Guatemala otra vez – el dia trece

I started the day off with the news that my daughter, Jennifer, was on her way to Haiti. She was flying in and then traveling by car to a hospital/orphanage that was six hours away. I am praying that she arrived safely, since I probably won’t hear from her because she may not have any access to internet service or phone service while there. Needless to say, the rest of the day was a piece of cake compared to my concern for her safety.
My teacher informed me at the start of class that today would be a lot of work and she was right. I know that I have been coasting a little bit by encouraging conversation rather than conjugating verbs, but I really need to be able to follow a conversation. We covered conditional verbs in the presente, pasado, and futuro. What a pleasure that was! I’m not sure that I will ever be able to speak Spanish with any reasonable amount of intelligent thought or comprehensible sentence structure. At least this will keep my mind occupied. The four hours in class did not seem as long as I thought they would considering the way we started out today. Tomorrow is the final day, so I better do my homework tonight.
This afternoon we went to a coffee plantation for a tour. The tour was conducted by Manuel, one of the staff at La Union that has been planning all of our activities. He conducted the tour totally in Spanish. It was good to see that everyone in our group was able to follow the presentation. It was very fascinating, but the most interesting part was watching the children. The children go with their parents to pick coffee beans. The younger ones play and the older ones pick beans. The younger ones were very anxious for us to take their pictures. One little boy came up to Kerry at the end of the tour and whispered in his ear that he wanted his picture taken. The kids have a wonderful spirit, along with the rest of the people we have encountered.
Tonight, Rosa Maria was at a women’s meeting so her daughter prepared our dinner. I felt really bad that she had to cook for us, but it was a good chance to talk with her for a little while. I have a lot of homework to complete before it gets too late, so I guess I better get started.
Tomorrow the rest of our group arrives. I will be going to the airport in the afternoon to meet them and ride with them back to La Union. Hopefully we will have an opportunity for a brief meeting before our farewell dinner at 7:00 p.m. All of our families will be there to celebrate our time here at La Union. I am definitely ready to start the second phase of our experience. I am also ready to give up on the team leader thing! Some challenges I really would rather not have to deal with, such is life.

Guatemala otra vez – el dia doce

We had an interesting twist this morning. Our bus driver was 30 minutes late picking us up for school. We were just about ready to take the chicken bus, but we decided to hold off and ride that on Friday. When we arrived at school, we had a group waiting for us to have prayer. We had another student from Michigan that joined us today. It is a great experience knowing that people are seeking opportunities to join others in prayer. We are hoping that we can share together in communion on Friday since that is our last day at the school. It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of our second week.
My teacher spent another day primarily in conversation with me. I appreciate her willingness to share so much with me about life in Guatemala. Today she shared many things with me about her faith and her family. It is providing me with a lot of sermon material. I especially appreciate all that she shared with concerning the reaction of her grandfather immediately following the big earthquake of 1976. His faith was definitely something that needs to be shared with others.
This afternoon we visited a project for children and their families – Proyecto Semillero Mi Angel Guardian. It is an after school program for children that also provides training for their mothers (there are no fathers in theses families) so that the mothers can provide for their children. In addition to providing care for the children after school, they raise chickens, sell the eggs, grow mushrooms to sell to local restaurants, and have a fish farm. We spent time with the children today as they worked on some crafts that they will sell and then enjoyed watching them have a fiesta with two piñatas. Their energy was fantastic. One boy, Luis, seemed to latch on to me very quickly. I sat down beside him while he was working on his craft and he acted as though we were best friends. He asked me if we came to Guatemala by airplane and after I said yes, he wanted to know if I was able to reach out and touch the clouds. I said that wasn’t possible and then we laughed about what would happen if you tried to walk on the clouds. After the piñata party, Luis insisted that have some of his candy. It’s hard to believe that a child can be so giving when he doesn’t have anything to begin with. This is a great project and the Directora General, Marta, seemed to enjoy our visit as much as the kids. I told Marta that John Benson sent his greetings and she beamed from ear to ear. She could not share enough about what a wonderful person John is and what a big heart he has. She was talking so fast that I knew I had brought some good news to her. She does great things with very little in the way of resources. I never cease to be amazed at the passion of others to accomplish great things for the sake of those that they care about.
Tonight I had a good discussion with Leonel about the aid efforts in Haiti. It is always interesting to hear the perspective of others that get their information from different news sources. We talked about immigration to the United States and the difficulties people have in navigating the system in the US. It is always challenging to have discussions that test my vocabulary and push me to the limit on my grammar. Shortly after I returned to my room and began writing, Michael returned from his Rotary meeting and asked to use my computer, so I guess I better sign off for the night. Hasta mañana mis amigos!

