Day 2: Thoughtful Morning Silence

It’s hard to describe the vastness of Guatemala City.  A city of nearly four million people, it’s the largest city I’ve ever been in and houses roughly 18% of the country’s population.  Much of Guatemala is rural, with the stunning natural beauty of mountains, forests, hilly valleys, and 47 volcanos - three of which are in constant activity.  But Guatemala City reminds me of other big cities like Detroit and Chicago, with the tall buildings and heavy traffic.  I will say that Guatemala City easily rivals the others for enthusiastic honking, though, as the language of impatient drivers is spoken loudly and well into the night.

The photos attached to this blog are of the city in pre-dawn as we prepare to begin our second day.  I’ve always thought this time of day has a certain subtle grandeur.  Everything is dim and a lot of the emotional noise of the world takes a backseat to the physical - whether the profound silence or the juxtaposition of the traffic over the otherwise silent city as most of it still slumbers.

The silence this morning makes me thoughtful.  I can’t write an honest blog without addressing a worldwide concern with voluntourism that perpetuates a “white savior” approach in economically underdeveloped countries.  Visitors and missionaries from wealthy countries sometimes swoop in to help…and residents are seen as passive recipients of white charity.  As Christians, we are called by the Great Commission to share the news of Jesus Christ to all the ends of the Earth.  There is a genuine desire within us that people should know the love of Jesus and a genuine desire to be helpful.  

How do we do that in a way that honors our hosts and respects this country and those we are here to serve? I don’t know that there’s any one right answer and I think holding onto some discomfort about the process is a useful thing if it keeps us asking the question.

Whether we’re helping a friend, volunteering at church, reaching out to a stranger, serving at a nonprofit organization, or traveling many miles to serve, our approach should perhaps be similar.  Help where we are invited.  Set aside everything we think we know about the person or people we’re helping, as well as any thought that we have the right to personal information about them.  Be present.  Listen.  Help if we can.  Give what we can.  Respect boundaries.  We are not rescuers; we are fellow travelers, hopefully chasing hard after Jesus, hopefully recognizing the nudge of the Holy Spirit to help.  We have to keep helping; and we have to keep questioning how we help.

Good, Good Father by Chris Tomlin is a perfect song for this time of day.  The rhythm and the words a perfect soundtrack to the peaceful darkness and the silence…a meditation on the goodness and love of God.

https://youtu.be/CqybaIesbuA?si=TzQ8NnHaFXc8S0sS