First Impressions
I arrived in Guatemala City on the afternoon of August 18th. After a short and sleep-filled ride to Antigua, I made it to my new home for the next six weeks. Once I brought in my bags and met my host family, I finally met Teddy and Rachel in person! We walked around the city and found somewhere to eat.
After dinner, the three of us found our way to Parque Central and squished onto a bench to sit and talk. This became a trend for us during our time in Antigua – squishing onto a bench and chatting. I sat there, overwhelmed by the scene around me: vendors lined the sidewalks selling the same magnets, keychains, and other touristy goods; a man kept approaching us, asking if we wanted to buy coffee from his backpack coffee machine; kids were running around playing with light-up toys and selling candy. I couldn’t believe I was here. I didn’t know what to think.
Spiritual Growth and Surprises
When I first arrived in Antigua, I would go to pray at the gorgeous San Francisco el Grande – a beautiful historic church in Antigua. I would ask the Lord, “I’m here, now what? What do you desire for me?” In the first few days, I was met with what seemed like radio silence. But as the weeks went on, the Lord began to move in my heart. I’ve been so blessed to attend Mass nearly every single day I’ve been here (including the day we hiked a volcano!). Through this, Jesus has given me a renewed reverence and love for His Holy Sacrifice in the Eucharist. I’m in awe of Him and how He suffers for us, and I desire to share in His love and suffering.
Additionally, I experienced a new “stepping into” my daughterhood with Mama Mary. I had always felt disconnected from Mary as my Mother, even after completing a Marian Consecration. Through frequent prayer, Rosaries, and witnessing the incredible devotion to Mary among the people here, I’ve grown closer to our Mother every day and feel called to turn to her with all my struggles and joys.
A bird pooped on my head, a dog peed on my bed
Spanish classes are only four hours a day, so what have the three of us US missionaries been doing with the rest of our time here?
Well, we started by doing a lot of walking, talking, praying, and sitting on benches. I fell in love with our little routine after just a week of doing it. During our second week here, I had the good luck of a bird pooping on my head! This wasn’t my only unpleasant encounter – lots of dogs roam the streets of Antigua, so I’ve spent a lot of time cleaning my shoes after stepping in doggie-do-do! All that to say, being a missionary has presented challenges I wasn’t expecting.
I also spend a lot of time at home with my host family. I live with a wonderful and kind woman, Maria Elena, her son, and her two granddaughters. I love talking to Maria and the granddaughters at mealtimes, asking about their school day and their plans. The youngest is learning how to pronounce many words in Spanish, so we’re learning together! The other resident of the house is Simba, their dog. Simba loves to be scratched and is full of curiosity and energy (so much so that she felt inclined to mark her property on my bed).
The Lord presented us with a great opportunity to serve within our first couple of weeks here! Nuestros Ahijados (God’s Children) is a non-profit in Antigua that focuses on providing “quality health, education, economic and social empowerment, and sustainable development programs” to children and mothers. At Nuestros Ahijados, Teddy, Rachel, and I have been able to volunteer at their after-school program with elementary and middle school-aged children, and at Casa Jackson, a house and home for malnourished babies.
There are several volcanoes in Guatemala, including four near Antigua. Two are active – Fuego and Pacaya – and two are inactive – Agua and Acatenango. I’ve had the opportunity to hike two of them – Volcán Acatenango and Volcán Pacaya! We signed up for both adventures the day before, so I had no idea what to expect.
Hiking Volcán Acatenango was probably one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. It not only tested and pushed my physical limits but also my humility and pride. The hike took five hours up, we stayed overnight, and then hiked three hours down. We had to carry our water, food, and overnight gear with us. Almost immediately after starting, I realized going up was going to be much more difficult than I had imagined; I didn’t think I could do it. I asked the guide if I should turn back. At this point, Teddy offered to carry my backpack in addition to his own. At first, I refused, but once I realized I wouldn’t be able to climb with it on, I agreed.
Giving up my backpack was so incredibly humbling. I felt like my pride would have been hurt less if I had just given up and gone back down the volcano, rather than giving my bag to someone else to carry. As I continued to struggle up the volcano, I prayed for strength and humility to make it to the top.
And, boy, was the hike worth it! We made it to the campsite on the volcano and could watch Volcán de Fuego, the nearby active volcano, erupt every 15 minutes or so. We had an amazing view of another volcano, the clouds, and the cities below. At supper, as we sat around the campfire, I talked with other hikers from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Germany, and more! The next morning, while others hiked to the summit of the volcano, I sat outside our tent, looked at the stars, and watched Fuego continue to erupt. I even saw Orion, my favorite constellation. It was one of the most incredible days of my life and worth every painful step it took to get there.
Towards the end of our time in Antigua, Teddy, Rachel, and I hiked another volcano – Pacaya. Volcán Pacaya is much smaller but active, with a slow flow of lava that you can walk up to and even cook on! I couldn’t stop jumping for joy when we reached the top – it was so beautiful! I was in awe of how majestic the volcano was and how millions of years of rock formation led to this moment. At the lava, we cooked marshmallows and made s’mores – an incredible way to start a Saturday!
Head in the Game
For our last full weekend in Antigua, we had a retreat to prepare for our arrival at the Finca. Nate (fellow missionary and service coordinator at the Finca), Lica Lorena (the Finca director), Sor Isamor (a Franciscan Nun), and the founder of the Finca, Zulena, all joined us for the retreat. It was so nice to go to a quiet convent away from the hustle of the city for a few days and to spend four days listening and speaking in Spanish (it was difficult but great practice!).
The highlight of the retreat was spending all day Saturday listening to Zulena share the origin story of Finca del Niño in Honduras. The organization was founded by Zulena, who is originally from Antigua, and her husband, Vincent. Zulena and Vincent met when he was a missionary in Antigua and she lived here. After just five months together, they felt called to marry and begin their lives as a missionary couple. They first started a children’s home in “la selva” – or jungle – of Guatemala, where many children were left orphaned or without families due to military violence. After several years at the home in Guatemala, Vincent told Zulena he felt the Lord calling them to open another home in a different country – Honduras! They spent years preparing the current-day Finca – building homes, a school, and a church, earning the trust of local residents and officials, and completing all the legal work needed to welcome children. Just about a month before the Finca in Honduras was ready to open its school, Vincent tragically died in a plane crash near the Finca, along with his brother-in-law and another Finca missionary. Convicted by her husband’s love and the mission, Zulena bravely decided to open the school and start receiving children. The rest is history.
Zulena’s story took nearly five hours to tell. She shared so much about her and Vincent’s life together and the struggles and victories of starting two children’s homes while raising a family of their own. It was such a joy and privilege to hear. It not only inspired me but profoundly changed my perspective on my service there. Even after leaving the US and living in Antigua, there is still so much about the Finca that scares me. But my time at the Finca is not about me; the Lord wants to use me as an instrument to love His children there. Zulena and Vincent didn’t let anything – even death – stop them from following God’s call to mission. The mission I was called to is Finca del Niño, and the Finca’s mission is to love. The Lord is simply calling me to love His children.
Please continue to pray for me and my fellow missionaries as we prepare to start at Finca del Niño – pray for an openness of heart and for the ability to give our worries to the Lord. Know that I am praying for you and your intentions! Blessings!
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