Guatemala–Part 4

I could go on and on about our trip, but I am going to make this the last post about the missions trip.  We had a wonderful, busy, and eventful week.  We saw several visitors attend the Sunday services as a direct result of our tract distribution, which was a blessing to both the team and the missionary family.  Praise the Lord!
Here are just some random pictures from the trip – things I want to share with you.

Soap plant – the Mayans use the berries from this plant to clean their clothing.  It grows all over the mountains.

Gas prices (divide by 7.7 to get the $ equivalent)

Mom and I after the volcano hike – still smiling, albeit wearily!

Public restroom – enter at your own risk…

Children getting out of school.  They have three shifts of school each day, so there are always children in school from early morning until evening.  Interesting concept.

Tuc-Tuc!  I didn’t get to ride in one of these while we were there, but next, time, look out!

Bagged – not bottled – water.

At the ruins of an old Catholic church in Antigua.

This place was originally built in 1545, but was destroyed by an earthquake, then rebuilt, then demolished again.  Pretty impressive architecture, still.

Scrubbing the church floor.

Mom, Misty, & Me (had to alliterate that) :)

The Wilder Family

Group photo at the ruins – getting this picture was quite hilarious!

The Najera family – missionaries to Bolivia.  This was a sweet and Godly family that we met while at the church.  Originally from Mexico, they are raising support to plant churches in Bolivia.

Misty and I – friends forever!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to make this trip, and, as always, it is great to see my cousin and friend.  I thoroughly enjoyed the other team members and the new friends we met in Guatemala.  I know better how to pray for these missionaries, and the particular struggles that they have in their ministry.  I cannot wait to go back!

Guatemala–Part 3

Thursday was quite busy, and after breakfast, we packed up our things in preparation for being gone all day.  Our team was joined by the four men who attend the Bible Institute at the church, some of their family members, a missionary family on deputation to go to Bolivia, and several church members.  There were about thirty people in all.  We packed a lunch and packed into the three vehicles.

Our First stop was in San Martin, a town about 45 minutes away, where there is a fledgling church.  Long story, but Daniel (the missionary) is now pastoring that work, too.  We handed out flyers and tracts all over the neighborhood where the services were to be held that evening, then loaded into the vehicles again.

Man reading a flyer that he was given

Ladies at the corner store grinding their cornmeal for tortillas and their refried beans

Lady with children (one is in the sling) and a basket on her head – just a thought, if you carry your basket on  your head, does it really need handles? :)

After we passed out all our flyers and tracts, we headed up the mountain to some remote villages.  It was then that we realized our vehicle only had brakes when it was in neutral. Uh-oh!  It was a little scary when we had to turn around and almost went over the cliff!  Thank the Lord there was a large ditch that caught us!  We lost reverse, too, and had to push the car out of the ditch.  We did a lot of praying on that trip! 

After extricating ourselves from the ditch, we walked up and down the roads in the village, passing out Romans booklets, and inviting people to a service.  We also had a drawing for a soccer ball giveaway, and gave everyone in attendance a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Samuel, one of the Bible Institute students, preached a Gospel message.

This young mother was quite attentive, and responded at the invitation, along with several others.

After the first service, we went to a nearby secondary school, and were given permission to have a service there as well.  The students were very attentive, and though I know of no decisions made, they were given a clear Gospel presentation.

Leaving the villages, we headed back to San Martin for the evening service.  We had a good crowd, and afterward made banana splits for everyone!

On the way home that night, Mom and I rode in the Spanish-speaking vehicle (they didn’t want to risk driving in the brake-less vehicle with all of us, so we were dispersed accordingly among the safe cars).  It was a little awkward at first, since I know only enough Spanish to be extremely dangerous, and the silence was somewhat strained.  Then, I decided to speak with the driver, Edwin, who, I found, had been to the states several times, and spoke some English.

We continued the drive speaking “Spanglish” to one another, with lots of “huh?s” and “que?s” and “what?s” sprinkled in among the conversation.  The others must have just been listening to his side of the conversation and laughing at my pronunciation and bad grammar, but they said nothing.  He asked about our political situation, the current president, and a few previous presidents.  Then he asked about the governor – was he a good man?  I was puzzled for a moment, not knowing which governor he meant, then he said, “Schwartznegger!”  I laughed right out loud, and everyone else in the car did as well!  Apparently our politics are somewhat of a curiosity to them.  I can hardly wonder at that, though, since I am somewhat puzzled by the people we elect sometimes, too!

It was quite late when we got back to the church, and I was so glad to finally get in bed after a long and fruitful day!

