The location where Fr. Ryan is saying Mass is the exact spot where Fr. Stanley Rother was martyred for the faith! The chapel of Bl. Stanley Rother is in Santiago Atitlán. Fr. Stanley was a missionary priest from Oklahoma who served in a town neighboring San Lucas Tolimán. We were fortunate to have a guide by the name of Felipe Coché who was baptized by Fr. Stanley and is now documenting his life in the cause for his canonization. Before Mass, Felipe explained the story of Fr. Stanley's place in the community and his assassination in 1981.
This morning, we returned to our original construction site. A group of us continued to sift sand that will be used for concrete while others traveled to another site to move dirt!
In the afternoon, we joined program director Myvi for the charity shopping activity. The Caridad con dignidad (charity with dignity) program provides for the needs of many people in San Lucas and 14 surrounding communities. Part of their work is to use donated funds to purchase bags with a week’s worth of household goods and groceries to deliver to the poor. For charity shopping, we take these bags to people’s homes. Our companion Adam also did personal fundraising to purchase and donate beds to those in need.
We drove 30 minutes to the neighboring town of Santa Teresa. A local leader has been working with Myvi to identify which families are most in need of support from government programs and mission work like San Lucas. She led us to the home of an elderly man who is well past retirement age but must continue working to make ends meet. He looks for work on nearby farms but can only find work 2-3 times a week. We brought him a bag of groceries and a bed to replace the one he had been using. When we went to remove that bed, we found that he had been sleeping on a metal frame with a duvet filled with straw. We assembled the new bed for him, and he took a moment to express his deep gratitude.
We then walked to the other side of the neighborhood where we entered a small home (about 289 sq. feet) in which 10 people lived. The were about six beds inside the house, right up against the stove. Some looked like they were about to fall apart. We again delivered the bag of groceries, then removed one of the old beds and installed the new one. When Mvyi asked the father of the household if he had anything to say to the group, he broke down in tears and, between sobs, said in Spanish, “I don’t have the words to give you thanks, and I don’t have any money to pay you, but God will repay you. Thank you for coming here.”
After leaving Santa Teresa, we stopped by a small shop for ice cream on the way back to San Lucas.
17 July – Day 7
Today, we returned to the school to visit different classes. Fr. Ryan, Ema, and Macey visited the 5-year-old classroom. The kids were very excited to have visitors and erupted into chaos. Julia, Abby, and Emily went to a 6-year-old class. The classes for ages 4-6 all use Montessori method. This group was impressed to see the 6-year-olds writing in cursive and doing multiplication. Adam and I visited an 11-year-old class where they were learning about communication and using technology responsibly. The teacher also lectured them on turning in their homework on time and being respectful to their parents. Adam jumped in to express how important it is to show appreciation to our parents. We then joined a class of 9-year-olds where they were learning about the five precepts of the Catholic Church. Then they discussed the words of the Prayer of St. Francis, and we sang “Hazme un instrumento de tu paz”--a song you likely will recognize, even though we sing it in English. Finally, we joined the youngest children, a 4-year-group. The teacher pretended to be a new student, and the kids helped show her the rules and how to use the materials to work.
We had a somber afternoon in the neighboring town of Santiago Atitlán. First we visited the parque de la paz (Peace Park), the site of a massacre that occurred in December 1990. Our guide was a man named Felipe who was 11 years old at the time. He was present when the army fired upon a crowd of people and vividly remembers the details. The president at the time wrote a letter acknowledging the injustice and ordering that the army not enter Santiago. To this day, the army is not welcome there.
Felipe then took us to the Catholic parish of Santiago. Across the plaza, there is now a school that was founded by Fr. Stanley Rother. Fr. Stanley was a priest from Oklahoma who—like Fr. Greg Schaffer before him—was sent on mission to Guatemala. Fr. Stanley had a deep love for the indigenous people in Santiago. He quickly learned both Spanish and Tz'utujil—the Mayan dialect of Santiago. He would celebrate Mass in both languages and worked on translating the Bible to Tz’utujil. During the Guatemalan Civil War, the government opposed the Catholic Church and many catechists and clergy “disappeared”. Felipe explained that Fr. Stanley was put on a death list. On July 28, 1981, three men snuck into the rectory. They found the guard and forced him to take them to Fr. Stanley. At that time, many people simply disappeared. Fr. Stanley did not want his community to not know what happened to him, so he asked the three men to kill him right there in the room.
