Keeping Our Stomachs: Day 1

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.  ðŸ˜‚ 

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, Nuri, has told us to pay attention to how we feel and assured us that the pews in the church are comfortable.  ðŸ˜Š

Guatemala has a long-standing relationship with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  Just a year after WWII ended, three leaders in Guatemala wrote to the LCMS to request a pastor be sent to them.  There have been Lutheran missionaries coming to Guatemala since then.

We’re headed to the church where we’ll run the eyeglass clinics this week.  We’ll unload and set up the clinic layout and then do some additional training.  We start our first clinic tomorrow morning!












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