Guatemala Mission

My first salient into the "Wonderful World of Blogging" is to describe one of the most powerful trips I have ever been on.
It is most usual for my wife, Alicia, and I to take the kinds of trips more normal for travel agents; cruises to Jamaica, or Cozumel, or The Bahamas, trips to Yosemite Park, to Ireland and Paris, to Brother Jim's in Washington State, or Sister Mati's in San Antone, but this one broke the mold!
For some time, Alicia and I had been praying for Devine Guidance to lead us into Overseas Mission work.

Let's give you some background here ...I am retired from 38 years of U.S. military service and Alicia, a native of the Republic of Panama, from the mortgage business. Over a year ago, we began writing down what we thought were our Long-Term Goals. One of those was to do mission work overseas. Now, neither of us had any idea of what it would mean for us to do mission work, but both of us felt the Holy Spirit compelling us in that direction. When we discussed it, we both shrugged and admitted neither of us had any idea how or when we would start any type of foreign spiritual calling.

Then one day in March of this year, Alicia felt the sudden urge to visit the owner of the mortgage company where she had previously worked for several years, Billy Taylor. Upon entering his office, she was surprised to find that he was moments away from calling her! Billy, then laid out his plan for ...a mission trip to Guatemala!! And he wanted to invite Alicia for her fluency in Spanish. They arranged an initial trip to Guatemala City in April where they decided on supporting the village of San Antonio de Sacatepeque, some 20 miles Northeast of the Colonial Capitol of Guatemala, the picturesque town Antigua, Guatemala. They planned for a more robust team of volunteers to provide several services for the village - pump water from a spring about 1,500 feet below their town, construct a medical clinic.

Memoirs–from Guatemala

We 12 from Huntsville; Billy, Heath, Jerry, John, Will, Pat and Crystal, Clay, Caitlan, Jared, Alicia and I, are greeted at the airport by our support team from “Feed The Children”; which consists of Leader and controller of the NGO in 7 Latin American Countries, Afrain, with 3 of his staff; Jacobo a true multi-dimensional, ex-military man with tremendous construction skills; Jose, an adept and eager admin man; and Julio, a competent 25 year-old accountant, who doubles as driver and construction crew member.
Off we go in a 10 PAX van, a regular Toyota pickup and a 4x4 Toyota pickup, to our hotel in Antigua – the Colonial Capitol of Guatamala, now a UNESCO protected World Heritage City. Antigua is one of the most picturesque cities in the Western Hemisphere, resting in a bowl formed by extinct and active volcanos. It is a postcard city packed with ruins of 17th Century monestaries and churches; all framed with green plants and trees.
Our hotel, the El Convento, is a 4-5 Star Boutique Hotel of only 18 rooms. It fronts on a quiet coble-stoned street directly opposite the walled, broken edifice, which housed the actual 400 year-old convent – long since destroyed by flood and earth quakes. The hotel, built less than 2 years ago, is an architectural masterpiece. Its narrow halls, corbelled old brick ceilings, antique posts and artifacts make a peaceful image in every direction. Live plants, open atria, colonial fountains, carved 18th Century columns and exquisite doors complete the visual tapestry and the quiet dignity of an ancient holy place. The rooms are like-wise images of the Spanish Colonial influence folded into modern-day elegant simplicity. Details are unexpected but tasteful walk-in shower, enormous mosaic tile tub, and first-class hardware. Our bed? A huge, King Sized piece with eighty-eleven pillows, expensive sheets and comforter. This place is a photographer's dream ...photogenic visions are abundant in every nook and corner, as if the architect was himself an avid photographer and designed every room with the most dramatic ambient light for perfect pictures!
We quickly prepare for our first sojourn to our Target Village and re-mount the vehicles for the ¾ hour journey.
The road to the village is rough for the last 3 miles or so, after turning in from the main road from Santiago. Today it is dry and unbeknownst to us … passage is the easiest it will be during our stay. Off the hard ball, we move through about a mile of gently ascending farm crops of corn, lettuce, cabbage, bean, and other vegetables, being tended mostly by adults from our Target Village of San Antonio. It turns to the left, then steepens to follow a ridge, with carefully terraced fields on either side. We pass skinny tethered horses and bovines – property of the workers. Our final ½ mile run down the heavily rutted dirt road is extremely steep, with foot-deep holes and furrows. We are jostled heavily in the pick-up truck, the bed filled with luggage bearing our gifts for the village. Arrival at San Antonio, a “pueblo” of about 200 souls, is marked by viewing below us a concrete pad about 100’ square surrounded by a chain-link fence with a gate opening onto the road. We pass several corrugated tin shacks, with scrawny, dogs, pigs and chickens meandering in and out; past peeping children in traditional clothing, most without shoes (the temps are in the 60’s during the day but much cooler at night!). Mothers in traditional scarves carry those still breast-feeding. Our pick-up stops and we spill our crew and cargo into the compound which houses a cinderblock school and kitchen on the left side of the gate, a cinderblock toilet with three metal-doored stalls and the freshly poured 16x20’ slab which will be the base for our Medical Clinic building project.
We are at an altitude of some 3,500 feet above sea level with a view of several volcanoes which reach the 8,000 foot mark. The views in 3 directions off this point of the ridge are tremendous. We can look down into the valley perhaps 1,000 feet below and see neighboring towns of greater size. Clouds swirl around the ridge, opening and closing the view below.
The village has recently received electrical power from the outside, but only one bare bulb hangs from the rafters in the school. About 100 children of the village are taught here by three very dedicated men who look to be in their 20’s but, in fact are in their 40’s. They are: Principal, Joel; Assistants, Cesar and Walter. They teach children from about 4 to perhaps 12 years. Many seem mal-nourished. The village suffers from the fact that their only water source is a year-round spring located far down the side of the ridge opposite from the road. The spring is used for bathing as well as drinking and cooking so must always be boiled before drinking. Ladies chores include carrying earthen jars of water from the spring each evening on their heads…up and down the steep, slippery trail of 1,500 meters.
We meet with the village elders: Mayor, Don Pedro, his Assistant, Mesario; and the school teachers to discuss plans for the week. This is mainly to ensure that what we have planned for our work is still considered their highest priority – namely, the Medical Clinic construction. It is the most critical issue, since the Government has agreed to send medical teams more often if they have a building in which to see patients and store medical supplies. Other critical issues identified by the Team and the Village Leaders are: providing a potable water supply and upgraded housing.
Our ride out of the village at dusk is unremarkable, but later than the security situation dictates. It is well dark when we finally return to our hotel.
Back at the El Convento, we are seated for a gormet meal at a single long table in the exclusive hotel restaurant, “Stil”. The day is complete!

The remaining days of this visit are covered by my next writing...