we still can't believe it...

It was a three day holiday in Guatemala, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, celebrating Guatemala's independence from Spain, and also its independence from other states in Central America. So, it was Independence Day! We have been all over the last three days, and seen the celebrations from the big city of Guatemala Ciudad to the smallest villages in the south-east of Guatemala. It has been a whirlwind trip and we are still on visual and audio overload trying to sort out all of the beautiful things we have seen and done. Guatemala is unlike any other country in Central America, even the world, perhaps, because of it's incredible diversity. Not only is the geology, topography, flora and fauna spectacular throughout the country, but the culture is different everywhere we go. From small villages to slums of the small port cities along the Atlantic coast; from wonderful, smiling helpful people to hostile groups, we have experienced a wide spectrum of living styles this long weekend.

The Bawdens, humanitarian missionaries, invited us to go with them. Dean speaks fluent Spanish, and for that we have been exceedingly grateful. We left at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday morning and drove for five hours to a beautiful place called Lake Isabel. This is a fresh water lake and in size it is next largest to Lake Nicaragua, which is the largest lake anywhere in Central America (perhaps most of South America). It is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by a large river named Rio Dulce. This lake was crucial to transporting fruit from the West Coast to the Atlantic Coast and then on to North America. I have been reading about the banana and pineapple exports and the history of the companies who have made Guatemala the unique country it is today, and so it was with great interest that we visited this lake. We stayed in a hotel called the Mansion House and it was situated right on the south end of the lake where the river begins its journey to the Atlantic. If any of our family or friends come to Guatemala it will be the first thing we do for them. We had our own small boat with driver. We spent the next four or five hours going down and up, the river. We went through mangrove swamps with massive trees with their roots sunk in water, seen many acres..many, many areas of quiet, backwash waters covered with water lilies, looking for alligators (didn't see any), and gazing in wonder at the forest beside us. There are little tiny homes here and there, and on the mouth of the river where it empties into the ocean is the village of Livingston which figures in the history of Guatemal. The only way to this village is by boat. We stopped and walked around and shopped in the little tiendas. Saw the first dogfight I have seen in many years, and it was scary. This was more of a Carribean village and quite different in layout from other villages. There were lots of little lanes, no main street that I could see; whereas most of the Guatemalan villages have one street, essentially, with the main road being the action center of the village. This is not true for the cities, as they have massive neighborhoods and shopping areas, historic sites, and many other modern things like "traffic" and large buildings. That is quite different from the small towns.

Our hotel was old fashioned and quite lovely. It can't compare to the modern day Marriot's and other fancy hotels, but it was beautiful and full of families with children of all ages. It was a destination place, not a place where you come and leave the next day. That night, after dinner, I had a hankering for M and Ms, and casually mentioned it to Hermana Bawden. Her husband overheard me and insisted we go into Rio Dulce to look for chocolate. This is a noisy, crowded little town, and as in most small towns, everyone is outside in the streets. Food was cooking everywhere, music was playing, colors, designs, inventory of all kinds(from tourist things to vegetables and household goods) all were crowded onto both sides of the street.President Clarke told us "not to do stupid stuff"...his words exactly. This little trip for chocolate wasn't exactly wise and we will do better from now on. This, by the way, wasn't the only marginal thing we did. But, at any rate, Brother Bawden - taller by a foot than anyone around him, went from stall to stall looking for M and Ms. Everyone was in a festive mood, partly because of the holiday, and it turned out to be lots of fun. We didn't give away any Books of Mormon, however.

The next day we went to Point Barrios, the only deep water port in Central America, and which also figured in the history of Guatemala. The landscape is beautiful, and as in North America, elevation dictates the type of plant life, so is it here. We went from flat lands to forest, to what might be called jungle, to river lands and on to the ocean.

We got lost in the slum area of Port Barrios and somehow found our way out with the help of some kind people. I guess we weren't really lost, but the main road was not where we thought it was. That was the other dumb thing we did, as we went up and down little lanes that reminded us of the outskirts of Lima. People looked at our car and the people in it with suspicion and unsmiling faces, and in one group, perhaps some hostility. We shouldn't have been there and we will be wiser next time.

