Reparando

Kevin and I and his parents went tonight to see the premiere of the documentary film "Reparando," which in English means "repairing."  God is in the business of repairing brokenness, and there is a lot of brokenness in the people of Guatemala.  They are still living in the aftermath of a 36 year civil war that ended in 1996.  It tore the country apart, ravaged families, and displaced thousands upon thousands of people who tried to escape the violence.  Now 75% of Guatemalans live below the poverty line, which according to the film means not having enough food and resources for the day.  Some of the largest slums in Latin America can be found in Guatemala.  One of them is named La Limonada, in Guatemala City.  It is one mile long and half a mile wide, and sits on the outskirts of the city dump (24+ football fields in size.)  Gangs and drugs and violence permeate it.  Most of the 60,000 people who live there are what are called scavengers; they work 10-14 hours a day scavenging through the trash, collecting anything that may be of value in order to sell it.  This is how they and their families survive day in and day out.   

But amongst all of this, there is a hope that is rising.  This film shares with us the stories of two individuals, Tita and Shorty, who have been restored by God from pasts of abuse and drugs and gangs.  They are now working with the people of La Limonada, "to repair the next generation."  Not wanting to give too much away, I'll just say that this is a powerful, moving, haunting, and beautiful film that shows the power of God's redemption in a person's life. 

http://www.reparandomovie.com/

We've been so focused on Colombia this year, it felt really good tonight to come home feeling more connected to Guatemala, to have a renewed passion for this beautiful country where our son was born.