That room is now a chapel in honor of Blessed Stanley Rother. He is considered the first American martyr. We were very blessed that Fr. Ryan celebrated Mass with us in that chapel.
In the morning, we went to the Women’s Center for “Living Class”. The director and matron of the Women’s Center is Doña Guicha (pronounced “WEE-chah) explained that the mission provides numerous classes to help women support their families, make a living, and carry on the traditions of Mayan culture. To begin, she taught the group how to make traditional tortillas. These look very different from what we’re used to. Traditional Mayan tortillas use a mix of blue and yellow corn which produces a gray-ish color. After salt and lemon juice are added, it becomes a wine red.
We also learned how to wash clothes in a pila, a large communal wash basin. Homes in San Lucas do not have washing machines. Some homes have a small pila in which they wash dishes and clothing. But the poorest families don’t even have this, so they can come to the community pila to do their laundry.
Next, she explained that Mayan women typically carry large loads (including but not limited to laundry) on their heads. They will roll up a cloth into a spiral shape and set it on their head;then they will place a large basket full of laundry or groceries on top of that. We had achance to try this.
Many men in the community who do not have a steady job will climb to the base of the volcanoes to chop leña (firewood) and carry it back down. Throughout the week, we’ve spotted men carrying 100 lb. packs of leña in town. We learned that it takes 7 to 8 hours for a single trip. Somemen will make two trips in one day. But they make very little money doing this kind of work.
In the afternoon, we went to a different construction site. This was in a neighborhood on the edge of town, and they are preparing the ground for a small community center. We mostly moved concrete rubble to a lot where the foundation will be laid. A family from the neighborhood (one mom and three children) worked with us the entire time.
This morning, we began our first of three days of construction. We traveled with the mission staff to a construction site up the hill in San Lucas. The team had already laid the foundation for a block house—a very modest cinderblock house with three small rooms. Some of us stayed at the site to work tie rebar. The rest of us made two trips to another site half a mile away from which we loaded sand into a truck that will be used to make concrete. Once we were back at the main site, some continued with the rebar and others began sifting the sand to remove larger pebbles.
The whole construction experience is very eye-opening. By our standards and expectations, it is not always as efficient as we’d like. The mission has constraints that we don’t always think about—like how to get certain materials, keeping the costs very low, and how to benefit the local community through
As per tradition at the San Lucas Mission, Sunday is BOAT DAY! We hired a lancha—a small motorboat—and our captain took us to the neighboring town of Panajachel. It is more of a touristy, resort town compared to San Lucas and has numerous hotels and restaurants near the lakeshore. We rode tuk tuks to a nearby nature reserve. We spent some time walking around the reserve, then traversed a zipline circuit. It included 7 total lines that had stunning views of the nearby volcano, Lake Atitlán, and numerous waterfalls.
We returned to the main part of town for lunch and spent some time walking around the shops before returning to our lancha and San Lucas.
Today, we had a light day because many employees of the mission are off for the weekend. In the morning, we returned to the Women’s Center where we participated in a cooking class offered for school-aged children. We made rellenitos, a plantain fritter filled with a mix of black beans and chocolate. We also worked on a typical Guatemala dish called pepián--a tomato-based stew. The children were so happy to receive us and help us with the work. This group of kids is in their second year of cooking courses. They bring their own cap and apron and learn how to make a variety of dishes and drinks. If anything needs extended time to cook—in the oven, for example—the kids go outside to play fútbol (soccer) while they wait. Then they come back with their plastic containers to take food home.
