Guatemala Travelogue 1
It wouldn’t be Eva-News if there wasn’t some sort of significant delay in sharing it! So here we are! And by “here” I mean, GUATEMALA!! On Saturday, May 6th, our team had a relaxed and trouble-free trip from Peoria…with a “just-enough, but left wanting more” pitstop in DALLAS…moment of silence please for the brisket nachos I held the immense pleasure of consuming rapidly…to the hopping Guatemala City. Our entire visit will be based at SETECA, which has held such a special place in Bryce’s heart (he’s been 3 times, I believe) that it felt a bit familiar, even though I’ve never been here. Our hosts, Paul and Jean Sywulka, are simply incredible people that have been serving the Lord here for decades in various roles. Personally, I had some extra special moments listening to Jean recall how meaningful it was for them when Chris came to work hard, just like everyone else, and not just look for pastoral speaking opportunities. Just another reminder that humbly serving preaches a strong and loud sermon. Of course, Jean also shared the all-kinds-of-awkward/hilarious moments when Bryce/Sophie 1.0 had ended, but they still came to SETECA together. They also served well…just not “together.” :) Thankful we have 2.0!
Our first full day started bright and early on Sunday morning, when after a filling breakfast, we headed out to the village of San Vicente, which is a church plant of the Escuintla Church. The pastor of both is also the Director of Development here at SETECA! Busy, busy guy! David and his wife MJ joined us in our trek to the village…over the mountains and through the woods and all…oh, and past the volcano and over the gravel bridge!
We honestly had no idea what to expect or how all of our VBS planning would profit us, but it will truly be a highlight of ministry for me, for many years to come. The adults gathered at the open-air church, while the kids were summoned to the covered basketball court. Incidentally, we were immensely grateful that the court had a roof because our lower elevation made it 10 degrees hotter, bringing the temp to 96! When we decided it was time to start, we had 5 children…when we wrapped up our program/time together, we had 36!! We turned on the music, and they slowly began trickling down to the court. Think of a certain Iowa baseball field…if you play it, they will come. For many of the team, this was the first time they’d done anything in front of a group of children…and specifically the glorious chaos of VBS! We had SUCH an amazing time with the children: singing 3 songs in Spanish (with motions)…interpreted lesson from Jonah, complete with full visual aid skit, whale/Jonah craft, and game time!!! ALL within roughly ONE HOUR!!! EVERY member of the team was involved in each single aspect, and I trust not one person will forget those 60 minutes anytime soon.
After leaving the village, we traveled back to Escuintla so we could also visit the church where David pastors on a weekly basis. They were wrapping up their service so we just hung out at the back. That is, until they had the Mother’s Day recognition, with cake and all. Mother’s Day is May 10 annually here so they were celebrating a few days early. They asked for all the “madres” to come up on the platform to take a picture, and although we tried to stay among the shadows, there was soon an emmisary standing in front of me, asking if I was “una madre.” SO…since I’ve basically been KILLIN’ it with Duolingo (shout out…big props…for real…I knew exactly zero before I started that a couple months ago! Just wish I’d have done it sooner), I understood and couldn’t lie…IN CHURCH. So of course, I dragged up all the other mamas with me! So we had a sweet photo op with the Guatemalan mamas on this very special occasion…another treasured moment for many.
Our lunch was, in a word, spectacular! We stopped at Sarita’s, first on the restaurant-side, then the ice cream shop-side. It will surprise no one that Eva ordered steak fajitas. Praise be. OH…and Coca Cola sin azucar…dos. Because caffeine, and Dr Pepper doesn’t make house calls internationally.
We had roughly a 1.5 hour drive back after lunch, and between the excessive heat and giant lunch, many crashed on the way back. My old friend migraine reminded me of our lifelong partnership so I was actually zero fun when we finally made it back. I know many of the group had a relaxing time playing games, while others opted for a pickup soccer game. Eva read a book in bed. :/
We ended the evening with another wonderful meal, made by Jean and MJ and then had a precious time of David/MJ sharing their stories and testimonies. We will be doing that every morning and evening, with every person taking turns to share…all of which will be immensely encouraging and meaningful to the full group. In some bizarro world, Eva stayed up reading that night…and taking pain meds, of course HAHA…so that will have to be a small tweak because Eva’s normal bedtime won’t work by the time we make it to Wednesday.
Hope you will all enjoy this small glimpse into our days in this beautiful country. See you soon for day 2!