Missionary Journal

It is amazing how fast time goes by. The last time I wrote, I was in Santa Domingo which was a small town on the edge of a large lake. This lake is actually an inverted volcano that has been dormant for many centuries. There are 12 communities that surround the lake (none of them flow into the other.) We had to take a boat to get to this town. While there. we did a lot of walking. In fact, we must have walked miles and miles in all the villages and towns we visit.

In Santa Domingo Vicky knows a family who weave textiles in the traditional colorful way. There was a girl child in the family whose photo has been used on many magazine and tourist periodicals. She was at her home with a back-strap loom on her. She was weaving a beautiful table runner. Sometimes they stitch two of the runners together to make a wider tablecloth. She said it would take her 2 months to weave. Why do I tell you this? Because if you do have an opportunity to go to Guatemala, the fabrics ARE hand woven. They have taken months to create. So, give these people the honor and pay them a fair price for their labor. I did buy some things...but not as much as I would have liked.

We took the boat back to Ponachel then a bus to Antigua. We spent another day in Antigua which happend to be Vicky's birthday. We did some very special things. First, we took a tour of a coffee plantation and cultural museam. We also went to a textile school where a group of Guatemalan women were learning how to die their yarns with the natural plants. They were working with the color indigo that day.

We also visited a home for the aged. This is Vicky's favorite thing to do. To visit with the old folks and get them to talk. She really has a nack for pulling out conversation from them. The home held 40 residents, mostly men which is very unusual as women tend to outlive men here.

We also did something very indulgent, we found a place that gave massages. Vicky had a full-bodied massage, I got my feet and legs worked on with a manicure! We both left there very relaxed.

Our bus was to leave at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday for a 15 hour ride to LaCeiba, Honduras so we retired early. The bus we chose is Hedman Alas which has luxury scenic buses. The drivers are very good. since we were going to be in this beast for so long, I treated Vicky with the additional cost for a first class ticket. Those seats would be much more comfortable than in the coach. It was definitely worth it!!!

So now, I am safely tucked in Vicky and Allen Skelton's home in LaCeiba, Honduras. I am now focused on the next 5 days where I will be ministering the Word by teaching on the Names of God. It will be exciting to see how God uses this message to enlighten their awareness of how much God wants to be a part of their life. It will also give them great confidence as they walk through life and the destiny that God has established for them.