Interesting people

The mission team met many interesting people on the trip. Among the most interesting were:

-Alfredo, a 38-year-old Presbyterian and father of three who was the team’s driver, security guard, companion, and guide and who also got along well with both the team’s adults and young people. Alfredo works for PRESGOV, the joint Guatemalan church-PC(USA) partnership-promoting vehicle (pardon the pun). Alfredo drove aggressively, but team members always trusted him.

-Marisabela, the owner-operator of the El Estor hotel where the team stayed two nights. A former Chicago resident who speaks English, Marisabela is trying to sell the hotel for close to $1 million. She and her son worked with the team when an accident damaged a window air-conditioning unit that had been in one of the rooms.

-Heidi, the manager of Bruno’s in Rio Dulce, who connected mission team members with their hotel rooms for Saturday night and then Friday night and then served as bartender and waitress for most of meals at Bruno’s.

-Frederico played a similar role (without the food and drink service) at Hotel Casa Amelia in Flores. Frederico was the only person on this list (other than Marisabela) who speaks English.

-Jesus, the Tikal guide who proved to be very patient and knowledgeable. Both Jesus and – before him – his father had worked with the archeologists uncovering Tikal. Although Jesus spoke in Spanish, which Peter translated, his first tongue was apparently Q’eqchi’. Only a conflict with a lunch place he referred the team to after the tour dimmed Jesus a little in team members’ eyes.

-Brian was a visitor from Germany with whom some of the young people played with in Flores. Brian and his family had flown into Flores about the same time the mission team drove in.

-Don Miguel was the 87-year-old evangelical pastor and boatman who took most team members out on the lake around Flores with his son Victor. The boat ride was pleasant and Don Miguel, who had started out as a gatherer of gum from Chicklet trees, told interesting stories about the area, interspersed with scripture, preaching, and hymn singing, which tested some team members’ patience.

-Jorge, the professor from the Guatemalan Presbyterian seminary who was the instructor for the Estoreño Presbytery theological education institute. Jorge has a bachelor’s degree and helped out at the church history workshop, clarifying some dates.

-Gregorio, an elder from the Espiritu Santo church who turned up with an automatic weapon at Bruno’s in Rio Dulce Friday night, when a got a view of our swimming and refreshments pool side. This man, who works for the national tourism agency apparently improving security at tourist hotspots, chatted with Peter.

-Perry