Too Much Water in Huehue

It's hard to believe that I have been in Guatemala one week already. Last week at this time I was finishing my packing and considering whether I could sleep or not. I don't know why I even considered it -- I knew I couldn't and wouldn't! And now I am in Huehue knowing I can sleep but remembering one more thing I want to do first.

The house is really quiet now, not only because it is after midnight, but mostly because I am alone here. The team from Kalamazoo is in Agua Dulce with Edwin. They left yesterday about noon and are scheduled to be back on Thursday. I walked down to the market yesterday and then to the grocery store but today I have not left the house. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I am still in my pj's -- the ones I woke up in. Ahhh -- the beauty of having the house all to myself. Despite my lounging attire, I have been very productive today. There are actually a lot of little details to organizing a team. That's what I have been attending to today. I must pause a moment here though to recognize the absolutely essential assistance I am getting from my daughter, Rachel. I am doing the writing, but she is doing all the copying and packing!

My team will be meeting tomorrow night for the last official meeting before they travel. They will be packing team supplies and going over last minute details. Please pray for them! Pray that they will be wise as they pack and take time to rest. They must be at the airport at about 5:30 Saturday morning and arrive at 6:50 p.m. EST. Our first ministry event is that evening at 10:30 EST (it will just be 8:30 here). It will be a long day!

Oh and about the water in Huehue: this is the rainy season in Guatemala and the rain has been extraordinarily heavy and accompanied by thunder storms. The forecast for the next few days is for more of the same. Please pray that God will intervene and grant us clear, dry weather! Heavy rain means there will potentially be mudslides that block the roads and all outdoor work or ministry will be canceled. We have several opportunities to minister through maintenance work, soccer games, and even a potential movie night (showing the Jesus film in Mam, the local Mayan dialect). Heavy rain will prevent this. If it is not God's will to hold back the rain, pray that we will be still enough to hear what He is calling us to do. He has a plan for us! Pray that we will see it and follow it.

Waiting for Water in Antigua Was Futile

The water never came back and I realized that if I didn’t just buck up and go on, I was going to spend my whole day in a hotel room (a very small room at that). Gratefully I had followed my own advice and had packed body wipes. A bird bath is better than no bath (you know, under the wings and under the tail). Later, when I checked out, the young man at the desk said I owed $20.00 for one night. I smiled and asked him to remember that I had been without water for most of my stay. His response, “Fifteen dollars is fine.”

I took myself to Doña Luisa’s for lunch. It is a small restaurant in a colonial home. The stairs are massive and about 500 years old. It has a center court yard but I prefer to eat in a room that was a living room. It fronts the street and has amazing views through the windows. Doña Luisa was a native of a Mexican tribe and was give to Pedro Alvarado, the conqueror of Guatemala, by the tribal leaders as a “companion.” I don’t know much more than that about her but the restaurant that bears her name is a favorite spot in Antigua for me. I like the food too.

I managed to walk several blocks and see several ruins before the rain started. Not particularly wanting my shower of the day to be a downpour from the sky, I went back to my room and promptly fell asleep. I guess I needed a nap. My ride came for me about 6:00 and I spent Friday night in Guatemala City. I finally got a shower on Saturday morning. I am sure the world did not rejoice but I did. Small pleasures are the spice of life.

Being alone these days has given me time to think and reflect. Being in Guatemala tends to focus my reflection. Struggling to speak a little bit of the language that I have been trying to learn for 9 years creates frustration in my reflection. For better or for worse, Guatemala has dominated this decade for me. I made my first two trips in 2001. At the end of this decade, I am now on my sixteenth trip. I can’t help but wonder what, if any, role Guatemala will play in my future. I know what I have hoped for, but at times the overwhelming flood of hope delayed seems to crush me. All in all, I am not really sure what to hope for right now.

We traveled from Guatemala City to Huehue yesterday afternoon. The rains were heavy and the fog intermittent. Agatha’s fury, along with an extra wet rainy season, has wrecked havoc on the Pan American Highway. It was almost four laned all the way from Guatemala City to Huehuetenango but the heavy rains have brought the earth down. In many places there are only two lanes because the other two are covered in tons of mud and rock. It will take work crews months to clear the roads.

There is a team from Michigan here now. Tomorrow Edwin and crew and the team will go to Agua Dulce for several days. I will stay in Huehue. I still have some work to do preparing for the team to arrive. I also hope to spend time walking and praying. I need clarity as I ponder my future.

Waiting for Water in Antigua

The upside of staying at La Casa de los Abuelos is that it is cheap, safe and has great internet access. The downside is that water is intermittent which means showers are not something you can plan on. I am on the downside now waiting for water -- but at least I have some upside: internet access.

This is my second full day in Guatemala. I arrived on Wednesday at about 11:00 in the morning Guatemala time (Guatemala is two hours behind EST). The fabulous new airport knocked me off my feet: literally. My shoe hit a slippery spot and the next thing I knew my left knee was bent behind me and I was flat on my back. Ouch! Gratefully, the embarrassment was worse than the fall though I do have a very tender spot on my knee.

I went through immigration without a hitch and found my bags quickly then found a spot to wait. Edwin and his assistant, Gail, were coming in on a Delta flight about 11:45 and they were giving me a ride. I tried not to look too suspicious just hanging out at baggage claim.

I arrived in Antigua about 4:00 and checked in then set out to find something to eat. Airlines don't feed passengers anymore but do offer 60 cent bags of chips for $2.25. I had snacked on chewy bars and toasty crackers that I brought but since it was actually after 6:00 my time, I was ready for a real meal. My hotel is one-half block off the Parque Central. Cafe de la Condessa is on the square and is a favorite place to eat for me. My first meal in Guatemala was Huevos Guatemaltecos! Eggs scrambled with onion and tomato and served with refried black beans. Good eating!!

Not only had I not eaten in many hours when I arrived in Guatemala, I had been up since Tuesday morning. I cannot go to sleep the night before I fly -- I am afraid that I will oversleep and miss my plane. Besides, I am always too excited. I finally went to bed about midnight (Guate time). Of course yesterday morning was another wait for water. When I finally gave up and started getting ready to go out, the water came on. Maybe I should try that now ;-)

My first stop yesterday was Pollo Campero -- we call it the Guatemalan Bojangles. Actually, I call Bojangles the American Pollo Campero. As I sat in the booth, I was struck with how surreal it seemed to be back in Guatemala. Sometimes I feel like I have two separate identities but I don't really fit completely into either. When I am in one place the other is like Narnia -- far away in the mists of my mind. At least I have the internet and cell phone to keep both as close as possible wherever I am. My new best friend (very lightly speaking of course) remains my Blackberry. I still have unlimited internet access on it (no phone calls or text messages though). I love my Verizon Blackberry (do I get brownie points for plugging my provider?).

After lunch and a stop at one of the artisan markets, I headed for the site of cathedral on the outskirts of town. It is several blocks away but I think nothing of heading out by foot when I am in Guatemala. In Apex, I live one mile from the Walmart but have never considered walking to it. Transportation by foot is a way of life in Guatemala. I guess that's why there are so many shoe stores. It's like getting new tires but much cheaper.

Just took a break to check on the water -- it's starting to come in I think. I'm going to get ready to jump into the shower as soon as there is water. There are so many more sites to see in Antigua and I am just sitting in a hotel room!!