We had an extended break in the afternoon, so some of us walked around town and spent time on the lakeshore. We regrouped before dinner to have nachos and refrescos—fruit drinks made from jamaica (hibiscus flowers) and tamarindo (tamarind). After dinner, we went to the vigil Mass at the mission Church with the community.
This was our first full day in Guatemala. Each day, Fr. Ryan celebrates Mass for us, we take time for prayer in the morning, we eat meals with the staff at the mission biblioteca, and we end the day with reflection and a group discussion followed by snacks and games. Typically, we have a morning and afternoon activity through the mission. This morning, we toured the various mission programs.
First, long-term volunteers Emmanuel and Matthew explained how the visitor program functions within the broader mission. From the perspective of the San Lucas Mission, visitors participate in service-learning. We take time to understand the people, the culture, and the work of the mission. As visitors, we collaborate with the mission by raising awareness, helping in the funding of mission projects, and supporting the local economy in small simple ways.
Then we went to the colegio (K-6 school). The school director, Patricia, shared about the situation of school-aged children in San Lucas. Public schools are often inadequate. Private schools are prohibitively expensive for ordinary people. The mission school meets this need by providing high-quality education for a fraction of the price. The annual fee for a student is a mere 140 Guatemalan quetzales (approx. $19). $19). The best part, though, was being swarmed by joyful kids who were eager to play rock-paper-scissors with us or proudly show us their classrooms. I asked a five-year-old girl what she thought about the school, and she warmly exclaimed “¡Me gusta el colegio!” (I like the school!).
After leaving the school, we walked to the Charity with Dignity program. Director Myvi explained how the mission supports disadvantaged people through a wide array of programs. In collaboration with the construction program, they help people in need get a house built for them. They also assist people with lifelong health needs—especially when they cannot afford regular treatment.
Next, we drove to the Women’s Center. Director Francisca explained that the Women’s Center was a dream of mission founder Fr. Greg Schaffer. He wanted a place where women of the community could go to learn life skills. Several courses are offered that help women make a living and better support their families. One woman we met explained that she is a widow with five children. Through the Women’s Center, she has learned how to sew pants and shirts and can make a living through this work.
We then drove to the mission hospital where a worker named Pablo shared about its history. Early in Fr. Greg’s time in San Lucas Tolimán, a woman handed him her sick infant who died in his arms. He was deeply impacted by this experience and recognized that the people of San Lucas needed better medical care. Today, with the help of a few local doctors and the generosity of many American doctors, the mission hospital serves many people by providing life-saving surgery and affordable pharmaceuticals.
We stopped by Café Juan Ana where director Edy shared about the mission coffee program. Since 1992, the coffee program has helped local farmers receive a living wage by purchasing coffee cherries at 40% above the market rate. Over the years, they have improved their methods of roasting. 90% of their coffee is sold in the United States.
We walked down the street to the temporary construction office. They mainly build three types of houses, in-home stoves, and buildings for the other mission programs. When Fr. Greg first arrived, he used donations to purchase land in the area that he gifted to families. Unfortunately, not everybody had clear documentation of their land ownership, so now the construction program works to secure proper land deeds.
In the afternoon, we returned to Café Juan Ana where Giovanni, one coffee program workers and baristas, demonstrated how different methods for brewing coffee. He used a type of pour over and a Japanese siphon. Then he showed Fr. Ryan and Ema how to use the Chemex pour over. We got to sample all the different varieties of coffee, and then Edy surprised us with delicious frappuccinos.
From the café, a group of us walked to a nearby soccer field where we played a match with workers from the construction program. We got ice cream in town before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Today was a travel day. Our call time at MSP was 3:00 AM! Fortunately, we all made it to the airport on time and had no complications. While we were excited for the trip, we had a long way to go. We had a quick layover in Atlanta, then continued along the way to Guatemala City. We were picked up by Edgar from the San Lucas Mission and had a 3-hour drive through the winding mountain roads to San Lucas Tolimán.
We finally made it to our hotel and got settled in. Our visitor coordinators led us through a brief orientation. We ate dinner at the mission and then had Mass with Fr. Ryan and concluded the night with prayer and cards.
