Central America Revisited – Day Two

Today started a little later than I have been experiencing over the last week. I didn’t get out of bed until 6:30! I heard a couple of the team members moving about and decided I would join them. We sat in the entrance to the hotel and talked until breakfast. Water was finally delivered this morning and we were able to get showers beginning at 7:15. For breakfast we were served eggs, bread, refried beans, watermelon, and coffee. After we finished eating, Bob shared a devotion focusing on mutuality in mission. It was very appropriate for the beginning of our experience. Especially, since we have come to learn from the people of Guatemala and El Salvador – not to teach. Around 9:10 the minivan arrived to drive us to Quetzaltenango. It took us around 40 minutes to gather all of our belonging and load it all on top of the minivan. I was told the drive was approximately 3 hours but it took us 4. Part of that was due to a police stop where they pulled us over and our driver had to pay the police so we could continue on. It made me a little uncomfortable when they motioned for us to pull over, because I know that many of the police are corrupt. Fortunately we were back on our way in just a few minutes.

When we arrived in Quetzaltenango, our families were waiting for us at the school. They thought we were arriving at 1 and we didn’t get there until 2. We each went with our families to our homes to have lunch. I had a bean dish that I didn’t recognize (lima beans and some other items in a mole sauce), potato cakes, and a couple of tortillas. It was very good. Luchie and Pepe (the mother and 13 year old son) shared lunch with me. After lunch I returned to the school for our orientation. It was quite a hike since my home is about a mile away from the school. Hopefully I’ll get a little exercise this week. I will at least walk around 4 miles a day to and from school. When Olga began the orientation, she was very emotional because she has not had any students and with 13 of us coming this week, she felt that this was an answer to prayer. Olga went over our schedule (class from 8 till 1 each day and activities in the afternoon). Monday we will tour places of interest in Quetzaltenango. Tuesday we will visit the chocolate factory. Wednesday we will go to Aguas Caliente, although I wasn’t aware of this side trip and didn’t tell anyone to bring a bathing suit. Thursday we hope to visit a Methodist medical clinic and Friday we will be cooking for the celebration that evening.

After the orientation, some of our group went to their homes, some went to Parque Central, and Marie and I went with Olga to look for the Methodist Church here in Quetzaltenango. We were not only blessed in finding it, Pastor German Ramirez Lopez from the Iglesia Evangelica Nacional Metodista Primitia de Guatemala was at the church. He is not the pastor of this church, but he was able to tell the worship times and offered to assist us in visiting the medical clinic on Thursday. I got his business card and email address, so now I have a contact with a Methodist pastor in Guatemala. Tomorrow we will be taking a “chicken bus” (the Guatemalan public transportation) to the church for worship.

I then walked back to my home where the family was preparing for a birthday celebration. I met the rest of the family as they all celebrated Diego’s birthday. He was 24 today. There were 8 people all total at dinner. This was definitely a new twist to the immersion experience. Luchie said that she was Catholic, but at dinner when she asked if anyone wanted to say a prayer, you could tell that this sounded like a very strange request to the rest of the family. I felt bad for Luchie because she seemed to be embarrassed by the behavior of her sons. I think she was concerned about the fact that I am a minister and the boys were getting a little carried away with their jokes. Diego was doing an impersonation of a man in drag. Fortunately, I did not understand most of their conversation, but they were certainly enjoying themselves. This should be an interesting week and definitely a change from previous trips.

I believe that God is working in ways that I hadn’t expected already. I’m just looking forward to what is ahead.