We were the first team that got to take an overnight trip outside of Santa Cruz del Quiche. This trip was a part of our monthly ministry and took us on an insane chicken bus ride down the mountains of Quiche to Antigua. You are probably wondering, “What the heck is a chicken bus?!” A chicken bus looks like a 1970s school bus but is equipped with the engine of a semi-truck and a driver that could give any Nascar driver a run for their money. We squeezed 3 to a seat and prayed that we didn’t miss or unmarked bus stop. After a bus transfer in San Lucas we made it safely to Antigua with plenty of time to spare! (It seems to be a rare occasion that you are on time, let alone early)
We attended a conference for an upcoming campaign “40 Dias de Generosidad” and met many pastors in the areas surrounding Antigua working together to create a better Guatemala. Attending the conference was a successful effort to meet people doing the work of God around Guatemala and how we as World Racers could come along side them in the future to continue bettering the lives of the people of Guatemala. Though most of the pastors didn’t speak English and my Spanish is subpar, Sarah and I managed to hold a couple conversations and get to know a couple pastors involved but it was mentally exhausting and straining. Maybe Spanish in college would have been a good idea.
Amazing things seem to always happen my team wherever my team goes. This time in Antigua it was the eruption of Volcan de Fuego! We watched from the balcony of Dona Luisa as we discussed more of the needs in Guatemala with an American, named Dan, over lunch. Walking down the streets of Antigua, it seemed as though I was walking through a movie scene in comparison to the conditions of the people that live in Santa Cruz del Quiche. Antigua is a Guatemala tourist hotspot filled with western influenced culture; Quiche is a Mayan influenced and mountainous village where poverty is seen everywhere. Antigua was its own little bubble from the reality of the rest of Guatemala. The villages surrounding Antigua are extremely poor but also a reality I missed on my way into the westernized town.
It made me wonder how many times I have naively passed by people that are in need my help or turned a blind eye to realities of the world due to my naïve outlook on the world – to continue to believe that I live in a world that is all rainbows and butterflies. How many times in my life have I seen true poverty? How many times have I thought that the world’s problems were too big? Way too many times to count. The realities of the world may be ugly at times but no problem is too big for God and with Him all things are possible!
We attended a conference for an upcoming campaign “40 Dias de Generosidad” and met many pastors in the areas surrounding Antigua working together to create a better Guatemala. Attending the conference was a successful effort to meet people doing the work of God around Guatemala and how we as World Racers could come along side them in the future to continue bettering the lives of the people of Guatemala. Though most of the pastors didn’t speak English and my Spanish is subpar, Sarah and I managed to hold a couple conversations and get to know a couple pastors involved but it was mentally exhausting and straining. Maybe Spanish in college would have been a good idea.
Amazing things seem to always happen my team wherever my team goes. This time in Antigua it was the eruption of Volcan de Fuego! We watched from the balcony of Dona Luisa as we discussed more of the needs in Guatemala with an American, named Dan, over lunch. Walking down the streets of Antigua, it seemed as though I was walking through a movie scene in comparison to the conditions of the people that live in Santa Cruz del Quiche. Antigua is a Guatemala tourist hotspot filled with western influenced culture; Quiche is a Mayan influenced and mountainous village where poverty is seen everywhere. Antigua was its own little bubble from the reality of the rest of Guatemala. The villages surrounding Antigua are extremely poor but also a reality I missed on my way into the westernized town.
It made me wonder how many times I have naively passed by people that are in need my help or turned a blind eye to realities of the world due to my naïve outlook on the world – to continue to believe that I live in a world that is all rainbows and butterflies. How many times in my life have I seen true poverty? How many times have I thought that the world’s problems were too big? Way too many times to count. The realities of the world may be ugly at times but no problem is too big for God and with Him all things are possible!
Blessings,
Kaitlyn
