Wedding times

On Saturday I went to a wedding of some friends. I knew it was an hours journey away, so I left with plenty of time. Unfortunately my bus decided to wait for half an hour in one of the towns on the way, so I was getting a bit worried that I was going to be late - but I figured that in Guatemala I would probably have half an hours grace. I got off the bus at the Restaurant Hacienda Real -- only to realise that the wedding was actually taking place in Restaurant Hacienda - a few kms further on. Now being 45 mins late, I was just about to get on the next bus coming past, when I noticed a car stopping and Wendy (the bride) getting out -- So maybe I wasn´t going to be too late after all! So I squeezed in the back seat with her family and flowers etc, and they gave me a lift. We drove round to the back of the Restaurant - where she joined her bridemaids getting changed in the toilets! And I needn´t have worried about lateness.... it was another hour before the wedding actually started. (And then people were still arriving half way through the service!). In the car I had said I thought I was going to be late. Wendy (who studied in the states for a couple of years) explained that in Guatemala it´s almost a tradition for the bride to keep the groom waiting --  "Don't they do that in England as well?"  Yes I said, but only for about 5 minutes!

And it´s funny how sometimes you think that you´ve got a culture figured out - and then it surprises you again. Guatemalans like to make speeches -- it seems to me for even the most trivial of reasons. Birthday parties are not complete without every person making a speech (even if you don´t really know the person celebrating their birthday). Baby showers include a sermon and a few speeches. They hold graduation ceremonies for finishing secondary school, or primary school, or kindergarden (seriously!) and even for one day courses! So I figured there would be at least one speech at the wedding too - but no. Not even from the father of the bride.  I keep learning.

Election Results

So the results are in! Yesterday was the run off elections for the Guatemalan Presidency. Talking with lots of friends over the last week or so, the consensus seemed to be that it boiled down to '2 candidates, no choice!' - ie that both candidates were so unappealing, that it was difficult even to decide which might be the lesser of two evils. I know a few friends who were planning to ruin their voting papers. In fact the official results say that 4% of those who voted did exactly that.
But at the end of the day, Otto Perez Molino, the ex Army General, has won with 54% of the vote and will become President on the 14th Jan. This has followed the pattern of recent years - of the candidate who comes second, will win in the following election 4 years later. (Which means that we might get Baldizon back in 4 years time, if things continue as they have done!)
Now everyone comes to think about the changes coming. This isn´t just about changes to political policy, but also to personel in almost every area of the public sector. New government, new everything. This is one of the challenges of a country which prohibits a second term - a lack of consistency in policy and personel.
Yet in neighbouring Nicaragua, they have also been voting. President Daniel Ortega, managed to change the constitutional rules a couple of years ago, allowing him to stand for a second term. According to early results from their election, he´s on course to win, and yet is also surrounded to accusations of fraud and election irregularities.
Perhaps it doesn´t matter what the rules are. Those that want power, and are willing to do almost anything to get it - usually do.

Not fitting in.

Several times a week, I walk from my house to the other end of the town, where the Gym is (no comment!) On my way I always pass something on the road that makes me think, and that God has been 'pointing out to me' over the last few weeks - it´s a man hole cover. That´s probably not the most spiritual source of divine revelation, but then it´s probably more on my level!!

So what´s so special about the man hole cover, I hear you ask. Well, this one is situated half in the actual road and half on the pavement, which at that point is flat to the road. On the edge of the pavement, there´s the almost obligatory red line painted to indicate that parking is not permitted.

What has struck me about this man hole cover is that someone has obviously pulled it open at some stage since the red line was painted on, and then closed it again. But in closing it, they have left it in a position so that the line doesn´t connect with the line on the pavement on either side. In fact the red line across the man hole cover is more or less perpendicular (at right angles) to the line on the pavement either side of it. (I´ve been meaning to get a photo of it, but don´t usually have my camera with me, and would also look pretty stupid taking photos of the road!!!)

It fits perfectly and yet looks so out of place; it´s in exactly the right position but looks so wrong.

And I guess that´s a good way to understand where I am at the moment (and perhaps it´s an analogy of anyone involved in cross cultural mission). I have a sense that God has put me here, in exactly this position, in a perfect fit, and yet I don´t look right at all. I´m now doing something completely different to what I expected, and in human terms I may not ´look´right for the role but somehow it fits. I stand out as being the wrong way round or upside down or something even stranger than that!. There´s probably never going to be a time when I don´t stand out from the crowd and yet God has put me here, right at this time, doing things I didn´t expect to be doing, but for a purpose. I can be secure in His plans, and in His presence, no matter what I look like or how wierd or unexpected it feels.