Nice sunny morning in Antigua! Got a great nights sleep despite the previous night wedding fiesta at Panchoy Hotel. :) Had a great time laughing with the girls the night before. Thank goodness we finally got some rest and the earplugs came in handy. That morning as we were getting dressed, we opened our window for some fresh Central American morning air. The view was charming, overlooked a courtyard through a wrought iron window. The plantation wood shutters opened from the inside of our room. Started our day off having breakfast at a local cafe. I was really craving some warm coffee at this point. Will never forget the amazing smells that filled the cobble-stoned streets. Antigua’s kitchen offers a palate-pleasing combination of traditional flavors, aromas and condiments that produce a delicious, nutritious and varied menu, something you cannot miss. The french toast was great! It was nice that we were able to meet up with Team 1 before they headed to the airport. You could tell it was a bittersweet day for them.
Antigua may be the most outstanding and best-preserved colonial city in Spanish America. Tourists visit Antigua Guatemala every year from around the world to enjoy its natural beauty and historic monuments. The Spanish Colonial style permeates every part of the town: its houses, churches, squares, parks and ruins, also its traditions and folklore as well. Antigua is a city of charm and color where you can see and buy an overwhelming variety of attractive, handmade products that honor the traditions of generations of artisans. Antigua’s temperate, climate and friendly inhabitants welcome visitors; the city has all the required services: sophisticated hotels, cafes and restaurants (with traditional or international menus), banks, stores, Internet cafés, travel agencies, Spanish-language schools and art galleries, all of the highest quality.
Antigua sits in a Highland valley overlooked by the spectacular Agua Volcano (3,765 meters high). A little further away are two other volcanoes Acatenango and the always smoking, sometimes erupting, Fuego. The neighboring towns and villages include Ciudad Vieja, Jocotenango, San Juan El Obispo, Santa María de Jesús, San Bartolomé Milpas Altas and Santa Catalina Barahona. Each of these towns is worth a visit, even if only to view their historic colonial churches.Antigua is also noted for its crafts: terracotta, ceramics, wrought iron, silver and jade jewelry, wooden sculptures, carved colonial-style furniture, a great variety of traditional costumes and weavings, figured stone, brass, jarcia, traditional toys and much more.
About 9am, we loaded the Missionera bus for a 3 1/2 hour trip to Paquila, the community where we would be working for the next 5 days. It was nice getting to learn everyone's personalities along the way. Raul, our Interpreter shared alot of great information on areas we passed and more detail about Guatemala. We passed some pretty amazing scenery along the way and it was a nice day for travelling. About half the ride was pretty bumpy but it was refreshing to put the windows down and just take it all in. :) Speed limits are not strictly enforced in other countries. It's pretty much an open road where people just go where they need to go and get there anyway they need to. We stopped for lunch and one of our team members picked up a great red piñata that looked like Elmo. We planned to save that for the children later in the week. Ron, one of our team members, had been to Guatemala many times and he seemed to think of everything creative for the children. He kept us entertained as well. A chicken dance and an hour later, it was time to hop back on the bus. As we approached a more desolate area surrounded by jungle, I knew we were getting close to our destination. We continued to follow a dirt road lined by rubber trees and the smell of burning wood was the first thing I really noticed. The rubber trees were cool! We even noticed a little bamboo and some banana trees with interesting purple blossoms.
Finally, we arrived in Paquila. We quickly unloaded our luggage and started setting up our tents/bug huts in the church. The church was concrete with six open windows outlined in beautiful stained glass and wrought iron bars. The roof was made of galvanized tin and the ceiling was decorated with hanging drapes and flowers. We immediately noticed the sweet children peeking through the windows shouting "Hola!" The community started pouring in as they were getting ready for their worship service. They graciously offered us the church to sleep in so their church services were moved outdoors. We were invited to attend their service with them. It was held outdoors under a tent lined with multi-colored plastic chairs and compact mud floor. The altar was covered colorful hand-picked flowers and a decorative piece covered the stand. As we were making our way to our seats, we passed two Guatemalan women kneeling at the altar. It was a powerful moment and I found myself wondering how long they had prayed for our help. Many other community members were kneeled silently at their chairs. They did not wear shoes and were dressed in beautiful handmade garments. It was certainly a day to absorb what we were being introduced to. We remained quiet for most of the service as the pastor and community welcomed us. The pastor communicated that they had prayed for us and the families we left behind. He said they had been waiting for us to arrive and praying for a safe arrival. That statement literally gave me chills or what my friend Paula likes to call "God bumps." I actually felt what was on his heart before the interpreter even told us what he was saying. It was interesting to learn that the languages were Quiche and Spanish and hearing them sing was awesome! And yes, we had our opportunity to sing as well. We chose "Joy, Joy, Joy" as our song choice. We sang it in English, Quiche and Spanish. Perhaps we should have rehearsed a bit more but it was cute and I think they appreciated it. The service was long but very heartfelt. We were humbled that one of our team members, Micah, was given an opportunity to deliver a message. The service ended with prayer and they asked that we go have dinner and rest to prepare for a long week.
At this time, we were introduced to our chefs, Lidia and Carmelita. Both were highly trained to prepare Americanized food, and safe for us to eat. Rule of thumb: if you cannot boil it, peel it or cook it, forget it! I cannot quite remember all the exact meals that were prepared but most of them consisted of delicious soups, tamales, empanadas, corn tortillas, refried beans, rice, bananas, watermelon, chicken, eggs, pancakes, plantains, bacon, and even pasta and steak! We had every meal in the Pastoral kitchen and dining room, three meals a day. Very simple, one stove and one table for dining. We had several gallons of purified water for the week as well. After dinner, we finished blowing up our air mattresses, assembled our bug tents, and set up a designated area for supplies and toys. We outlined our weekly schedule and detailed what was expected on Monday. We started our devotion that night and continued those the rest of the week. We had two outdoor showers and two toilets so in order to conserve resources, we only took one shower a day and were not able to flush any toilet paper. We had a handmade changing room within the church for changing. It was made with blue tarp and white pvc pipe. It was pretty creative actually. Thanks to Ron for bringing a decorative muʻumuʻu which allowed the ladies a dress while exiting the shower. :) We were designated an outside tooth brushing area and advised to do this with purified drinking water. We spent some time that evening meeting the children, playing magic tricks and taking photos with them. Kelly, another team member had a gift for magic tricks. It was quite cute and they adored him. The children were absolute angels, memorizing the entire team by name. I had never seen anything like it. Their smiles were infectious and their playfulness was sweet.
That night, I had a little trouble sleeping. I kept thinking about what Monday would bring. Alot of thoughts entered my mind but mostly I was excited about the next day. I was curious about where we would go, what we would see, what the conditions may be like. Kept thinking about everything in my life that had led up to this opportunity. Did alot of smiling in my sleep I believe. The smell of smoke was still pretty profound that night, the mosquitos were already biting and I was definitely feeling a little out of my comfort zone. I stayed positive and in constant prayer. I asked God to help me get comfortable and relax so that I could put my focus on the people. I just wanted to stop focusing on my level of comfort. I asked God to put his light in my eyes and let me see, that my own little world is not about me. I also prayed for the team that night. Knew we were all among pretty close quarters. I prayed that we would all be able to work together and accomplish alot during our time in Guatemala.
Stay tuned for Day 3....
No comments:
Post a Comment