Tomorrow, we’ll get a chance to see all the mission programs. Please keep us in your prayers!
-Greg
Our group of misioneros met at MSP Airport at 4:00am, and once we got to the gate, we took some time to come before the Lord and ask for a good trip and save travels. Upon arriving in Guatemala City, we went through customs and then were picked up by Adrian and Tasha, our Visitor Coordinator.
Knowing that we will eventually need to barter in the marketplace, we paid attention to the listed prices of familiar items on advertisements in Guatemala City to get a sense of the value of various things. A Dave's Single burger from Wendy's sells for Q23. A Hot-&-Ready Pizza from Little Caesar's was advertised as Q40. And this led to the conclusion that we can determine the proper price of anything by first figuring out how many Baconators it is worth.
We hit a bit of rush hour traffic, but eventually got out of the city and had a three-hour ride through the winding mountain roads to San Lucas Tolimán. Because we arrived so late at night, the mission staff bought some pizzas for us, and then we settled into our hotel. We look forward to seeing the city by day and learning more about the mission tomorrow.
Terri challenged the team to take in all the encounters and surroundings as we arrived in Guatemala. Throughout the week, Greg will give a description of the day's events, and one of the youth participants will share about the experience from their perspective.
St. Luke, pray for us!
On our first full day in San Lucas, we settled into our typical routine: morning prayer together ash the hotel, meals at the mission biblioteca, various activities in the morning and afternoon, and a time for evening prayer and reflection back at the hotel to end the day. This morning, we visited a number of mission programs. First we stopped in the the mission school, Colegio Monseñor Gregorio Schaffer, and were warmly welcomed by the children there. We heard about how the mission has developed its education program in San Lucas. Nearly all of the students are unable to afford the cost to attend the colegio (which is about $19/year for each student). 98% receive scholarships from the school, and the other 2% receive financial support from other institutions. Several years ago, they implemented Montessori education for their 4-year-old class and found that these students began picking up mathematics and language skills faster than students who used the traditional methods of education.
Next we went to the women’s center, where women (and some young boys and girls) can take various free courses that teach them skills like sewing and gardening. These skills are invaluable and provide a source of income for women in the community. Recently the women’s center received a state-of-the-art, computerized embroidery machine that will allow them to quickly add logos to shirts they sew.
We then made our way to the health clinic. When the mission founder, Fr. Greg Schaffer, first came to San Lucas Tolimán, a woman handed her sick infant to him. The child died in his arms. This experience deeply impacted him, and he saw the need for improved health care. The mission soon after founded the health clinic. It has grown over the past several decades. From January to March of 2023, the clinic served 10,000 people. Many are unable to afford pharmaceuticals, but they simply pay what they can. They also can receive life-saving surgeries for Q200 (approx. $27).
Finally we visited Café Juan Ana. Coffee Director Edy Morales Alvarez explained the process of coffee production from planting coffee plants to roasting the processed beans. The mission coffee program purchases coffee from local coffee growers for above-market rates and provides other resources, like plants and mulch.
After lunch, we returned to the café to try three varieties of coffee. We visited the coffee museum and saw the older manual equipment they used to de-husk and roast the coffee beans. Then we walked up a hill to see the facility in which they wash the beans. There is no waste in this process. The filtered material is used to create mulch and the extra water feeds into a lush green area on the edge of the property.
At the end of a long and full day, we had dinner at the biblioteca and then went out for ice cream at a local shop with our wonderful visitor coordinators, Kadence and Sasha. Then we returned to the hotel for evening reflection and some intense games of Uno (both of which were won by Greg).
