Step team among the volcanoes

 

Some step teams get all the luck. The most recent team have been living in Alotenango, an agricultural town nestled between 3 volcanoes. Out of 30-something volcanoes in Guatemala, 3 are active, and one of them is 'next door' to where the step have been living.

Volcan Fuego and Volcan Acatenango

These are the views (in two different directions) that they woke up to every morning.

Volcan Agua

And this has been a regular view as well, aa Volcan Fuego has been almost constantly active with smoke and plumes of lava. Some of the team have been sleeping on the roof of the house, to maximise their chances of seeing the spectacular eruptions.

 For those of you concerned about health and safety, I feel the need to explain that these have only been minor eruptions, and that we have kept up to date with the news from INSIVUMEH (National Institute for Sismology, Volcanology, Meteology and Hidrology - approximate translation!) and Conred (National Coordination for the Reduction of Disasters), and the Step team have not been in unnecessary danger.

I took them for a weekend away at Lake Atitlan - which, just to give them a break - is also surrounded by three volcanoes - although all of them dormant.

Step team and butterflies

 Last weekend, I took the step team to Panajachel. Butterflies, Zipwire, kayaking, swimming.

This view never gets boring.

40th Birthday Celebrations!!

40!!!!!

I started the day in San Pedro La Laguna  - so began with a swim in the Lake. That´s always the best way to start any day... but especially one that marks a new year and a new decade!.

 I love floating in the water, and seeing this view, the shades and layers of mountains and volcanoes in the distance, as the rising sun burns off the mists.

 Birthday meal with great friends.

 And then the party began......
(well actually I only remembered to take photos half way through the evening, so there´s lots of people missing ... but here´s a few who were there.... .)

 I had a really great time. I´m so thankful for all that God has given me here in Guatemala and for all that might increase and grow over the next decade!!!

Decisions for 12 year olds

I can´t remember much about being 12. I certainly can´t remember having any life changing decisions to make.

Last week in the Guatemalan news, was the story that highlights just how different life can be, even for children as young as 12. A young lad called Angel, went missing. The alert was raised but police were unable to find him. The following morning, police were called to the Belice bridge in Guatemala city, where locals had seen a boy thrown from the bridge. Later the story of what had happened emerged. He was kidnapped by a local gang and held for over a day. The following morning, he was ordered to kill a bus driver - a request often made of youngsters to initiate new recruits into Guatemalas gangs. When he refused, he was given another choice; of how he would prefer to die; either cut into pieces (the spanish word used literally means to be quartered), or to be thrown from the bridge. (Puente Belice is a busy traffic bridge in the city, crossing a ravine hundreds of feet below). Amazingly he survived the fall, but is in critical condition.

It highlights the violence, manipulation and fear that characterize life in the marginal zones of Guatemala city but the fact that Angel choose not to kill - most likely, knowing that it may mean the end of his own life, is also a cause for hope.

Politics 2

Politics has come alive in Guatemala. In previous election years, the majority of the population had a sense of resignation that their task was to choose the least worst of a bad bunch, and that after the initial euphoria of victory, election promises would be forgotten and they would simply get more of the same.

This year, the involvement of a UN backed organisation working against impunity, has revealed two big corruption scandals at high levels of the government and the public sector. Arrests have been made, and investigations are ongoing. 

It kickstarted a series of peaceful manifestations which have galvanised the middle classes into action. A couple of friends have felt very emotional about the chance to protest. Knowing that one of my friends father was killed over 30 years ago, specifically for standing up for workers rights -- helps me to understand why. For many in the middle classes (only about 10% of the population), they have grown up with a sense that there is nothing they can do to influence the politics of Guatemala or its outworkings in everyday life. That has changed now - but it is very fragile. The BBC wrote a slightly overenthusiastic article about how peaceful protests have changed this violent country (http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-32882520). It is true that the protests have remained mostly peaceful -- but that hasn´t affected the normal violence that continues in every day life. 

