is in Guatemala for a few months volunteering with an organization who provides micro-loans to indigenous people. Monica has spearheaded an organization that builds houses in Tijuana, Mexico. The three of us talked about our work and our travels, and it was lovely relaxing in English! Marie took us to a nearby French restaurant for dinner. I did not order the octopus but did enjoy a tuna salad and a tiny helping of real mashed potatoes.

We returned to the hostel to find Marco, the owner's brother, who works with an organization called Techo Para Mi Pais Guatemala. Please check out the website: http://www.untechoparamipais.org/ As I listened to Marco describe the program, I thought it sounded very familiar, and I found a card I'd received from some young people in Nicaragua who had been in the streets of Leon and in the mall in Managua collecting money. It was indeed the same program. I remember thinking, when I had read the card, that it was the only sign of servant leadership I had noted in Nicaragua. And here I was in a hostel with various signs of servant leadership dining and conversing with real live servant leaders.

As many of you know, I have made very few plans for this trip. I've been more of the mind of going where the Spirit leads me, which generally seems to include saying "yes" to invitations offered and staying still when there has been no invitation. It has served me well, I think. I awoke this morning having rested well, despite too-active dreams, and went to church at St. James Episcopal Church. I was warmly welcomed by the Anglo congregation and invited to lunch. I said yes. I spent a lovely few hours seeing their home, hearing their stories, learning a bit of local history, eating a wonderful meal, and seeing a few of the sights. I've returned to my hostel -- and everyone should come to Guatemala City and stay here: http://www.quetzalroo.com/ !, to really good coffee and good company. It seems this transition is complete, and I am at ease once again ... thanks to Servant Leaders and the Holy Spirit.