The picas of my vida

Guess what, people? I´m in Xela! In fact, I´ve been here for exactly one week. Our flight from San Francisco left at 1230am last Saturday morning. We stopped off in Dallas for "un rato" ( a momentito), where I sprawled out across a few rows of airport seats for about three hours. After a four hour flight to Guatemala City, we were greeted by Julio Avila´s nephews and some random driver guy who drove us another four hours to Xela. The drive to Xela was unlike I´ve ever experienced. The clouds were dancing and volumptuous. The sky was the palest, sweetest blue. On our way to Quetzaltenango...

We arrived in Xela late in the afternoon. Exhuasted. We met all of the Avila´s.. Julio has eight brothers and sisters, all of whom have about five little avilas of their own. Good times. Oh I want to describe Señora Avila to you. She has this auora. Her sensitivity just glows and she commands this gnarly respect in the most unassuming mama of the casa way. The humility of her spirit is infectious. Her joy in the lives of all those around her is almost indescribable. Walking into the Avila house makes me feel secure. I bathe in its momentous serenity.

That evening we ate dinner at our homestay, which is a block down calle 11 from the Avila casa. Our seniora is precious. She is shorter than I am! Her name is Perla and her "Tia" (aunt) helps with household chores, as well as a live in house keeper lady who has warmed up to me ever since I begged her to help me deal with a little spider incident and an old banana that I found rotting under my bed... I´m still struggling to say the word spider in Spanish"araña"-ugh.

This is my sala, my cuarto, my room. I took the liberty to tape up a few fotos of my own. I feel at home here. It is peaceful. We have everything that we need. Warm beds, arroz, frijoles, tortillas, and enough dripping lukewarm water to take showers. Ademas (moreover), the blackened banano is gone and the spider has been located and removed. Alls well on the homefront.

God is continually providing for us. More and more, with more than enough. What is more than enough? Just enough? Bland black frijoles are falling into this category. And, while salsa of all kinds has always spiced up any culinary delight, it too, I am realizing is truly extra, so much more than enough. I am not ready to cut out salsa from my diet, especially while I´m here, where it is sooo rico!



What other kinds of salsa is God providing? And when they´re on the table right in front of me, do I recognize them as salsas from Him? When I´m enjoying them, am I truly enjoying el sabor? Do I approach my salsa intake with thankfulness for the extra flavor in my life, for the sometimes less pica and the muy muy pica of His salsas that are both so many times over extras.

Lord, open my senses to all the picas in my life that are so much more than enough.



Enriched. Loved.
Pica = Spicey



You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Psalm 23:5