Remembering Heydi from Chajul

In 2010, we visited the town of Chajul in the Ixil Triangle. This is an area that was was in the heart of the conflict during the Guatemalan Civil War. Today, the area is poor, isolated, and forgotten by many.  The people of Chajul speak Ixil...and some Spanish. They are decent, hard-working, humble people.

We visited Chajul and several other Guatemalan communities, looking for a place where we could establish a sustainable clean water system. We were testing water and looking for a group of people who had the vision to build a water business. We had the privilege of working alongside Compassion International student centers using Healing Waters International equipment. 

As we walked around Chajul, we encountered a lot of youth who seemed to find us fascinating and perhaps even funny. I was taking pictures as fast as I could. One lovely young lady gave me a big smile and the opportunity for an unforgettable photograph.

If I had spoken Ixil, I might have asked her name, but I didn't. We finished our visit and went home. Eventually, we selected Chajul as the community where we would work, and as we looked back through all of the photography, our graphic designer (Stacie Burley) chose this picture as the face of the JBU Guatemala Water Project. 

As the project progressed, the face of this young lady continued to haunt me. I don't know how many times I told people that I didn't even know her name or anything about her. She had no idea that she was the face of the project and that in this way she was helping her people.

We raised our funds, worked through all of the training and logistics, and planned our return to Chajul in 2012 where we would establish a source of clean water for the community. The face of this young lady continued to haunt me. Would she ever know how much her face meant to this project and ultimately to her community?

Upon arrival, we presented a picture of the girl to the leadership of the church. They knew her. Her name was "Heydi," and she had been a member of the Compassion program but was no longer attending. We wanted to meet her and give her family a basket of food, a small way of paying her for using her face in our posters and web site. The staff at the church went to find her and see if we could go visit. Heydi lived with her siblings and her single mom. They didn't want us to come to their house because they were very poor, but they agreed to come see us at the church. She arrived, and through an Ixil translator, we tried to share the story. We had a basket of food and a copy of the poster. At first, Heydi seemed very uncertain about the whole thing, but she eventually started smiling and owning the moment.

That was the last time I saw Heydi. If her life is like other girls in these areas, she will probably be a mother at a very young age, and she will probably work very hard and be trapped in a life of poverty and exploitation. At least for a moment, I think she understood that she was the young lady whose face helped transform a community. 

I think about Heydi a lot, and I hope I get to see her again someday. She remains in my prayers.

Does That Make Sense?

I called Domino's and ordered large, thin-crust, 3-topping pizza for carry-out. The voice on the other end of the phone confirmed, "And you said carry-out?" My response, "That's right, sir." The voice then told me, "OK, that'll be $14.10. Give us about 10 minutes."

I walked into the local Domino's and confirmed that the "Monday-Thursday large 3-topping carry-out only for $7.99" was still prominently posted on the window. It was. I opened the door and was greeted by the typical chorus of "welcome to Domino's!" The young man at the counter asked how he could help me, so I said, "I'm Joe, I'm here to pick up my pizza, and by the way, shouldn't I get that price?" (pointing to the words on the window). His response, "Oh,sir! that is for carry-out only!!"

TIME OUT: Isn't that why most people walk into a Domino's? For carry-out? We don't order home delivery and then drive the store, right? OK, maybe he was having a bad day.

Back to the story. The young man looked confused. As I began to explain that the pizza that I was picking up truly was carry-out, a young lady was making her way to the cash register. Very courteously she said, "Don't worry sir, I'm fixing it right now. We are not allowed to offer that price to our customers. You have to ask for it. Does that make sense?"

TIME OUT: I really don't like it when someone makes a straightforward statement and then asks, "Does that make sense?" It is kind of demeaning. Yes, I have the capacity to understand straightforward statements. If I don't, I'll ask for clarification. "Does that make sense?" is one of my trigger phrases, so if you say that to me and I subsequently appear to be biting my tongue or some other part of the inside of my mouth, now you know why.