Guatemala otra vez – el dia once

This was one of the warmest days we’ve had so far. The early morning was a little on the cool side (56), but then the temperature got up to 81 today. Last night I actually had to open my window so that I could get some sleep. We had two new persons join us for prayer again this morning. Another teacher and then a student (Lutheran pastor from the States). John I think we might get that Methodist Church going at La Union after all. I think this is what they call church growth!
My class today consisted of discussing the Guatemalan government, the difficulties with the education system in Guatemala, and women’s issues in Guatemala. It was a very informative discussion. I am trying to encourage my teacher to spend as much time as possible in conversation because I can conjugate verbs when I get home, but the conversation is a little more difficult. I think most of the team members are looking forward to our time in El Salvador and are already shifting their thoughts to the experience with the pastors there.
After lunch today I had a little free time so I walked around Antigua and photographed more doors and windows. I am fascinated with the design and the colors. Every door and window is custom made so no two houses are the same.
Our activity this afternoon was a trip to San Andres where there is a church with Maximon. Maximon is a statue, but was once a man in Guatemala that combined practices of the Mayan tradition with the Catholic Church. He encouraged drinking, smoking, and prostitution. Quite an interesting church. The Catholic Church considers it to be a cult and very evil. Offerings are made to the statue of whiskey, flowers, various colors of candles depending on the type of blessing you need. While we were there, a Mayan priest was in front of the church preparing a ceremony for the fertility of a young boy. He made a circle from cubes of incense, filled the middle of the circle with wood chip type incense, poured sugar over the incense and then placed candles over the top. After lighting the offering, he placed eggs that had been rubbed over the boy around the edge of the fire. He was chanting during the entire time of preparation and offering. Another priest was anointing a taxi cab by pouring alcohol on branches and then dousing the cab by beating the branches all over the cab. On the other side of the courtyard, two young women were smoking cigars with two priestesses. I am not sure what the cigars were made of, but the intent was to have a vision of the future. Outside of the entrance to the church was a Cantina where you could buy your whiskey, cigars, candles, or anything else that you needed to seek a blessing from Maximon.
We left this site and visited a Catholic Church in San Andres. What a stark contrast! It was nice to be able to enter and actually feel as though you were in a holy place and could pray. We then returned to the school and had a brief meeting to share our thoughts and reflections. Our focus was primarily on how this experience would influence our ministry with persons from Guatemala in the future. Tomorrow we will be visiting a project for children. We hope to be able to spend a couple of hours at Mi Angel Guardián. Hopefully that will be a more uplifting experience for all of us.

