A year in Guatemala

I've taken a very long break from writing on this blog, somewhat for a lack of time but also for the sake of safety. For the last year Jean and I were living in Guatemala, which as most know is not a very safe country. Kidnappings are commonplace and being foreigners we were already kind of big targets. Writing publicly on a blog about where we were would not have been wise so now that we're no longer there I will fill in some of the missing details.

We decided to go to Guatemala because immigration there does not require a visa for Nicaraguans wanting to enter, or for Canadians either. So both of us were allowed to stay in Guatemala freely without any lengthy paperwork or applications to fill out. A lot of things were less than ideal, but we really had no where else to go. Guatemala does not get a lot of tourists, at least in the area we were living, so we felt very out of place. even after a year in the same place people would still stare at us open mouthed or make strange comments as if we couldn't hear or understand what they were saying. It felt like they didn't see us as real people. Aside from this overall Guatemala is a beautiful country. It is often called the country of eternal spring, as the climate is cool and the environment is lush the entire year, the weather changes little if at all from one season to another. The high altitudes make a lot of the areas much cooler than you would normally see in central america. The food in Guatemala is also quite varied as you can find a lot of fresh foods in the market quite easily. The good weather makes it so that people in Guatemala can grow things that were difficult to find in Nicaragua. We were able to enjoy blackberries, strawberries, peaches, and lots of greens as well.

A frosty morning in Totonicapan, Guatemala.

Thanks to the help of the local congregations we were able to find places to rent where it otherwise would have been quite difficult. We lived in a relatively safe part of Guatemala, in Totonicapan which is a Maya community 2,500 meters above sea level. It is very mountainous and quite cold. Toto as it is called, a long with other communities that are given permission by the government to enforce their own laws, are much safer to live in. Their justice system is said by some to be brutal, but if you can feel safe in a town that is inside a country ruled by gangs, obviously they're doing something right. They can be very closed to outsiders which can make it difficult or impossible to move into and rent in the community, but thanks to the brothers we did not have that problem.

We still faced some danger when we had to go to specific offices and specific private doctors that the Canadian government required for Jean's residency application, and I wasn't too pleased with this. There were a lot of completely unnecessary steps that put both of us in danger that the IRCC forced on us. But in the end, we knew we were facing these trials because we insisted on doing things the right way. Jean could have stayed in Nicaragua where it would have been easier and safer, and I could have come back to Canada to find a job and work through the process there, but we knew that this would be wrong from Jehovah's standpoint. It would make us no different than those that abandon their families to go and work in a wealthier country to send money back home. Mark 10:9 says "what God has yoked together, let no man put apart."

Knowing that we were doing the right thing, and that we were suffering because of doing the right thing gave us the courage to push through. It was hard to go to Guatemala city. Mass shootings happen on the public buses on a regular basis in that city, and Jean has even lost a close relative in one of these shootings. When we had to go in once we heard on the news that there had been two more shootings the day before, but it helped me to think about Psalm 23:4 "Though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I fear no harm, For you are with me; Your rod and your staff reassure me."

Against all odds we made it through. We completed all the ridiculous steps, got around corrupt officials that tried to stop us, and managed to survive.

Jean's application for Canadian residency was approved in November of 2019.

By nothing less than Jehovah's mighty hand we were brought through. Jean and I are still together and we are together in Canada now. Thanks to Jehovah, and thanks to my parents who helped us through it all and never doubted that we were doing the right thing, as well as our friends and brothers who helped us along the way, we have won this battle. Where will we be in the future? It doesn't matter.

Nova Scotia, Canada