Despite living essentially full-time in Guatemala for the last decade plus, I am still (and, arguably always will be) the "other." Surprisingly, this is sometimes news to me.
I attended a recent church service that featured a visiting preacher. My default preference would be to avoid becoming the focal point of the interactive portion of any public discourse. Thus, I was unpleasantly surprised when, midway through the sermon, the orator addressed me directly. He inquired if I was "from Guatemala? Or, someplace else?" I confirmed his suspicion that I was not originally from Guatemala and hoped that would be the end of our mid-sermon interaction. It was not.
He then proceeded to editorialize my presence. He pointed out the irony that many Guatemalans- particularly those with limited economic opportunities- wish to live in the U.S. And, yet here was someone (me) who was born in the U.S., but choosing to live in rural Guatemala. He concluded his commentary regarding my presence with the question (paraphrased here): "I bet you didn't imagine when you were growing up that you would be placed here in Guatemala as a prophet?"
The first portion of his rhetorical question I do not debate. The latter assertion, that of my role as prophet, did not land quite as comfortably for me.
Merriam-Webster presents multiple definitions for the term "prophet." I suppose the definition I would acknowledge as aspirational for our work in Guatemala, would be: "an effective spokesman for a cause, doctrine, or group."
Our cause: share God's love by delivering world-class healthcare to the marginalized population of rural Guatemala.
Our doctrine: Hope should not be a limited a resource. (Or, in the words of Paul Farmer, "the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.")
Our group: the marginalized, mostly indigenous, largely impoverished patient population that we serve in rural Guatemala (i.e. our neighbors).
I'm still not entirely comfortable with being highlighted in a sermon, much less characterized as a "prophet." But, I am willing to sit in the discomfort and at least wrestle with the potential ramifications.
If a prophet is someone who "speaks truth to power" (whether that "speaking" be verbal or non-verbal), then I readily assent.
I am a prophet.
And... so are you, dear reader.
Thank for you walking alongside us as we attempt to live out revolutionary solidarity and compassionately deliver modern, world-class, healthcare to those most in need.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash