Guatemala: Day 5 Reflections

Written by CTS Student Ursula Rivers

This morning we began with coffee. The best part of the day is drinking Guatemalan coffee. My first gesture of gratitude was, “thank you God for this great cup of coffee”.  Breakfast was delicious. Reyna, our chef, has spoiled us.  It was my time for devotion. I have been focusing all week on Matthew 25:42-44.  After seeing poverty on a different level, I have meditated on the words of Jesus. How can anyone that walked the streets of Guatemala City stay the same?  This morning we discussed in devotion the impact each of us have experienced as we interacted with different ministries this week.  We all have stories of what this vision trip has meant to our own context in ministry. What will we change when we get back to the USA? 

We packed our bags to leave for the rural parts of Guatemala. Traffic is not for the weary. We had several delays with the outgoing traffic. Everyone was excited we were going to see the indigenous people of the Mayan culture. The bus driver was trying so desperately to get us to our destination in two hours. What a surprise we had. It took us several hours to make the trip. Some of us chilled, while others made the best of a long destination. Laughter filled the bus from the back. It’s always the people in the back having the most fun. 

Rain came down like buckets of water. Our bus driver was great. He got us to the town of San Juan before dark. The beauty of the hotel was breathtaking. Finally, we would get settled into our rooms.  Food was on everyone’s mind. We couldn’t forget that we needed to find clean bathrooms. The one we stopped along the way was void of toilet paper and cleanliness.  Someone went inside the convenience store and bought toilet paper for us. As funny as it sounded, we were very grateful. 

I believe God showed us what real humility is. No one complained about the trip delay or the fumes from the outside air. What was so amazing about today, was the fact that we experienced some of the most beautiful parts of Guatemala countryside. The colors of the buildings and the narrow streets along the little towns was something out of National Geographic. The faces of the indigenous people said it all. These were people I had only seen in magazines and television.