hope is the thing with feathers
end of the year thank you note ❤️
Dear friends,
On a hike the other day, I listened to this episode of This American Life. It’s a story about immigrants in New York City, and as usual, the show’s team found angles we don’t usually think about. I laughed (teenagers!) and wept (the mundane misery of no money and nowhere to go), and wanted to share it with you. It was particularly poignant for me— just last week, our nanny Elisabeth came to the house looking haggard after a sleepless night. Her beloved brother, recently diagnosed with diabetes and with a 7-year old daughter and pregnant wife, without steady work or prospects, had gone north toward Texas and was lost— they hadn’t heard from him in over 3 days. The coyote had escaped, the other guy he was traveling with was picked up by border control, but her brother was just… missing. “Maybe walking through the desert.” She had spent the weekend dealing with her mom (hysterical, also diabetic and unable to eat from sheer worry), trying to distract her niece and comfort her sister in law, and just… deal. I offered to send her home for the day, whatever, but she thought it’d be easier to be with us and distract herself from the chaos at home. We cried together in the kitchen, and prayed and tried to be hopeful.
Many of you live in Texas. I grew up there, and I understand all too well the overwhelm and political pessimism the migration question raises for people. We’ve had some grating comments made by people in the US that say they’re glad we are here, doing this work so that less people will migrate north. I wish so much it were that simple.
What has been made super clear to us is what a privilege it is to choose where you live. I’ve had countless conversations with Guatemalans who have spent time in the US and the impressions are generally negative— it’s cold, the people can be harsh, work conditions are punishing, and it’s hard to be away from home. When they have the opportunity (by choice or by force) to return, on some level it is always a relief. People migrate for all sorts of reasons, almost all of which pertain to human survival, dignity and flourishing. In this country full of volcanoes, natural beauty and indigenous cultural complexity, it is incredibly tough to survive and flourish. We have some of the highest rates of child malnutrition and violence in the world, and there is no meaningful healthcare system to speak of. The economy is hobbled by a classist and racist oligarchy, and the justice system is famously unjust.
As we head into a new year, we are incredibly grateful for the support and love from all you dear people. I’m working on a pile of thank you notes, which hopefully you’ll see in your mailboxes by the end of January, but I don’t want to miss this opportunity to issue a general word of thanks for caring so much about the people of Guatemala. I explained to a friend who is here doing development work recently why we do this as missionaries sent out by the church, and it was good to remember that nobody will pay someone a conventional salary (Guatemalan or otherwise) to provide high-quality free primary care to adults with diabetes and other chronic diseases, or for psychotherapy from a doctoral-degree prepared psychologist. But you do! Thank you for that.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people.” 📷:@breadandpuppetpress
Elisabeth’s brother was eventually picked up by migration and promptly flown back to Guatemala City, just in time for Christmas with his family. He’s carrying debt from the failed journey, and we are hoping he finds a new job soon. Likewise, we head back to clinic and therapy and school in a few days with our work cut out for us. I am hoping to start an adjunct feeding program for my diabetic adults this year, and am improving and streamlining some of the protocols in my program so we can serve more people. Jeff has had a recent influx of new therapy clients, struggling with the fallout of trauma and marriage failure and is ramping up his schedule accordingly. All of this is made possible by your kind and faithful support and friendship, and we are so thankful to have you on our team.
The new year is bound to bring more political conflict in the US and probably a sense of overwhelm, and we share that tension. As you confront the misery of the world, we want to encourage you to not give in to the overwhelm, to “not grow weary of doing good” as it says in Galatians 6, and to continue to do whatever thing in front of you to which you have been called.
Cheerfully and gratefully yours,
Abbie and Jeff.
As ever, you can donate to our fund right here:
AND! if you want to donate to some Guatemalan missionaries that are doing heroic and excellent work helping young adults finish their education and training for meaningful jobs here in Guatemala, it would thrill us to see these families supported and encouraged in their work. As you can imagine, raising money from within Guatemala is nearly impossible and without the resources and connections in the US church, they are chronically underfunded. The link to their giving page is right here, and you can search for “Eddy Martinez and Aury Sandoval” or “Fito and Nanci Sandoval”.