And now let’s hear from Tate:
I think I speak for the whole group when I say that we all had such new and incredible experiences today. One thing that especially stood out today was the school. As we walked in, all we heard was the joyous sounds of children screaming, laughing, and talking. There was not a drop of negativity in that entire building. As we were walking into one of the classrooms to talk to the teacher, there were two little children who were going person to person, hugging everyone. The genuine compassion they had, hugging each and every one of us, was such an incredible feeling. I can’t wait to go back to that school and get to know those children and get to know their experiences. Another life altering experience I had was meeting Pablo, a hospital worker. He continued and continued to thank us for coming. He was so grateful we were all here, and you could hear it in every word he said, even though it was in a language I didn’t understand fully. There were so many other things that I saw today, like the coffee making process or the women’s center, that were such cool experiences. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings and I’m so excited to find out!
After morning prayer and breakfast, we returned to the Women’s Center for “Living Class”. The director, Güicha, taught us the traditional way of making tortillas. The mix of blue, white, and yellow corn gave the tortillas a grey color. But after adding lemon juice and salt, they turned a reddish purple and tasted delicious. Then we went to a large basin wish smaller pilas used to wash clothes. Karina, the sub-director, showed us how to wash clothes in the piilas. Many families do not have running water in their home, so they are free to come to the women’s center to wash their clothes there or to take water from the basin to wash at home.We each brought an article of clothing to wash using this method. Karina also had each of us try to carry the laundry basket on our heads as is done by many women in San Lucas Tolimán. Next, Mario showed us the process by which many men in the community produce firewood (“leña”). This involves a 3-hour trek to the mountain forests, then using a machete to cut wood from fallen trees, and finally a 3-hour hike back down the mountain with 100 pounds of firewood. We enjoyed some cake and fresh passionfruit juice made at the women’s center.
In the afternoon we heard from Señor Gustavo, a man who grew up in the Casa Feliz (“Happy House”) orphanage. He spoke about growing up in the orphanage, his relationship with Fr. Greg, and eventually learning to weld from a patron from Minnesota. Now he runs his own workshop and has done numerous projects for the community, such as building the roof of the school. Gustavo credits the charitable work of Fr. Greg and the mission with providing him invaluable opportunities.
Doña Terri and the staff of the coffee program surprised the group with a little fiesta back at the café. They set up a piñata which the group attempted to break. Then we enjoyed more cake and drinks. After dinner, we returned to the hotel for evening prayer and reflection.
Let’s hear from Tess:
Every day in the morning and evening our group gathers in prayer to read scripture, journal, and talk about the day. There is a daily challenge that we all talk about at the end of the day and today’s challenge was “To find God in the midst of poverty and in our surroundings”. Today, there was an abundance of examples where the group found God in our surroundings. We spent the morning at the Women’s Center where we heard from two women and one man about the daily tasks that each of them do. Some women wake up before dawn to start making tortillas for their families (sometimes the only food they will have that day) while the men walk sometimes three hours out to find firewood and carry it on their backs home only to sell up to 100lbs for $13 a day. It was incredible to see the work ethic in the women and men who make barely as much in a day as in the US some people make in an hour. However, the people we met at the women’s center were joyful, faith filled, and so present to us. I saw God in their joyful hard work. It has been incredible to meet some of the most joyful and spiritually strong people I’ve ever met who sometimes do not have a meal to go home to like I do every day. It is a great reminder to me to focus my life’s goals not on material things but on faith because that is the one thing that is truly sustaining and continually fulfilling.
Today we started a bit earlier in order to make it to Mass. Fr. John, a priest originally from the Diocese of New Ulm, celebrated Mass at the mission church, and many of the students from the colegio attended. After breakfast, we started the charity project. Before we departed, each participant donated $25 of their own money. Here in San Lucas, we pooled the money with other donations we brought from SJN parishioners, and the director of the charity program, Myvi Juárez, joined us for the morning. First, she and her companion, Ignacio, shared about the history of the program and the city of San Lucas and that she herself was once a recipient of the charitable efforts of the mission. Myvi then explained that since the pandemic, some people in the community lost their jobs and finding regular work has been a challenge. To address this need, the charity program began using donations to put together bags of a week’s worth of groceries to share with people in need. We walked to the market in San Lucas and used a portion of the money to purchase goods to make these bags. With roughly $87.70, we made five bags. With the remaining money, we purchased two beds (mattress + box spring with feet).
