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Hey everyone,
Well, our last couple of days in Guatemala were very enriching and educational, and a great way to say goodbye to all we had seen and done. We left Xela and drove to Chichicastenango. We arrived Saturday in the early afternoon, grabbed some lunch, and then headed off to take a hike to see a Mayan alter of worship. It was very cool and interesting to see. During a ceremony they bring food as an offering, and then throughout the week the dogs come to eat the remains. We didn't get to see a ceremony but we saw a couple of dogs. They also always are burning incense that comes out of these holes in the altar from the ground. It was a very cool experience.
Big storm clouds chased us home soon after we reached "the summit," so we took our pictures and headed back to the hotel. Sunday was our last day in Guatemala, and man, what a day!!!! We rose very early to be at church at 7:45. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to go to a Catholic Mass that included a lot of Mayan rituals in the worship. It was incredible. Outside the church there is the scurrying of people setting up for the big market day. Inside are people lighting candles on altars in the middle of the church, and saying prayers. It was so neat to see. Unfortunatly you are not allowed to take any pictures inside, but we all look forward to describing the experience in detail.
After church it was market day. WOW! Chichicastenango is famous for its market. People are everywhere. Streets are packed with different vendors. Then there are the people like us walking around in amazement and buying all sorts of neat hand-woven Guatemalan things. The market is such an experience. Definitely an eye-opening part of the trip. You learn quickly not to look interested in buying unless you really want to buy, or else the older people and especially children will follow you around for at least ten minutes, begging you to buy from them. It was very hard to resist at times, but such a great experience.
After the market we loaded up the bus and headed back to Guatemala City for the night. 5:45 was the wake up call and at 6:15 am our bus headed for the airport. The bus had never been this quiet. I think we were all just taking every last bit of Guatemala in so that we could come back with gratitude for the blessed lives we have all been given.
Our trip home was smooth sailing, but there is so much to tell and so many pictures to share with everyone. We thank each and every one of you for your support and prayers. We are so grateful to have such genuine kind-hearted people in our lives. We look forward to sharing our stories in much more depth with everyone. Look for us around campus...we have so much to tell.
Thank you all.
God Bless.
Hello again from Guatemala — this time from Chichicastenango. We had a very exciting day yesterday in Xela. We met with the Minugua office, a U.N.-sponsored group working with the police and army to bring about changes required by the 1993 peace accords. It was very enlightening — we got mixed messages as to the success of the programs, but found hope in the little changes to empower the indigenous population here.
Our next speaker was from Nuevo Horizontes, a group working with women who are victins of abuse of all sorts. It was very moving, especially when they asked us please to help so they could further their mission. We hope to help them in their struggle.
Our final speaker was a man with expertise in Mayan spirituality — how exciting! We learned an amazing amount and agreed our God is one God and we all are blessed to live under His guidance and love.
Today in Chichi we visited a Mayan altar & just missed the ceremony. We had to hike a mile up the mountain in the woods — too cool. We are ready for big time bargaining in the market tomorrow — the biggest in the country — after mass in the oldest Catholic church around, yahoo!
Love to all, and can't wait to rejoin our loved ones, while we will miss our new friends here.
In God's love,
The Guatemala Mission Team
Hello everyone...
this is the Guatemala mission group coming in contact with you from (in Maya terms) Xela.
We made it to Guatemala safe and sound. We were not late for our flight and we made our connecting flight in Dallas by a hair...it was a close one but we arrived in Guatemala City at about 8:15 p.m.
We were all pretty hungry when we got here so we stopped at a Burger King for some food... the only thing open... haha, "westernization" anyone??? The Golden Arches are everywhere, for those Core teachers out there. Diane almost did not go in, but finally the chicken sandwich and fries were calling her name.
When we arrived at our hotel we were greeted so nicely by the Guatemalans. The only problem was that they were expecting 10 of us and instead they got 19...so, being the most fleixble group ever to travel together, we managed to squeeze into beds together. The hotel was really nice with good food.
The next morning we were fortunate enough to get to hear two speakers. The first was Denis Smith, who spoke to us about what his job entailed in Guatemala. He works with CEDEPCA and had been quoted in many of the articles that we had read in class so we were all very eager to hear him speak and ask him questions. We also got the opportunity to listen to a liberation theologist, Hector Castaneda. We talked about justices that need to be done among nations to make the world a more peaceful place. Both speakers were very educational and stimulated our minds to think a little more about our role in Guatemala and the role we must play when we return in order to make a difference.
From Guatemala City we then left and headed off to HueHuetenago. WOW!!! was that a bus ride. Seven hours, going a max of 40 miles an hour. But we kept each other entertained very well. For most of us this was the opportune time to serenade one another with our "good" voices. We also played many rounds of UNO and B.S. We crashed in HueHue for the night and then headed off to our main destination. San Juan Ixcoy. This is where we helped the Guatemalan people put a cement floor in their church.
The first thing we did when we got to San Juan Ixcoy on Sunday was to gather at the church for worship. We were welcomed with such open hearts and big smiles by the people. As you drive into the town, from the very, very, very frightening road (yet very scenic — the beauty of the mountains is breathtaking), your heart aches with the sight of all the poverty that is around you.
But once you meet the people, you see that they are so happy because they have so much faith in the Lord. It is absolutely a miracle and a gift from God. You finally begin to feel the certain sense of hope among us and among the Guatemalans, that one day life won't be such a struggle.
Today we arrived in Xela... on the bus ride back we gathered thoughts and feelings about our work in San Juan Ixcoy. I can't tell you how many buckets of cement we all carried... but the Guatemalans and our team worked so hard and got the job done. The feeling is one of peace, gratitude, excitment, hope, love, and many more all mixed into one.
We were not only there to put a floor into the church but more importantly to build relationships with the people, and believe me, we did! We played with the kids — teaching them English while they taught us Spanish, we played "Down By The Banks where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank..." etc., about 4,000 times! We laughed and laughed and laughed. To see the kids smile the way they do would sweep you off your feet!
The people we worked with had such strong faith. The poverty was evident, but the hope of the Guatemalans is inspiring. The solidarity of the community — men, women, and kids showed up to help in any way they could — is amazing.
I think we are all about done with rice, beans, tortillas, fried chicken, and the chicken with "the red sauce", but our Guatemalan hosts tried so hard to keep us well nourished, and for that we are grateful!
We are laughing at the continuous change in our schedule -- you have no idea!... "change of plans" is the quote of the week. We have made life-long friends with our partners from CEDEPCA; we have had spine-chilling bus rides (for most of us- CHERIE!), and we have formed such wonderful bonds within the group, which really shows that when two or more people gather in the Lord's name, He is there.
I could go on and on and on but my time is almost up at this cool internet cafe... so I must head off, but we thank all of you for your continuous support and prayers. You have all been in our hearts as we take this journey and we look forward to returning and sharing much more in detail and pictures!!! Thank you all. God Bless you all and we hope all is going well back home. See you soon.
God Bless,
The Guatemalan mission team (or "Gringos" as our friends here call us... haha)
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