Our final day of VBS/backpack distribution was in San Antonio. Before we left for the day, though, we made a stop at the Crossroads Cafe to buy some coffee to bring home. I know Russ appreciated this "souvenir."
Then we loaded up and headed for San Antonio. The village was along the side of the mountain, and the views here were simply stunning.
We parked at the bottom of the hill and began our trek up. Remember when I mentioned just how heavy the bags of food were? And we were heading steeply uphill? This woman loaded TWO bags on her head and was on her way without any complaint. We could learn so much from these ladies.
We got the kids settled and began our VBS. I have to admit, though, that it was difficult to pay attention with that kind of beauty staring me in the face!
We started and finished each day with "Allelu, Allelu" and it turns out the song is just as much fun in Guatemala as it is in the U.S. The kids in El Tablon were probably the most energetic with it, but each day we got plenty of giggles.
Here are just a few pics from our final VBS.
During our cultural dinner with Patricia, she taught us that each region had been "assigned" a color pattern to wear by the Spanish conquistadors when they first settled in the area in order to distinguish people groups. Today, of course, people are free to wear the colors they prefer, but I thought it was fascinating that in San Antonio, the women continued to wear their blues and purples. They looked so beautiful and you could almost feel the sense of pride they had.
We matched all of the kids with their backpacks and scholarships, and made sure each family had their food. Then it was time for us to eat another delicious meal cooked and served by these wonderful ladies.
After eating, we were able to talk to the ladies about their beautiful art and we found several more pieces to bring home.
They were kind enough to show us how a couple of their smaller looms work. Again, I was in awe of their craftsmanship and skill.
With that, we had completed our final VBS of the week. I'd say mom and I were a pretty good team, and I'm so thankful we were able to do this together!
We had one more stop to make in San Antonio before we headed back to our vans, and that was at the beautiful ceramics shop. This area is famous for their ceramics, and it's easy to see why after seeing them. We were fortunate to have a young lady teach us about the process of creating these pieces of art and she was very knowledgeable. And I don't have a picture of it, but she showed us how they used the grinding stones to grind the stone into powder. So far, these have been used for corn, coffee, chocolate, and now ceramics -- a very versatile ancient tool!
Then we were able to do some shopping. So many gorgeous pieces to choose from, and almost all including the traditional blues of this region.
We enjoyed a lovely walk along the water on our way back to the vans. I haven't mentioned it yet, but the weather was nearly perfect while we were there (which made me feel just a little guilty since temps were below freezing back home).
We had a little free time before dinner on this, our final night in Pana, so mom and I took advantage and indulged in a little gelato as we bought our final souvenirs to bring home.
This final dinner was another really special one. Dana's good friend, Gaspar, is a very talented designer and tailor. We were blessed to get to know him by spending time with him throughout our week. Thursday night we were really in for a treat, however, because we got to meet his family! His wife Maria is an AMAZING cook. She made us a chicken curry dish that was literally one of the best things I've eaten in my entire life. We were all practically licking our plates; it was that good. And as if that weren't enough, it was his adorable grand-daughter's birthday! Sweet little Samara was turning 4 and we all got to help her celebrate.
Once again, our hearts and bellies were very full as we hit the pillow that night. Friday morning was one we had been trying not to worry about throughout the week, the morning we would do our Covid test. In order to fly to Guatemala we had to show our vaccine card, but in order to fly back to the United States, we had to show both our vaccine card and a negative Covid test from within one day of flying. (Since then Guatemala has begun requiring a negative test as well, and I don't blame them at all as the cases in the U.S. are WAY higher.) I had LOTS of friends and family praying that mom and I would both be negative so we could come home as planned. This was already the longest I'd been away from my family and the thought of being away another week was very stressful. So we headed to the lab first thing in the morning and then waited patiently for the results. Needless to say, we were extremely relieved to get our emails saying we were negative!
We got our bags packed and said good-bye to Mario's Rooms and the awesome city of Panajachel. We were excited to get another day with Juan Diego teaching us more fascinating history of Guatemala. We drove to the ancient ruins of Iximche (translation: Corn Tree) next.
Much of the ruins remain unexcavated, but there were some items that had been found over the years on display in the visitor's center. We saw a grinding stone that had been excavated. It's crazy how often these tools showed up throughout our trip!
There were also remnants of statues and some human remains. It was so interesting to learn about the people who lived here in the 1400 and 1500s.
This is the region we were in, the Kaqchikel territory (also the name of the language most of the people natively spoke).
After finishing up in the visitors center, we explored the 4 Plazas of the grounds themselves. There was a temple in each Plaza and multiple altars for sacrifices.
It was crazy to see trees growing right out of the stone temples.
It was awesome having Juan Diego to explain all of the details along the way. When we reached the final Plaza, we were surprised to see a that this is still a sacred place for the Mayan people here. There was an altar with lots of fresh flowers and candles burning, and Juan Diego said people come here often to perform their ceremonies. He explained that they aren't polytheistic, as I had believed, but they believe that life comes from water, sun, corn, and blood. Each of these are gifts from a supreme being and they worship to express their gratitude for these gifts and request for their continued abundance. This is Juan Diego's family history, so it was fascinating to hear it from him directly.
