Guatemala

April 9, 2008

Esquipulas, Guatemala….what a dry place. Although it is the end of the dry season, so I can give it that, but still, it changes your idea of the tropics so see many parts that are very dry for large times in the year. Anyways, it was a fun trip. We headed out from La Comunidad around 330am, arriving in town (San Pedro Nonualco) around 4 or so, and then when the buses arrived, and after some initial confusion on how people were going to pay and board, we headed out at 5 am en punto. It was a full crowd on both buses, around 120 people in total at $10 a pop (Don Raul and Dona Amalia ran the excursion from La Comunidad, but invited the whole parish). So they made quite a bit of money for the festivals in August I think.

Crazy Peace Corps people...I wasn't there, but I was forwarded this pic and its hilarious

It was about a 4 hour bus ride to the border, then 45 mins to an hour at customs, then another 30 mins or so to Esquipulas in Guatemala. The border was fun, they had an army of money changers jump on the bus right as we stopped to get off so they could check the bus etc. They were changing every dollar into 7 quetzals. The exchange rate was about 7.55 to a dollar, so they were making half a quetzal on every dollar exchanged….that’s pretty good business, yet our people had no idea they were losing that. I didn’t bother to mention it with 120 people. I only changed 8 dollars at the border, originally I only changed 3 dollars, and then felt bad when I asked a guy for American change for my ten and didn’t change any money with him, so I changed five more dollars. It was a good thing I did, because things there in Esquipulas were more expensive than in El Salvador…..tourist trap. They actually were surprised that I made it through without them charging me because the gringos that passed before me on their trips had been taken aside to pay extra for entering Guatemala. Thank goodness for official government documents J I always carry my little green book with me for cases such as that.
Esquipulas is a quaint little city, surrounded by mountains as many are in Central America (valleys are preferred I think). It’s a big tourist draw because of its new renovated Cathedral which houses the Black Christ (its ok, you can smile at that, the black part just refers to the color of the entire thing now). It reminds me of the Black Virgin and Jesus up in Montserrat in Spain. Both are popular pilgrimage sites. The one in Esquipulas was carved back some 400 years ago (1595?) as gift to a bishop (?) and because of the miracles that were claimed by those who were praying to God before it, it became popular throughout the centuries to come and see and pray. But like in any material thing, one must be careful to never confuse the source of inspiration with the source of the miracle. I hope they realize that, after discussing with Don Raul, I think he does.

I think thats my kiss me face

Don Raul's kiss me face ahahaha... his brother is behind him

Dona Amalia asleep.... like everyone else
They also make many types of candies there, so everyone was buying candies and crosses and rosaries to bring back to El Sal. I bought some ice cream for myself and spent the rest of my 56 Quetzales on candies for the kids (apparently the quetzal is the name of the national bird in Guatemala). As I said earlier though, things are expensive there. A 3 liter coke there is 2.50, and in el Sal you can get the same thing in a Super for $.70…or a $1.20 in a local store. Eventually, after perusing a little bit, we left to wait at the bus at the appointed time, 3pm. However, there was a couple that didn’t get there til 4, so we waited for an hour in a steaming bus and I spent 5 quetzales trying to buy a phone call off of random people because our phones didn’t work there (after my call to you Cari my phone shut off too like theirs).

Eventually we made it back around 830 that night, after having a bus that blew a tire. I hung out with the fam in the Lopez house for a while, gave out the candy, and slept away. It was a good trip. Francisco and the runt asleep in the hammock

Monday was 1st birthday of the twins, we had a piñata and it was fun. A sister of Don Raul from California was visiting as well. They loved to throw in English in most conversations and talk about the US a lot. I kept trying to turn the convo back to El Sal and include everyone there, but they made it hard. I felt bad for those who didn’t speak English or who hadn’t visited the US. Anyways, the husband was a machinist for BOEING and has 40 years with them, so needless to say. They have money beyond anything anyone here in the Cantón could dream. I just found out, for example, that Margherita, makes less than a dollar a day at her work in the capital.
I SHAVED…. They say I look like a 17 yr old boy now. :) Me with whats left of the head of the pinata
As far as my workload goes here, its pretty heavy going. I think I’ve bit off more than I should have at the beginning, but I hope it pays off eventually. The first two weeks of this month there was only 1 day I had free and it was a day of cleaning and washing. It’s all good though, I’d rather be busy than bored. I’ve lost a lot reading time though, that is the sad part.

What else, ah yes. They are now running church missions out to the canton farthest away from the pueblo to evangelize those who often can’t come into the main part of the parish for certain events. Our canton is sending a group this week to participate, and soon I will be working out there as well in preparation for the eye campaign that is coming by FUDEM that I invited at the end of May. It’s about a 2 and a half hour walk from what I hear from the upper part of the pueblo, which is an hour walk from me. I’ll be ready for a short vacation come July :)
Also, I finally broke down and bought a $40 Canon printer and 6 ft. USB cable for $1.50. I don’t want to be draining the ink from the only computer and printer in the town and now I can help out a little more promoting events with it. I just hope the ink lasts. The cartridges are 20 bucks a pop. So far though, it doesn’t seem to be having a problem with Windows Vista, that’s a good thing.

William! and the pinata
No one be expecting calls from me this month from here on out, my budget will have to be tight the next few months due to some expenses for some of the work here so, sorry, but always remember that incoming calls for me are free.

Finally, I would just like to say that a book was placed in my Peace Corps box in the office in San Salvador that is now the newest addition to my fiction section part of my library here in my house…..the Book of Mormon!!!!....its now right beside the Koran and Sun-Tzu. It was left as a joke between me and another few guys, knowing that is was Mormonism’s ‘biggest supporter’ during training. A note was left inside for me.

“-Rhett
Thought you might like the true word of the Lord.
-Joseph Smith”

Let me throw a few quotes for thought in addition to this.

“Please tell me where in the Bible, the King James Version of the Bible which you believe in and Mormons believe in, is the word “Bible” used, and where has the canon of Scripture been closed?”

-Bill, a Mormon, and a call-in to the Allen Hunt Show

“the Bible is a fallible collection of infallible books”

-J.C. Sproul, Protestant Bible Scholar and author

“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.”

*NIV Study Bible note…. “the warning here relates specifically to the book of Revelation.”*

St. John the Apostle, the book of Revelation 22:18-19

“I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Joseph Smith on the Book of Mormon

If you were asked if the Table of Contents of the Bible was fixed, how would you respond? Would it be the same as the Mormon’s answer? The Jesus Seminar answer? Allen Hunt’s answer? The Bible’s answer?

http://www.allenhuntshow.com/Listen/Audio/MP3/2007_0429_01.mp3

(I personally think the best quote was the guy who made a point saying “well…if you put the Gospel of John in parentheses” HA!... Can we tell him that’s wrong though, eliminating a book from the Bible, if it doesn’t ‘speak’ to him?)