Kiva Stories from the Field

Connecting through prayers

18 November 2009 at 05:55 Jeremy Lapedis 5 comments

By Jeremy Lapedis, KF9, Guatemala

I’m Jewish, but, before every meal at Manuel’s house, we say a prayer thanking Jesus Christ.  Manuel is the director of FAPE, the MFI where I work in Guatemala, and I have been staying with him since arriving.  He is also a pastor at a Baptist church.  So I was surprised Thursday night when lifting my head, just after our prayer, I spotted a menorah on display.  What is this doing here?

Manual caught my gaze. “Oh, a friend gave me that.  Do you know what it used for?”  he queried.

I attempted to impart what knowledge I had of the menorah: It was a miracle that the oil burned for eight days, but there are nine candles.  Channukah was the festival of lights.  He listened intently on what I had to say completely fascinated with my every word.  His genuine interest in my religion, in hearing my thoughts, was not something I was accustomed to back home.  How often do we hang onto every word of someone we barely know?

Shortly thereafter, he shared with me what my name meant to him.  That Jeremias was a very important saint.  He taught me a song the he sang at church.  I absorbed his words.  We were not just talking at each other, but having a deep connection. This is what Kiva is all about, making personal connections with people.  Finding things you have in common and learning.  Although Manuel is not a lender nor a supported entrepreneur,  he too likes to make connections while alleviating poverty.   I am glad his organization is the intermediary, facilitating connections.

On Friday night, I baked a challah, and he asked that I say the prayer over the meal.  I started. “Baruch atah Adonai…”

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Entry filed under: All, blogsherpa, FAPE, Guatemala, KF9 (Kiva Fellows 9th Class). Tags: blogsherpa, FAPE, Guatemala, guatemala microfinance, Jeremy Lapedis, Judaism in Guatemala, KF9, Kiva, Kiva Fellow, Kiva Fellows.