He explained about the hieroglyphics and taught us how to interpret some of the simpler symbols (like numbers).
I especially liked this symbol. It looks like a "V" with wings, like my little Violet angel. . . but then the face above shows some of the other moods we sometimes find her in :)
We had a great time at Iximche!
We had really worked up an appetite and stopped for a late lunch at a cool new restaurant near the ruins. I mentioned the hibiscus tea earlier, but the lemonades and limeades were so yummy, too.
Our final destination for the day was Antigua, and we drove straight to the Cerro de la Cruz (Hill of the Cross) to catch a stunning sunset.
Isn't it just awe-inspiring? I'm so thankful for this beautiful country and the new friends I got to experience it with!
I'm also thankful for Señor Juan-derful and everything he taught us about his homeland! He is seriously the BEST.
We got checked into the Santa Lucia Hotel for the night, and it was so pretty!
Our key and room -- we debated whether the keychain was a corn stalk or dagger. . .
We checked out the rooftop terrace and then set out to explore this magical city.
One of the first things we noticed were the countless motorcycles. They were everywhere. And the streets here are all cobblestone, which would make it a little more challenging to ride a motorcycle. Obviously they get used to it!
The first place Juan Diego took us was to the famous Santa Catalina arch. If you google Antigua Guatemala, this is undoubtedly the first landmark you'll see. And it was extra-special at night with the Christmas lights still shining.
We decided Antigua is definitely the "upscale" city as we saw multiple fancy restaurants and storefronts. The only store we ventured into was this humongous market called Nim Pot, which had basically every Guatemalan good we'd seen thus far in one place. The quality of the products was nowhere near what we'd seen from the actual artisans, but it was quite a site nonetheless.
Then we walked down to see the magnificent Iglesia de la Merced (Mercy Church), also still lit up for the birth of Christ.
Nearby was Central Park, which reminded us a bit of Silver Dollar City with all of its lights. There were lots of street vendors set up here and we had fun perusing through their goods.
We finished our very full day with some yummy desserts and coffee at a local shop. The next day we would be flying home, but we didn't have to leave for the airport until 10, so Mom and I decided we could do a walking tour of the ruins in the morning. There are multiple churches and convents that were destroyed by earthquakes in the 1700s and the remains of these are truly breathtaking.
So much history in these buildings. We also walked back to the Arch to see it in daylight. On the way we passed by the church that houses the "stations of the cross" floats. Holy Week is a HUGE celebration in Antigua and they have lots of parades. These life-sized floats of the Jesus during his passion were really incredible to see. I only wish we could have gotten closer to them.
We made it back to the Arch, and it was so cool to see the volcano in the background, which we had obviously missed in the dark the evening before.
And we took the opportunity to go in the beautiful Mercy Church we'd seen the previous night all lit up.
This was a pretty awesome walking tour for a couple of Kansas girls who didn't know what they were doing!
We went into as many churches as we could. The architecture was so different and beautiful in each. We did have one funny moment when we had spent some time in this church. . .
. . . and then we walked another 10-15 minutes to find another church. When we walked in, it took us a couple of minutes to realize it was the SAME church. I'm telling you, these buildings are HUGE and take entire city blocks. We got a good chuckle when we realized we'd just come in a different door after all of that walking. All of the architecture was so interesting and beautiful.
We decided to be brave and go to breakfast without our translator. Well, a little brave anyway. We went to McDonald's. And not to toot my own horn or anything, but I nailed the ordering of our breakfast burritos and hashbrowns. And this McDonald's was certainly not like any you'd find in Kansas.
I mean, I don't even really like McDonald's, but I could be convinced to sit here by Ronald and take in these views.
And with that, we checked out of our pretty hotel and Montejo took us back to the airport.
We got to the Gautemala City airport with plenty of time, and Dana totally spoiled us by letting us join her at the VIP lounge. So comfortable with food and drinks included -- it was awesome!
Thankfully our flight home was smooth, and I couldn't have been more excited to see Russ and Evie at the gate when I got off the plane!
We didn't get home until after midnight so I had to wait until after church the next day to give the kids all of their Guatemalan goods. I'd say they were pleased with my selections. Especially Violet, who got her very own chicken bus! I've included one more picture of an actual bus we saw in Antigua to refresh your memory. Her bus even has "Panajachel" and "Antigua" painted on the sides. It's the perfect souvenir for my bus-lovin' girl.
This whole experience was truly unforgettable. I'm so thankful to Dana, for her huge heart and for allowing us to come along. I've already told her that I want to come back and bring Russ!
I'm so thankful to Mom, who invited me to come and run VBS with her for these precious children. It was the greatest gift to tell them of Jesus' love and see the smiles on their faces.
And I'm eternally grateful to God for providing protection over our group throughout the week; for giving Dana the talents she has to lead these trips; for new friends and their heart for missions; for an amazing husband who didn't hesitate for a second when I brought up the idea of going, and encouraged me to go, knowing that he would be holding down the fort while I was gone; for giving me my mom and allowing us to have these memories together; for creating this beautiful world and allowing me to see and experience parts of it I'd never imagined; for walking with me every step of the way; and most importantly for the gift of Jesus and the privilege of sharing him and his love with others. It was the perfect way to begin 2022 and I'll be forever thankful for our time in Guatemala!
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