Guatemala otra vez – el dia dieciseite

Well, it’s been a few days since I have been able to sit down at the computer, at least for blogging. Friday the other team members arrived. Of course the flights were late, so that put us behind schedule getting out of Guatemala City. Being Friday afternoon, the traffic was horrific. It was good to see the excitement of our other team members. We met briefly after getting back to Antigua to try and refocus as a team. We had a missionary friend of Michael’s that joined us for the evening and then returned to Panajachel. Juan de Dios Peña did not arrive until later in the evening when everyone was returning to their homes. He had gotten lost in Antigua. We shared in our farewell dinner and everyone had an opportunity to share a few words. I was given two presentations, one as the leader of the team and the other for the United Methodist Church. I’m still debating on what I should do with the one for the United Methodist Church.
Saturday morning we left Antigua around 9:30 a.m. We were slowed down by traffic around Guatemala City, but then had clear roads all the way to El Salvador. It was interesting to see the change in scenery on that drive. After we left Guatemala City, the countryside seemed to be less inhabited and many of the homes were more upscale. When we first entered El Salvador, everyone seemed to take note of the fact that El Salvador seemed to have a higher standard of living. That was before we got to the communities around the Methodist Churches and the homes of the families where we would be staying for the week. The Methodist Church in El Salvador is definitely ministering to those in poverty. Juan took us to a home that is used for families of persons that are in the hospital and don’t have anywhere to stay. It is the poor man’s version of the Ronald McDonald house. While we were waiting for Juan’s father to arrive, Juan asked if any of us would like to preach on Sunday. We were to attend worship in two different churches and he knew that the pastors would want to give us an opportunity to preach. Since no one else volunteered, I said I would preach one of the services if someone else would take the other. John finally volunteered during dinner. We were taken from there in small groups to the homes where we would be staying for the week. The home where I am staying is very humble and the bathroom I am using has no hot water and the shower does not work. I must wash at the sink. Definitely makes washing what little hair I have an interesting proposition. When I settled into my room, I heard a chirping sound around a section of sheet metal on the ceiling. When I looked up, a gecko crawled across the ceiling and down the wall. I then noticed that I had quite a few mosquitoes in my room. My first thought was that it would be a long week without any rest.
After we had all had an opportunity to get settled in our homes, Juan and his father picked us up to take us out to a pupusa restaurant. It was my first time since childhood of riding in the back of a pickup truck. Dinner was fantastic and then we were all returned to our homes. Saturday night I stayed up late preparing my sermon for Sunday afternoon. I was going to preach for the anniversary celebration of la iglesia metodista evangélica Betel. I thought I should try to preach in Spanish if at all possible rather than have someone translate for me. Sometimes I really believe that I push a little too far, but it was important for me to try.
Sunday morning began at 5:00 with a review of my sermon and then cleaning up at the sink. Breakfast was at 6:00 and was a little different than what I had been having in Guatemala. I had hot cereal, but not the type I am accustomed to eating. I had a bowl of wheaties with a sliced banana and hot milk. It wasn’t bad once I got over the initial shock. The van was supposed to pick me up at 6:30 but arrived at 7:30. This it appeared would be the trend for the week. We drove to San Salvador to attend worship at la iglesia metodista nueva vida. The service was supposed to start at 9:00, but we didn’t get there till around 9:45. They waited until we arrived before starting the service. Each of us had an opportunity in the service to introduce ourselves and express a few words to the congregation. John preached and Victor translated. The church operates a medical clinic, which as it turns out is common among all of the metodista churches in El Salvador. Juan had a meeting after the service, so we all waited until his meeting was over. We then drove toward the next church in San Martin. We stopped along the way at a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Juan ordered more food than any of us could eat. After finishing lunch, while we were waiting for the check, I went to the restroom. When I got back, Juan was taking care of the check, so I asked about our needing to pay. He told me that the check was covered from the funds I had sent to him before our arrival. This discussion took my attention away from the fact that I had hung my camera on the back of my chair. I realized this when we exited the van in San Martin. Fortunately, on the way back we stopped at the restaurant and they had my camera behind the cashiers counter. I’m glad there are still a few honest people around! When we got to the church, it was around 2:30. Juan had told me that the service was to start at 2:00. The service finally started around 3:00. It was a great celebration and I made it through the sermon, although I’m not sure if anybody understood what I said.
We got back home around 8:30 and I had dinner (eggs and frijoles) around 9:00. I was definitely ready to turn in for the night. My gecko friend hasn’t bothered me yet and only one mosquito has buzzed my ear, so all in all things are looking up.
This morning the truck picked me up around 7:45 and took those of us that were riding with Juan’s father to la iglesia evangelica metodista providencia. This is a relatively new church (the building is a little over a year old) and it too has a medical clinic that was just completed by a volunteer in mission team. We met with the metodista pastors all day. We enjoyed great dialogue with the focus for today being on the meaning of sacraments and our practice of baptism, with a special emphasis on infant baptism. During our afternoon session, we broke into small groups for discussion and I found it very informative to gain a perspective on the beliefs of Methodists in El Salvador and what they actually have to practice in order to reach people in their community. I am definitely looking forward to our discussions for the rest of the week. I truly admire what they are able to do with so little in the way of resources. The Methodist church in El Salvador is still in its infancy stage, but is growing rapidly especially with its ministry with children and youth. I do hope that I will be able to learn from them and implement some of their style in Virginia.