Here we are, Santa Cruz Del Quiche! It appears we have arrived in the country of Guatemala, in the department of Quiche, in the city of Santa Cruz del Quiche. A three hour Delta flight was followed by an adventure on the three buses carrying my squad upwards of seven thousand feet into the lush green mountains. The massive deluges familiar with monsoon season here eroded the road in an extreme way such that in a sudden tragedy several Guatemalans lost their lives in the subsequent circumstances. The road literally fell away into a thousand foot ravine – we will have to portage around it when we leave.
Our squad is blessed to stay at a compound called Agape in Action which has ministries in various locations including the local hospital, an orphanage, church, day care, and senior citizens’ center.
It is now the Tuesday of our second week of ministry-time is flying by! My team of seven have been working at an adult day care center of which twenty to thirty elderly Guatemalans attend. We have been doing our best to communicate with the residents in our broken Spanish; it is frustrating at times but they seem to really enjoy us. It is a good feeling when they say “goodbye” to you as you leave, there is a sense of having left them with something. We have been helping with whatever we can get our paws on, including fixing a leaky roof, organizing closets, cleaning their water tank, cleaning their facility, doing dishes, and playing games with them.
All of them live in poverty, this is evident from the way they waste nothing at lunch time. When I saw an elderly lady scraping some of her beans and salsa into a thin plastic bag with her hands I wondered if many of them had anything to eat on the weekends, when the day care isn’t open. My heart goes out to them and their situations. It is hard, I wish there was more I could do for them. I count it a privilege to be able to hang in their world for a little while and I thank the Lord for the opportunity.
We now have less than a week left in this beautiful country of Guatemala before the long bus ride down to Nicaragua. I have been doing well personally and have evaded any sickness with the exception of headaches and a mildly upset stomach from time to time. Thank you all so very much for your prayers and support. I appreciate you! God is so good and He is doing a good many things in my life already. More to come; I wish I had time to write more – wifi is scarce around these parts. Love you all!! Blessings.
Yours, James
