As if we hadn't had enough adventure already! We arrived at the airport in Guatemala City by 5:10 AM, only to find that our flight with American Airlines was delayed by 2 hours. So, after checking our luggage, we had breakfast at McDonalds (talk about reverse culture shock!) and waited...and waited...and waited. The airport had no air conditioning. With temperatures in the high 20's, it was sweltering inside.
We finally took off & had a great flight to Dallas Fort-Worth.
But, when we landed in Dallas Fort-Worth, we found out that plans had changed dramatically. As most of you know, American Airlines has had numerous planes grounded these past few days; our flight to Calgary was canceled. With barely a pause, American Airlines had us on a bus to a hotel in Arlington, Texas, with vouchers for hotel rooms and meals. Wow! We were well taken care of. We had great rooms at the La Quinta hotel and were able to have big meals at Denny's and Binigans (a fairly nice restaurant).
Most of the team was in bed by 11 PM, and, despite having no sleep wear, most slept through the night. But, a bunch were awoken at 3 in the morning by a horrible storm. Thunder, lightning and high winds. A tornado watch was out for the entire area! It was quite the show!
This morning, we had a continental breakfast in our hotel, dressed in the same clothes we had been wearing for the past 24 hours, and then headed out for the airport at 8:30 for a 10:55 flight. Another bus ride and we were met by an American Airlines rep who set up our group to be checked through in good time. Check through was slow, but we made it in time to the terminal. But, as we sat there, the flight was pushed off to 11:15, then to 11:30 & then to 11:45. Funny part was, the whole time we sat there, we noticed that there was no plane waiting to receive us. At about 11:15, an announcement let us know that our gate had been changed to an entire different terminal in the airport! We and about a 100 other passengers had to RUN through the airport to get to the new terminal. We arrived breathless, sweaty and ready to head for home.
Boarding went smoothly. We pulled out onto the tarmac and the pilot announced that not all of the luggage was loaded as they needed to load extra fuel in case the plane couldn't land in Calgary, due to bad weather. YOU MEAN...WE MIGHT NOT GET HOME! Calgary was under a weather warning, with about 15 cm of heavy snow falling! We were going to Alberta, but might not be able to get home. And if we got home, we might not have our luggage. Great choices!
But, we did land in Calgary & only about 10 people didn't receive their luggage. After about an hour waiting in the baggage claim area the team slowly straggled out to meet family and friends. We were safe...we were home...and the trip had finally come to a close.
Thank-you to all of you who were praying for us, we had many situations where in retrospect, we know the hand of God was over our team. Now it's time to start following the travels of the Grade 12 team as they begin their mission in Guatemala.
Hasta Luego!
DAILY ADVENTURES AND REFLECTIONS OF THE GRADE ELEVEN MISSION TEAM
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tuesday, April 8
Wow! What a day!
We arrived in Antigua last night, after having driven through a downpour in Guatemala City. I mean, the rain was coming down so hard that the streets were like rivers! We could see the lightning in the sky long before we got to Guatemala City, and as soon as we drove in, the rain began.
We got through Guatemala City in about 45 minutes, just at the beginning of rush hour. Les was very pleased with the speed we made through the city.
Once in Antigua, we unloaded at our hotel, "Los Bucaros" and the boys thought they had hit a 5 star hotel. Big rooms, hot showers and a bathroom in their room! The hotel has various outdoor courtyards with comfy chairs scattered about to just sit and visit.
We did a quick jaunt through Antigua; saw some cathedrals from the outside & heard about how Antigua was the 3rd capital city of Central America following its conquest by the Spaniards. After dinner, we split into two groups & hit the town for ice cream. It was hot and humid, so the cool "cream" was great.
Back at the hotel, we met with Les for devotions. Each team member had the opportunity to share a high point from the week, or a challenge that they experienced. It was a great way to review the last 8 days. Then Les challenged the team to determine what God was asking them to personally change in their lives as result of this trip. We would share these at the next evening's devotions.
When we awoke this morning, Antigua was surrounded in cloud. Most of the volcanoes weren't visible, but we could see the smoke from one volcano that was erupting! Les told us that it is a fairly active volcano, and that often you can hear the rumbling it makes as it erupts. But today, it's belchings were inaudible...but visible above the clouds no less.
We had opportunity this morning to tour some ruins in Antigua; the city has been destroyed numerous times by earthquakes. Guatemala experiences a "big" quake every 50 years, and the last one was in the '70's. The destruction of those quakes was evident everywhere, as lots of buildings lie in ruin. Our tour guide mentioned that we could visit a different ruin each day for a month. Most of the ruins are cathedrals, monastaries or nunneries. All this in an 11 by 11 block square! At one time, this was the spiritual heart of Central America.
In the afternoon, the team visited two markets and had the opportunity to barter for the treasures they hoped to buy. It was fun to compare stories as to who made the best deal, and who did not.
We ended the evening in devotions and had the opportunity to hear each other be vulnerable and share changes in their lives that they feel God urging them to make. Being open and honest, each team member shared. Some shared in tears, but all desiring to be stronger with their faith. What a blessing to see the work of God in our young people's lives.
Now, it's time to sleep for a few hours. We will driving to Guatemala City @ 4:00 AM for our 8:00 flight. Pray for our safety!
Most of us want to stay in Guatemala, but as with all good things, they must come to an end. However, God's work will continue and we may have the opportunity to return again...very soon!
We arrived in Antigua last night, after having driven through a downpour in Guatemala City. I mean, the rain was coming down so hard that the streets were like rivers! We could see the lightning in the sky long before we got to Guatemala City, and as soon as we drove in, the rain began.
We got through Guatemala City in about 45 minutes, just at the beginning of rush hour. Les was very pleased with the speed we made through the city.
Once in Antigua, we unloaded at our hotel, "Los Bucaros" and the boys thought they had hit a 5 star hotel. Big rooms, hot showers and a bathroom in their room! The hotel has various outdoor courtyards with comfy chairs scattered about to just sit and visit.
We did a quick jaunt through Antigua; saw some cathedrals from the outside & heard about how Antigua was the 3rd capital city of Central America following its conquest by the Spaniards. After dinner, we split into two groups & hit the town for ice cream. It was hot and humid, so the cool "cream" was great.
Back at the hotel, we met with Les for devotions. Each team member had the opportunity to share a high point from the week, or a challenge that they experienced. It was a great way to review the last 8 days. Then Les challenged the team to determine what God was asking them to personally change in their lives as result of this trip. We would share these at the next evening's devotions.
When we awoke this morning, Antigua was surrounded in cloud. Most of the volcanoes weren't visible, but we could see the smoke from one volcano that was erupting! Les told us that it is a fairly active volcano, and that often you can hear the rumbling it makes as it erupts. But today, it's belchings were inaudible...but visible above the clouds no less.