Guatemala otra vez – el dia diez

Well, let me begin by saying that I identified the wrong place of our travels on Saturday. We went to Santiago Atitlan, not San Francisco and the church was named Santiago as well . It must have been the shrimp soup that muddled my brain.
Now, on with today’s news. Today was very moving in several different ways. The day started with the normal routine until the bus arrived and two of our team members were still at home. We drove over to their house only to discover that they had a mix-up in setting their alarm. They did not realize the mistake until I knocked on the door. As I tried to tell everyone before we left on this trip – be flexible – don’t expect things to go as planned. When we got to the school, we had another teacher that joined us for prayer this morning. I believe the teachers are becoming more comfortable praying with us and they are a true blessing to our experience. We had a time of sharing before prayer and it is wonderful to experience the exchange. Our prayer time ran into our class time by 15 minutes, but again, flexibility – don’t expect things to go as planned or on time! We are in God’s hands.
Mid-way through our morning session everything began to shake. We knew immediately that it was an earthquake. News reports tonight said that is was a 6.0 quake approximately 60 miles southwest of Guatemala City. My teacher immediately called her family to be sure that everything was ok with them. She lived through the massive quake in 1976, when her family was caught in their house when it collapsed. Her father was able to pull her from the rubble just before it collapsed further. She shared with me that ever since then, when she feels a tremor, she needs to know where her children are and if they are safe. This evening I found out that Rosa Maria also lost her home in the same quake. She and her grandmother crawled under a bed. The family thought they had been crushed in the rubble, but they were safe because of the protection of the bed. This is the first earthquake I have experienced, even though for us it was only a tremor, but it is a very interesting sensation to feel the earth moving in such a powerful way.
After our break, I asked my teacher to share with me her experience of the civil war here in Guatemala. The war lasted 36 years and hundreds of thousands of people were killed with many being tortured. She gave me a complete history of the war beginning with the attempt to reclaim land, organizing the Mayans, and ultimately the establishment of the guerilla movement. She shared that within her family her cousins were fighting against each other, one in the guerilla force, the other in the army. The cousin in the guerilla force was killed but the army insisted on a closed casket at the funeral. It turned out that his body was not in the casket and they don’t know where his body is located even to this day. She also shared that many of the people living in the rural areas have strong feelings against the military and the government because as children, when they were taught to read and write, the first sentences they would learn were: 1)I love my mother. 2) My mother loves me. 3)The soldiers killed my father. 4)The soldiers violated my mother. 5)The soldiers killed my brother. 6)The soldiers violated my sister. You can imagine the sentiment of the people when the children were beginning school with this emphasis.
After our break this afternoon, we watched a movie called “Hija del puma” (Daughter of the Puma), which was a story based on the civil war in Guatemala. Just prior to the start of the movie, we felt another minor tremor. The movie prompted a great discussion on our experience here in Guatemala and the issues that we might confront or need to address concerning immigrants in our communities upon our return. Overall, today was a good day. It was the first day that I didn’t take any pictures or visit any markets. I would say that was a good day!

