Seth and Stephany Rudeen returned from their service at the Q’eqchi’ Bezaleel Mennonite Educational Center near San Pedro Carchá, Guatemala, with more than new skills and memories. They came home with a shifted perspective on what it means to live as global citizens and neighbors. They served in San Pedro with our partner Seminario Anabautista Latinoamericano (SEMILLA) and their program CASAS.
“I assumed that this year was going to be life-changing and that my perspective would shift, and I can affirm that that is the case. We’ve learned so much about what it means to be a citizen in this world and that our culture here in the United States is so different from cultures in other places.”
Stephany Rudeen
What stood out most was the warmth of Guatemalan relationships. Every encounter with someone known required a genuine greeting — a hug, a warm “buenos días,” a real pause. “I don’t want to lose that here in the U.S. I don’t want to just walk by someone I know and say, ‘Hey.’ I want to really know how they are and keep that warmth going in our lives.”
In the Q’eqchi’ language the everyday greeting goes even deeper. There is no casual “Hi, how are you?” The words “ma sa’ laa ch’ool” roughly translates as “are you happy in your heart?” It invites more than a surface answer. Neighbors regularly stop their work for ten minutes — or an hour — to truly check in before continuing their day. That practice pushed the Rudeens to examine their own emotions more carefully and to listen with greater care.
One ordinary moment at the school illustrated the shift. When asked how he was doing, a maintenance worker answered honestly: he was not doing well and then explained why. The response required pausing, reflecting carefully and honoring what had been shared rather than rushing past it.
Hospitality flowed in both directions. The Rudeens were welcomed into large meals and received patient help with Q’eqchi’ and Spanish from host families and friends. In return they hope to offer the same generous welcome in the United States — to first-time visitors or anyone in their community who needs a soft place to land. Time itself felt different. Classes could run a little long without creating friction for the next teacher. “I definitely see myself taking more of a laid-back viewpoint,” Seth reflected.
The local church also left a strong impression. Youth with musical gifts were regularly invited onto the platform during the main service. The Rudeens hope to carry that passion for meaningful youth involvement back to their own congregation.
Practicing Spanish and building friendships within the Spanish-speaking community in Newton, Kansas
Through their year of teaching English, supporting practical projects, and sharing daily life with the Q’eqchi’ Mennonite community, Seth and Stephany experienced mutual transformation. The warmth, the deeper questions, the flexible sense of time, and the intentional inclusion of young people are gifts they now seek to live out at home.
Their story invites others to consider how cross-cultural service expands not only what we know, but how we greet, listen, host, and include one another.
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