We awoke, dressed, and packed before light. The church members had been up for at least an hour before us. They knew we were leaving and wanted to be there to see us off. We distributed the gifts to our helpers. Bill presented Pastor Gaspar with the symbol of the Methodist Church painted onto a board and lacquered with a plaque on the back commemorating our inaugural trip to Paquila. Then we were hugging children and comforting Jorge, Marta, Solamita, and Francisco. Francisco is only 13 and Solamita is only 14, but they worked hard and have a long life to look forward to. Marta is preparing to be married, so we didn’t assemble her stove. Jorge is expecting his third child. They will be busy with other things until we see them again in October.
I have so much to share with our October team. They will not be able to prepare themselves emotionally for what they are about to experience. They can only come with an open mind and an open heart and soak in every bit of what these people have to offer. They will leave with mind and heart overflowing.
We drove to Antigua filled with energy and high spirits. Len played the guitar, and we sang everything from the old-time gospel to the Eagles. And for the first time ever, I played and sang Kasey & Shane’s “One More Year” and OCMS’s “Wagon Wheel,” something I could never bring myself to do in front of my Wildwater friends. It just felt like the right time and place.
I won’t spend a lot of time talking about Antigua. It’s a tourist city, and while it’s nice to have some cleaned-up transitional time before and after our time in the community, it’s not the highlight of my trip. I was glad to see that tuna tartare was still on the degustativo (tasting) menu at the monastery. I brought some coffee for friends at home, and some things for my office to start conversations with interested students.
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