Battles

This morning, I woke up like every other day in Guatemala....extremely early. Guatemalans have a thing for waking up early, sleeping in the afternoon, and partying at night. This morning, my roommate, Alfonso, and I went to breakfast with the members of the board of ProReforma. It was an extremely fancy breakfast and I really enjoyed the conversations.

They often asked me questions about the American economy. What do I think caused the crisis? Where do I see our economy going? Why do so many Americans like Obama? But my favorite question today was this: Brandon, is your generation prepared to work hard; or has America lost its work ethic as a result of its innovations? This question stumped me. The great thing about northern America, one director said, is that has a winter. Winter has taught Americans how to prepare for rough times, and how to work hard during those times. It appears winter has hit America, he continued, and the people forgot to prepare for winter. This statement continues ot baffle me because I do think its true. He commented on the lack of work in Guatemala. He stated: people in Guatemala hardly work; and if they do work, they work just enough. When we work just enough to get by, we forget winters come, and we must be prepared. Has American lost her work ethic: I think this is a question worth asking.

To update you on our situation in Congress, the amendment is in debate with a congressional committee right now. Two days ago, the president of that committee had a fight with many members of his political party. As a result, he left the party, which strongly supported ProReforma. Individually, he also supports the amendment, but we have no idea what will happen as a result of this.

Please continue to pray. I'm constantly reminded that I'm not in America. I have become aware of much political turmoil within our organization that occurred only days before I came. My ability to understand Spanish is getting better, but I still get frustrated at times. Please also pray that I can continue my testimony to those around me. I'm very much the only Christian in this area, and the balance between being a person respectful of cultural differences and standing up for my personal beliefs is becoming increasingly difficult. Most of all, please pray that God will use me to expand His kingdom, even if I never see the results.