Church and pizza!

So, I have seemingly told you about the majority of our day already. But, alas, that was only the morning!! We came home for a huge lunch that consisted of empanadas, but made with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. They were amazing. After lunch, we had free time and most of us adventured out to he market or to the downtown "mall". One of he groups never ally made it to the actual market, but they had a good adventure nevertheless. The other group returned with cowboy boots, a hacky sack and some other items. I made a stop at the supermarket and purchased a few bottles of hot sauce! Overall, it was a great, relaxing afternoon for all of us. At around 5pm we left the guest house to travel to the church we painted on Friday. We attended a worship service there tonight. Everyone in the group did really well. We sang four songs (Nate V. Played the guitar), Neal and Liz gave testimonies and Rob preached. We also were able to sing and worship with their congregation in their typical fashion. Church ended around 8:45 and we headed over to get dinner at a pizza restaurant in HueHue. The pizza was phenomenal and here was also a marimba band playing while we ate. I am certain all of us had our fill and then some. The ambiance of the whole place was really nice. It is now really late and we are all headed to bed and ready for another bug day tomorrow. We are waking up early and traveling up to Agua Dulce to the coffee plantation. I will not have internet access, but I will keep blogging and send them all when we return to HueHue.

Mayan Ruins

So, after the weaving factory we were able to check out the Mayan Ruins at Zuculea. We were able to climb all over the ruins and takes lot of pictures. We also got a brief history lesson from Hilde on Mayan culture and the ruins.

Weaving factory

We are on tourist mode today. Our first stop was the weaving factory. We were able to see how the blankets are made and we also had the opportunity to buy blankets.

Typical(traditional) Guatemala Breakfast

Our residence in HueHue

Mint green paint

So, we have already done in one day as much work as we did the whole time we were here last time!! Today, we were able to visit a church and paint the inside of it mint green. We painted 2-3 coats of paint on every wall on the inside. And the church was not small. This was definitely a huge task for our group, but we hunkered down and got it done. We had to brush off all the walls, try to wash them, and paint them. We had ladders up, paint flying everywhere, and various brushes and rollers. But, no drop cloths. So, we had to have students on "wet rag" duty! Whenever we spilled or dripped paint we just yelled, "rag!!" and someone came running along to clean up the mess. A member of the church was there with us and he was extremely grateful for what we did today. He prayed a pray of blessing on our entire group and it was extremely sincere and thoughtful. We learned today that when we are visiting a foreign country we need to remember that things are different. Not bad, but different. Edwin reminded us of this today and we also saw it played out a few times: 1. The first two coats of paint were mixed with water before applying. this was so it would dry faster and then we didn't have to wait to apply the next coats. 2. Some of us rode in the back of a pick up truck today... 3. the church sound board was hooked up in a way I have never seen before. " I am certain we will continue to see things that are different this week or are done differently. Our hope and prayer is that we continue to keep our minds and hearts open to all we see and to all that God has for us this week. We ended the night with an amazing chili dinner, a lesson from Edwin, and group devotions. In devos we spent some time planning our participation in the church service tomorrow evening. We figured out our songs and testimonies. We have some good singers and some very thoughtful students on this trip. Should be fun tomorrow. Peace!

Running

So, a two mile run at 5,000 feet altitude, up and down a bunch of hills, is intense. Especially for someone like me who is horribly out of shape. But it is a great way to learn our surroundings and to get an idea of where we are. Edwin and I went for a run this morning at 7am while everyone else was still asleep. It was hard, but it really did feel great. Plus, it gave Edwin and I a chance to catch up and talk about life, which is always fun. Hopefully we will get o go on some more runs and maybe, if they wake up, a few of the students will be able to come with us!

In Huehuetenango

So, we are all set in Huehuetenango. The trip was a long one today for sure. flight out of O'Hare at 5:45am and we are just getting ready for bed now. It is 11:06 here, which is 1:06am in Kalamazoo. Other than delayed flights and mechanical issues in Atlanta everything went as planned today. Our group is all really excited to be here and they are even more excited to be out of the vans! The drive from Guatemala Ciy to Huehuetenango is a rough one. It is long, bumpy, curvy and increases in altitude. All of this tends to do wonders to most of our stomachs, but everyone is feeling better now. We did continue the Goethe tradition of sickness though... For dinner we had this amazing rice, chicken and handmade tortillas. It was so good. The adventurous ones in the group even tried the "spicy green sauce". Everyone is completely wiped out and I'm sure we will all crash tonight and sleep really well. Tomorrow we have a busy day as we prepare to paint, exchange money, and see more of Guatemala!

It all starts here...

Good morning!! We are officially off and in flight! Delta has in flight wifi, so of course I am taking full advantage of it. The drive to Chicago was uneventful, which is always good. my vehicle listened to music and talked as I am sure the other vehicles did also. Once we arrived at the airport we found a nice, comfortable spot and set up camp. Our stuff was everywhere and we were laid out all over the floor. Many of us got a quick nap in. Checking in was a process and here was definitely some worry about time. People kept showing up and the line kept getting longer and longer. We were all worried we would not make it through check in and security before our flight. Once through security we did not have much time so we went straight to our gate, except a few ladies who "needed" to make a stop at the book store and it almost cost them getting on the flight in time. But, we are all here so there is no need for any parents to drive to Chicago to pick up their child!! I am going to get back to reading, listening to music, and playing Word WELDER on this flight. Until next time...