We had opportunity this morning to tour some ruins in Antigua; the city has been destroyed numerous times by earthquakes. Guatemala experiences a "big" quake every 50 years, and the last one was in the '70's. The destruction of those quakes was evident everywhere, as lots of buildings lie in ruin. Our tour guide mentioned that we could visit a different ruin each day for a month. Most of the ruins are cathedrals, monastaries or nunneries. All this in an 11 by 11 block square! At one time, this was the spiritual heart of Central America.
In the afternoon, the team visited two markets and had the opportunity to barter for the treasures they hoped to buy. It was fun to compare stories as to who made the best deal, and who did not.
We ended the evening in devotions and had the opportunity to hear each other be vulnerable and share changes in their lives that they feel God urging them to make. Being open and honest, each team member shared. Some shared in tears, but all desiring to be stronger with their faith. What a blessing to see the work of God in our young people's lives.
Now, it's time to sleep for a few hours. We will driving to Guatemala City @ 4:00 AM for our 8:00 flight. Pray for our safety!
Most of us want to stay in Guatemala, but as with all good things, they must come to an end. However, God's work will continue and we may have the opportunity to return again...very soon!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Monday, April 7
Hello All!
This might be our last post until we return to Calgary; we may not have internet access in Antigua.
Check out the past few days, as new posts have been added.
Sorry there have not been pictures added as we have had difficulties uploading photo's onto the blog site. We will add them once we return to Calgary.
Hasta luego!
Buenos Dias BCS! The following is the blog for April 3, 4, and 5. Due to the fact that I am extremely tired at the time of this writing it may be slightly incoherent and short for a blog covering the last three days. I will try my best though!
On the night of my last blog (April 2nd_), Jordan and I found the puddle in our room unbearable so we asked permission to switch rooms to which we were allowed to do. So now we have a considerably nicer room with much better beds and more space. The next day we visited yet another school in which we formed a large hug line and took many a photo. Very special moments, yet fairly hard to describe the magic that was happening.
After this we took a large break at the guesthouse in which I played cards with the guys. We then took a trip to the nearest hospital for an experience that I may have been the only one prepared for. We split into groups and began praying for different children with their families. Several were shook up by this especially with the sad look in each of the kids’ faces. The one that choked me up the most was when I prayed for a girl with a horrible case of coughing. She looked to be in pain from the near nonstop coughing and this disturbed me. Several were in tears from the children they had to pray for and needed consoling. After this we visited the maternity ward where we saw babies that were just 20 minutes old! After a prayer for all those in the hospital we left for supper.
The next day was our first day of children’s ministry and it was extremely fun! I was a little apprehensive about what I could do at the children’s ministry for I am not that good at sports and I often goof up at crafts. But when I arrived at the school to start there was this one little girl in a green dress that I decided to tickle a little. She then began hiding behind the pillars of the school and was just begging to be chased. I must have chased her for 30 minutes before a dozen other children began chasing and tickling me!
After children’s ministry ended for the day we went to Les Peters’ house for a rushed lunch. We then began loading bricks onto the back of a truck in which a most unfortunate event occurred. While I was passing one of the bricks to someone, this person proceeded to drop the brick right onto my left foot. The bricks weighed nearly thirty pounds and to have one dropped onto my foot was not fun. The perpetrator has apologized several times and hopes to remain anonymous. After taking a break to let my foot heal, we went to a new work site where we unloaded the bricks while some of us worked on digging a trench. For many of us this was quite boring but there was special highlight on the trip to the worksite for Danielle, Trevor, Ashley, and Donald. When it came time to get in the bus to go, these four convinced the driver of the truck with the bricks to let them ride on the back. The rest of us were quite jealous, but they only rode on the back for five blocks and then they had to get on the bus.
That night was a special night for many, for when it was time to wind down and get ready for bed, a marching band came out in front of our guest house to perform. Many of us gathered on the roof to watch, while others crammed into the front porch. The performance was spectacular complete with beautiful dancing and bombastic drumming. When the performance was over the conductor of the group told us that they were celebrating the 15th anniversary of a Christian school nearby and that they were honored that we decided to listen to them. I went back to the hotel that night in a good mood despite the fact that while I was on the roof my leg clipped a steel pole that left nasty scrapes on my right knee and ankle. That night, while I was sleeping, Jordan felt a little sick and threw up on the floor, which I somehow slept threw as well as the hotel manager cleaning up the mess.
The next morning we did children’s ministry again while Jordan stayed at the hotel. This posed a problem as we had to do our drama for the kids and Jordan was a central part. Along with this problem was the fact that I have not practiced the drama since three weeks ago. However everything worked out in the end as Mrs. Litorco filled in for Jordan (actually she filled in for Eric, for Eric took Jordan’s part) and the drama went quite smoothly. We then sang with the kids and did some crafts which included face painting, balloon animals, and making paper snakes. After this we said a big goodbye and went to get some lunch at Les Peters’ house again.
We than spent the rest of day visiting our sponsor children. Although I did not have any sponsor children, it was still a very cool experience to see my fellow students faces light up when their sponsor child gave them a big hug and expressed how grateful they were. Anthea, Mrs. Goosen, Jordan, Beatrice, and a few others all got to see their sponsor children and would then pray for them with Zaak translating. After this was done we had a unique meal where we went to Guatemalan family’s house where we made our own tortilla like dishes which involved us rolling dough around in our hands, making it into a circle, stuffing cheese in the center, and then rolling the dough over the cheese. The family then deep fried the dough, served it with two choices of sauce (spicy or non-spicy), along with a unique beverage made from milk, rice and cinnamon. After this meal we did a prayer for the family and then left for the guesthouse.
Well that is the events of the past three days! By the way, I began this blog on April 5 but carried it over to April 6, so I am no longer tired or incoherent. I apologize for how inconsistent my blogging is, but it is very hard to find time to write for we are always traveling somewhere. The only time I get a chance to write is when it is time for bed, but by that time I am so tired that I can’t write a single straight thought! I will attempt to start a new blog for tomorrow and I apologize in advance if I am not able to. Adios amigos!
- Adam Sylvester
This is for Sunday, April 6th.
We got to sleep in a little bit today. Breakfast was at eight and Jessica arrived to explain that mornings activities. It was market day in Tac Tic and we were to go on a scavenger hunt throughout the market. In groups of five, with a list and one hundred costal in tow we set off. The market was stampede of Guatemalans, all five feet tall moving through the narrow streets. All the stalls in the market had overhangs to protect them from the sun. But of course this being Guatemala all these tarps and overhangs came to our neck height, so throughout the day we got clothes lined like a dozen times. Since our list was in Spanish and none of us can put a decent sentence together, except for Scott. We struggled for an hour getting as many items as we could. After the hour was over we returned to the guesthouse to tally our scores two groups tied for first and the third team was close behind. Lunch was at Les’ house, it was Carmella’ birthday (Carmella is Les and Rita’s cook) so we all sang and had cake. After Lunch we pilled into the vans to visit a coffee plantation up in the mountains. This coffee plantation has no human hands ever touch the coffee other than the picking process everything else is done by water. The beans have their husks removed and are soaked in water to remove their slimy coating. We beans are sorted by quality, based on size and density. A large, dense bean is of high quality. We beans are laid out to dry and are then bagged to be shipped to roasters around the world. We traveled back down the mountain to go to church. Again at church it was a extremely moving service many of us had the same experience that we had at Les’ house the day before. After the service we returned to change for soccer. No Canadian team has ever scored a goal playing against the Guatemalans. At the start of the game it wasn’t pretty. Canadians were going off in the first few minutes. But once we had teams in place we had a record of three turns without going off and ten goals in the two hours we played. The game was pretty impressive considering we have never scored before. It was ten o’clock when we finished and everyone was exhausted. The group returned to the guest house and hotel for bed.
