Covenant Seniors in Guatemala Service Week 2011

Hello all....

well, this was a very different day for us as we went to Guatemala City for a day away. We were excited that we were all able to go, though admittedly a couple of students seemed pensive as they were not feeling 100%. But they prevailed and we were willing to go at their pace.

We had hoped to go to Antigua, but due to the fact that it is Holy Week, Antigua would have been so overwhelmed with the tens of thousands of people - it would have been havoc for our group. So we went to Guatemala City. Once we arrived, we tried to exchange our money in 3 places so that we would have enough for everyone to go around. We arrived at the city square, where our group of 26 gringos, led by 2 Guatemalan men from Casa Bernabe stood out like a bunch of obvious tourists. But it was fun being noticed!

Some of the things we saw:

An old Catholic church, which was full of pilgrims on this day before Good Friday. There were people in the pews praying. There was a statue of Jesus carrying his cross and people were standing close to it, taking pictures, touching the robe that draped the figure, and even kissed it! As they left that little corner where the statue was, they genuflected and mumbled something. There were actually many little altars and chapels imbedded into various nooks and crannies in the church with various statues, shrines to saints. Interesting to see this part of the culture.

Another thing we saw: Lots of people dressed in purple clothes and hats. They are people who pay to be a part of the holy week processions, perhaps as a way of pilgrimage or penance. They were EVERYWHERE! We saw some processions in the distance, but we also got to see up close one of the areas that had been prepared for the procession that was to arrive in 30 minutes. The road was covered with a long rectangular patch of sawdust with coloured icons at various points along the patch. When the procession arrives, they will walk over what took so long to create. Much of their holy week celebrations involve so much procession and elaborate preparations. It looked very beautiful and so many people got involved in it. Along with all of that, of course, come the street vendors, the hawkers, the gawkers, and the predators. We were always in groups and made sure no wallets, passports, and of course, our students were at risk, as much as it was up to us. The Lord kept us in his care, and we were very grateful! It made for an afternoon of enjoyment.

One of the highlights of our trip was to go to the mercado, the market, and look around at the different booths. After a while much of what was being sold looked similar: jewelry, tablecloths, hammocks, t-shirts, knives, machetes, purses, etc. But our kids found some pretty good deals with quite a few machetes, bracelets, trinkets, and baubles finding their way onto the bus! The time went very quickly...too bad the mercado wasn't closer. It would be fun to go back.

After mercado and procession watching, we went out for a very nice lunch at a restaurant that offered us three choices to make ordering much simpler for our large group: steak, chicken, or fish. The fish plate was veggies, rice, and of course, fish. The chicken plate included potatoes, some au gratin bowl, and chicken. The steak plate was amazing, with fried bananas, tomatoes with cheese, refried beans, guacamole - see the picture below. Everyone was given a plate of flan as a dessert...the house choice, but maybe too different for our group?

Following lunch, we toured a very impoverished area of Guatemala city called La Limonade - it is a slum built on a garbage dump. The streets were littered with refuse, and people were carrying sacks of stuff they'd pilfered and hoped to sell, or use to build. What a way to live...it broke our hearts to see it. When we pulled out on a different roadway, we saw the slum from a different area - a few pics should be below to see. Houses built into the hillside and upon each other, made out of whatever materials they could get their hands on.

The day was a day of contrasts, because after going to the old part of the city, seeing history, religiosity, commerce, poverty, we found ourselves heading back to the orphanage, but on the way we stopped at a Guatemalan Walmart. It was fascinating to see the similarities and the differences between the store we are used to. Different products, and of course, the language. And Pinatas. Pretty cool.

When we returned to Casa Bernabe, the orphans held a program with various skits, as a way to say thank you to all of us. It was a touching presentation that brought tears to many of our eyes, especially when they prayed over us. Wow...

Tomorrow is our last day. We're all clamoring to try and spend whatever moments we can with the children, because we know that Saturday's a'coming! Not that we don't want to come home - but this has been a very special time for each of us.

Buenos Noches - until next time.

Another B-E-A-YOUTIFUL day in Guatemala. The sun has been out, and it has only been now, as I headed up the hill after spending time with the children from the toddler house that fog seemed to roll in. Margarita, one of the house-"mothers", got excited and said: "It's a cloud! I love being in a cloud!"

It got me to thinking that it would be nice to tell you more about Guatemala, and the cultural and geographical differences that we are experiencing. Guatemala City is about 5300 ft. above sea level. The thinner atmosphere makes climbing stairs a bit more of a chore, especially for us old people (aka: chaperones). But I think we're adapting. Every day we get to go up and down and up and down several times during the day, whether it's to chase a soccer ball that happened to escape over the fence or to check up on the garden or visit the infant house. Of course, what goes down must also go up (if we want food or sleep), so we have to navigate a series of steep steps. Good exercise!

