Find An Angel

Arrived safely in Guatemala after a long day of traveling. I am so proud of my two girls - waking up at 4:15 AM and navigating through changing planes in Miami, customs in Guatemala, baggage claim and the 45 minute ride to Antigua with no complaints. Especially Samy, who has been sick all week and still has a hacking cough -- she pulled her suitcase, kept up with Mariel and me, and was a real trooper. I wonder what people thought, looking us, each with an individual rolling suitcase and backpack, plus 4 huge suitcases. I kept feeling the need to explain that we were bringing things for the poor, lest people think we were "over packers." The girls feel asleep during the ride to Antigua. I have a sweet picture of them nestled together in the back seat of the van, their arms intertwined and their heads facing each other like a ying/yang symbol. (I will post it later.) They woke up as we hit the cobblestones of the Antigua streets, and we were all smiles at the sight of the brightly painted buildings and familiar streets of our home away from home.

We are staying in "Hotel Antigua," which I recommend to anyone coming to do service work here. It is beautiful and simple, yet feels so luxurious. Our room is in the annex, which has a lap pool. After arriving we had our own private swim as there doesn't appear to be anyone else staying in the annex -- at least for now.

At 5:30PM, we made our way through the cobbled streets of Antigua to the office of From Houses to Homes, "FHTH." Mariel and I took turns pulling the enormous suitcase that Liz Contreras donated to us, filled with some of the amazing donations you have given. Earlier, I had separated out all the donations into four groups -- for the FHTH workers and their families, our San Antonio des Aguas Calientes family, and our two Santa Maria de Jesus families. Shortly after we reached the office, the trucks with the workers arrived -- all the men we have come to know and love in our times here -- Hector, Tomas, Louis, Esa, Mickey, and the others whose names I don't really know, and of course, Edgar. It felt like a holiday as we opened the suitcase and the guys separated out the stuff. So thank you to everyone who sent clothing with us. It was very, very appreciated!

We went to dinner afterwards with Joe Collins, director of FHTH, and Edgar. Joe told us all about the new school FHTH is building in Santa Maria de Jesus (SMJ), and the other great work the organization is doing. It is very inspiring to see the life Joe has chosen to lead. He has left behind the life he knew in NJ, and lives in Guatemala now. His life is very simple -- all of his time is devoted to serving the poor here. He has some friends who he meets at the Parque Central on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but otherwise his life is devoted to serving as many people as he can through FHTH.

We had a very tearful moment when Edgar spoke of how hard he is working to help his family. Speaking to Mariel in Spanish, he told us how he used to make 25Q ($4) a 14-hour day farming in SMJ and how grateful he is for his job with FHTH; how grateful he is that we come back to Guatemala; that we agreed to be his son's godparents; that we send support and come to visit; that we have changed his life and the lives of his family. We were all very moved.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama says that there are two basic routes to happiness. One is through material comfort and material pleasure. This, however, is not a guaranteed route - there are many people who have all or more than they need and are not happy. Look at our country -- people live in comfort unimaginable to most of the world and yet have all sorts of emotional maladies and discontent. Another route is through mental comfort -- there are many people who have very little in the way of material possessions who are nevertheless content and joyful. And yet, if someone is so lacking in material comforts that they are hungry and sick, it will be hard to be content, no matter how peaceful the mind. The challenge is to find the balance; to know that material comforts alone will not bring happiness without mental comfort. And that is the lesson I keep learning in Guatemala. I see people around me with so little, and yet with love and joy in their hearts. So as much as Edgar was thanking us, I was thanking him, although he doesn't understand why.

I am grateful to have found angels who are giving me and my family the opportunity to feel like angels. I urge everyone to seek out those people -- people who give you the opportunity to help them and the opportunity to feel like you are making the world a better place. We may think we are here to help them, but really, they are here to help us.

Namaste