The protests are calling for the Presidents resignation, although so far no specific charges have been brought against him. The Evangelical Alliance made a statement that the Presidents resignation would de-stabilize the country and called churches to respect authority (and assumed that that meant passivity and not protesting in the face of corruption). Amongst my friends, that brought about a florish of facebook statuses basically saying that the EA does not represent them. The EA seemed to have missed the point that although the protests are calling for resignation, that is not the only thing. The protests are much broader than that. They have encouraged ordinary citizens to properly evaluate the claims of Presidential candidates and political parties and call them to account. Groups have been painting over and cleaning up political propaganda which has been placed or painted illegally on rocks, trees, lamp posts. Whereas before it seemed like the political classes could get away with lies and manipulations, and financial corruption, without anyone calling them out, even when there was broad public knowledge of what was happening. Not any longer. The protests (involving up to 50,000 in the last one) seems to have awoken a generation to be actively involved in politics. They have brought diverse groups together with a common call for justice. Even the student union groups of the state university and the private universities, have joined together -- unthinkable only a few months ago. 

Last weekend, I went to a prayer event early one saturday morning. About 1500 people gathered in the main square where later that day, the protesters would also gather. This cross-denominational group (again  - that sort of unity would have been unheard of 6 months ago) came together simply to pray for justice in this country  - and that the protests would continue to be peaceful. In spite of what I would say was an unhelpful dose of patriotism mixed in with the event, it was a moving time to stand (and kneel) with others in prayer for this country. 

The protests continue  - as the corruption cases now move forward, and more revelations of dodgy dealings emerge every week. The protests started with a general anti-corruption theme. Now we are also beginning to see specific suggestions for reform (most importantly to electoral processes and the financing of political parties and campaigns). It´s going to be a very interesting few months, as we get closer to the elections in September.

Our growing and praying team

Saturday was the Latin Link International Day of Prayer - and this year we focussed on mission mobilization.
We organised ourselves a prayer room with lots of creative activities, and had a great time together.

We were joined by our newest members.... a few arrived by plane about 10 days ago, and even our youngest member enjoyed the prayer room (well -cuddles in the prayer room at least!) - it being the first time she´d left her home since being born just 7 days earlier.

 I will keep the prayer room at my house, and continue to use it to inspire me in praying for the world and how Latin Americans can be a part of God´s mission in different parts of the world.

Politics Guatemala Style...

It´s election year in Guatemala, with the presidential elections due in September, so now the billboards are full of smiling faces asking for your vote. But recent events have been a bit different to the usual campaigning, and have galvanised many people into action. 

Over the last few months, investigations have revealed a large scale corruption scheme within the taxation system of the trade authority (SAT). The Vicepresidents personal secretary is involved and has been on the run from the police. The last 3 saturdays, various organisations, from all sectors of society, have got together for peaceful protests outside the national palace (as well as similar events in other cities), calling for the resignation of the Vice President and the President, who it is assumed are also implicated  - but who have immunity whilst they hold office. 

During the first protest, the major TV channels did not cover the event, inspite of the thousands who attended. The police also used mobile phone signal blocking technology so that those in the square could not use social media during the protest. These apparent attempts at censorship have not stopped Guatemalans: the protests continue every saturday in the major cities; a small group of citizens have chained themselves to the railing of the national palace; and other groups have organised strategic roadblocks, all calling for resignations. Last week, the vice president did resign, in order to cooperate with the police investigation but this particular scandal has drawn attention to the wider issue of corruption in government and in the electoral system. The protests continue. 

Some presidential candidates have used the situation to their advantage - using slogans showing themselves as alternatives to the thiefs and corruption. Others have become targets of the protests. One candidate, who has used the simple slogan of 'it´s his turn' as he came second in the last election, has had to cancel rallies because of the protests. Explanations of any real policies or plans have been absent so far.

For Guatemalans, who by culture, dislike and avoid conflict, it´s surprising and encouraging to see the growing dissatisfaction with the broken system. Although perhaps they have been dissatisfied for a long time, and have just become much more vocal about it recently.