- Chris Horback
This might be our last post until we return to Calgary; we may not have internet access in Antigua.
Check out the past few days, as new posts have been added.
Sorry there have not been pictures added as we have had difficulties uploading photo's onto the blog site. We will add them once we return to Calgary.
Hasta luego!
Buenos Dias BCS! The following is the blog for April 3, 4, and 5. Due to the fact that I am extremely tired at the time of this writing it may be slightly incoherent and short for a blog covering the last three days. I will try my best though!
On the night of my last blog (April 2nd_), Jordan and I found the puddle in our room unbearable so we asked permission to switch rooms to which we were allowed to do. So now we have a considerably nicer room with much better beds and more space. The next day we visited yet another school in which we formed a large hug line and took many a photo. Very special moments, yet fairly hard to describe the magic that was happening.
After this we took a large break at the guesthouse in which I played cards with the guys. We then took a trip to the nearest hospital for an experience that I may have been the only one prepared for. We split into groups and began praying for different children with their families. Several were shook up by this especially with the sad look in each of the kids’ faces. The one that choked me up the most was when I prayed for a girl with a horrible case of coughing. She looked to be in pain from the near nonstop coughing and this disturbed me. Several were in tears from the children they had to pray for and needed consoling. After this we visited the maternity ward where we saw babies that were just 20 minutes old! After a prayer for all those in the hospital we left for supper.
The next day was our first day of children’s ministry and it was extremely fun! I was a little apprehensive about what I could do at the children’s ministry for I am not that good at sports and I often goof up at crafts. But when I arrived at the school to start there was this one little girl in a green dress that I decided to tickle a little. She then began hiding behind the pillars of the school and was just begging to be chased. I must have chased her for 30 minutes before a dozen other children began chasing and tickling me!
After children’s ministry ended for the day we went to Les Peters’ house for a rushed lunch. We then began loading bricks onto the back of a truck in which a most unfortunate event occurred. While I was passing one of the bricks to someone, this person proceeded to drop the brick right onto my left foot. The bricks weighed nearly thirty pounds and to have one dropped onto my foot was not fun. The perpetrator has apologized several times and hopes to remain anonymous. After taking a break to let my foot heal, we went to a new work site where we unloaded the bricks while some of us worked on digging a trench. For many of us this was quite boring but there was special highlight on the trip to the worksite for Danielle, Trevor, Ashley, and Donald. When it came time to get in the bus to go, these four convinced the driver of the truck with the bricks to let them ride on the back. The rest of us were quite jealous, but they only rode on the back for five blocks and then they had to get on the bus.
That night was a special night for many, for when it was time to wind down and get ready for bed, a marching band came out in front of our guest house to perform. Many of us gathered on the roof to watch, while others crammed into the front porch. The performance was spectacular complete with beautiful dancing and bombastic drumming. When the performance was over the conductor of the group told us that they were celebrating the 15th anniversary of a Christian school nearby and that they were honored that we decided to listen to them. I went back to the hotel that night in a good mood despite the fact that while I was on the roof my leg clipped a steel pole that left nasty scrapes on my right knee and ankle. That night, while I was sleeping, Jordan felt a little sick and threw up on the floor, which I somehow slept threw as well as the hotel manager cleaning up the mess.
The next morning we did children’s ministry again while Jordan stayed at the hotel. This posed a problem as we had to do our drama for the kids and Jordan was a central part. Along with this problem was the fact that I have not practiced the drama since three weeks ago. However everything worked out in the end as Mrs. Litorco filled in for Jordan (actually she filled in for Eric, for Eric took Jordan’s part) and the drama went quite smoothly. We then sang with the kids and did some crafts which included face painting, balloon animals, and making paper snakes. After this we said a big goodbye and went to get some lunch at Les Peters’ house again.
We than spent the rest of day visiting our sponsor children. Although I did not have any sponsor children, it was still a very cool experience to see my fellow students faces light up when their sponsor child gave them a big hug and expressed how grateful they were. Anthea, Mrs. Goosen, Jordan, Beatrice, and a few others all got to see their sponsor children and would then pray for them with Zaak translating. After this was done we had a unique meal where we went to Guatemalan family’s house where we made our own tortilla like dishes which involved us rolling dough around in our hands, making it into a circle, stuffing cheese in the center, and then rolling the dough over the cheese. The family then deep fried the dough, served it with two choices of sauce (spicy or non-spicy), along with a unique beverage made from milk, rice and cinnamon. After this meal we did a prayer for the family and then left for the guesthouse.
Well that is the events of the past three days! By the way, I began this blog on April 5 but carried it over to April 6, so I am no longer tired or incoherent. I apologize for how inconsistent my blogging is, but it is very hard to find time to write for we are always traveling somewhere. The only time I get a chance to write is when it is time for bed, but by that time I am so tired that I can’t write a single straight thought! I will attempt to start a new blog for tomorrow and I apologize in advance if I am not able to. Adios amigos!
- Adam Sylvester
This is for Sunday, April 6th.
We got to sleep in a little bit today. Breakfast was at eight and Jessica arrived to explain that mornings activities. It was market day in Tac Tic and we were to go on a scavenger hunt throughout the market. In groups of five, with a list and one hundred costal in tow we set off. The market was stampede of Guatemalans, all five feet tall moving through the narrow streets. All the stalls in the market had overhangs to protect them from the sun. But of course this being Guatemala all these tarps and overhangs came to our neck height, so throughout the day we got clothes lined like a dozen times. Since our list was in Spanish and none of us can put a decent sentence together, except for Scott. We struggled for an hour getting as many items as we could. After the hour was over we returned to the guesthouse to tally our scores two groups tied for first and the third team was close behind. Lunch was at Les’ house, it was Carmella’ birthday (Carmella is Les and Rita’s cook) so we all sang and had cake. After Lunch we pilled into the vans to visit a coffee plantation up in the mountains. This coffee plantation has no human hands ever touch the coffee other than the picking process everything else is done by water. The beans have their husks removed and are soaked in water to remove their slimy coating. We beans are sorted by quality, based on size and density. A large, dense bean is of high quality. We beans are laid out to dry and are then bagged to be shipped to roasters around the world. We traveled back down the mountain to go to church. Again at church it was a extremely moving service many of us had the same experience that we had at Les’ house the day before. After the service we returned to change for soccer. No Canadian team has ever scored a goal playing against the Guatemalans. At the start of the game it wasn’t pretty. Canadians were going off in the first few minutes. But once we had teams in place we had a record of three turns without going off and ten goals in the two hours we played. The game was pretty impressive considering we have never scored before. It was ten o’clock when we finished and everyone was exhausted. The group returned to the guest house and hotel for bed.