We were glad to be back at the hotel. This morning we checked out after a sumptious breakfast and drove to the ruins of _____________. This was a connecting city of a string of cities in AD 700 to 800. We saw huge stele, a ball field with massive steps on one end in laid out in pyramidal fashion. We have seen stele in museums here, but these were the first we have seen in the actual site. These were Maya cities...but with great Olmec influence. The Omecs seem to be, to me at least, sort of a mystery civilization. The artistic and architectural influence seemed to sprout from the Olmecs and flourished in Mayan and Aztec cultures.

It was so hot that we were soaked. All three days were hot like this and I understand now, for the first time, the wisdom of drinking water constantly. In all this humidity, dyhydration is a real problem.

As we went through small towns all over this part of Guatemala we were constantly in little traffic jams as each little city had parades. The parades consisted of three or four trucks with "queens" in pretty dresses sitting in the back, school children walking, balloons, and in one city an actual drum band with uniforms that someone must have donated, happy parents watching their children, and flags everywhere. The parades would go a block or two then turn around and come back. Then when they had come to the starting place they would turn around and repeat the same distance. It was a simple and humble celebration which reminded me of the fourth of July parades our Primary used to have many years ago. Torch runners were everwhere, from the Port Cities all the way to the West coast. We saw many torch runners and each had a coterie of runners with them.

It is a nice quiet evening and we thought it a perfect time to catch up on our blog. While this posting has been a travelogue, I must say that the work is going well. We see the hand of the Lord every single day as we find a way to do tasks that were troubling and confusing. Answers to problems have fallen in our lap as we pray for guidance. We actually finished three huge projects this last week in addition to our regular tasks. We will now get ready to visit missions throughout Central America. The CCM (missionary training center) remains a place of wonder for us. And as we have visited the homes many of these missionaries have come from we feel even more wonder at the blessings the gospel brings into the lives of these people. The Perpetual Education Fund has got to be one of the most incredible blessings for people throughout the world. I had no idea of its scope and how it makes possible a better life for many people who have little future. Without it, missionaries who come from these very poor situations would have to go home after their missions and go right back into subsistence living. With this opportunity to learn new skills, many Latin missionaries will have a different future than their parents ever dreamed of for their sons and daughters.

The vision and the ability to carry those visions is one of the miracles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Power and Authority of the church changes lives in a way I have never imagined before. The simplicity of procedures and the respect the church has for the cultures in Central America is different from anything I have seen anywhere else. The church works in a ways that never conflict with politics, tradition, etc. School desks here, an irrigation project there, agronomists teaching people how to fertilize fields, setting up little industries in small villages; all of these projects are designed to not drain a penny from the economy, but to teach skills that will assist the economy of a region. It seems as though it is a gentle system of encouragement. It is difficult to explain and I guess one has to see it to understand it.

There have been many experiences this last week: a small dinner in our apartment - "chili on your lap" party for two sisters who just moved next door to us, a dinner down-town for the family of those who were killed in the airplane crash some weeks ago. The Bawdens and the Taylors hosted this dinner and we had a large group. It was difficult to see the stuggles of these teen-age children, but the Bawdens have arranged for them to meet with Elder Falabella, one of the Area Presidency for an interview. He is a family friend and hopefully will be able to counsel the children and help them get on with their lives. I have given Daniel (17) a copy of Elizabeth Ballentyne's composition for a solo male voice. He is going to learn it and sing it for groups. We have also given a copy to Carlos Rebanales who is a musician and does choirs all over. If someone ever reads our blog, perhaps you could let Elizabeth know how much everyone has loved this piece of music, and furthermore, how it has become a blessing in one young man's life. This music was written for the Aaronic Priesthood, but it has a meaning far beyond that here in Guatemala.

Enough for now! This has been a great week of learning. The only thing we haven't done is testify. That will be our goal for this week.