Aqui Estan! (We are here!)

We arrived safely after a long, but easy day of travel.  Funny how you arrive with all your senses anticipating the sounds, the smells the beauty…the people! Just a few hours of flight away from the USA and we are transported into more of the “Americas”…the land of Central America..the culture of Latin America…the country of Guatemala.  My favorite part of the flight was looking out the window as we were descending and seeing the National Palace in Guatemala City. I actually recognized what I was seeing!  The flag, the parque central, the Palacia, the Catedral…familar to my eyes and my spirit leaps inside my preoccupied body: you are here!!

Summer Turvey happy to be back in Guatemala!

The sunset entertained us during the 4 hour bus ride to Mazatenango. Our cameras were glued to the windows to catch its beauty…as if we could.  Our cameras….our cameras.  We take pictures becuase we don’t want to ever lose what is unfolding before us. We take pictures because we want someone else to see and experience this with us. We take pictures because this is ….  is not our ordinary life.  When I come here I have this deep sense of Wisdom speaking, “be very humble, this is not your home and you do not know.”  Even after several trips this past year, that voice is still with me…resounding loudly in my spirit, offering caution, discomfort and hope.  Caution because I need to be reminded.  Discomfort because I am a visitor here. Hope because if God is willing to bring me here and allow me to be, then God has more to reveal.

Our team is made up of many from our church – with 7 people here for the first time.  Other friends from Ohio and Columbia, TN churches are also part of this group.   We are a total of 23 people. Today we will worship (thankfully, worship is in the afternoon in Guatemala!) with the local church where our project is located.  It is already a beautiful day with birds singing, sun shining and beauty all around.  I have just finished a true Guatemalan breakfast which I have longed for since September.

The blessing of return; the blessing of a “home” away from home. Bienvenidos! Estoy feliz estar aqui.