- Chris Horback
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Saturday, April 5
Well. If one word can sum up what has happened here during these past five days, it would be community. Our class has bonded in a way that I never thought possible. When you’ve been together for eleven years, I would say you become fairly familiar with each other. But the formation of cliques is almost inevitable. This missions trip has made those cliques vanish. The grade eleven class has lost it’s sense of individuality and become a team with one goal in mind. Helping one another; and our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Our selfish tendencies have gone the way of the Dodo, and the sense of giving has grown exponentially. I have never had to trust my classmates more. Digging a trench three feet deep, and hoping the next swing of the pick axe isn’t in your face, stage fighting in a drama, and singing out loud with the possibility of being ridiculed for your sub par singing voice. I have never felt more vulnerable amidst my peers, and yet, I have never felt more secure with them. The feelings and emotions cannot be explained in text on a website, nor can they be witnessed in a photograph. It seems futile to try, like the events will be diluted. The only way you could truly understand or feel the emotions would be if you came here yourself. You will notice a change in the family member that came down here. A change spiritually, physically (tannned ☺), or mentally. With events like the sinkhole, and morning devotions, one could not comeback unchanged.
I don’t want to tell the stories of what we have done specifically, I think that you should hear what we’ve done for the first time from your children, that way the story is genuine. I can tell you that God is working, and amazing things are happening. Barriers are being broken, and burdens are being lifted. Our class just spiritually grows closer each day we tackle new problems. Fears of Darkness, Bugs, Diseases, Spiritual Journey’s, Public Humiliation are all leaving; and being replaced by the solemn peace of God. This trip has been an amazing life changing event to say the least, and I promise many stories from each individual upon our return.
- ScottBennett
Because today was the 15 year anniversary of the school down the road, we got to witness…you betcha…another parade! This time, 6 other local school s joined in the celebration with loud music & costumed dancers. The full parade took more than 20 minutes to pass by the guest house, but because the two teams were off to different events, we couldn’t stay to watch. We had to wind our way through the parade to get to our vehicles that waited a few streets over. The vehicles couldn’t get to the guest house because of the parade & the accompanying traffic snarl. One doesn’t expect to experience a traffic jam in a city of only 18,000 people. Especially when most of them don’t own vehicles!
Now, at 11:30 at night, we can still hear loud music blaring around Tac Tic. In fact, just down the street by the celebrating school, there is a wedding party going on! The street in front of the guest house is packed with cars for all the party-goers. This is not the quiet city we drove into on Tuesday night!
- D. Werth
We got up early this morning and ate breakfast. The bus ride to the work site was quick and working in the early morning was so much more pleasant then baking in the hot sun at the last work site. The goal was to start digging out a hill for a new school. Some of us had to take wheel barrels full of heavy gravel up a fifteen-foot hill. The hill was covered with large pieces of gravel making it extremely difficult to get a wheel barrel up the hill. After the gravel was hauled up the hill. Eric told us that we all had to start digging out the hillside. Half of the structure is present and the other half s going to be where we are digging. The progress we made was quite remarkable. In twenty-seven degree weather for three hours we used pickaxes and shovels to tear up the hill. Mr. Werth had to entice us to work with the offer of some milkshakes. After three hours we returned to the bus to travel to Les’ house for lunch. After lunch Les drove us to get our milk shakes or smoothies. While we went to collect on Mr. Werth’ promise the Werth’ separated off to go see their third sponsor child. Les drove us to meet the Werth’ and to drive up the mountain to see this remote village. The drive was a tedious one and Les’ van does not have the most comfortable ride. Those of us in the back of the van were bouncing back and forth. The curving roads did not do justice to some of the girl’s stomachs. At the top of this mountain the small village was supposed to have a fantastic view of an active volcano over Antigua. When we arrived at the top of the mountain a dense fog had covered the other mountains obstructing our view of the volcano. The pastor of this town had no idea we were coming yet he invited us into his home. Greatly honored he prayed for us and we laid hands on him praying for him and his fifteen year old son who went to Guatemala city for work so he could help support the family. When we were leaving the kids of the village started throwing mud balls at Jason and our van. Many of these balls had rocks in them and really hurt. In the van we literally retreated to Les’ house. Our debrief was an emotional experience for many of us. People were stepping out of their comfort zone and making the decision to live whole-heartedly for God. It was a long night and many of us were looking forward to bed.
- Chris Horback
I don’t want to tell the stories of what we have done specifically, I think that you should hear what we’ve done for the first time from your children, that way the story is genuine. I can tell you that God is working, and amazing things are happening. Barriers are being broken, and burdens are being lifted. Our class just spiritually grows closer each day we tackle new problems. Fears of Darkness, Bugs, Diseases, Spiritual Journey’s, Public Humiliation are all leaving; and being replaced by the solemn peace of God. This trip has been an amazing life changing event to say the least, and I promise many stories from each individual upon our return.
- ScottBennett
Because today was the 15 year anniversary of the school down the road, we got to witness…you betcha…another parade! This time, 6 other local school s joined in the celebration with loud music & costumed dancers. The full parade took more than 20 minutes to pass by the guest house, but because the two teams were off to different events, we couldn’t stay to watch. We had to wind our way through the parade to get to our vehicles that waited a few streets over. The vehicles couldn’t get to the guest house because of the parade & the accompanying traffic snarl. One doesn’t expect to experience a traffic jam in a city of only 18,000 people. Especially when most of them don’t own vehicles!
Now, at 11:30 at night, we can still hear loud music blaring around Tac Tic. In fact, just down the street by the celebrating school, there is a wedding party going on! The street in front of the guest house is packed with cars for all the party-goers. This is not the quiet city we drove into on Tuesday night!
