We arrived safetly on Saturday to our city, San Juan placed on a hill in beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala! The city is only accesible by boat and when we pulled up to the dock Saturday afternoon, we were a little nervous. The city looked desolate and strangely reminded us of Arroyo Palenque. However, after a little exploring we found this to be a beautiful city set on a hill with restaurants, internet, schools and churches. It is a smaller town on the lake so it is not prone to have as many tourists. After visiting other cities, we are proud to call San Juan our home as it is clean and the people are beautiful and friendly!
Our first big blessing was a comfortable place to stay! We are staying in a hotel right across the street from the school we are working with. It has showers, beds, a small kitchen and no mosquitos…and we are only paying 2 American dollars per person per night! Praise the Lord! My favorite spot is the balcony off the kitchen which includes a hammock and a breathtaking mountain view.
We have already noticed a distinct difference between Guatemala and Mexico. There is so much life in the city we are in and we are confident this is because there are solid, Bible teaching churches in this area. There is a light heartendess that we did not feel in Arroyo Palenque. And even though there are hurting and sick people, we see smiles on their faces and a trust in the Lord that is a stark contrast to the despair we witnessed not two weeks ago. It is a refreshing place for us spiritually!
We are still in the process of finding the ministries God would have our hand be in. Right now, our main focus will be on a small Christian school. It has about 200 children in attendance. It was built on the idea that children should be able to come to school and not have to pay outrageous prices. They pay about 2.50 American per month. Sadly, some children cannot even provide that. We will be teaching English in this school five days a week. So pray for us as we prepare lessons and love on these kids! They are already warming our hearts.We are also considering ministry in a city nearby with widows. There are over 100 widows in San Pablo (the next community over). I am eager to see what the Lord has in store for us!
