Pacific Ocean

After we left Al and Gail’s on Sunday afternoon we headed south. It was in the direction of El Salvador, but we stopped an hour short of the border. We went to the Pacific Ocean right on the coast. We went to a beach called Las Lisas. We drove about a half hour from Al and Gail’s and then parked our car in the parking lot there. We then took a ten minute boat ride to an “island” (inaccessible by car). After the boat ride, through the jungle, we walked another ten minutes, to a hotel, where we weren’t expected, but were allowed to stay anyways. To stay the night it cost a group of eleven: 400 quetzales which equates to $60 CAD. That is for four separate rooms with two big beds, a toilet and a shower. It was also a beachfront hotel. It may not be as nice as the Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton in North America, but it had the necessities and I had an amazing sleep. We dumped our bags in our rooms and ran for the ocean. Wow it was amazing. I have now touched the Pacific Ocean in five different countries. We walked into the water a bit, swam, threw the football around, and enjoyed the sunset. I enjoyed just sitting on the beach and sucking in God’s beautiful creation. It had been a good day: a good hour and a half sweaty hike to church, John got baptized, a road trip, the beach, and now we were settling in for the night. It is amazing all that God created and just staring out at everybody having a good time, the waves crashing on the shore, the sun setting, a (for the most part) a clear blue sky, the dark coloured sand; just looking out across the vast ocean taking in all the glory and wonder and creation that God placed on this earth. It brought a level of peace and serenity to the team members. It was nice as we had Juan Carlos as our chaperone. He stayed up with us after supper (rice, potato, chicken, veggies) and a trip to a small tienda on the island (to get a few munchies), just to sit and chat. Everybody had found that were having a good weekend and didn’t want it to end. Just being away from campus and Bob and Shirley; made everybody’s moods more positive for some reason. Everybody was talking to someone else and everybody slowly made their way to their bedrooms before midnight, including our responsible chaperone. Juan Carlos even defended the girls after some wild dogs started chasing them down. It had been a good day and I had a good solid seven hours of sleep, before I happily awoke to the sound of the waves. The girls had watched the sunset while the guys slept in. We had beans and eggs for breakfast and then Caleb led the way into the water. This morning we were allowed to use the boogie boards because it was safer. Everybody was in the water for a really long time. I eventually came out and went for a run. I didn’t take my camera; instead I took the Lord. The Lord and I went for, about, a four kilometer run. It was a great experience just spending some alone time with the Lord which is sometimes hard to do, when the majority of the time I am around the group. I came back and worked on my amazing tan. According to John I am at the East Indian colour state right now. As long as I don’t get diseased, it is fantastic. After my tan some of the group and I decided it would be fun to bury me, so they did. It was about a foot in, they inscribed a body on me, took pictures, then left. It took me a good twenty minutes to wedge my way out, but it was fun, I suppose. I decided it was time to get cleaned up before we all left, so I did. After that I took one last look out towards the ocean. There was Shawn just walking and dancing in the sand, near the waves. It looked as though there was a sense of peace upon her and I was glad to see she was enjoying her time. It was a lot to take in, but the past couple days have brought unity, peace, serenity, calmness, and a positive attitude upon our group; it is too bad we have to go back home because it will probably change.

It is a Miracle

It is Sunday, January 28, 2007, and we were walking down the steep hill home from church. It was about a fifty degree downgrade. We all stopped at the bottom of the hill where there was a bridge, before the hill made a steep ascend. We went under the bridge and most of us took off our shoes and took our positions.We were still with the missionaries Al and Gail and they drove and walked with us to church and back; they also came under the bridge. The day before, our very own John, had a deep conversation with Bob, and after a lot of prayer and thinking, our little John decided to get baptized.After church we went to Rio de Flores (Flower River) which is situated between Al and Gail's house and Al and Gail's church; in the valley in between. Al and Gail's house being situated a few hours south of San Pedro, in a village in the boonies, called San Juan Tecuaco.Under the bridge Al Anderson baptized John "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." and it was complete. Caleb was there to assist to make sure John didn't bump his head on the rocks. The rest of us were to the side taking pictures and cheering. John came out of the water and we hugged him and congratulated him. He was, in a sense, a new man. He figured after talking with Al and praying, consulting, talking, and thinking with God that it was his time.
It was a good beginning to the day. John being my best friend gets baptized. I felt amazing and I didn't even get baptized. I could see John wasn't ready to be baptized before we came to Guatemala, but now that we are here I see John growing up mentally and spiritually; it is awesome for a best friend to witness. It is so neat to see John coming closer to our Father in heaven. It set the tone for the rest of the day; everybody was in such a positive attitude. For some reason, it seemed to better unite the team. The last few days seemed to be a time for change, renewal, and gaining better knowledge, understanding, and getting closer to God. I thought it was a perfect time to celebrate!!! I am happy and excited for John and his future.