La Limonada

La Limonada is the name of the Guatemala City slums, one of the largest slum cities in Latin America, and one of the most dangerous, gang ridden areas. La Limonada is also the place we spent our day today, learning about an amazing woman named Tita, the schools she has started and the hope she has brought to countless people living in La Limonada. La Limonada is home to about 80, 000 people, and the living conditions within it would make many Western World people sick to their stomachs. Whoever derived the term "concrete jungle" seemed to have been describing La Limonada, because that is probably the easiest, clearest description one can give of a first impression. Towering concrete buildings, ram-shackle houses stacked awkwardly on top of each other, leaning over narrow, even streets that are littered with trash is what one sees at first glance. It is a destitute looking place, a place that literally looks "God-forsaken"; home to abuse, drugs, extreme poverty and a very rare chance of escape.

Yet the people who live in La Limonada are not as one may expect. We started our tour of La Limonada by visiting one of the schools that Tita has started, and meeting some of the children who are lucky enough to be blessed by the work of the school. Shortly after, we split off into groups, some staying at the school and playing with the children there, and some of us going out into the neighbourhood to a nearby building that acts as an extension of sorts of the school. The school itself is painted bright red on the outside, a beacon, a shining ray of hope in the midst of the crumbling cement and scrap metal buildings that line the streets. The other building, one would not be able to tell from the outside it was acting as a classroom until the gate was opened to the flood of smiling children who were eager to take your hand and play with you. These children come from broken homes full of abuse, malnutrition, abandonment, and much, much more. Yet their smiles can break your heart; their hearts are full of joy and a sense of hope for the future that brings one to the brink of tears.

After a while of interacting with these beautiful children, we bade them good bye and started on the next chapter of our tour: House visits. We were led by guides through the streets to several houses, where we would go inside, meet the inhabitants, and talk with them for a time. During the break in between classes, the teachers from the schools that Tita has established in La Limonada visit people nearby who are struggling and could use some encouragement. At the first house we went to, we were taught how to make tortillas, which are a staple in every meal here. We learned that the lady who lived there was having a lot of problems with her kidney, and she needed an operation but couldn't afford it. She also owed a huge debt to the man who brought her corn for her tortillas because she hadn't written down how much she owed him, and he told her that she owes him much more than she thought she did. Her tortilla business supports her, her daughter and her two grandsons, who live with her. After talking with her for a while, we prayed with her and went on to the next house.

At the next house visit, we met an old man who had been in an accident that caused him to lose his vision. He lived with his wife and sister, the three of them in a house that's less than half the size of my garage back home. All three were older and had health issues and no money for food, no way to provide for themselves. The old man had been having trouble walking because of his knee, and was in bed when we arrived. When we were introduced to him, we offered our hands because he could not see our faces. He commented on how he thought each of us must look, whether we were big and strong or small and gentle. Although his pain and suffering were clearly evident, this man was so full of joy and so happy that we visited him, that he stood up, with help, and danced. The joy the emanated from him was contagious, and he brought a smile to all our faces.

After finishing the house visits, we met up with the rest of our program, and did a short debrief with Tita, a woman who had grown up in La Limonada, gotten caught up in drugs and pain, and then decided that wasn't the life she wanted to live. She got cleaned up and went back to offer hope and love to the other residents. Since she began her ministry, she has now opened three schools in different neighbourhoods within La Limonada, as people within the shanty town are not allowed to cross neighbourhoods due to the gang activity; crossing into another gang's territory would not end well. Many of the ladies who work with Tita also grew up there, and their love for the people in La Limonada is evident in all they do. It was a heart breaking, but truly beautiful experience, though it wouldn't have been so beautiful if it hadn't been for the hope seen in the work of Tita and her ministry.

While I will never forget trying to navigate through the narrow streets, trying to avoid stepping in vomit or dog feces, the smell of pollution and rotting garbage overwhelming my senses and the thoughts of the terrible living conditions and brokenness that runs rampant throughout La Limonada, I will also never forget the wonderful joy, hope and love that also exists within the community.