Back to the story. OK, the young lady was trying to be helpful. Did that make sense. Yes, I understood her predicament, but the Domino's policy (to me) was not logical. So I said, "Well, it does and it doesn't." (This was all very friendly.) Her response to me, "Well, if you want to keep your job with Domino's, it makes sense."

Sigh....

Dear Domino's Senior Management: I am neither angry nor complaining...just making an observation. You really shouldn't play these kinds of games with your customers and your associates. If you offer a price, offer it. You are currently telling your customers, "We really are willing to sell for less, but if you don't know that or are too timid to ask, we're gonna make an extra six bucks off of you!" It is an extra step for the customer to have to ask for the price. Why not simply serve the customer? And I am saddened by the thought of the associate who thinks they might get in trouble for taking the initiative to tell the customer what the true price is. Domino's, this is not a big thing, but it is the kind of thing that makes people feel belittled and leaves a bad impression of your company. Why not just honor and serve your people? Does that make sense?

The Twelve Days of Black Friday

I am not a fan of Black Friday.

The concept could disappear completely, and as far as I'm concerned, the world would be a better place. The idea of whipping shoppers into a buying frenzy and then having them compete for limited quantities of items demonstrates, in my not-so-humble opinion, a bit of flawed logic. News clips this morning showed people panicking as crowds pressed against doors and customers fighting over items in the stores. There was one news video showing aggressive shoppers being arrested at the flat screen TV pallet as fights broke out. Who wouldn't want to be part of that?

My Black Friday protest is simply to stay away from the stores. Unfortunately, Black Friday is no longer a day...it is a concept that spreads across many days. Part of me is encouraged at the thought that maybe we are seeing the death of the traditional Black Friday, but then I wonder if we haven't simply found a way to extend the mayhem.

I spent part of Thanksgiving day relaxing and cooking for a family gathering with the SyFy Channel's James Bond marathon playing in the background. Almost every commercial break, the same ad played, "Don't worry! Black Friday isn't over yet!!" How odd!! My initial reaction was twofold. First, technically, "Friday" had not even started yet! Of course it wasn't over! Second, of all of the issues that had worked their way up my worry list, missing Black Friday wasn't one of them. This commercial, for me, served as an overplayed reminder that Black Friday has now escaped the traditional definition of "Friday" and has taken over a larger chunk of the calender.

Given that I hear a lot more about doorbusters than Christmas, it occurred to me that the 12 Days of Christmas may have been replaced by the 12 Days of Black Friday. If that is the case, then allow me to offer the following:

THE TWELVE DAYS OF BLACK FRIDAY

On the twelfth day of Black Friday, my retailer brought to me....

Twelve shoppers fighting
Eleven backed-up checkouts
Ten fists a swinging
Nine five-buck toasters
Eight bait-and-switches
Seven cops arresting
Six maxed-out Visas
Five connecting crock pots!
Four empty pallets
Three tired kids
Two loads of stuff
And a doorbuster 'neath the Christmas tree

Happy Thanksgivukkah, everyone!!

Mama Carmen (Photo Essay)

I've been thinking a lot lately about Mama Carmen.

We met in 2006 in a HiperPaiz store in Guatemala City. Many years before, her son had gotten in trouble and disappeared, and she promised God that she would spend her life caring for unloved children if He would bring back her son. It is a long and amazing story, but the son was miraculously returned, and Mama Carmen began keeping her promise. When that son was dying a few years later, he made Mama Carmen promise that she would never stop caring for children. She has spent her life keeping her promise to God and to her dying son.

Mama Carmen was facing some big problems in 2006. One night, she argued with God, telling Him that this was His ministry, that she was only His instrument, and that she never knew there would be so many kids and so much need. She went to sleep and had a dream. She saw a face, understood the name "Joe," and understood that "help would come through this man." She saw me the next day in HiperPaiz, and recognized the face. She sent two girls over to ask me if my name was "Joe," and that was the start of a great friendship for which I am profoundly grateful.

There is a much longer version of the story, but that is enough for now. Mama Carmen has faced a lot of struggles lately, and she could use your prayers.

2006

Judith and Dorcas in HiperPaiz - The day I met Mama Carmen

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012