Other things Guatemalan: we are going through so much bottled water. We must end up changing out several 5-gallon jugs of agua pura - purified water - since we cannot drink the local water. The Guatemalan microbes aren't too kind to us gringos. So, no rinsing our toothbrushes with sink water, no opening one's mouth in the shower, no tasting produce from the garden without rinsing...you get the idea. We have also been told that a bit of a 24-hour flu-like bug has been going around, so we've been worried to see if any of us would be touched by carelessness or by nature. Or by a different style of cooking, which some of us have embraced boldly. The food has been awesome and interesting: different soups, meats, and stews. There's always cereals and bread/toast with all the regular condiments such as peanut-butter and jams. But this morning's breakfast consisted of refried black beans, fried bananas, and queso blanco, a mild type of white crumble cheese. Some lunches have included chicken, rice with salsa and fried eggs, beef, lots of fruit such as mangos and melon. Todays lunch had small cherry-like plums. Very soft and very good! Unfortunately, a few students have fallen a little ill, and we're not sure of the source. One with an upset digestive system, one with the flu, and another with stomach cramps. They have all stayed indoors, and pretty much slept the day away, which is good. They'll really be ok, moms and dads, we're taking good care of them! We're hoping and praying they'll be feeling better for our day away tomorrow to Guatemala City.

Another thing Guatemalan (or Central American) - we're not allowed to flush toilet paper down the toilet. (then why do they call it TOILET paper??). Instead we have to dispose of it in the garbage can in our stall. Needless to say, we don't stay in there long and we try to keep the garbage bag cleaned. The showers don't have a lot of water pressure, so if all three showers are being used at the same time, we get trickled on - the next best thing to dry-cleaning! :-) All in all, we are adjusting to the changes that are needed to navigate being in a different culture.

Casa Bernabe is an amazing place, and there is so much that goes on here. The garden, as I've said before, is AMAZING! A sizable group of students today helped enlarge the already huge garden by pick-axing, shoveling dirt and filling 3 new tiered sections. Every two weeks Tony, the all around maintenance man and gardener, plants a new crop for crop rotation. The garden produces year round, which is amazing! The garden provides for the kitchen of Casa Bernabe, another nearby orphanage, a couple of local families...and if there is any left over, the cooks here are free to take it. Tony wants to build a greenhouse in order to grow tomatoes in a controlled environment, free from disease and pests. If you want to know about pests, ask Megan Wetselaar, who came up after this morning's shift in the garden with legs that looked like a battle zone. Baking soda past, Calydryl, and lots of bandages later, she was good as new...almost. Ok, nice little tangent...but back to the garden. Casa Bernabe's sewage system, as well as the pig-pen's waste, all empties out (minus toilet paper) into a wastewater treatment plant, which after all the natural processes take place, produces a 98% clear liquid (free of solids) that is pumped and used to fertilize the garden.

Remember I mentioned pigs? They had 5 big ones, and 6 small ones. HAD. This morning, an older couple worked all morning and slaughtered 4 large pigs in preparation for an easter feast on Sunday. I (Pastor Rick) got there in the middle of processing one pig. A few other lucky students got to witness the demise of another pig before it got all butchered. I asked how: gun? knife? No, was the reply. The lady pointed to a sledgehammer, and then pointed to her forehead. Now we know. Again, culturally, a very hands on approach. After the pig is rendered, they even take the fat layer of skin and deep fry it in its own lard as a special Central American treat called: Chiccharones. Several of our group were offered and tried it, but they didn't see it as very..um... palatable!

Our day started with devotions from Kristen VanderMeer and Austin VanProoyen. It ended with yet another presentation on the life of Jesus - this time Jesus before Pilate and Peter's Denial. It was an awesome day to spend continuing to work in the garden, drywalling a room, further preparing a hillside for a fence, and spending time with the precious children who call Casa Bernabe their home. The students are all getting an immersion lesson in Spanish, they're falling in love with the little children and this place, and we're discovering that God is using Casa Bernabe in an amazing way, by bringing people who have a heart for God, a love for these children, a desire to see them loved and have a safe haven, and who enjoy this culture as a gift of God, and an arena in which to do ministry. We've met people from Cincinnati, San Diego, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, Wisconsin -- all serving God by blessing this ministry and these children. We're grateful for the opportunity to serve God here. Tomorrow is our day out, and Friday will be our very last full day here. Amazing experiences so far - too bad it has to end so quickly. But such is service week: it's an opportunity to grow so that when we get home, we will be challenged to look at the world and at other people with changed attitudes and new eyes and a servant heart.

We'll have closing devotions tonight, and a birthday party! Senora nanninga has hers today! Pastor Rick has his tomorrow!

Thanks for your continuing prayers and support.