GUATEMALA - DAY 1

EARLY MORNING DEPARTURE

Today was DAY ONE!  It has been a LONG day - up at 2am - on the road by 3am to catch our flight out of O’hare Airport.   Chicago to Houston then Houston to Guatemala City.  We each brought just one carry-on suitcase (and were quite proud of ourselves!) crammed ourselves into tiny little seats on our airplane and began our journey.  The trip to Houston was smooth - nothing unexpected (always a good thing in an airplane).  Then we got to Houston.   Had the perfect amount of time to catch our next flight - which was conveniently just two gates down from our arrival gate.  As we readied ourselves to board our flight to Guatemala City, I realized that things were starting to feel different.  The voices around me were often speaking Spanish instead of English.  I sat listening to the sound of the different tone and inflection of the conversations and realized that my 40 day “streak” on my Duolingo App had not helped me understand the language as much as I had hoped - but enough to make me realize that the time I had spent had not been for nothing!

Janice and I talked about all different ways we have done ministry together over the years and were excited to still be doing ministry together 25 years later.  We reviewed the upcoming itinerary for our time in Guatemala.  

Janice was excited to be heading back to see her friends in person!  It had been a long two years since she had gotten to be with Ruth, Giovanni and the rest of the HRI staff.  As we all know, talking to “your people” through Skype or Zoom or FaceTime or whatever electronic method is NOT the same as sitting across the table from them, sharing laughs and making memories.  

We landed in Guatemala City and worked our way through customs to meet up with Rob, who was flying in from Atlanta, and Ruth and Giovanni who were picking us up from the airport.  I was so excited to see everyone in person, since I had joined the Board during the pandemic I had only “seen” everyone as a face on my computer screen.  While we had chatted, exchanged emails and gotten to know one another, it just is not the same as spending time in person getting to know each other personally - not just conducting business and exchanging pleasantries!

We headed outside, found Giovanni standing by the van they had rented for our time.  This was not like the Minivan I had when my kids were young - this was a minibus.

Ruth and Giovanni were delighted to see Janice and Rob - greeting them like the old friends they are.  Hugs and smiles all around.  As I was introduced in person, I was drawn into the fellowship and felt immediately comfortable and included in this group of friends.  

Ruth has been on staff with Hope Renewed for 8 years.  She started as a preschool teacher, then became the director of the Girls Home and now our Executive Director.     

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF GUATEMALA

We loaded up and were off - a stop for lunch and then to our hotel.   I have to say my first glimpse of Guatemala was not at all what I expected.  I had seen the pictures of the dump, the crowded neighborhood in Zone 3 where the HRI preschool is located, the precariously built structures in La Limonada.  What I first saw in Guatemala was a place that did not look much different from home.  Starbucks, Panda Express, a mall beautifully appointed with a retractable section of roof to allow the fresh warm air to swirl around the patrons. 

Lunch was eaten at a beautiful restaurant with delicious food served by gracious and attentive wait staff.   I had heard about the difference a few blocks could make in Guatemala, but this dichotomy almost felt unreal.   It was hard to imagine that the places I had seen in pictures could be anywhere near to where I was eating lunch, chatting with my new “old” friends.

I sat next to Ruth, each of us practicing our language skills - often turning to Rob and/or Google to translate when we got stuck.  I was again thankful for my Duolingo App but painfully aware that I have a long way to go.

DAY ONE AGENDA

We left the restaurant, checked into our beautiful hotel and prepared for the first stop on our official itinerary. We headed off to visit a potential lodging site for our upcoming Mission Team (and future teams).  Ruth had done the leg work and was excited to show us the small Christian college campus with dorm-like rooms that we could reserve for our future teams. 

We loaded up and headed to Zone 3.  It didn’t take long for things to change.  As we approached the location of Seteca, I began to SEE in person the things I had only seen in pictures.  This was not just like home anymore.  

Zone 3 is home to the largest dump in Central America, filled with people making a living off the discarded items of the city.  Trucks filled with huge bags of recyclable materials filled the streets - evidence of the hundreds of hands picking through refuse to make a living for themselves and their families.

We arrived at Seteca and as we drove up to the gated compound I pondered the difference between the lobby of the hotel we just left and the entry to this small compound in the middle of Zone 3.  I tried to imagine pulling up as a mission team and was unsure.  

BUT then we parked, met our contact and were treated to a tour of the facility.   I was so pleasantly surprised by the tranquility and beauty of the location.  The rooms, while not the Marriott, were clean and tidy.  The grounds were beautiful and spacious.  We all knew immediately that this was a perfect location for our teams!  It would provide the perfect place of retreat, reflection and rest after a day of serving.  Once again we thanked God for bringing Ruth to Hope Renewed and all that she does on a day to day basis to accomplish the work God has given this ministry.

Stay tuned for Day 2!  And please join us in praying for God’s wisdom, direction and protection over the ministry of Hope Renewed International!

If you want more information about Hope Renewed - check out our website hoperenewed.org  

If you would like to talk to someone about sending a mission team or just more information about missions - please email our Mission Team Coordinator at megan.twadell@hoperenewed.org

If you feel God is leading you to support HRI financially - please click here or go through the website to donate.  

I will post pictures and updates from Guatemala.  Watch for our blog posts.