A trip to witch mountain
A blog from Jamie Neumann in Guatemala:
This morning we got up early to go up to the witches caves here in Panajachel. Today is their day of worship to the deity San Simon.
Constantly the last 2 days bombs have been going off throughout the city in celebration to San Simon. Ben wanted us to actually go up to
the witch’s caves in order to have a better understanding of the inner workings of this place. 75% of the people who live here in Pana
practice witchcraft. Their entire lives revolve around their practices; what they sell, what they eat, and how they live. They have
brought poverty upon this place.
Constantly the last 2 days bombs have been going off throughout the city in celebration to San Simon. Ben wanted us to actually go up to
the witch’s caves in order to have a better understanding of the inner workings of this place. 75% of the people who live here in Pana
practice witchcraft. Their entire lives revolve around their practices; what they sell, what they eat, and how they live. They have
brought poverty upon this place.
We met Ben at Mi Reto (his church) at 7am to take a chicken bus up to the side of the mountain where a witchcraft ceremony was going on. As we started to walk down the path to the cave, black smoke was already billowing which meant a ritual was going on. Multiple people and multiple witches were up there when we arri
ved. The sight of the cave blew my mind. Men, women, children, entire families just kept coming in order to practice witchcraft of all different sorts. Whether that was evoking spirits, asking for blessings financially, cursing against
enemies, or voodoo.
ved. The sight of the cave blew my mind. Men, women, children, entire families just kept coming in order to practice witchcraft of all different sorts. Whether that was evoking spirits, asking for blessings financially, cursing againstenemies, or voodoo.
They let us watch what they were doing with sense of arrogance about them. It was almost as if when we arrived the witch wanted to put on a show. These people pay their entire week or month’s salary in order to have a ceremony.
We are sent out to the nations. Sent to the hardest places for everyone is deserving of hearing the word of the good news. Nothing will hold us back, not even witchcraft.
Ben preached the good news to them of how Jesus Christ is the only atonement and only one who can truly bless you. He said idolatry and worship to dark spirits will only promote God’s wrath upon their lives. They actually listened to what Ben had to say and did not run away. Even the witch himself took in Ben’s words. The spirit worked in this place today. The next family that was practicing witchcraft we talked to. They sat there and listened to the gospel as well.
We did not approach the caves in fear; it says in Acts 18 “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you.”
After we got done with the caves we went to the temple of San Simon in order to gain a better understanding of the tradition Mayan practices, especially on a day like today with worship to this specific deity.Even as I am sitting here writing this blog in our house bombs are going off constantly in reverence to this once man that they made a god. I pray over this city and these people. I pray with our last 10 days here God will give us opportunities to speak life over these people and give them the hope of Jesus Christ over the poverty stricken barren life they are currently living in the practice of witchcraft.
With all that said, and with all we saw
today. We have and will bring a message of hope. A message that
surpasses all of their ancient tradition. A message of great love.
today. We have and will bring a message of hope. A message that
surpasses all of their ancient tradition. A message of great love.
Comments (3)
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Wow. That’s all I can say. However, I will pray for these guys too!
The Lord will surely be a Shield and a Strong Defence unto you all in Jesus Name! I long for an opportunity like this to be a co-labourer with the Lord in liberating the Capitives! Good job!
Another Wow from me…these have been practicing their beliefs for thousands of years, long before the Romans manufactured Catholicism out of the Judaic practices in the Middle East, which was in turn synthesized into the name Christian but is just a pasteurized form of Paulian.
In other words-their practices are older and wiser than yours. Stop acting as if the Anglo way of life is always superior. See the beauty in diversity, know that God is more than able (without your assistance, mind you) to be all things to all people, go by perhaps thousands of different names, and requires different behaviors of different people.
D. Tripp