Guatemala 2013: Days 1 & 2

          We left The Crossing Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 13.  It was hard saying goodbye to Michael.  I may have shed a few tears in the process.  

We flew out of St. Louis and had a layover in Dallas.        Then we were off to Guatemala City, Guatemala!

We landed in Guatemala City at 7:30p.m. It was raining and chilly.

Physical therapy group minus Kailee!
(Beth, Katie, Teresa, Rachel, Me, Dana)

 We stayed at a hotel called Barceló.  For dinner we walked to a McDonald's.  I had not eaten at McDonald's in almost 2 years.  

But when in Guatemala... 

Sunday morning we loaded our luggage onto this chicken bus and started the 3 hour journey to Chichicastenango.

Chichicastenango is a mountain village in the poorest region of Guatemala. The roads to Chichi are curvy and loaded with "tumulos" or large speed bumps.

Chicken buses provide a transportation through the mountain villages to Guatemala City.  They are nauseating & rather scary!

 We stopped halfway through the trip for some ice cream and Guatemalan cookies!

(Meet Dana! One of my very best friends!)

We arrived at our hotel, Casa Del Rey (House of the King) around 11 a.m.  It was beautiful.  

We had to be careful not to use the water when we brushed our teeth or open our mouths in the shower.  Putting toilet paper in the toilet is also a no-no!

 As thankful as I was to be staying in such a pretty place, after seeing the village I felt such guilt sleeping in such nice conditions.

We set out to explore the city on foot.  Sunday is a Market day.

Families set up their shops to sell food and various goods such as bracelets, backpacks, and beautiful blankets.

Kids follow you around with the biggest eyes trying to sell things.  Repeating "no gracias" is the hardest thing.

The most colorful part of town was the cemetery. 

Some kids started out trying to sell things to us and became our tour guides through the cemetery.

Jeremy, the one wearing yellow, spoke a little english and we were able to communicate a little easier with him.

He is 21 years old and has a great sense of humor.

Someone asked if he smoked and he said "No, I'm a Christian." :)

After dinner the ladies dressed in long skirts to go to a church in town.

Everything with the exception of Shay's (our pastor) sermon was in spanish.  

It was amazing to witness the love and worship of God transcend the language barrier.

The Guatemalan people are transparent.  They displayed emotion and cried out to God with no hesitation.  

Shay preached on worry.  It hit me hard the differences between the worry that plagues me as an American and the worries that plague the Guatemalan people.

With plenty in my refrigerator, I worry about what to cook for dinner.  

They hope to have food for dinner.

In my expensive clothes I worry about how I look. 

Guatemalans only want clothes to wear.  

During invitation the altar was filled with people unashamedly pouring their hearts out to God. 

I was humbled and my heart was broken. 

And this is only the beginning. 

Video credit: Eric Chole