My trip to Guatemala (suivra en français)

My trip to Guatemala

Sunday afternoon, April 8^th, I took the bus to San Pedro Sula. I had planned on taking the “Rapidito” (a bus that stops and picks up passengers along the way, but Melodie asked me if I was bringing my laptop, and I said “yes”. She said “Then take a safer bus – one that doesn’t pick up passengers al the road. Otherwise you’ll have your laptop stolen”.) So she and her friend took me to where the “El Rey Express” was, and I went on that one – more comfortable, and  a little faster, but above all, safer.

I called Felix along the way, to let him know when I would be arriving. Once at the terminus in San Pedro, Felix called me to say he had a blowout on his back tire, and would be late picking me up, so I waited an hour in the terminus restaurant.  San Pedro was hot!  From the 20’s in Siguatepeque, to the high 30’s, or possibly 40º in San Pedro. 

When Felix finally showed up, we went to his house, had supper, and talked about accreditation, and a possible coaching relationship.  When I went to bed, Felix put a fan in my room.  The heat was incredible. At 4:00 am, I hadn't slept yet, and I had set my alarm for 5:45.  It was still quite hot when I woke up.

Pastor Celso, with Nahun, showed up at 6:15, and at 6:30 we were off for Guatemala in Nahun’s car.  Nahun is a young single man of 27 years old in Celso’s church, who has arranged his work so he can free himself for a week at a time to be able to accompany his pastor on trips like this.

When we crossed the border into Guatemala we stopped where a line of people holding bills (Guatemalan quetzals) were standing. They were offering to change lempiras to quetzals, which we all did.

A few hours later we were in the mountains, approaching Guatemala City, and were relieved by comfortable, cool air.  An hour past Guatemala City we entered Chimaltenango, and found our way to pastor Victoriano’s home. 

What a beautiful home! Victoriano is a “tent-making” pastor, making his money as a businessman. He grew up in a family of 13 children, five of whom died of starvation or malnutrition.  After moving away from that background, he gradually grew into a prosperous businessman.

It was quite cool in Chimaltenango, and the pastor lent us some coats to wear while we were there. (From 40 degrees to 10 degrees in one day is quite a shock to the system!) That evening we met with three groups in the Iglesia Bautista de Canaan, who were going through the “First Principles” series – a discipleship course set up by BILD.  Celso and I talked with them to encourage them as they sought to pass on what they were learning.

The next morning we drove to Antigua, the oldest town of European origin in Central America, and possibly on the American continents.  On the way, we stopped so I could take a picture of an extinct volcano. There is another volcano that is still active, spouting smoke, but there were too many clouds to be able to take a picture.

In Jocotenango we stopped to take a picture of the beautiful old church there, as well as of the town hall.

Soon we were driving on the cobble stone roads in the town of Antigua. MacDonald’s and Burger King have found their way there, but town laws have forbidden them from making any changes to the buildings they use. The MacDonald arches are not there!   We spent some time walking through the “artisanería market”, admiring the hand-made goods. I wished I had been able to persuade Lise to come. I tried to sneak a photograph of a lady walking with a bundle on her head, but was too far by the time I had my phone camera ready, I snapped it anyway, and once I got home found that I could make it into a close-up with my computer. I’ve occasionally seen this in Siguatepeque, but have never dared take a photo.

Since we were in a very touristic town, when a young woman (girl) walked by with a baby on her back I quickly asked if I could take a picture, and she kindly stopped and smiled for me.

After going back to Chimaltenango for lunch, we drove to Guatemala City, where the rest of our ministry was going to take place at the Iglesia Bautista Palestina.  We would sleep at the old Baptist seminary (now a music school) for the next three nights.

For the next three days Celso, Nahun and myself took turns teaching the First Principles course on “A Family of Families”. I had put it on PowerPoint and projected the main points on the white board. These sessions took place from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. We would have a quick supper at the church.

In the mornings, we would go to the shopping centre where there was wi-fi, and it was possible to check email, and talk on Skype with Lise.

At noon we went to a nice restaurant, owned by a preacher named David, where we ate fried fish called Tilapio (a fresh-water fish). It was delicious.  When we went to pay, David refused our money, saying it was his contribution to the ministry we were doing in Guatemala. He insisted several times that we must return the next two days.  As a young man, David inherited a business from his father, but he was an alcoholic, and in his business (a restaurant), was serving alcoholic drinks. He eventually told his wife he had to sell the business, to get away from the drink. He finally sold it at a loss, and ended up bankrupt, but it worked for him.  For some time he and his wife and children lived in a small apartment with a dirt floor. After he was converted, he would often joke to his wife that some day God would give him a “money making machine”. Well, one day a friend gave him a machine to make “granizados” (something like our “slush” in Canada). The first day he travelled around Guatemala City on his bike, making and selling “Granizados” he made a fair bit of money. The next day he made more, and the third day, he realized he was in business! He laughed to his wife that God had given him his “money making machine”!  He eventually was able to open a restaurant (alcohol free zone!) and it has turned into an excellent business. Across the street, he keeps another business, - can you guess? – making granizos!  On weekends he serves as a kind of circuit preacher. When widows come to his restaurant, he serves them free meals.

Thursday afternoon we paid our bills at the seminary, and Friday morning we were on the road at 6:15. Within a few hours we were in the heat again. They left me at the bus terminal in San Pedro, where I got on the bus ten minutes later, and was in Siguatepeque at 5:15.  There was an evangelistic men’s supper at the church at 6:00, so I took a taxi home, showered and changed, and then walked to church, making it just in time. (Lise was already there for a ladies’ meeting.)

And so endeth my adventures in Guatemala.