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!