Guatemala otra vez – el dia nueve

No, I did not skip a day. I didn’t have access to my computer so I’m doing two in one. Yesterday morning we boarded the bus at 8:00 and traveled to Panajachel – a two hour drive from Antigua. Everyone was fascinated with the scenery and especially the farms on the sides of mountains. We arrived at Panajachel around 10:30, so we checked into our hotel and then went to the launching dock and took a boat ride across Lake Atitlan to San Francisco. It is such a beautiful trip. Lake Atitlan is surrounded by volcanoes. In San Francisco, we visited the church and then went to a local restaurant for lunch. While we were waiting for our food, we had a discussion on the overall experience so far. Actually I was quite surprised that everyone had positive responses. I thought by the look on their faces over the last week that many were not appreciating the experience in the way I had hoped. The only criticism is that our schedule has had too much free time. I have a feeling after next week, that opinion might change. After lunch we spent a little time browsing the shops and resting by the water front. We then took the boat back to Panajachel and took it easy for a couple of hours. Carl and I went to a coffee shop near the hotel, had coffee and talked about our ministries for an hour and a half.
Dinner was at a restaurant on the waterfront. Everyone had great food and several ordered hamburgers and French fries, since they had a craving. I ordered soup and a salad. I thought I was going to have a light dinner, but boy was I mistaken. The salad was on a large dinner plate and was piled about three inches high with everything from eggs, to cheese and everything else you could think of. My soup was in what I would consider to be a serving bowl rather than a soup bowl. I ordered the shrimp soup. I forgot that in Central America, seafood is served as is. My shrimp still had the heads on, so it took me a little longer to peel and eat than I had planned. After dinner, we all returned to our rooms and turned in for the night. Unfortunately, Craig is still having problems with the hiccups. It’s keeping him up at night and he is totally drained from hiccupping all day. This has been going on for over three days now.
This morning we all had breakfast in the hotel restaurant and then packed our bags for the next leg of the journey – Chichicastenango. This was about an hour and a half drive from Panajachel. When we arrived, our first task was to locate the Methodist Church and find out what time they had services. We walked by the church twice before we were able to see the front door behind one of the vendor’s tents in the marketplace. When we entered the church, they were having Sunday School. Michael asked what time they were having worship and they told us that the service would be tonight at 7:00p.m. We asked if we could join them for Sunday School. It was a small group comprised mainly of elderly women and a couple of men. They welcomed us so we stayed for the lesson. The teacher was not teaching in Spanish, but rather in Chiche (not sure of the spelling). A few of the words were similar, so we could still get some idea of what the lesson was about. After about thrity minutes, the youth and children came into the sanctuary from their classes and all of the classes shared their memory verses of the day and sang a song. The minister had been with the youth class. He called on me to share a few words with the congregation, so I explained who we were, why we were there and brought them greetings from the Methodist churches in Virginia. Then, we (the pastors) sang for them – “How Great Thou Art”. Birthdays were then acknowledged and we sang happy birthday to each one that had a birthday. The time closed with a benediction. We were able to talk with the pastor for a few minutes and found out that this church was founded in 1919 and was the first Methodist Church in Guatemala. The founding pastor was a missionary that began a medical clinic and then began offering worship. The clinic ceased when the pastor died. There are now approximately 84 Methodist Churches in Guatemala and 12 of those are in Chichicastenango.
After we left the church, it was time to shop! There are not any shoppers in our group. We shopped for approximately 50 minutes and then met up for lunch at a restaurant located on the second floor of a building near the entrance to the market. Once again great food! I ordered soup and salad again, but this time made sure to ask about the size of the soup bowl and the salad. The group decided that no one was really interested in doing any more shopping, so we got in the van and drove back to Antigua. We got in to Antigua around 4:00 and had the driver drop us off at Parque Central. Folks headed off into different directions, but I stayed in the park to listen to a live concert. A band featuring an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, several different pan flutes and a drum were performing. They really were quite good. I could have listened to them a lot longer, but we were to meet the bus to take us home at 5:00. Rosa Maria had dinner for Michael and I around 7:00. Guess what – soup! I love the soup here in Guatemala. We also had a small piece of beef (by small I mean ¼ inch thick and 1inch by 2 inches in size) and corn on the cob. After dinner, Michael, Rosa Maria and I had a lively discussion on techniques for learning a second language. I was definitely ready to retreat to my room and begin communicating in a different form and language.
Tomorrow begins a new adventure. I hope that I am up to the challenge of a new week. I wrote to Juan de Dios Peña tonight to check on our experience in El Salvador, and fortunately received a rapid response that everything is ready. Now I just need to be sure I am!

Guatemala otra vez – el dia siete

After a fitful night (I tossed and turned with many things on my mind), the alarm woke me up today. That is unusual, because I normally am awake before the alarm goes off. I followed the normal morning routine and headed off to catch the bus to school. We shared a great devotion and had the bus driver, in addition to the teachers, join us for prayer this morning. John, we may start a Methodist Church at La Union yet! My teacher didn’t cut me any slack today even though I started off a little slow. We jumped right in to the verbos reflexivos. I was having a real mental block this morning and just could not figure out the pattern for these verbs. The break was my breakthrough. After we came back together from “la pausa”, suddenly it all seemed to fall into place. We will see what kind of retention I have Monday morning.
We didn’t have our meeting at lunch today because we had an afternoon activity that I had forgotten about. I encouraged folks to be sure to go to the bank during lunch and exchange money if necessary for the weekend because I wasn’t sure if they would be able to do so in Chichicastenango. It seems that my computer has become a point of interest during lunch because two of the team members wanted to “check” their email and an hour and a half later, I got to sign on for fifteen minutes to upload photos. I found out this morning that my family has Wi-Fi in the home, so hopefully I will be able to use the computer at night and stop taking it back and forth to school. As of this moment though, I can’t seem to get a connection. Oh well, it was a good thought anyway.
This afternoon we went to “La Azotea”, three museums in one. It houses a museum which gives the history of Mayan music and instruments, displays typical Mayan clothing, and then the coffee museum. Of course they had a gift shop, but I think most folks wanted to wait and spend their money in Chichicastenango.
Tomorrow we hop on the “microbus” to head to Panajachel Atitian where we will visit a pueblo, take a boat ride across the lake and then spend the night in a motel. On Sunday, we will head to Chichicastenango to the market. There is a huge market there where we can find the best bargains. There is also a Methodist church located in the middle of the market. We are hoping to be able to join them for worship, but as of right now, we don’t know the time of the service.
The only casualty so far has been Craig. He has some type of gastrointestinal issue that prevented him from visiting the museums this afternoon. I hope that he is up to the two hour drive tomorrow, otherwise he will be missing out on quite a bit. This is the only time that we will be traveling any distance from Antigua other than the time we will spend in El Salvador. Tonight should be a fairly relaxed evening since I don’t have massive amounts of “tarea” to complete. I am looking forward to the mental break.
I just found out this afternoon that my daughter, Jennifer, is headed to Haiti on Monday. She is one of two from her anesthesia group that is going. I will be in prayer for her because I know that it will be physically and emotionally draining to be in the midst of such devastation.
Well, Paulo just came in and gave me the correct network key to get on the internet! Now I can post from home and leave the computer here. I will not be posting again until Sunday night. Dios les bendiga a todos.