Item | Price in Quetzales | Price in USD |
5 lbs of corn | Q125 | $16.66 |
Sugar | Q54 | $7.20 |
15 lbs. of beans | Q120 | $16.00 |
costales (sacks) | Q15 | $2.00 |
Margarine | Q60 | $8.00 |
Laundry soap | Q15 | $2.00 |
Handsoap | Q90 | $12.00 |
10 lbs. of rice | Q47.50 | $6.33 |
15 bags of pasta | Q86.25 | $11.50 |
atol (corn-based drink) | Q45 | $6.00 |
Total: | Q657.75 | $87.70 |
We then drove up to Panimaquip to deliver the bags and beds. We delivered one bag to a young woman and found that her situation was critical. She had two little girls, two years old and six months old. They were living in a dirt-floor home made of bamboo shoots and wood, roughly six square feet. Her baby had been sick with a fever for a week due to water leaking into the home and she could not afford medicine. Myvi explained to her that the mission could help their family by helping get medicine and possibly even a home if she were willing to apply. She also decided to give this woman one of the beds we purchased. The mission would get another bed for the intended recipient of that bed. The woman resisted asking for help due to a combination of shame and pride. We all hope that she will seek help from the mission.
After lunch, we went to the home of a community member named Andrés. He talked about life on the finca (plantation) where he worked from his childhood. The patrones (landowners) often exploited the workers. He made Q.025 each day (approx. $10/year). Eventually he left the finca and found work at the mission. He recalls Fr. Greg asking him what type of work he wished to do, but he didn’t know how to respond because he only ever had the patrón tell him what to do. Andrés also shared how his heart was changed and he came to appreciate and respect women and shared about his marriage.
From Andrés’s house, we rode in a tuk tuk (small taxi) to make it in time for an intense game of soccer with the staff of the mission construction program. Everyone deeply appreciated how they were so warmly welcomed in and were able to enjoy the time together despite their inability to communicate much beyond a few common words. We returned to the biblioteca for dinner and then walked into town to enjoy churros with our visitor coordinators. After a long day of physical and emotional exhaustion, we returned to our hotel for prayer and evening reflection.
Carlos:
Today was an extremely moving day for all of us. Our theme for the day was a simple one, “Find God in others.” This goal is one that I think could really be easily completed by just being awake for an hour or two and seeing God in a simple “Good morning” from a family member. The way we saw God speak through others today was so much more potent than a small act of kindess. the ways that we saw God provided real learning moments for all us through our day’s encounters. We learned how to really enjoy and appreciate Mass in a way we may not have really thought about before from the school kids at the children’s Mass we attended. We learned about perseverance and recognizing and respecting the importance of everyone’s roles (especially the women) from Sr. Andrés. Among learning from the community that we have gotten and get to continue to have the opportunity to be a part of for the next 5 days, I think where I have really seen God today is within the people in the group at the mission. Today has really showed me and all of us how selfless everyone on this trip is. Whether it’s deciding to give the bed to the lady with the 2 kids despite the long and hard trek that we would have to go on to carry the bed and frame to the house or the care and concern I received when I took a soccer ball the jaw. Everyone in our group at the mission— participants and staff included have shown God work through their actions. I’m so glad to be a part of this group with all these amazing people.
- Carlos Conlon
After prayer and breakfast, we traveled 30 minutes west of San Lucas to the. City of Santiago Atitlán. First we went to the Parque de la Paz (“Peace Park”). This is the site of a massacre during the Civil War in which 13 people were killed on December 2nd, 1990. Our visitor coordinator, Kadence, shared about the period of violence in Guatemala (1960-1996) as well as the generational trauma that is still seen today. Unfortunately this is a stain on our own national history: the U.S. was heavily involved in the humanitarian atrocities during this period.
We briefly visited the cemetery where these 13 are buried. Then we went to the Church of St. James and a small chapel where Blessed Stanley Rother was martyred in 1981. Kadence shared about his work and the circumstances surrounding his death. (Read more about him here.) The chapel contained the marks of his death. A floor tile contains a bullet hole from the shot that killed him, and his blood can still be seen on a cabinet door.
