On November 3rd, 2024, the world lost a brilliant human being in Mr. Erwin Rivas. We have had the privilege of working with Erwin as one of our two main guides for the Music Is Love Exchange (MILE). Erwin has inspired many people to learn about his country, his people, his way of seeing the world, and the greatness that is available in Guatemala. His enthusiasm became my enthusiasm: for life, for people, and for culture.
Erwin loved to eat. We shared meals in fine restaurants and from street vendors. He loved to talk about food, where it comes from, and how proud Guatemalan people are of their agriculture. In Guate there isn’t much refrigeration, so the food that we shared was often very fresh.
Erwin loved to be playful and connect with kids. We have done service work together at lots of different schools, and Erwin would inevitably end up abandoning the paint work for a game of football with the local kids… it didn’t matter how old the kids were, Erwin was out to win! It was ridiculous watching him, but Erwin didn’t care about anything but the game and his connection to his community.
Erwin had a joy for life and living that was truly infectious. He was curious about American culture, extremely passionate about Guatemalan culture, and was a very gifted conversationalist. Erwin’s English was excellent, and he would surprise us with his verbosity and his ability to talk for hours on end if left uninterrupted. He talked a lot. To use his parlance, he was very observative. He would look forward to our MILE trips and knew that he could count with us, count on us to be there with him and for him. We are still a family, and will carry on without him. In conclusion, it will never be the same without you, Erwin. May he rest in peace.