Guatemala otra vez – el dia seis

Today was another interesting day. I have called a team meeting during lunch tomorrow to discuss some concerns that continue to come to my attention. I believe that several of our team members are having difficulty with the lack of scheduling and directed activity in the afternoons. We have now had two days with free time in the afternoon. I believe one person is experiencing culture shock and doesn’t realize it. One of the things that I was expecting prior to this trip was the fact that we in the United States are accustomed to things being structured, directed, and we believe that our methodology is best. I find it fascinating that a group of leaders are having difficulty in utilizing free time to learn more about the people and the country in which they are living. It points out to me the need for this type of experience.
When we encounter immigrants in our community, we wonder why they don’t take advantage of the opportunities around them. We wonder why they don’t interact more with those that speak English so that they can learn English. We are critical of immigrants for seeking places where they can speak their native language rather than risking interaction with English speakers and thereby learning English. With the exception of Michael, who already speaks Spanish and is comfortable engaging in conversation, group members are seeking out other group members, remaining in the school as long as possible, and are not engaging in conversation (even though it would be limited) with those outside of the school. During our free time, I am finding some sitting in the school reading or reviewing lessons and vocabulary. Antigua is a tourist city and so the ability to navigate and engage others is quite extensive. I pray that team members will recognize the feelings and emotions they are encountering in a very sheltered environment so that when they return home they will be able to identify with the emotions of immigrants within their communities, who are living in an unsheltered environment. I know that some thought that they would come to Guatemala and in two weeks be fluent in Spanish. It ain’t happenin! The primary purpose of this experience is to sensitize pastors to the issues confronting persons that find themselves in a foreign land with those that speak a different language.
Now that my diatribe has been completed, let me talk about some positive things that occurred today. My classroom time was different than other days. When I shared with my teacher that I had a long conversation with Rosa Maria last night concerning the history and beliefs of the Methodist Church, she told me that many of the teachers had been asking who we were. There are very few Methodist churches in Guatemala and there are no Methodist churches in or around Antigua. Since Judith (pronounced – hu deeth), my teacher, had opened the door, I began to tell her about the origins of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, the Wesleyan quadrilateral, our beliefs regarding the sacraments, and our concept of the priesthood of all believers. We spent two hours in this discussion. It was a good warm up for El Salvador. I am finding that people are very receptive to hearing about the Methodist church and our beliefs. This is a lot more comfortable for me than the last time in Quetzaltenango when I was discussing faith with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In the afternoon, we had free time so I took an opportunity to go off by myself and photograph interesting doors and windows around Antigua. I then sat for awhile in Parque Central and spoke with what seemed to be an endless stream of street vendors. Antigua is a fascinating place and a unique combination of cultures and economic situations. I don’t know that I will ever get used to the fact that everyday children are out selling goods on the street. It is sad to think that this is all their life has to offer.
After returning to the school, I had a conversation with one group member who, after I had pointed out the behavior of group members, stated that tomorrow would be a day to venture forth and risk – in a safe way of course. I am anxious to see how our dialogue will go following lunch tomorrow. I pray that it will be a turning point for us as a group. This weekend will be a change of pace as we are traveling to Panajachel and Chichicastenango. This will provide a good diversion for everyone as it is the typical tourist type activity. I will not be able to post any blog updates until Monday so stay tuned (provided I survive the weekend)!

