Our first three days in Guatemala!

Bienvenido a Guatemala! Seven brave seminarians and their professor arrived safely in Guatemala on Saturday, January 7th, the destination of their January term class on Latin America Missiology. This beautiful country is ringed by mountains and volcanoes, both dormant and active, as pictured above. Our student guide, "Gregorio," aka Greg Allen Pickett, buzzes us all around in our mini-van in these crazy-busy streets, packed with the colorful sights, sounds and smells of Guatemalan street life.





Lodging for week one is the Mission House in San Lucas, one half hour N/W of the capitol, Guatemala City. Built and run by Christian missionaries, Rev. Julio and his American wife, Jodi, we are surrounded by lush gardens, wild birds, the constant crowing of roosters and the early morning fragrance of a local pig farm. After settling in on Saturday our first excursion was dinner in the ancient city of Antigua. Built in the 1600's it is famous for its Spanish colonial architecture and narrow, cobblestone streets. The central plaza's glorious fountain and cathedral (pictured above & below) was the rendez-vous point for our group with APTS YAV volunteer, Kristi Click, who will spend the next several days with our group.

Day one, Sunday: We rose early to attend the evangelical church of our host Pastor and his family which is called "Luz and Vida," or Light and Life. Although Guatemala is 35% Non-Catholic Christian it's astonishing that the predominant Christian theology and praxis is evangelical. The 3-hour service was filled with lively hymns and a sweet sermon led by the Pastor, his wife and children. After the service Gregorio treated us to an authentic Guatemalan street lunch of chile rellenos wrapped in corn tortillas hot off the griddle....yum! Habitat for Humanity coordinator, Bethany, joined us later that day at the Mission House (on her day off, no less) to discuss Habitat's successful mission projects in Guatemala for the past 20+ years.


After dinner we did what all good seminarians do on Sunday....we went back to church! But this time it was to a Roman Catholic Mass in the village of Santo Domingo Xenacoj. And what a glorious mass it was! Fr. Jose, a native Mayan from the region, intentionally honors the Mayan people with use of the Mayan dialect in both reading the Gospel and preaching the word during the service. The pews were filled with indigenous Mayan women and men in vivid local dress and it was a real treat to tour the church's museum with Fr. Jose after mass. This church is also the site of one of Healing Waters water purification systems which we enjoyed touring.

A typical street scene in our hilly host village of San Lucas, Guatemala....

Here is an example the good work of the non-profit organization, Healing Waters...pure drinking water at minimal cost, to the villagers of Xencoa.
L to R: Fr. Pedro, our "Gregorio" who used to work for Healing Waters, and two Santo Domingo church deacons. Below: Healing Waters from the street (night time lighting)...L to R: YAV voluntter Kristi Click, and then members of our tour group..Liz, Cathy, Greg Allen, Beth, Tim, Mark, Fr. Pedro, Dr. Cuellar.

 

Day two, Monday: Like the start of any good school week we barreled into studying this new culture with our first classroom experience at a Presbyerian non-profit agency, CEDEPCA. Our agency hostess, Rev. Dr. Karla Koll and her staff warmly welcomed us with presentations about their theological training for lay and pastoral Guatemalans, programs to host in-country mission trips and empowerment programs for indigenous women. We also met the Guatemalan YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) coordinator, Marcia.

Below are the CEDEPCA staff who paused for a group photo with us after lunch in their tropical gardens.

After the intense immersion learning experience with CEDEPCA in the morning it was time to take a breather and explore Guatemala City during the afternoon. Rev. Dr. Koll escorted us through the city's central plaza, around the fountain and to our destination, the Cathedral. The outdoor entrance fence is noteworthy for the names of the many victims of the conflict during the Guatemalan Civil War, which are carved into numerous stone pillars lining the entrance to the Cathedral

Later that evening we gathered back at a restaurant in Antigua to dine with the YAV coordinator and her three current YAV volunteers. Fortified by a good meal (not beans, not tacos - which is the staple in host families - but Italian food!). Kristi (TX), Austin (NC) and Julie Ann (WY) enjoyed the opportunity to share their impressions about their YAV Guatemalan experiences with us. These volunteers work in a variety of ministry's in different Guatemalan locations for a full year which range from youth work to teaching to conducting programs to empower women. despite multiple challenges (including home-sickness and culture shock) they are making a difference and we are proud of them. Before I close out these early posts I feel I speak for the whole group when I say how grateful we are to be here thanks to the enthusiastic and outstanding organization of Greg Allen Pickett and Dr. Cuellar. Oh, and two more things....Congratulations to Becca! and Go Alabama!

Paz - Beth Gleason, M.Div. 2013