guides

Twice I went to Brazil and twice I needed a guide. The last trip was in 2002 to Manaus, a city located in the Northwest region of the country practically along the Amazon River. I was the leader of a team of native Californians who ranged from high school graduates to young professionals. I was the leader in name only.

Pablo pictured to the left and his wife Colleen worked with Project Amazon and had lived the greater part of their marriage in beloved Brazil. They had one daughter who had traveled to the U.S. for college but was set to return afterward. Pablo and Colleen spoke Portuguese and were respected partners in several of the local churches. They were empowering to the Brazilian pastors and faithful to the cause to which they devoted their lives. They were the type of people you could see building a successful business by risking their life savings. I mean they were “all in”. That’s why they were the perfect guides.

Guides are everywhere working under aliases and functioning more like mentors than bus drivers who point out Chuck Norris’ house along the tour route. In basketball, guides work under the guise of assistant coach, graduate assistant, head athletic trainer, team captain and of course head coach. But the guide has to be a “Pablo” or a “Colleen” to be worth your time. Translation: your guides have to know the language of the realm to communicate and help you survive. Second, it’s vital that your guide provide an itinerary for you that’s challenging but not too advanced. When you’re being guided, the assumption is that you don’t know your way around. Too difficult a course doesn’t train you for independence. Third, your “Pablo” or “Colleen” must know when to trust you to try new endeavors and be prepared for your mistakes. Lastly, and Pablo & Colleen were great at this, the guide has to provide leisure. I walked through Bat guano (Bat poop) and stood inches from bats in a pitch-black cave not-to-mention swimming in Amazonian waterfalls and baptizing several of our team members impromptu. Oh, Pablo let me drive the van one afternoon to take the team to run an errand. Have you driven in South America?

If you’re a guide, maybe you realize the multi-faceted role you play but we all stand to be reminded of the value of both guiding and being guided in a holistic fashion. Guides don’t point the way. They show it, traverse it, make it 3-D to the apprentices. No one forgets a guide.