Word of the Day: Hospitality

Sorry for the delayed posting here. One of the first things we learned about El Estor is that Internet service (and the three Internet Cafes in town) have sporadic hours on Sunday. We should do better the rest of the week. News has piled up, so today you are only going to hear about our arrival and the day we spent Sunday. Monday´s news will have to wait until Tuesday.
We have been welcomed in Guatemala with incredible hospitality -- at our debriefing after a long day Sunday, "hospitality" was the most frequently mentioned response to our first day here. The drive from the Guatemala City airport to Rio Dulce -- our Saturday night layover -- was about five hours long, over a beautiful road that wandered through spectacular mountains. We are in two vehicles -- a 20 passenger van and a 10 passenger mini-van. We are accompanied by PC(USA) mission co-workers David Wiseman and and Ellen Dozier, Young Adult Volunteer Sarah Robinson, and our sturdy drivers, Martin and Jose. Around dusk we spotted a beautiful rainbow that stretched from horizon to horizon. We all pointed wildly, whereupon Jose told us that among the Kek´chi people, if you point at a rainbow, your finger will fall off. We´ve all been keeping eagle-eyes on our fingers ever since.
Sunday morning we were up early for the two-hour drive to El Estor, a beautiful little town on the shores of Lake Izabal. We were welcomed for worship at Arca de Noe (Noah´s Ark) Presbyterian Church, where the congregation included members from several other Presbyterian Churches in the Lake Izabal area. Seventy-five percent of the population here is Kek´chi, descendents of the Mayans. There is a lovely mural on the back chancel wall depicting Noah´s Ark -- made us wish we´d brought photographs of our now-famous "youth wall." The first thing we discovered, AFTER sitting down, is that women sit on the left and men on the right. After moving to the correct side of the aisle, two guys from a neighboring church lugged a massive wooden marimba (the national instrument of Guatemala) down the center aisle and set it up right in front of the pulpit. We knew immediately this was going to be different. Throughout the service, four guys played simultaneously, sometimes joined by Doug Yeager on flute.
The little church is lovely -- cinderblock walls, tile floor, corrugated tin roof, paneless windows and a sound system far better than CHPC´s. Our entire grupo was invited to offer a song, so we muddled through "I´m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me" -- we surely could have used Lewis Washington in the lead. About halfway through the service, the pastor got up and asked if anyone was prepared to preach. David Wiseman offered a few words, and then Jane. Everything took longer than usual, because three languages were in use -- English, Spanish and Kek'chi. STILL, the service didn´t last much longer than our CHPC semi-marathons. David said it would have been a lot longer, but "I think they were probably expecting us to preach longer."
After lunch (also in the sanctuary), we entertained what seemed to be every kid for 50 miles around. We had planned a number of activities -- bead-stringing, picture-coloring, paper bag puppet-making, jigsaw puzzle-making, and a host of outdoor games. The afternoon started with just a handful of kids from the churches, but before long kids (and their mothers, grandmothers and older siblings) were pouring into the church. It was an extraordinary afternoon, with nothing (not even language or the insufferable heat and humidity) getting in the way. We have no idea who had more fun, the kids or us.
Even though it was a very long day, debriefing Sunday night was exhilarating. We are so blessed already to be here and are so grateful for the prayers and support we feel strongly from all of you.
May God continue to be with us here. And may God continue to be with you there. Adios until Tuesday.

Jerry