The Colors
Written by three participants on the Guatemala Travel Study Seminar – May 2004

The colors run through our minds;
a gentle reminder of God’s beauty.

The undistinguishable languages sing in our ears;
a soothing reminder of God’s diversity.

The tantalizing smells of beans and tortillas waft through our noses;
a peaceful reminder of God’s bountiful harvest.

The touch of soft raindrops that soak our skin;
a soft reminder of God’s cleansing power.

The comforting reassurance as we part saying, “Que Dios les acompañe;”
a tender reminder of God’s constant and loving presence.

Los Colores
Escrito por tres participantes en el viaje de estudio de paz y justicia a Guatemala – Mayo 2004

Los colores corren a travéz de nuestras mentes;
un gentil recuerdo de la hermosura de Dios.

Los indistinguibles lenguajes cantan en nuestros oidos;
un tranquilo recuerdo de la diversidad de Dios.

Los tentadores aromas de frijoles y tortillas pasan a travéz de nuestro olfato;
un bondadoso recuerdo de las abundantes cosechas de Dios.

El toque de suaves gotas de lluvia que remojan nuestra piel;
un suave recuerdo del poder purificador de Dios.

Las alentadoras palabras al momento de partir diciendo, “Que Dios les acompañe,”
un tierno recuerdo de la constante y cariñosa precencia de Dios.

Silent Mountains: what secrets do they hold?
Written by a participant on the Guatemala Travel Study Seminar – May 2004

Do they hold the secrets of their violent origins – born out of the ground by the explosion of hot molten rock, ash, and lava?

Do they hold the secrets of a land much younger filled with nature’s pristine beauty, especially the breathtaking yet timid quetzal?

Do they hold the secrets of the Maya civilization that ruled an empire and constructed pyramids that rival the Egyptians?

Do they hold the secrets of the conquest that enslaved the peoples that inhabited their steep hillsides?

Do they hold the secrets of the colonialists that raped them of nutrients by planting bananas, coffee, flowers, and vegetables?

Do they hold the secrets of a people regarded as second-class citizens that farmed their sides only to leave these people indebted to the landowners?

Do they hold the secrets of a fallacious military coup that forced the country into one of the fiercest genocidal campaigns in the western hemisphere?

Do they hold the secrets of the villages that inhabited the hillsides but no longer exist?

Do they hold the secrets of the bloody massacres and the bodies that remain hidden in their caverns and valleys?

Do they hold the secrets of a people forced to remain silent in order to protect themselves and their families?

Do they hold the secrets of multinational corporations that abuse labor laws and codes for larger profit margins?

Do they hold the secrets of the 33 families that possess 99% of the wealth and land in the country?

Do they hold the secrets of the land that weeps silently as more and more acres are cleared for agricultural use and swept away in mudslides?

Do they hold the secrets of the innumerous individuals that labor without end to improve their families’ situation, praying to a God that hopefully will not remain silent?

Do they hold the secrets of families split by the continuous migration north in hopes of a better future?

And do they hold the secrets of hope that are alive in Guatemalans, an unfaltering faith for a future that benefits all?