Guatemala otra vez – el dia cinco

Last night I really didn’t do justice to the complete day. I wrote in the afternoon after returning home for the day and then didn’t come back to the blog after dinner. We had an interesting conversation over dinner. Aside from sharing our family history, we had an opportunity to discuss various customs, such as, the quince años celebrations and weddings here in Guatemala. We compared the customs with those we have experienced in the United States. Leonel tried to get me into a conversation on politics – in particular individual politicians – but I let him know that I was happy to discuss issues, but I do not discuss politicians. After dinner I returned to my room to conjugate “verbos reflexivos”. The only problem was that I had loaned my dictionary to one of the other group members and most of the verbs I needed to use in a sentence (conjugated of course) were not in my verb book, so I had no definition of the words. I explained to my teacher this morning that I could not complete my homework because I didn’t have the definitions to the verbs. My verb book only has 501 verbs in it – as if that isn’t enough! She replied that I needed to get a book with 1,001 verbs in it (with a smile on her face of course).
This morning began as the others with an early exit from bed, shower, devotions, breakfast and then catch the bus at 7:00. When our team gathered for devotions this morning, we had 4 teachers that joined us. It was a great experience as we asked those that felt led to share how God had been working in their lives. That led into an interesting conversation about discrimination in Guatemala. Of course here the people being discriminated against are the Mayans and Asians. Our prayer time was wonderful once again. There is something powerful about having persons from different cultures that speak different languages joining together in prayer. I am looking forward to what will happen in the days before us.
Class was brief this morning as we had a morning activity that began at 9:00. We drove to Guatemala City and there took a tour of the Gallo Cerveza (beer) factory. It was interesting observing the process and hearing about the history of this brewery. We took a tour of the museum at the brewery, toured the actual plant itself, and then settled in for our free samples! Before we left the school, I reminded all of the pastors that drinking alcoholic beverages is not viewed favorably by the evangelical Christians here in Central America, and so we would only sample the soft drinks and water that was offered.
In the afternoon, we had a free day. I spent a little time posting my blog, uploading pictures to Facebook and then Michael and I walked around Antigua. I love the colors, the architecture, the views of the volcanoes, and the diversity of the people. Michael wanted to purchase a Spanish Bible, so we walked around a good part of Antigua trying to find bookstores. We found two that carried Bibles, but Michael was not satisfied with either of the two. Maybe tomorrow he will have better luck. We rejoined the rest of our group at the school and waited for our bus to take us home. The bus drops us off at the gas station and then we all walk different directions to our host homes. I would love to be able to just spend time taking in all of the uniqueness of this place. Unfortunately, I do have to go to school. Tonight, now that I have my dictionary back (Kerry bought one in Antigua this afternoon), I get to complete my previously assigned homework! I love verbos reflexivos – Me encanta verbos reflexivos! Hasta mañana!

