Welcome to Ixcan!

Michelle writes:

We finally arrived in Santiago Ixcan, a village of 250 families.  Francisco, another man of the village, awaited our arrival equipped with a small, frail horse. This feeble-looking animal, to our astonishment, packed our four suitcases (which weighed approximately 160 lbs.) the remainder of the journey, 20 minutes away to Kathy’s mission house.   

The Welcoming Committee

Tired, sticky with sweat, and dirty, we were elated to arrive. The neighbors who watched the home and cared for Kathy’s cat were there to greet us. They had cleaned the house and had made lemonade, which was offered as we entered the house, exhausted.

     The word was out that Kathy had returned. Josefa, the president of the women’s committee of  jewelers arrived with her teenage granddaughter to present Kathy with a large bouquet of flowers--bromeliads and bougainvilleas--from her yard. 

     Next came Petrona, the president of the women’s committee of weavers, along with her 10-year-old daughter.  Petrona  and Josefa had come to plan celebration meals with Kathy and me and the women jewelers and weavers who Ixcan Ministries is working with. What a welcome to be embraced by these lovely women, who were so excited to have Kathy back in their village. Kathy has lived in Santiago Ixcan for 10 years and is very much a part of the community.
     After a short rest, we went to the nearby river to bathe in the refreshing water. Two neighbor women were already there doing their laundry by hand while another young woman cleared thick vegetation on one side of the river using a machete for snake deterrence. 

A young mother with her son tied to her back arrived with the day’s laundry. We bathed in the cool water, bare-breasted and wearing a black half-slip for modesty.

We all had a good laugh as the women told us of the earlier gossip. On our initial arrival, I had gotten to Kathy’s house before her, walking with Chus, while Kathy stopped to visit a neighbor along the way. The women saw me--a tall white woman--and mistook me for Kathy. They started commenting, “Look at poor Kathy! She is so thin! She must have been sick while she was in the United States to have lost so much weight!” Minutes later, Kathy walked up the path. “Oh there’s Kathy, bigger than before. No worries, she’s  alright!” Much laughter was shared.

     Javier and Rosa, close friends of Kathy’s, invited us for dinner that evening. They have 7 children: Sandra, who is married and out of the home, teenagers Silvia and Benjamin, 11-year-old Ermelinda, 5-year-old Pedro, and 10-month-old twin boys, Mosais and Rigoberto.   

     Rosa and Javier’s simple home has a big kitchen in a separate wooden building with a hard packed dirt floor, wooden table, and benches, and the cutest high chair combo built by Javier for the twins. 

A hammock hangs in the center of the room--perfect for rocking the babies. The cinderblock wood stove is vented to the outside and is supplemented by a small table-top four-burner propane stove. All families cook mainly with wood. Electricity only came to this village two years ago.
     Kathy brought along an electric hand blender, a gift from a friend in the U.S. to give to the family. Food preparation for the twins takes so much time! 

While we waited for supper, we blended potatoes and frijoles/beans in less than a minute for the babies’ dinner. They loved it and ate it all!

We thoroughly enjoyed the excellent chicken soup Rosa had made with potatoes, cilantro, tomatoes, and who knows what else. They were very generous, and I had a second helping of the delicious broth. Little Pedro said they killed the white rooster for this special meal. You could tell that was a very big deal, as this is a poor family. 

Remember to give thanks as you enjoy the abundance of your next meal!