When we returned to the biblioteca for lunch, we learned that it was one of the cook’s birthday. Terri and Kadence slipped away to get an ice cream cake, and we all sang “Feliz cumpleaños” to Marina in the kitchen. After birthday cake, we went with Fr. John Goggin to the nearby community of Cantón San Martín, which is located on a ridge opposite Panimaquip where we went yesterday. Fr. John celebrates Mass at various communities on Saturday afternoons, so we went to a vigil Mass. The readings of the vigil were all used farming imagery, and Fr. John humbly remarked in his homily, “We must make ourselves good soil by receiving the Word of God with our minds and our hearts, and then we must respond by bearing good fruit. This is an evangelio del campo (“a gospel from the countryside”). You know better than I do how much hard work is required to prepare good soil for seed.”
We returned once again to the biblioteca and watched a documentary about Fr. Greg Schaffer called A Father for All. (You can watch this documentary yourself on YouTube [part 1, part 2]). It covers Fr. Greg’s beginnings in Minnesota, his call to San Lucas, and the work he did through his life. It was amazing to see in person many of the people and places involved in the film. At dinner, we had the delight of trying fresh dragonfruit that was grown at the Women’s Center.
Highlights of the day from Ema:
Today when we went to the Peace Park, and we heard about all the people that lost their lives fighting for their rights it was heartbreaking. The things that the Mayan people went through during the years of violence is so awful. The fact that all of us never learned about the genocide of the Guatemalan Maya population supported by the U.S. government just goes to show how sheltered we are growing up in the United States. These people here are more than welcoming to us and greet us constantly with a smile on their face when our government has taken so much from them. On the bright side though, when we went to Mass, we saw all of these children running around and spending time with each other it just made me smile. There was this one boy who was 10 years old, and his name is Andres and he talked to us after mass. He was taking care of his brother that was one year old. During Mass, the one year old was running around and giving us the sign of peace. He had to climb up onto the pew in order to shake my hand. He was overwhelmed by some of our heights though. I am blessed to be giving back to this community and having this experience, but I am even more blessed to have met these people and learned about their culture and about all the things that we should value in life. Buen día.
-Ema
Today was boat day! We started with Mass at the mission church. We quickly ate breakfast and then Kadence and Mynor took us to the dock. We hired a man named Felipe to take us by boat to San Juan La Laguna on the opposite side of the lake. Upon arriving at the dock, we walked up a hill lined with vendors, shops, and restaurants. At the top, we made it to a plaza in front of San Juan Church. It turns out they were about to begin a celebration in honor of the feast of today: Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We went down a side street and saw a presentation of how chocolate is made at a factory. Then as we left, the procession passed by in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We made our way back down the hill, stopping at the shops. Then we boarded the boat again and Felipe took us across the lake to Panajachel. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Atitlán and then explored more of the market.
Much of it would be hard to describe in words, so we’ll load this blog full of pictures.
Highlights from Adam:
Today we had the opportunity to travel via boat to two beautiful towns on Lake Atitlán - San Juan La Laguna and Panajachel. Not only were the rides filled with laughter and fun stories, but the destinations were absolutely breathtaking. After arriving in San Juan La Laguna, we were all greeted by locals and venders showing off their proud work. It was so beautiful walking down the street and being drawn to the bright colors of the artwork and street decor. One thing that struck me today was the realization of the inspiring work ethic here in Guatemala. Almost every person here is willing to do whatever they can to provide for their family, whether that’s waking up before the sun to gather wood at the base of a volcano or waking early to grind pounds on pounds of corn for tortillas. After returning back to San Lucas, we noticed these two boys around eight years old selling pouches of nuts for one Quetzal (approx $.013) to contribute to their family. It has been truly inspiring to see and observe how hard people of all ages are willing to work in order to provide for their family and loved ones here in Guatemala, and is something that I hope all of us here can take back home.
-Adam Husaby