I do wish some of our younger members would learn about time zones, however. We were to leave for breakfast at about 7 am, which was early enough for me, given the long day of travel and the time I finally got to sleep yesterday. I did not need near "heart failure" when Rachel showed up at my door, fully dressed at 6 am, staring at me, still in my pj's in disbelief. "Aren't you ready to go?" After 15 seconds of panic, it occurred to both of us at the same time that they had forgotten to move their clocks back an hour to Guatemala time!
After a good laugh about this, I went back into my room to shower and dress. In the middle of brushing my teeth, there was another knock on my door. Toothbrush in hand, I opened it, expecting the girls. Imagine my embarrassment when I was greeted by the smiling face of a young man. This was John, who was joining our team today. He'd arrived from Chicago late last night, and had met a few of our ladies out walking who told him what room I was in. Today must be my day for making good impressions!
I finally was able to dress and we all had our bags waiting in the courtyard when Saul and Chris arrived with the pick up truck and van to take us to breakfast. Of course, we went to Campero's--where else would a mission team eat
in Chimal? Domino's wasn't open until later! The menu at Campero's includes breakfast foods, as well as their lunch and dinner options even at this early hour. I was made fun of for ordering eggs with rachero and tomatillo sauces, with some of the group telling me they felt queasy just looking at my food. I was quite tastely, however. I, frankly, was more concerned about some of the team who ate fried chicken so early in the day!
Right after breakfast we set off for Champerico. Since none of us had ever been there, including Chris, Donna and Dick, we weren't really sure what to expect on the way or once we got there. Lorrie and I rode with Dick, the rest of the group with Chris and Donna in the van. Dick takes a lot of teasing (even from me) about his driving, but today Lorrie and I were glad we'd driven with him. We had thought that we were going to meet up with Chris and Donna outside Mazatengango, but they got ahead of us when we stopped for a restroom/snack break. Since Dick had just been to this area the week before, he knew there 
was a construction jam, and thought he had a way around it. Unfortunately, by the time we got to them, the others were past the point where Jorge could turn the truck around and they sat about 5 hours in a traffic jam. For those of you who think traffic in the States is bad, these folks sat still long enough to actually take a nap, and at one point get out to buy ice cream. While they described it as a wonderful time of bonding, I'm glad us old folks took a "short cut"/long way around through a village and got to the hotel about four hours before the rest of the group.
For those of you from Westside, you know how I torment our men's group about the "Wild Beast Feed" (really the Wild Game Expo) the church hosts every February. Our senior pastor is a serious hunter, and you can't walk into his office without having to cope with dead animals hanging on his walls. I have been known to be a bit critical of this decor. So, when we stopped at a gas station outside of Mazatenango, and we found these displays hanging in the "picnic" area, I had to include them for our guys. Are there actually deer in Guatemala?We arrived in Champerico without too much difficulty, and, after a quick call to Nan and Howie, who were already down there working on the foundation for the house we would build tomorrow, found our hotel without too much difficulty. We were quite relieved to find a nice hotel, with an even nicer pool. We got keys to a couple of rooms, and settled in to wait for the rest of our group. Dick, who was lucky enough to have his suitcase with him, was able to take a swim. Lorrie and I decided, wisely, that since our swimsuits and extra clothes were in the pickup with the rest of the group, it was probably wise only to dangle our feet in the water. It felt wonderful, though, like warm bath water.
As dinner time approached, Dick got a call from Chris saying that they were FINALLY free of the jam and on there way to Pizza Hut for dinner. Nan got directions to a restaurant on the beach owned by our hotel, and we set off. Again, we were very pleasantly surprised by the accommodations. We literally ate dinner right on the ocean, and the food was really tasty, if a little greasy. The ocean was beautiful, the waves high and the undertow a bit strong, but sitting there was a truly amazing way to end our first day on the road. And the sunsets in this place are the most remarkable I've ever seen. As Dick has said to me before, here in Guatemala we get to experience sights most people only get to see in National Geographic. Tonight was one of those experiences.
The world is charged with the grandeur of God!
~~Gerard Manley Hopkins
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