- D. Werth
We got up early this morning and ate breakfast. The bus ride to the work site was quick and working in the early morning was so much more pleasant then baking in the hot sun at the last work site. The goal was to start digging out a hill for a new school. Some of us had to take wheel barrels full of heavy gravel up a fifteen-foot hill. The hill was covered with large pieces of gravel making it extremely difficult to get a wheel barrel up the hill. After the gravel was hauled up the hill. Eric told us that we all had to start digging out the hillside. Half of the structure is present and the other half s going to be where we are digging. The progress we made was quite remarkable. In twenty-seven degree weather for three hours we used pickaxes and shovels to tear up the hill. Mr. Werth had to entice us to work with the offer of some milkshakes. After three hours we returned to the bus to travel to Les’ house for lunch. After lunch Les drove us to get our milk shakes or smoothies. While we went to collect on Mr. Werth’ promise the Werth’ separated off to go see their third sponsor child. Les drove us to meet the Werth’ and to drive up the mountain to see this remote village. The drive was a tedious one and Les’ van does not have the most comfortable ride. Those of us in the back of the van were bouncing back and forth. The curving roads did not do justice to some of the girl’s stomachs. At the top of this mountain the small village was supposed to have a fantastic view of an active volcano over Antigua. When we arrived at the top of the mountain a dense fog had covered the other mountains obstructing our view of the volcano. The pastor of this town had no idea we were coming yet he invited us into his home. Greatly honored he prayed for us and we laid hands on him praying for him and his fifteen year old son who went to Guatemala city for work so he could help support the family. When we were leaving the kids of the village started throwing mud balls at Jason and our van. Many of these balls had rocks in them and really hurt. In the van we literally retreated to Les’ house. Our debrief was an emotional experience for many of us. People were stepping out of their comfort zone and making the decision to live whole-heartedly for God. It was a long night and many of us were looking forward to bed.
- Chris Horback
Friday, April 4, 2008
Friday, April 4
It is extremely hard to comprehend that the trip that most of us have been awaiting for the last ten years is already more than half over. We have been making the most of each day however, which is re-enforced by the fact that we go to bed around eleven and wake up at ridiculous hours of the morning. Moments of silence and relaxation are few and far between, but contrary to our expectations, the amount of stress in our lives has dramatically decreased. Every moment here is treasured by each and every one of us.
As we have been discussing our experiences among ourselves, there seems to be some common things that stick out. Firstly, every single one of us love an activity called hug lines. We all kneel in a line on the floor and receive a hug from each child that passes by. So many people tangibly feel the love of God through this experience, indicated by the fact that so many of us have tears streaming down our faces as we embrace the students from the Impact Ministries schools.
Worship and devotions at the Impact schools have been so touching to each one of us. They sing so loudly and earnestly! If you stand on the roof of our guesthouse, you can hear the students from the Beerseba school singing. They are so genuine and desire so badly to hold onto God because he is the only thing they have left. We need to remember that it is okay to seek God so earnestly in our lives as well.
On Wednesday, we visisted the Chix’im Catherdral that overlooks the town of TacTic from high up on the hill. There were two things that struck me, in particular, about this experience. The outward appearance of the church was beautiful, as it was painted in light and airy colors. As we approached the door to the church we saw a woman on her knees praying in the doorway. She was crying out to the gods to answer her desperate plea for help. Inside of the cathedral, there was a darkness despite all the windows. You could sense a spiritual confusion and the presence of an unspoken evil. The image of the woman crying out to the powers of the supernatural realm keeps replaying in my mind as a visual picture of the workings of the inivisible world. I think that at one time or another we all get to wrapped up in trying to please those around us, and more importantly, God. We always want to say and to do the right things, just as this woman was kneeling and calling out to the images of the different gods in order to appease everyone. God has reminded me that we don’t need to do or say anything to please him, because he loves and accepts us exactly the way we are. The second thing that spoke to me so cleary occurred when our whole team stepped into a little room filled with plaques praising the faithfulness of the Lord of Chix’im. Once again, you could clearly sense the amount of spiritual darkness filling the entrirety of the small space. I think that we in North America, are just as confused and full of darkness as the people of Guatemala, it just appears in very different ways. The evil in our lives is hidden away because we do not want people to see the pain we are experiencing, where as the people in Guatemala are visibly battling the powers of darkness in their churches and communities. As we began to sing an ancient hymn, a feeling of spiritual lightness returned to our presence, reminding all of us that God never leaves us.
These feelings were echoed when we went to the Chicoy sinkhole today. An unspoken darkness settled upon us as we descended the steep and slippery pathway leading to the bottom of the sinkhole. Candles, bottles of alcohol, dead flowers and smoldering sacrifices to the Mayan gods were scattered across the uneven and sooty floor. There was a sense of brokenness hovering throughout the hollow spaces. After forming a circle, we began to sing. The words to one song declared the exact feeling in my heart. ‘The enemy has been defeated, death couldn’t hold you down, we’re gonna lift our voice in victory, we’re gonna make your praises loud.’ This was the breaking moment for our team. Everyone had hands and hearts raised to God, it was so amazing to see God working in such a visible way in the hearts of all my friends. We were asked to declare the presence of God in the sinkhole, and the words that came out of our mouths were so clearly from the heart of our saviour. We were silent, reveling in the touch from our father we had each received shortly before, on our way up to the top of the sinkhole. When we reached the top, two of us were crying so hard. We gathered around each other and laid hands and prayed for each other like we have never prayed before. It was like we finally found the confidence and trust in one another that we have been searching for so long. I never want that feeling to leave.
- Aly Veck
Wow! What a crazy day!
We were awoken at 4:50 in the morning by blaring music & fire-crackers. A few of the girls had the presence of mind to look out a window and they saw a parade of people being led by a police car with lights flashing & a vehicle with huge speakers on its roof playing music. Later, we found out that the school down the road was celebrating 15 years on Saturday. What a way to wake up! Some of us went back to sleep, others just laid on their beds waiting for the sun to rise. But it sure gave us something to talk about at breakfast.
Then, at about 9:30 that evening, another parade! This one complete with baton twirling dancers & a marching band. The band had trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and lots of drums. The group marched up the street past the guest house, circled through town, and then returned at about 10:30 to make their way back to their school. Even though lights out was set at 10:00 in the guest house, everybody rushed to the front door or onto the roof to watch. With an audience to play for, the parade made a pit stop right at our doorstep for 10 or so minutes. Talk about loud! Full marching band sound echoing up & down the street and through the concrete hallways of the guest house. It’s amazing that we can still hear!
It was a noisy way to start & end the day, but it certainty added something new to the trip for the adults that have been to Guatemala in previous years.
- D. Werth
Another morning when we got to sleep in everyone is exhausted and appreciate the extra rest. We started getting ready at six, ate breakfast and traveled in the bus with Eric to devotions at Chicoi. The intensity of the devotions with these kids was amazing; they put their hearts out and don not care about what the other kids around them think. All the kids went through our hug line, and Zaak explained some of the background of the kids that go to the school. Once devotions finished we piled into the bus to drive up the road to the sinkhole. The bus stopped at the base of the mountain, which the sinkhole was located in. The group then had the option to zigzag back and forth across the mountain or take the shortcut; the short cut being almost straight u was a treacherous but exhilarating way to get up the mountain. We arrived at the top of the mountain to find a family making a fire, waiting for the Mayan witch doctor. We gathered around the entrance to the sinkhole and Zaak shared some of the history of the sinkhole. The decent into the sinkhole was a mud path with roots and rocks sticking out of the ground. Curving back and forth along the wall of the cave with slowly entering the darkness of the sinkhole. The walls of the sinkhole are covered in black smoke and the Mayans believe the darker the place the more holy it is. We explored the sinkhole from front to back going in between all the stalagmites and seeing all the sacrifice and worship altars. We started to sing and the eerie feeling of the sinkhole soon dissipated. The family of Guatemalans who were at the top of the sinkhole started to come down with the Mayan priest. They watched us the entire time we sang and when we started to ascend out of the sinkhole they began their rituals. The sinkhole was an emotional experience for some of the team members; they come to realize things in their lives that they needed to change. The coolest thing about this was that we all go together without being asked and started to pray for each other. We adjourned to Les’ house for Lunch and a little rest time. Our group had heard many stories about the hospital in Coban from the other group. Many of us feeling sick we traveled down a curving road through the mountains to Coban. Once we arrived, we gathered all the stuffed animals and blankets we brought. Entering the pediatric ward worried many of us from the stories we had heard. We traveled from bed to bed giving the kids a stuffed animal and praying for them. None of us cried which caught Les by surprise. After we finished in the pediatric ward we went to the maternity ward to visit the newborn babies. In Coban we ate at Pollo Campero and the balloon animal people bought Israel an ice cream for saving their lives at children ministry. We returned to the guest house for debrief and to go to bed.
