Following is the first installment of Mikl Cook’s Guatemala Mission Trip Journal. A team of eight Trinity members and friends–Mikl, Carole Ball, Emily Stanley, Beth Miller, Becky Stanley, Bev Luzadder, Tim Kuykendall, and Michael Kanupp–went to Guatemala last Christmas to further our congregation’s partnership with the Fuenta da Vida Church. Look for other installments, which will be posted on a regular basis over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

December 25,  2009, Midnight, Ramada Hotel Atlanta Airport

Trip to Atlanta was uneventful, group met briefly, Bev handed out group money for all to keep and give to her as needed, not safe for her to have it all on her person.  Everyone seems excited and ready to go.  We all seem to have a good sense of humor, should make the trip interesting and help us in any difficult situation.

December 26,  2009

Up at 6:00a.m., good flight, arrive in Guatemala City around 1:00p.m. Exchanged all our group and personal money at the exchange in the airport; this took about 1 hour and the eight of us are off with our massive amount of luggage.  Walked through a throng of people outside the airport, which was a little scary since we all have all this money on us, and since we just slightly stick out in this crowd. (This is an example of my sense of humor.)  Met our driver, Ovidio, who speaks not one word of English.

On the way out of Guatemala City we stop at El Pollo Campero (Guatemalan KFC).  The meal was like, well, KFC, except they had pizza, which Emily got since she is vegetarian and the cheese pizza was about the only thing fulfilling that request.  After lunch, Carole had forgotten socks, so we stopped at Hipa Paiz (Wal Mart in Guatemala). In the parking lot the van made a grinding noise and died.  After trying to restart several times and the van responding with more metal grating noises, it was obvious we were not going anywhere soon.

Ovidio spent a long time trying to repair (couple of hours) with us trying to help, pushing van around the parking lot trying to jump-start it.  Carole was getting frustrated that this was fast becoming a bad situation with the language barrier and the sunlight dwindling: these 8 Americans with all their suitcases on top of the van in the luggage rack needed to get out this parking lot before dark.

To help you understand this, I need to put my first “Observations” out the window  of the van here.  Guatemala City is a big dirty city, this part definitely not a tourist area: there are lots of walls topped with razor wire, lots of traffic and people, and armed guards at every entrance of this store and the parking lot is fenced in.  Overlooking the parking lot are raised observation towers, similar to what prisons have, with  armed guards.

While Carole was busy with Ovidio, trying to reach Presgov, rent a van, taxi, something, . . . Bev and I went towards the store and noticed a guy in a “Matt Kenseth” racing hat; he spoke some English, and Ovidio and our new friend started over again trying to fix the van. Meanwhile Bev was off to the store to try to find help, find a phonebook and rent a van; I tagged along so she would not be alone.  Once in the store Bev and I finally met a very nice man on the management staff of the store who spoke English and he helped us.  We tried a rental place first to get a van to get to the first city on our itinerary, where our reservations for the night were, but it seemed real expensive and they were trying to locate a driver. Then the man from the store said he had a friend with a van who could take us.  Meanwhile, dusk is settling in and we have to get out of here.

Our new friend in the Matt Kenseth hat has offered to take us toRetalhuleu in the back of his pickup, which was a Toyota Tacoma by the way. But at night on the road is not a safe place for tourists, and I personally don’t think the 8 of us could have fit in that truck, let alone our luggage and for a two hour trip, no less.  Carole made the decision with Bev to have the man’s friend come with his van and take us back to Guatemala City for the night.  As the last few rays of sunlight left the sky, our new best friend  arrived, we loaded up, and were on the way to the “Spring Hotel.”  The hotel had a beautiful open courtyard filled with tropical plants.  Rooms sparse, but clean, with a shower; we were grateful to be safe, our first challenge overcome.  Dinner was pizza from Pizza Hut; we shared some cuervas together and off to bed.

My first animal experience was here also, as a calico gotti was in the courtyard. And yes, a cat will eat a piece of pizza when it is hungry.  By the way, Carole did get her socks.

–Mikl Cook

Rabbi Philip Bentley returns to Trinity beginning this Sunday, Feb. 21, for a Lenten series on the Psalms. Often, when we think of the disciplines of Lent, we think of “giving something up.” Another way to approach Lent is to “take something on,” and certainly the study of Scripture is an area in which we can all benefit from a renewed sense of focus and purpose. Make plans to join us for Rabbi Bentley’s series of Psalm studies; we’re sure to receive fresh insights into God’s Word. Here’s the schedule of classes:

• Feb. 21, Psalm 91
• March 7, Psalm 27
• March 14, Psalm 32
• March 21, Psalm 126
• March 28, Psalm 22

Please join us on these Sunday mornings at 9:45.

–Dwight Christenbury