The Bad Story—You Ready?

I challenge you to take a journey with me to a deep, dark unfamiliar world where you lose your concept of reality. It is a journey as mystical and unexplainable as the fall and the obliteration of the Mayan empire. Void the mind if you can, void your preconceived notions about myth and magic and maybe you can appreciate this story that is REAL in my village.

A curse has swept through the village. 'It' came from the neighboring village of Silver Creek. Various households had been 'infected' but now it has left. All, except my host family's home. There, the children have been sick one right after the other. But it is staying at my old house and won't leave. A couple of the children have been sick, then got better, only to get sick again. My host mother who is a small lady anyways, has lost maybe 20 pounds in the last month. She weeps (which is uncustomary in this culture to show emotion). She looks ravaged with sadness and pain.

I visit over at their home and whoever is sick is being tended to by the rest of the family. Everyone is praying over them, the incense is burning, there is little light in the room, and no talking with only a whisper if necessary. The symptoms are obsessive sleep, difficulty breathing with the feeling that someone or something is choking them, and pain in their hearts like they are being stabbed. They speak in 'tongues' when wakeful and often appear delirious.

My host father asked to talk to me privately and I obliged. He and his wife believe this is a curse that has been introduced into the village and has left the village except for his home because someone is still 'cursing' them. Mayans can 'curse' one another which will cause ill fate or sickness, even death. This is usually done (I'm told) out of jealousy. Now the children are all so ill that he sought the help of a Guatemalen 'bush doctor' who has been in touch via telephone. They feel that this doctor is the only one that can bring health and happiness back to their family.

No matter what you are thinking now, this is real to this family. The doctor had told them last week that the children were very ill and if he weren't allowed to do his doctoring, he feared that someone would die and that one of the parents would become gravely ill and die also. He instructed my host dad to keep all the family in their home or their yard even if they were feeling better. He would start doing his 'work' from afar and my host father would soon see an improvement. My host dad would do anything for the health and happiness of his family. There has been improvement. Their beliefs are deeply rooted. This doctor is their lifeline.

The Guatemalen bush doctor wants $4000 BZ ($2000 US) for his services. He will be coming this Friday to do his work and expects to be paid at that time. My host father has managed to beg, borrow, and not steal from everyone he knows and has come up with almost $2000 BZ. He is afraid that because he only has half of the money, that the bush doctor will reverse the good that he has already done and the family will be cursed perhaps even more.

The whole family is distraught and begging for help. I have suggested a conventional doctor in a nearby town that practices conventional medicine combined with bush doctor medicine. But, they strongly believe that this Guatemalen doctor is the only one that can save them. Truth is that whatever they believe in WILL cure. I just wish I could convince them to 'believe' Plan B is worth a try. He understands that our culture doesn't believe in such things but told him that I understood how real this was for him.

My wish is that this Guatemalan doctor won't accept the 'pay on time' idea and that my host dad may be forced to consider Plan B. I know he will still give this bush doctor some money for the good that he has already done for the family and pray that he will not inflict sickness to his family in retaliation for the broken agreement.

I am asking you to send any love and compassion you may feel after reading this to my family that is suffering so. It is a heavy and difficult time.

I believe your thoughts and prayers will help as much as my family believes the bush doctor will cure.

God bless us all...love, tracy