- Chris Horback
As we have been discussing our experiences among ourselves, there seems to be some common things that stick out. Firstly, every single one of us love an activity called hug lines. We all kneel in a line on the floor and receive a hug from each child that passes by. So many people tangibly feel the love of God through this experience, indicated by the fact that so many of us have tears streaming down our faces as we embrace the students from the Impact Ministries schools.
Worship and devotions at the Impact schools have been so touching to each one of us. They sing so loudly and earnestly! If you stand on the roof of our guesthouse, you can hear the students from the Beerseba school singing. They are so genuine and desire so badly to hold onto God because he is the only thing they have left. We need to remember that it is okay to seek God so earnestly in our lives as well.
On Wednesday, we visisted the Chix’im Catherdral that overlooks the town of TacTic from high up on the hill. There were two things that struck me, in particular, about this experience. The outward appearance of the church was beautiful, as it was painted in light and airy colors. As we approached the door to the church we saw a woman on her knees praying in the doorway. She was crying out to the gods to answer her desperate plea for help. Inside of the cathedral, there was a darkness despite all the windows. You could sense a spiritual confusion and the presence of an unspoken evil. The image of the woman crying out to the powers of the supernatural realm keeps replaying in my mind as a visual picture of the workings of the inivisible world. I think that at one time or another we all get to wrapped up in trying to please those around us, and more importantly, God. We always want to say and to do the right things, just as this woman was kneeling and calling out to the images of the different gods in order to appease everyone. God has reminded me that we don’t need to do or say anything to please him, because he loves and accepts us exactly the way we are. The second thing that spoke to me so cleary occurred when our whole team stepped into a little room filled with plaques praising the faithfulness of the Lord of Chix’im. Once again, you could clearly sense the amount of spiritual darkness filling the entrirety of the small space. I think that we in North America, are just as confused and full of darkness as the people of Guatemala, it just appears in very different ways. The evil in our lives is hidden away because we do not want people to see the pain we are experiencing, where as the people in Guatemala are visibly battling the powers of darkness in their churches and communities. As we began to sing an ancient hymn, a feeling of spiritual lightness returned to our presence, reminding all of us that God never leaves us.
These feelings were echoed when we went to the Chicoy sinkhole today. An unspoken darkness settled upon us as we descended the steep and slippery pathway leading to the bottom of the sinkhole. Candles, bottles of alcohol, dead flowers and smoldering sacrifices to the Mayan gods were scattered across the uneven and sooty floor. There was a sense of brokenness hovering throughout the hollow spaces. After forming a circle, we began to sing. The words to one song declared the exact feeling in my heart. ‘The enemy has been defeated, death couldn’t hold you down, we’re gonna lift our voice in victory, we’re gonna make your praises loud.’ This was the breaking moment for our team. Everyone had hands and hearts raised to God, it was so amazing to see God working in such a visible way in the hearts of all my friends. We were asked to declare the presence of God in the sinkhole, and the words that came out of our mouths were so clearly from the heart of our saviour. We were silent, reveling in the touch from our father we had each received shortly before, on our way up to the top of the sinkhole. When we reached the top, two of us were crying so hard. We gathered around each other and laid hands and prayed for each other like we have never prayed before. It was like we finally found the confidence and trust in one another that we have been searching for so long. I never want that feeling to leave.
- Aly Veck
Wow! What a crazy day!
We were awoken at 4:50 in the morning by blaring music & fire-crackers. A few of the girls had the presence of mind to look out a window and they saw a parade of people being led by a police car with lights flashing & a vehicle with huge speakers on its roof playing music. Later, we found out that the school down the road was celebrating 15 years on Saturday. What a way to wake up! Some of us went back to sleep, others just laid on their beds waiting for the sun to rise. But it sure gave us something to talk about at breakfast.
Then, at about 9:30 that evening, another parade! This one complete with baton twirling dancers & a marching band. The band had trumpets, trombones, saxophones, and lots of drums. The group marched up the street past the guest house, circled through town, and then returned at about 10:30 to make their way back to their school. Even though lights out was set at 10:00 in the guest house, everybody rushed to the front door or onto the roof to watch. With an audience to play for, the parade made a pit stop right at our doorstep for 10 or so minutes. Talk about loud! Full marching band sound echoing up & down the street and through the concrete hallways of the guest house. It’s amazing that we can still hear!
It was a noisy way to start & end the day, but it certainty added something new to the trip for the adults that have been to Guatemala in previous years.
- D. Werth
Another morning when we got to sleep in everyone is exhausted and appreciate the extra rest. We started getting ready at six, ate breakfast and traveled in the bus with Eric to devotions at Chicoi. The intensity of the devotions with these kids was amazing; they put their hearts out and don not care about what the other kids around them think. All the kids went through our hug line, and Zaak explained some of the background of the kids that go to the school. Once devotions finished we piled into the bus to drive up the road to the sinkhole. The bus stopped at the base of the mountain, which the sinkhole was located in. The group then had the option to zigzag back and forth across the mountain or take the shortcut; the short cut being almost straight u was a treacherous but exhilarating way to get up the mountain. We arrived at the top of the mountain to find a family making a fire, waiting for the Mayan witch doctor. We gathered around the entrance to the sinkhole and Zaak shared some of the history of the sinkhole. The decent into the sinkhole was a mud path with roots and rocks sticking out of the ground. Curving back and forth along the wall of the cave with slowly entering the darkness of the sinkhole. The walls of the sinkhole are covered in black smoke and the Mayans believe the darker the place the more holy it is. We explored the sinkhole from front to back going in between all the stalagmites and seeing all the sacrifice and worship altars. We started to sing and the eerie feeling of the sinkhole soon dissipated. The family of Guatemalans who were at the top of the sinkhole started to come down with the Mayan priest. They watched us the entire time we sang and when we started to ascend out of the sinkhole they began their rituals. The sinkhole was an emotional experience for some of the team members; they come to realize things in their lives that they needed to change. The coolest thing about this was that we all go together without being asked and started to pray for each other. We adjourned to Les’ house for Lunch and a little rest time. Our group had heard many stories about the hospital in Coban from the other group. Many of us feeling sick we traveled down a curving road through the mountains to Coban. Once we arrived, we gathered all the stuffed animals and blankets we brought. Entering the pediatric ward worried many of us from the stories we had heard. We traveled from bed to bed giving the kids a stuffed animal and praying for them. None of us cried which caught Les by surprise. After we finished in the pediatric ward we went to the maternity ward to visit the newborn babies. In Coban we ate at Pollo Campero and the balloon animal people bought Israel an ice cream for saving their lives at children ministry. We returned to the guest house for debrief and to go to bed.
