To close out our amazing week serving and serving with the people of Guatemala, we had a day to relax and explore as we wished. I chose to take in as much of Antigua and the culture that I could. After being in Antigua for a week it was nice to be able to walk around and interact with the people of the city and see the beauty of just part of Guatemala. One thing that surprised me, but was my favorite part, is the openness and true kindness of the Guatemalan people. Just today, the interactions I had with three different Guatemalans really stood out to me and proved to me just how genuine and kind they truly are.
In a small courtyard that connected a few different shops there were a few women sitting around selling traditional clothes, blankets, and other cloth. The zipper on the new purse of one of the women I was walking with had come off and she wanted it repaired. I found a woman who was sewing, walked up to her, and asked her if she knew how to put the zipper back on and if she would be willing to. She responded that she would try her best and proceeded to not only fix the zipper, but also re-sew a piece of the purse that was beginning to separate. When she was finished, I asked her how much she would like us to pay her and her only response was, “Whatever you feel in your heart”. I found this response surprising, and it only provided me with more proof that the people in Guatemala are some of the kindest and most generous people I have met even though many have hardly anything to give. This was just one interaction of many that I had throughout the week and every time I spoke with someone, it was so clear to me how kind, generous, and resilient the Guatemalan people are, but also how gracious and thankful they are for the work we have done for and along side of them.
Emily Kuhn
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