Guatemala otra vez – el dia cuatro

Today was interesting and challenging. During our group gathering several requests were made and I realized why I really didn’t want to be a team leader. One of our team members was feeling anxious about the fact that his teacher did not speak English. I know that it is difficult to adjust to a different learning process, but since he was uncomfortable, I felt that I needed to speak with the Director, Juan Carlos, and arrange for a new teacher. Others in the group had suggestions for various activities that they would like to participate in and so I spoke with Manuel about adding a couple of activities to our schedule. I realize one of the difficulties we have is that we are living in Ciudad Vieja and that requires transportation to and from school, so individuals do not have the freedom to “roam” as they would if we were closer to the school. We have added three additional activities for next week, a visit to a coffee plantation, a visit to another market place where we will ride the chicken bus to and from, and then a visit to see worship site for a religion that is a hybrid of the Catholic church.
One of the blessings of the day was that several teachers joined us for morning prayer. They will be joining each day while we are here. It is a true blessing to have others that are praying with and for us each day.
This afternoon, we visited San Miguel Dueñes where the Valhalla macadamia nut plantation is located. We took a tour and learned about the process of growing, harvesting, and processing macadamia nuts organically. The owner of the plantation welcomed us and shared quite a few tall tales and off-color jokes with us. I am sure that our guide did not let him know that we were a group of pastors.
After returning to Ciudad Vieja, a couple of us walked through town and sat in parque central. It a beautiful afternoon to take in the sights and relax a little before returning home. Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the Gallo beer factory. That should be a different experience. This particular tour was set up for the other students, but we were invited to participate to see other aspects of life in Guatemala.
One of the things that I am finding by being here with a group of pastors is that the pastors are accustomed to leading and providing direction. I do not recall other groups that I have been a part of offering as many suggestions as this group is doing. It may just be that John, my previous group leader, never shared the number of requests that came his way. I definitely have a new appreciation for all that he did to make the experiences positive ones. I believe that this experience is a positive experience, but now I also know the strain that is upon the leader to try to make the experience positive for each individual member while taking care of the team as a whole. Asi es la vida!

Guatemala otra vez - el dia tres

Today began at 5:30. Enough time to have devotions, get showered, dressed, have breakfast and meet the bus at 7:00. Our group met for a brief time of sharing and prayer before classes began at 8:00. Several of the team members were interested in attending worship here in Antigua. We discovered that there are no Methodist churches in this area. I asked the Director and several of the teachers, only to be told that none of them was familiar with a Methodist church other than the one in Chichicastenango. The staff then provided the times for services in one of the Catholic churches near the school, which we hope to visit for service tomorrow before having our lunch.
Once again I have a teacher that is very patient with me. It is hard to believe that I can forget so much in such a short period of time. Class lasted until 12:00. Our last team member, Michael, arrived this morning. I wasn’t aware that his flight left yesterday, so he was traveling all night. La Union was kind enough to provide transportation for him from the airport to the school and then to our home so that he could get settled before our afternoon tour. The rest of the group shared lunch in the garden at La Union. At 2:00, we boarded the bus and after picking up Michael, drove to San Antonio de Agua Caliente for a presentation on the Mayan culture and a demonstration on preparing and cooking tortillas. I will provide a detailed account of the experience simply because my homework assignment is to do exactly that – only in Spanish and I must also use all of the things that were covered in my class today. Writing in English, I hope, will provide me a framework to complete my homework in Spanish.
Two of our members, Pat and Craig, were “unofficially” married in a mock Mayan wedding. Carl participated as the stand in father-in-law. Our hostess, who conducted the presentation, participated as the mother-in-law. Michael provided all of the translation for the presentation.
In the Mayan tradition, when a couple is engaged, the preparations for the wedding are quite involved. Actually, the bride begins preparation for her wedding day many years before she is engaged. She must weave a shawl for her future mother-in-law. The couple first has their wedding ceremony in the Catholic church. Then, they process to the home of the groom. The groom has prepared enough bread so that each family members of the bride will receive their individual loaf. The walk to the groom’s home involves the in-laws leading the way with incense to purge the streets of evil spirits. After entering the groom’s home, the bride presents her mother-in-law with the shawl she has made. The mother-in-law is not to remove the shawl during the fiesta unless she does not approve of her son’s choice for a bride. The bride and groom then kneel on a straw mat to receive blessings from the family. White roses are placed on their heads to ensure plenty of work and many children. After the blessing, the mother-in-law presents the bride with a wrap that will be used in which to carry her first child. Any future children will be carried in a wrap made by the bride. It is at this point the couple begins dancing. It is a well choreographed dance involving the bride, the groom, and the groom’s parents. This dance goes on for several hours. The concluding act is performed by the bride. She must enter the kitchen and prepare a meal for all of the guests, with everyone watching. This is to prove her abilities in the kitchen. If she is not successful in the kitchen, she cannot enter the bedroom with her husband until she has mastered the kitchen.
We had further presentations on representatives in the community that had responsibilities for representing the saints of the church, San Antonio, the Virgin Mary, and the baby Jesus. The customs were explained as to how these persons must carry incense, wear specific head coverings, and carry special candle.
Following the cultural presentations, we had an opportunity to shop and then try our hand at making tortillas. We were all offered tortillas and chicken with rice. This is a special meal usually served only at weddings, but for us, they made an exception.