- Chris Horback
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Thursday, April 3
We got to sleep in this morning, thank goodness. For devotions this morning, Israel, our favorite van driver, took us to the school at Mochan. Our morning devotion lasted for half an hour singing only in Spanish. Once devotions wrapped up, we created a hug line where every kid present at worship received a hug from each of us. Zaak explained the importance of hug lines to the group last night. Many of these kids come from families where their parents abuse them and the idea that someone loves them is so important and meaningful to them. After devotions we loaded up into the vans and traveled back to the school where we did children ministry the day before. Making balloon animals was a little more intense than expected. Those of us who were making balloon animals quite literally had five to six kids sitting in our lap as we were twisting and inflating the balloons. Many kids would sneak to the front of the line, they would be worried that if they didn’t get a balloon right away they wouldn’t get one at all. Absolute chaos lasted for about twenty minutes before Israel came to save the day. Not only did he fend the kids off, Israel has a natural talent for balloons himself. Supplying Israel constantly with balloons kept the kids far enough away to let us work. As we left the school, soccer balls and school supplies were left for the kids. Retreating to Les’ house for lunch and a little down time was a nice break. It just figures that after a nice rest we get to go and dig a new foundation for a school. For three hours, we shoveled gravel, dug a trench and used a pickaxe to create a foundation of the school. Exhausted we departed for Les’ house for supper, devotions and debriefing. Tomorrow the plan is to visit the sinkhole and to go to the hospital in Coban.
Isaiah 61: 1
“The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has appointed me to preach the good news to the poor.“
- Chris Horback
Isaiah 61: 1
“The spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has appointed me to preach the good news to the poor.“
- Chris Horback
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Wednesday, April 2
This morning was an early start. We all rose at six to eat breakfast at the guesthouse. After we had finished breakfast we departed for our morning worship at Chamche. Their worship was beyond words. The intensity that they sing and praise; can be heard from the guesthouse that is a ten-minute walk away. Once worship was finished we traveled in the vans to a public school in Pansinic; ten minutes outside of Tac Tic. Our group separated into different activities. We played soccer, blew bubbles and painted faces for about an hour. Songs ensued after the games finished Mr. Werth started what he call “ silly songs with Darryn”. Mrs. Werth narrated a drama that we performed for the kids about the story of Joseph. Mrs. Werth organized hat designing and bracelet beading as crafts for the kids. Worship songs finished our time with the kids and they left for home. The vans carried us to Les’ house for lunch. Home visits for the students who had sponsorship children lasted until dinnertime. We traveled to a Guatemalan home where we ate a homemade Guatemalan dinner. We got dry corn and walked to the corn mill where we made corn dough. We traveled back to the house and made corn paddies stuffed with cheese. These were then deep fried. Our drink was hot rice pudding with cinnamon. Scott found a interesting snake on the ground and decided to poke in around with his plate. Zaak came out and let Scott know that the snake he was poking was very poisonous. After dinner we walked back to the guest houses and had a debrief and devotional.
- Chris Horback
Hola Bearspaw Christian School!
The day began with Jordan and I awaking to a horrible sight. There was a large puddle between our two beds! The pipe in the corner of our room leaked while we were asleep and the water all gathered under Jordan’s bed and then went to the center of the room. Jordan and I then went to face the most deadly and horrifying experience of the day or possibly the whole trip… the hotel showers. “They are really cold but I don’t think they were that bad” said Trevor Maekelburger, who in my opinion has nerves of steel. For me however, the showers were the most grueling part of the whole day. I could barely even stand under the water! But something made the shower much more scary. Behold the man they call Israel, a Guatemalan man who works with Les Peters. Israel thinks that all us Gringos are hilarious and often finds ways to harass us. Israel decided that it would be funny to make our showers even more miserable with several bizarre objects. For me Israel decided to take advantage of the shower window. Now the shower window is blurred so people will not be able to look in on you bathing. But the window in my shower was a little bit open. Imagine my surprise to turn around and see a dark silhouette behind the window reaching through the small opening. I figured it was Israel especially when he proceeded to throw a bouncy ball into my shower.
After this traumatizing experience we left the hotel to go to the guest house for breakfast. After having some Choco Rice Krispies and some yogurt, our group traveled out to visit a local school with a man called Zaak, who is a missionary who has lived in Tac Tic for two years. We attended the school’s opening worship ceremonies and we were all just so blown away by how into the worship they were. Every single child had their arms stretched out to the heavens and crying out as loud as they can. Zaak attempted to translate the lyrics of the songs they were singing but none of us could hear him over the children. After saying goodbye to the children we traveled to a second school where we formed a hug line, which is just what it sounds like. All of us stood in a line and got hugged by kids. We then played a short game of soccer with the children in which Eric kicked the ball right into a kid’s face. We were all quite surprised to see that the kid was fine and laughed it off.
Then came what might be the most memorable part of the entire trip. Our group left the school and traveled to one of the largest sinkholes in Guatemala. After a trek up a very steep hill we came to it. It looked very intimidating. It literally just seemed like a hole in the Earth. Zaak told us that this sinkhole is more than 500 years old and that it is synonymous with Mayan rituals to their Gods. We then made the trip in. There was a winding path that gave you the impression that if you stumble once you will be in for a nasty fall. When we reached the bottom everyone was astonished by the cave-like atmosphere. Rocks rose and dropped at odd angles and formed the most intricate and bizarre shapes that seemed like something out of a dream. What made it very weird was that it was not all rock. There were patches of soil and mud dispersed around the ground making it feel like there is actual vegetation growing. After everyone looked around for twenty minutes we all got together and began to worship. We sang three songs and then did an open prayer for anything that came into our mind. This was a very cool experience to worship in an area such as this. After we were done worshiping Zaak told us to just be silent on the way back up and reflect on our spiritual life. This was a good idea but it kind of threw me off on the way up. When I was walking back up the sinkhole I was so caught up in thinking about the trip before I suddenly realized that I was walking straight up the sinkhole rather than taking the winding pathway. I decided to just keep going but I eventually got to a point where there was nothing to walk on except very loose soil. I decided to turn around and go back down but the soil began moving under my feet. To avoid hurting myself I decided to just sit on my but and let the falling soil carry me down. This ruined everybody’s quiet moment because they all looked up and saw me sliding down. Extremely awkward indeed.
