Sunday, January 24, 2010

Trip ideas


Here are some ideas that Ellen and I batted around last week:

Ellen and I talked about us possibly working with PRESGOV for transportation only. She and I looked at the PRESGOV Facebook page and I Facebook messaged them to follow up and PRESGOV charges $85 (total - not per person for transportation only – plus gas and driver expenses – for a 10-person van and $125 for a 15-person van. PRESGOV – a partnership between the Guatemalan and U.S. Presbyterian denominations – planned the whole 2007 Crescent Hill Guatemala mission trip. But we went entirely on our own in 2009. Transportation only would include driving us in vans between the Guatemala City airport and Coban and then being available to take us elsewhere in the Coban area. We’d be responsible for arranging our lodging and meals and our substantive itinerary. (Ellen learned of some problems recently with some of PRESGOV's fleet of vans, and we would want to follow up with them and others about this.) CEDEPCA – where Dennis Smith and Delia Leal work – also runs trips, but Ellen said they’re even more expensive, like $120 per person a day. (Arranging with a shuttle company to rent a van and drivers would be another option - possibly preferable to going by public bus or asking PRESGOV to arrange the whole trip).

Ellen and I talked about doing the following in Coban: partnership planning, Bible study (trying it together after doing the parallel/shared study apart), living and eating together, bringing Delia Leal and maybe another person or two from the area to talk about the Q’eqchi’ tradition in the area and Christianity including the Nazarene church long dominant in the area, plus the following cultural visits (together):
- a beautiful waterfall area (Semuc Champey) (pictured above) (day trip)
- a coffee finca those tours show the whole coffee-producing process (Finca Santa Margarita)
- a small museum about the local area (Museo el Principe Maya)
- walking around Coban
(Ellen and I talked about us possibly doing some theological reflection at some of these sites - for example, like when we read the Mayan creation story - or we could read something from the Bible - when we went out on Lake Izabal during the spring 2007 mission trip.)

Ellen and I talked about us planning the itinerary with Roger Marriott and our Estoreño partners and logistics with Roger and PRESGOV. Another reason to use PRESGOV is that Roger is pushing people to do so and he may be less enthusiastic doing logistics for us if we don’t use PRESGOV. Roger would like us to send at least one person to a meeting in late April with Tennessee folks and Q’eqchi’ partners about a possible theological training program in Q’eqchi’ in Coban.

Ellen and I talked about us using Delia Leal as a resource person. Delia might spend a good part of a day with us, time permitting.

Ellen and I also talked about our partners staying with us in Coban (perhaps after we stay a night by ourselvces) for something like three nights. Pastors Gerardo and Pablo spent four nights at Amatitlan in November 2007, but we’re of course hoping for a bigger group of Estoreño folks – maybe 8-10 folks each from Crescent Hill and Estoreño (hopefully including some Estoreño women and young adults).

Ellen and I talked about whether the group would go straight to Coban and to Coban only. Ellen said if we left early and got to Guatemala City by 2 p.m. we could easily get to Coban in time for a late dinner. But she said we could stay in Guatemala City – perhaps again at the Mennonite facility or at a hotel – or we could spend another day in or two in Antigua. She didn’t have a clear suggestion about this.

Another plus of staying in Guatemala City or nearby is that we might get to meet with Karla Koll or Dennis Smith again (although Ellen said it’d be better if our partners could hear them too).

Ellen also said the Nazarene facility in Coban – pictured in an earlier blog entry – has classrooms, rooms for lodging, and a dining hall with decent food. Another alternative would be to stay in a hotel. If I remember right, she says she’s used a couple of different hotels in Coban. We still might use the Nazarene facility or other facilities for meetings/discussions. (Ellen also said that the Nazarene facility probably has bunk beds - like the Mennonite facility in Guatemala City that the 2009 mission team stayed at - and, if some Crescent Hill folks are interest in going on the trip who can't stay in bunk beds, we and our partners will need to stay in a hotel.)

Ellen gave us Delia’s e-mail address and Ellen’s cell phone number. She said we could call her during or after the Saturday morning meeting.

(I noticed several Q’eqchi’ cultural areas in outlying areas from Coban listed in the Lonely Planet’s Guatemala guide, plus a caves area.)

Ellen and I also wondered out loud about how our partners would react – if we were in Coban on a Sunday – about going to Delia Leal’s (Nazarene church). There are no evangelical Presbyterian churches in Coban, Ellen said. At some point there was a geographic division of labor among denominations in Guatemala, and the Nazarenes got the Coban area.

Ellen leaves for Guatemala this Sunday but may join us by Skype for the meeting.

-- Perry

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