After an eventful week on the Caribbean Coast of Guatemala
we returned to beautiful Antigua on February 11th. We arrived in the Central Park
area of downtown Antigua to discover LOTS of tourist in
town and a couple of stages set-up for live music. It was a blast. We secured housing in a local hostel and then
on Monday Brienna contacted Pastor David at the Vida y Fey Church and received
free lodging for us for the duration of our stay. So we are sleeping on the floor of the
church.
After a couple of days of cold
canned beans and tuna fish sandwiches and bucket showers out back we got
permission from the Higher Grounds Café to cook some evening meals in their
kitchen and to take showers during their business hours. Is God good or what?
Our Famous SlimJim & Bean Burrito
That same day we began exploring our ministry options- which
are many! On Monday and Tuesday we
toured a couple of orphanage/hospital/school type facilities. By Wednesday morning Annie & I were
taking 4 hours of Spanish Language lessons each morning and Ryan is taking a couple
hours as well. We are all working at the
different ministry sites. Joy and Ryan I
think have been working at Hermanos Pedro- a residential care facility/hospital
for handicapped individuals. Annie and I
will also be working there some. We are
all working some at the God’s Child boarding school and ministry. Some of us are also helping teach or hanging
out with kids at Escuela Integrada- another Christian private school here in Antigua.
And then there are those “Ministry Happens” moments. You can read everyone else’s blogs about
those times but suffice to say they are happening. Last Thursday night Joy and I led worship for
the English Bible Study at The Higher Grounds Café. We were able to meet several other
missionaries and tourist and hear their stories.
This past Saturday night Becca and Katie from Team 61 were
with us after escorting Jennifer to the airport and they joined our girls for a
Girls Night Out. The girls had dinner and
enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine or something like that at the theatre. The movie was in English with Spanish
subtitles so the girls said they would laugh at the funny parts and then the
Guatemalans would laugh a few seconds later.
That was probably pretty funny.
Ryan and Josh and I had all we could eat Caribbean Jerk
Chicken and fixins’ at a local coffee house for Guys Night Out. They pulled all the tables together to
promote interaction and that was awesome.
We met a cool guy from Belgium
that showed a tremendous amount of interest in what we are doing. We also met three Medical
School students that are taking a
year off to minister around the world.
They’ve been in Kenya
for 6 months and now they are in Guatemala
for 4 months. Just when we thought the
night couldn’t be any better we went back to Central Park in time to catch the
Guatemalan Army Symphonic Band in Concert.
There must have been 200 band members.
It definitely made me think of Mr. Buckalew and the Gulfport High School
Band!>