Up next was the work site. We all got pick axes, wheel barrows, and shovels, and traveled to a work site that I was surprised was going to be a school in a few years. We worked at the site for four hours, so for 4 straight hours I took dirt from point A to point B. As you can imagine, four hours of this was enough to drive me nuts. I got very antsy and began to take frequent water breaks towards the end for I just could not stand walking back and forth over and over again. This work experience was punishing on others as well. “Ow my arms hurt” exclaimed Danielle while sitting at the kitchen table. Danielle and Janaina apparently both have excruciating sun burns on their arms and are planning to have an ice party to heal the wounds tonight. Danielle also felt compelled to rescue a baby goat who was bound by one of his legs but had to tough it out in the end. A unique sight at the work site that happened to be caught on camera was Jordan deciding to herd cows. When we all get back you will have to ask for the photo of this.
After the work experience was done we went to Les Peters’ house for yet another scrumptious meal. Me, Michelle Willms, Christine Dang, Jordan Wiens, and Beatrice Yip were all on serving duty and therefore had to eat last. The meal was mashed potatoes with chicken doused in a ridiculously tasty red sauce (very tomato like). After the meal was done we began to discuss the day’s events and had an open discussion about special things that we experienced during the day. After this we discussed tomorrow’s events. But by the time I wrote this tomorrow is today. Aaargh that’s confusing!
Anyways, I would like to apologize again for the delay in this blog. For when we got back to the hotel I was ridiculously tired as was everyone else. Remembering the blog caused a feeling of immense dread so I asked permission to write the blog a day late. Sorry about all the confusion. Now if you excuse me, there is a pastry with my name on it.
- Adam Sylvester
PS: For your enjoyment I will let you know that Israel caught Eric Belt posing in front of a mirror and every time he sees Eric, he leads him to a mirror and makes him pose.
- Chris Horback
Hola Bearspaw Christian School!
The day began with Jordan and I awaking to a horrible sight. There was a large puddle between our two beds! The pipe in the corner of our room leaked while we were asleep and the water all gathered under Jordan’s bed and then went to the center of the room. Jordan and I then went to face the most deadly and horrifying experience of the day or possibly the whole trip… the hotel showers. “They are really cold but I don’t think they were that bad” said Trevor Maekelburger, who in my opinion has nerves of steel. For me however, the showers were the most grueling part of the whole day. I could barely even stand under the water! But something made the shower much more scary. Behold the man they call Israel, a Guatemalan man who works with Les Peters. Israel thinks that all us Gringos are hilarious and often finds ways to harass us. Israel decided that it would be funny to make our showers even more miserable with several bizarre objects. For me Israel decided to take advantage of the shower window. Now the shower window is blurred so people will not be able to look in on you bathing. But the window in my shower was a little bit open. Imagine my surprise to turn around and see a dark silhouette behind the window reaching through the small opening. I figured it was Israel especially when he proceeded to throw a bouncy ball into my shower.
After this traumatizing experience we left the hotel to go to the guest house for breakfast. After having some Choco Rice Krispies and some yogurt, our group traveled out to visit a local school with a man called Zaak, who is a missionary who has lived in Tac Tic for two years. We attended the school’s opening worship ceremonies and we were all just so blown away by how into the worship they were. Every single child had their arms stretched out to the heavens and crying out as loud as they can. Zaak attempted to translate the lyrics of the songs they were singing but none of us could hear him over the children. After saying goodbye to the children we traveled to a second school where we formed a hug line, which is just what it sounds like. All of us stood in a line and got hugged by kids. We then played a short game of soccer with the children in which Eric kicked the ball right into a kid’s face. We were all quite surprised to see that the kid was fine and laughed it off.
Then came what might be the most memorable part of the entire trip. Our group left the school and traveled to one of the largest sinkholes in Guatemala. After a trek up a very steep hill we came to it. It looked very intimidating. It literally just seemed like a hole in the Earth. Zaak told us that this sinkhole is more than 500 years old and that it is synonymous with Mayan rituals to their Gods. We then made the trip in. There was a winding path that gave you the impression that if you stumble once you will be in for a nasty fall. When we reached the bottom everyone was astonished by the cave-like atmosphere. Rocks rose and dropped at odd angles and formed the most intricate and bizarre shapes that seemed like something out of a dream. What made it very weird was that it was not all rock. There were patches of soil and mud dispersed around the ground making it feel like there is actual vegetation growing. After everyone looked around for twenty minutes we all got together and began to worship. We sang three songs and then did an open prayer for anything that came into our mind. This was a very cool experience to worship in an area such as this. After we were done worshiping Zaak told us to just be silent on the way back up and reflect on our spiritual life. This was a good idea but it kind of threw me off on the way up. When I was walking back up the sinkhole I was so caught up in thinking about the trip before I suddenly realized that I was walking straight up the sinkhole rather than taking the winding pathway. I decided to just keep going but I eventually got to a point where there was nothing to walk on except very loose soil. I decided to turn around and go back down but the soil began moving under my feet. To avoid hurting myself I decided to just sit on my but and let the falling soil carry me down. This ruined everybody’s quiet moment because they all looked up and saw me sliding down. Extremely awkward indeed.
Up next was the work site. We all got pick axes, wheel barrows, and shovels, and traveled to a work site that I was surprised was going to be a school in a few years. We worked at the site for four hours, so for 4 straight hours I took dirt from point A to point B. As you can imagine, four hours of this was enough to drive me nuts. I got very antsy and began to take frequent water breaks towards the end for I just could not stand walking back and forth over and over again. This work experience was punishing on others as well. “Ow my arms hurt” exclaimed Danielle while sitting at the kitchen table. Danielle and Janaina apparently both have excruciating sun burns on their arms and are planning to have an ice party to heal the wounds tonight. Danielle also felt compelled to rescue a baby goat who was bound by one of his legs but had to tough it out in the end. A unique sight at the work site that happened to be caught on camera was Jordan deciding to herd cows. When we all get back you will have to ask for the photo of this.
After the work experience was done we went to Les Peters’ house for yet another scrumptious meal. Me, Michelle Willms, Christine Dang, Jordan Wiens, and Beatrice Yip were all on serving duty and therefore had to eat last. The meal was mashed potatoes with chicken doused in a ridiculously tasty red sauce (very tomato like). After the meal was done we began to discuss the day’s events and had an open discussion about special things that we experienced during the day. After this we discussed tomorrow’s events. But by the time I wrote this tomorrow is today. Aaargh that’s confusing!
Anyways, I would like to apologize again for the delay in this blog. For when we got back to the hotel I was ridiculously tired as was everyone else. Remembering the blog caused a feeling of immense dread so I asked permission to write the blog a day late. Sorry about all the confusion. Now if you excuse me, there is a pastry with my name on it.
- Adam Sylvester
PS: For your enjoyment I will let you know that Israel caught Eric Belt posing in front of a mirror and every time he sees Eric, he leads him to a mirror and makes him pose.
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