Day 6: Biodiversity

There is so much beautiful flora and fauna to be found here, even in the midst of a large city.  The gardener at the church itself is quite remarkable.  These are some photos of the plant life just at the church.

































Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Organized Chaos: Morning of Day 1

Image
Good morning from Detroit Metro!    Getting a small family to the airport on time is enough of a challenge, and we’re a large family for purposes of this trip.    Fourteen REM-interrupted, inadequately caffeinated humans managed to show up on time (almost) and made it through security after the confiscation and testing of contraband peanut butter and other food stuffs and toiletries.    The new TSA security machines look like a mini MRI worms and everything has to go into the yawning maw of darkness.    For those of you wondering, yes, you still have to remove shoes, belts, sweatshirts, jackets, etc. and walk ignominiously through the scanner barefoot and feeling vaguely like you must have done something wrong. Having a good trip isn’t really about nothing going wrong…it’s about the grace with which you handle the inevitable hiccups. Now would be a good time to listen to Chris Tomlin’s excellent version of Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone).
Read more

Goodnight, Day 1!

Image
We’ve been awake for twenty hours now and this blogger’s brain is a pleasant mush.  This wasn’t just a travel day, but a productive one as well.  We went directly from the airport to “lunch” (no idea what meal or what time it was) and then to the church to set up the clinic.  Our host church - Christo Rey Lutheran Church and Pastor Rudy, have been preparing for us, making room and accommodations.  Pastor Rudy must be one of Guatemala’s top influencers, because his Facebook post about the eyeglass clinic was viewed by 15,000 people! 😳   Setting up the clinic requires staffing and sourcing five stations - Witness & Education, Nursing, Testing, Provisioning, and Fitting.  Most Ministries has the process down and we quickly unpacked our fourteen suitcases of supplies, arranged our stations, re-trained, and assigned ourselves to stations.  We expect tomorrow to be our busiest day, as more people will be off work and available to come. Did you know that...
Read more

Keeping Our Stomachs: Day 1

Image
Fourteen left; fourteen arrived!  If our airplane had been a bike when the pilot stood up on the brakes, we would have been flipping over the handlebars like so many Skittles.  😂  Katie, one of our leaders, is an expert at counting to 14!  Through three airports, two rounds of security, and a trip through customs, she and Liz kept us together.  This traveler’s suitcase got flagged and we had one extremely confused customs agent when he found 250 pairs of glasses in my suitcase. Guatemala has a rich history of culture, agriculture, architecture, and commerce.  Though Mexico is the leading exporter of avocados today, Guatemala is the original exporter.  It’s believed that the avocado tree originated in Guatemala and South-Central Mexico. The original aqueducts (below the current ones we’re seeing on our drive to the church) were built to bring fresh water into Guatemala City in 1776!  Guatemala is 5,000 feet above sea level, so our native host, Nur...
Read more