THE FAMOUS ANTIGUA ARCH
INTERNS ZIP-LINING
What a whirlwind of a weekend! On Saturday evening we (the interns) were
excited to greet our new team and housemates for the week. We’ve got the youth
group from FBC Leesburg and Cindy, Claire, and John from Maryland, along with
Howie, our fearless and wonderful leader. After dinner and a good night's sleep in the new dorm, we were ready to hit the
road early the next day. Even Samuel our bus driver stayed the night at the dorm!
Sunday morning we awoke to the aroma of pancakes in the
kitchen made by Howie. We devoured breakfast and loaded up into the coaster.
As we zigzagged through the villages
on our way to Antigua to go ziplining, we came to a halt on our journey: a
parade! God blessed us with such a cool insight into Guatemalan life! It was in
the town of Santiago, an agricultural community, so there were plenty of floats
showcasing the local flowers and vegetables they grow there. Like any parade back home, there were queens
atop floats waving at onlookers and the coaster full of excited Americans.
Once we made it to the cobblestone streets of Antigua, we hit
another roadblock: a half marathon.
Still, nothing could stop us from getting to our destination: Filadelfia
Canopy Tours. Most of our group loaded up in the jeeps to take us up to the mountain
where we would take a leap of faith and soar over God’s wondrous creation. Even those who were hesitant to zip mustered up the courage to do so. The skies were clear, so we had a perfect view
of Volcano Agua in the background. After the climb
back up to our jeeps and the twisty dissent back down, we worked up quite an
appetite! The only cure: McDonalds! I
personally enjoyed the pineapple pie (pastel de piña) and am thinking of writing
to corporate to get this delicious pastry available in the states. Who’s with
me?
We met up with Olivia and Alejandra, our wonderful
interpreters, and headed to the market to get in some shopping. Deals were
made, souvenirs were purchased, and everyone had a great time practicing their
Spanish. The group made their way to the town center where it seemed all of
Antigua was gathered. Families and tourists enjoyed the vendors, horse rides,
and street performers. We solemnly made
our way into the church there as they prepared for worship. Our group split up
and some of us stuck around the park to just chill and ride the horses while
others made their way to the famous Antigua Arch to take an obscene amount of
pictures.
Olivia and Alejandra led us to La Peña del Sol where we dined on
cannelloni, burgers, grilled chicken or quesadillas. Yum! Still excited about
all the events of the day, we had quite a lively bus ride home to the Center.
During worship, God spoke to us through Jay, the youth minister from Leesburg, from the book of
James.
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