Our team popped up early this morning with extra time to explore around Antigua before visiting La Iglesia del Camino (a bilingual church). We saw the center of the city and got a taste of the history of Antigua when we toured through an ancient Catholic church. As we approach Easter, the city is full of festivities, works of art and displays to help people remember the passion. However, our walk to church was also a sobering time as we passed by women and children begging on the streets and about 100 severely handicapped orphans sitting beside the road.
The service at La Iglesia del Camino was an amazing experience for all of us as we were able to worship God in both Spanish and English with people from multiple countries.
After church we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant in an exotic court yard. The rest of our day was FULL of shopping and touring Antigua.
Another highlight of the night was observing the processional which passed by the hotel. During the procession there were hundreds of people dressed in robes and swinging lanterns of incense to recognize the Kingship of Christ. They were followed by giant wooden floats carried by 40-50 men depicting scenes from the passion. This was an eye opening experience for all of us because it was so radically different from anything we have seen in the United States. The entire city was participating in this event and following the processional as it journeyed through streets. After this exciting cultural event, the women on our team organized all of the donations for us to bring to the malnutrition center tomorrow. We cannot wait to meet the workers who are serving there and help them however we can to love the children and meet their needs. We are sure tomorrow is going to be a day where our hearts will be touched and molded in many ways!
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