La Guitarra

Leaving Izabal for the first time during the 2012 visit the group opted not to drive off the highway to Tikal to visit the Hijo del Dios Viviente church in La Guitarra but did stop for about 20 minutes and chat with three or four elders from the church.  This time on their final Izabal day the group had talked about going to visit the Monte Sinai church in the San Carlos El Porvenir, in the vicinty of Puerto Barrios.  But presbytery leaders angled team members back to La Guitarra.  And so, leaving Es Estor Thursday morning, the group stopped at Bruno's in Rio Dulce, for lunch, turned north on the highway to Tikal, and then turned left into a back road and drove about half an hour west into a breathtaking set of green mountains and valleys.  On the way, even Alfredo - who has driven all over the country (except for not to La Guitarra or Livingston) - stopped the car in the middle of the narrow road after the van cleared a hill and a lush green valley panorama to take a picture.  Team members also noticed a different style of traditional Q'eqchi' dress among some women in this area, called a magna, which differed from the more prevalent camisole and juapiel style.  Arriving in one of a series of small towns on the road, which included a private school nearby, and the Hijo del Dios Viviente church and parsonage, the team and presbytery leaders were in La Guitarra.  A worship service that paralleled Wednesday's services took place, with Ramiro taking the lead this time.  For the last time, Elisabeth and Jane read and interpreted scripture, and the team played and sang a couple of hymns (such as "Santo, Santo, Santo" and "El Cantad Se or." La Guitarra folks also surprised the team and presbytery leaders with a chicken lunch.  Before and after and in between the service and (second) lunch, the team met and chatted some of the church/community folks, including Gerardo's new wife, Loida (?), and a couple that had been at Tuesday's workshops (Irma and one of the men 2012 team members had met, Jesus), and Lucia, whose chicken had died for lunch.  After an hour plus in La Guitarra, the team and presbytery leaders and Alfredo (minus Gerardo who was back at his new home to stay and Fidel, who had brought some grain to La Guitarra and was slated to return to El Estor the next day) retraced their steps on the way past Rio Dulce to Puerto Barrios.

-Perry