Thus ended the third day.

To be continued…

Guatemala–Part 2

One of our goals was to do some huge tract distributions, and the best place to do that is where are the people gather – in the markets!

We spent several hours stamping the tracts with the church name and contact information.

Steve was a tract-stamping machine!  We all stood in awe of his ability! LOL

Clarissa wasn’t too bad, either! :)

The local market where most of the food is purchased – there are hundreds of people selling their wares.

It is very congested in the streets of the market, with people, buses, motorbikes, and tuc-tucs (the little three-wheeled taxis for hire). 

The stores in the city tend to specialize in one kind of item.  For instance, this shop sells bicycle wheels and tires.  It can take all day to run errands, since you must visit a different store for each kind of item that you need.

I am really glad for the convenience of grocery stores and department stores, not to mention the mass-merchandise stores that we have in the USA!

Wednesday was also the church’s regular mid-week service.

I helped out with the music in the service

There was a good crowd, and the people were all very friendly.

Misty taught the children’s class that dismissed after the singing in the main service.

They were learning about Gideon, and really enjoyed their lesson.

My new amiga, Debora – she was such a sweet little girl!

Thus ended day two.

To be continued…

Guatemala Trip–Part 1

I am back in the good ol’ USA, and very thankful to be home again.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to visit Guatemala.  It was extra special, since my cousin and her husband were the missionaries we went to visit.  It was wonderful to see her again (I think we had not seen each other for seven or eight years).  Needless to say, she was quite surprised to see me!

Mom caught Misty’s expression when she saw me!  Great shot!

The day we arrived, things were pretty hectic, getting everyone and their luggage situated, and settling in for the evening.  We were all quite excited, but rather tired from the long day of travel.(We began our day around 3:00 a.m.)  We ate dinner and all sat around talking and getting to know one another better.  We were a rather diverse group, but we got along so well – it was a blessing to spend time with such a joyful group of Christians.

Our first activity was to visit Parque Nacional Volcan Pacaya, where we hiked up the active volcano, Pacaya.  It had been bubbling and hissing for several days, and just before we arrived in the country, the lava had flowed for several hours, causing consternation amongst some of the members of our mission team.  However, it was not dangerous at all, thankfully. 

Volcan Pacaya from a distance, with a scarf of clouds about its shoulders.

The hike up the volcano was the most arduous I have ever made.  It was quite steep, most of the way, and rather than a dirt path, it was slippery lava shale from previous eruptions (the last big eruption was in 2010).  In addition to the difficulty of the trail, we also had to contend with altitude.  Pacaya peaks at roughly 7,500 feet above sea level.  Most of us were coming from 15-20 feet above sea level, and if you have ever made a hike in high altitude, you know how hard it is just to breathe normally while doing any kind of activity.  I felt like my lungs were going to burst!  As the hours went by, we took frequent rests along the trail, and our bodies gradually acclimated to the difference in altitude.

Our guide and some team members.                                                      Me during a rest break.

We finally reached the top of the volcano.  As we looked around, we sang “How Great Thou Art” and marveled at the power of God manifested in the scenery.

Here we all are at the top – still smiling despite the workout!

View from the volcano.

View of the top of the volcano (see the steam?)

Me sitting down inside of a volcanic crater.  It was hot and steamy in there, from the volcano’s activity.

Our guide, Marvin, roasting marshmallows in a fissure of the volcano.

Store on top of the volcano – notice the “World Famous” sign.  Cracked me up!  They sold jewelry made with volcanic rock and ash.  It was pretty neat.

After we hiked back down the mountain, we ate a late lunch at a local restaurant, and headed to Antigua, where we visited the market and shops.  They sell all kinds of produce, as well as souveneirs.   We were able to pass out several hundred tracts as we walked about.

The cobbled streets of Antigua, Guatemala

Three little Guatemalan girls holding tracts – notice the one in the traditional sling

Market produce – everything is so fresh and beautiful!

People in the market shops – many of these received tracts.

The artisan shops, where you barter for everything.

The rule of the market is bartering, whether for food, souveneirs, or services.  Bartering is quite an art, and we were instructed to pay asking price for nothing, since the locals typically quote a price three times the value of the item in question.  It was like a tennis match – back and forth, the vendor lowering the price, and you slightly raising  until both come away satisfied.  It took a lot of time, but I became adept at figuring the exchange rate in my head and coming away with a good deal. 

After darkness fell, we headed back to the church, where we ate dinner, and then collapsed in our beds, exhausted.  Thus ended the first day of our mission trip. 

To be continued…