Friday was a hectic but fun day for the team. We headed to Panajachael right after breakfast and started our day learning the culture of the Mayan people. Miguel, our tour guide for the day taught us about their language, their dress and the meaning behind what they wear. He also shared about their religion and how the Maya people believe the world came into existence, which is very far from the truth.
Miguel then took us on a boat ride across the lake to the city of Santiago. It is 95% Mayan and very crowded and very poor. We went to the home of a lady who showed us how they make some of the goods they sell. She showed us how to make thread from cotton, how to weave cloth into designs and she even dressed some of our team in Mayan clothing. It was a wonderful experience.
We returned back to Panajachael and headed to the Zip Line! Oh my, this was a fantastic experience for the team! They climb up the mountain to reach the starting point which seemed never ending....but once we got there it was amazing to zip line through the jungle surrounded by mountains, exotic wildlife and just the natural beauty of this city.
We had an authentic meal in Panajachael and then headed out for a little shopping. That is an experience that you can't explain. I can't tell you how many times each of us said No Gracias!
The sights, the sounds and the smell....it is so hard for us to put into words what we are seeing, hearing and smelling! One thing we all have noticed the most is that the people here work very hard long hours. We have watched young children to very old people carrying everything from a baby, to loads of wood, to harvested onions and the biggest carrots we had ever seen! We watched one man put a load on his back that it took 2 grown men to get off the top of a bus. They walk up and down mountain roads that nearly killed some of us with nothing on our backs!
So today is finishing up the security system, one last quilt, and watching the most chaotic garage sale you have ever seen! Claire lets the workers each pick 30 things for free, then the rest of the people get to buy things for about a quarter. Claire just yelled across the valley and the people came running. When everyone is finished buying they take the left overs to the front of the hospital down the road and within a minute everything is gone.
We leave for Guatemala City right after lunch, and it will be hard to say goodbye. We have experienced so much this week, and at times it has seemed overwhelming. We realize how much we take for granted, and hopefully we will remember to be thankful for all that God has blessed us with back home, but also to remember how much the people here need Christ, and to keep praying and supporting the Boggs ministry in Solola.
1 comment:
I want to thank the team for such a great trip. Things could not have gone any smoother.
Post a Comment