Guatemala otra vez – el dia dos

We were able to sleep in today! That was a great decision. Juan Carlos suggested that we get a late start since our travels required such a long day yesterday. I was able to meet the father of the household this morning. Leonel and his wife Rosa Maria are a wonderful couple. They are very outgoing and talkative. I had a long conversation with Rosa Maria about the Reformation and the beliefs of the United Methodist Church over breakfast. When Leonel came in, he took over the conversation. I can tell by the nature of our conversations so far that I will be put to the test over the next several weeks.
The team met in a central location in la ciudad vieja, the gasolinera. The bus picked us up at 10:00 and took us to La Union, our home away from home for the next two weeks. We were given a brief description of the activities for the day and then jumped back in the “microbus” for a tour of Antigua and of Cerro de la cruz. From Cerro de la cruz we had a beautiful view of Antigua.
We visited several of the historic churches in and around Antigua. Then we drove around Antigua and did some shopping at the “Mercado”. I refrained from any purchases because I know that there is plenty of time to find some excellent bargains. One team member bought a stole and thought he got a really great deal because was only around $30. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that in Chichicastenango I have purchased stoles for $10 each.
After leaving the market, we went to Parque Central for lunch and then splitting up to check out the shops, etc. around central park. I took my place on a park bench and just enjoyed the atmosphere. A marimba band was playing music in front of the municipal building, worshippers were coming and going from the Catholic church. Vendors were selling their goods and people were taking horse drawn carriage rides around the park. I am always fascinated with a variety of people and love to just sit and observe. Later I walked down toward the archway and watched a street performer who was really good at working the crowd.
One sight that caught my eye today was the eruptions from volcan fuego. The clouds of smoke coming up were a little larger than I remember seeing in the past. It was an interesting sight. Obviously the native of Antigua have seen this sight many times before because no one seemed to have any interest in the view.
I am now back in my room resting for a little while before I am called down for dinner. I know that I will need all of my mental capacity for the conversation over dinner. I also want to be sure I am rested for what will be a full day tomorrow as classes begin at 8:00.

Guatemala otra vez - el dia uno

It’s been a long day, but a very satisfying day. I started by getting up at 2:45 to shower (wanted to have that last hot shower), and get to the airport by 4:00 a.m. Everything seemed to go fine except the airport wasn’t ready to receive passengers. Two of my team members had arrived at the airport at 2:30 after driving since midnight (and I thought I was compulsive). The flight left on time and we arrived on time in Miami. Our flight was delayed 50 minutes so they could change a light that was out on the plane. Here is where I started to worry. I had intended to be the first to arrive in Guatemala and now my flight put me behind two others that were on their way. Fortunately, everybody’s flight was delayed and I still got there first. I couldn’t leave the arrival area because they don’t let you back in, so I had to wait until the last person arrived at 3:40pm. That meant that we all missed lunch. The van from the school arrived on time and took a couple of our group to get something to eat while we waited for the last member to arrive. The staff at La Union are fantastic! They greeted us, had welcome packets for us, had gifts for us and took us to our homes to settle in for the night. And that is what I need to do! It is now 9:30 (eastern time) and I am worn out.
I was very pleased with the home where I am staying! A couple that is my age, he is a funeral director and his wife is a teacher. They have two children, a daughter that is 29 and has several university degrees and a son that is 26 and still a student. The home is very nice and very spacious. I have a bathroom off of my bedroom, although it is a shared bathroom with the other group member, Mike. I was given a great bowl of soup, tortillas, fruit and corn on the cob. I think it is going to be a great experience. Tomorrow we are sleeping in a little late to let everyone catch up on some much needed rest after today. Then we are taking a tour around Antigua. All in all, a great start to what I pray will be a great experience.