I’m in Guatemala!!! Wooooo!!!
After a very short and peaceful flight from Atlanta, A·Squad landed in Guatemala City on Thursday night. Our squad separated right after customs and headed to different spots of Guatemala. One team stayed in the capital, two went to Antigua, three got on a six·hour bus ride to Puerto Barrios, and my team met up with our host and his son at the airport and were driven to Santo Domingo Xenacoj, which is about an hour away from the city.
I am grateful that this month we’re not pulling our tents out. We’re staying in a humble house in town that has a few walls and seven beds. We know we are so extremely blessed to have a real mattress to sleep on and a roof over our heads, and we know that these are commodities we won’t have every month. There is running water every other day for half of the day, and for the times when there’s no water there is a giant bucket by the bathroom that we use to wash our hands and wash down the toilet bowl (the toilet is just a hole with no flushing mechanisms, so we need the water bucket regardless of whether or not there’s running water).
Our host, his wife, and their six kids have been such an incredible blessing in the short time we’ve been here, and they have already made us feel like we are a part of their family. They have served us selflessly and with abounding joy, and they have shown us around their town. Oh, and they also have a cow (pregnant!), some goats (two of which are pregnant!), many adorable dogs, and a gorgeous cat that cuddled up next to me yesterday during lunch.
Xenacoj is a very small, very friendly, and very wonderful town. Everybody knows each other and everybody greets each other on the street. Cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, bikes, people, horses, and dogs all share the road. The women wear beautiful colorful and patterned skirts, belts, and shirts; the kids run out to meet you; the dogs just chill like they own the place.
Part of the work we’ll be doing here is loving on widows and orphans, as well as feeding low·income and malnourished children in schools. We’ve been here a day and we’ve already seen and met a number of those widows just by our host pointing them out or talking to them as we walk around the town, and this afternoon we’re going to visit some of them at their homes after lunch. Yesterday one of the widows allowed our team of seven girls to walk into the shrine of the town’s patron Saint, Santo Domingo. Our host explained that the town is usually hesitant to let non·locals in, but the lady in charge this year is friends with our host and wanted us to see it. It was such an honor to be able to walk into this place of worship and prayer that is so sacred to the people around us.
We were also able to attend a funeral yesterday afternon. A 68·year·old man, Andrés, passed away this last week due to problems with his liver. He was a very beloved man around Xenacoj, loved life, loved God, and had a huge heart for people. Our host explained that there is a very big divide in Xenacoj between Catholics and Evangelicals, but that there have been beautiful occasions when these two denominations have been able to come together lovingly as children of God. This funeral was one of those times. Hundreds of people gathered, flooded the narrow streets, and walked as one family through the cemetery gates, as the bells of the Catholic Church rang (even though Andrés himself was not Catholic). It was beautiful to see the amount of people there to honor Andrés’ life, and the unity among them all.
I am excited to be in this place, blessed beyond words for the hospitality that our host and his family have extended to us, grateful for the friendliness and smiles that are all over this town, and looking forward to our time here with the Joy Bombs Team (Erica, Charmagne, Sarah Kathryn, April, Jackie, and Taylor)!!
Please keep us all in your prayers.
Much love from Xenacoj, Guatemala,
Raquel
Team Joy Bombs · A Squad III
