This May Be the Last Time...

After a fairly routine week, we spent the weekend in the mountain city of Chichicastenango. On Friday we left after taking a Spanish exam and stopped along the way at the Iximche Maya Ruins. The weather was a little cold and misty, so it was difficult to fully appreciate the experience. Nonetheless it was interesting and we took lots of fun pics. We then went to our home for the weekend, which was the headquarters of the Ruth and Naomi Project. Laura helped make the tortillas for supper with Nels. It was a bit more difficult than you would think. The ladies laughed at Nels and Laura, probably making fun of them in their native tongue, K´iche. 

 The next morning, we met with the pastor who helped found the Project and we learned about the history of the Project and the Methodist church in Guatemala. Then we went to visit the home of the president of the Project, where they sell a variety of their handwoven products. The trip was quite the experience.... our bus went the wrong way down a oneway street in Chichi and then had to back out of it. The narrow streets made it difficult to traverse the city. Then we took the windy mountainous road to the house, which left our bus smoking and the strong smell of breaks in the air. We spent a good portion of the trip praying and singing the song "This May Be the Last Time..." But luckily, it wasn´t. Needless to say, we were very glad when we arrived at our destination alive. Seeing the women and their products was heart-warming to see how proud they were of their work and how far they´ve come since the Civil War left them with nothing. We all bought lots of goods from the women; it was all so beautiful and unique.

Our evening was spent talking to a Catholic priest which provided some interesting insight into how the Catholic church works with the indigenous spirituality here in Guatemala. It was nice to spend some time together as a group that evening, playing games and laughing a lot. 

The next morning we woke up early to head to Mass at the Catholic church. It was a new experience for a lot of us and the sound of the marimba provided a new take on church music. The service was a mixture of Spanish and K´iche, which made it a little difficult to remain focused and understand what was being said. Afterwards we spent several hours wandering through the markets of Chichi, which were filled with people everywhere. Imagine Black Friday on steroids (in the words of Laura). Our bargaining skills are now quite perfected and our pocketbooks.... empty. Then we took the 3 and a half hour trip back to Guatemala City. Once home, we all tried to catch up on our homework, since absolutely none was done this weekend. Overall, it was an exciting trip with a lot of fun group time and memories. It was good to be able to connect with our groupmates on a deeper level. Now it´s back to the books for the next few days.
Peace out yo.
Taylor 
(Rach and Laura)
KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS!




´´photo credit: HEATHER TIESZEN