From the moment we stepped outside of the airport in Guatemala, all you could see is street art on the walls, beautiful colors everywhere and the most colorful tops on the women (I soon learned they are called wipils). We jumped on a bus and headed to the Adventures in Missions base where we learned about the culture and history of Guate! It was cool because we got to share the base with a group of missionaries from Guatemala. We played soccer with them and through the power of Brother Google Translate we had some good conversations.
Tuesday our squad got the opportunity to be a part of a true Guatemalan tradition, running through the city with torches for Independence Day! September 15th is the Guatemalan Independence Day. People all across the country run in the streets in large groups with flags and torches and whistles. The people watching throw water bags (essentially water balloons) and buckets of water on the runners. We got to join a local soccer team in Parramos, Guatemala on this run and it was so much fun. All the cars passing by honk and whistle and everyone is so joyful and united. It was something I will never forget!
Wednesday morning bright and early my Team, Gloria a Dios, loaded up into a van and headed to our ministry spot, Chicaman, Guatemala. We all knew the adventure had truly begun when we came upon traffic caused by a landslide that forced everyone to another route that then caused traffic in a small town and they got mad and closed their road. So we ended up extending the already planned 6 hour drive to be 10.5 hours by turning around and going a third route. We had a super nice driver, Eric, who was Guatemalan and he made the trip enjoyable and safe.
Once we got to our ministry host's house we met the lovely family of 6. A local Guatemalan, Wesly, married a Gringo, Katie, who came over here 12 years ago on a Mission Trip. Together they have 4 children who radiate love and excitement! I can’t wait to get to know them more and glean so much wisdom, perspective and culture from them. My team is excited to work along side of the Teams Commissioned for Christ International Ministry and pour into the women and children in this community and just love on people.
Our current living arrangement is a soon to be cafe that is so cute! It’s near the heartbeat of Chicaman so everything is walkable. We have made it home and settled in and Maggie, our resident Artista, has made little reminders and signs for us. It’s starting to feel like our space and we can’t wait to share it with the community on Saturdays for English classes!
Our first ministry experience started the day after we got to Chicaman. We helped set up and assist with a graduation ceremony for a group of men that had just completed a 9month program from a Bible College. Some of the men traveled 8 hours one way to get to be a part of this. The men are preachers in the community who Wesley and this ministry are building up and equipping so that they can go preach in their villages and then raise up others too. It was beautiful to see the smiles of the Brothers that got their diplomas and got to share that moment with their families.
So far the hardest part of Guatemala for me is by far the language barrier. I want to talk to everyone I see and ask about their lives and get to know people here. But I’m scared I won’t understand them. I’ve used Brother Google Translate some and we have a Spanish speaker on our team but I’m learning to step into this and feel uncomfortable and just try. I’ve reached out to my high school Spanish teacher to apologize for not practicing any the past 13 years cause boy would it come in handy. I’m hoping to pick up some basics during our English classes on Saturdays and I have also started using Duolingo.
Guatemala is truly stunning and I'm excited about calling it home for the next few months!
