Teambuilding and Tourism
May 7
We had breakfast at the hotel and it was amazingly delicious. One of the CoEd staff was there at the same time as me, and I was asking her how to order the various foods in Spanish.
I had seen on the agenda that we would be having a church service after breakfast. We were a church group on a church trip, so this was natural for us to have a church service. Before hearing any of the details, I was expecting that we would be meeting in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms and having our own service. I then heard that we had to walk to the church service, so I figured we were going to a local park and having an open-air service, again just amongst ourselves. Then, I heard that we were attending a local church. I thought that this was a pretty cool cultural immersion aspect. We had traveled nearly 1800 miles from home, but yet we were able to celebrate the Lord’s Day with other believers, in their culture and language.
There were about 75 people in the little church that day, about half of which were Go Trip members. It was a small attendance, but the energy level was high, and people were engaged and enthusiastic. The sermon was about the necessity of prayer and how God is calling us to be a house of prayer. The entire service was given in both Spanish and English.
I had seen on the agenda that we would be having a church service after breakfast. We were a church group on a church trip, so this was natural for us to have a church service. Before hearing any of the details, I was expecting that we would be meeting in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms and having our own service. I then heard that we had to walk to the church service, so I figured we were going to a local park and having an open-air service, again just amongst ourselves. Then, I heard that we were attending a local church. I thought that this was a pretty cool cultural immersion aspect. We had traveled nearly 1800 miles from home, but yet we were able to celebrate the Lord’s Day with other believers, in their culture and language.
There were about 75 people in the little church that day, about half of which were Go Trip members. It was a small attendance, but the energy level was high, and people were engaged and enthusiastic. The sermon was about the necessity of prayer and how God is calling us to be a house of prayer. The entire service was given in both Spanish and English.
After church, we were free to explore the town, get lunch, and sightsee. One of the members of the trip, David, asked if he could join us, and we said sure. My wife, Mary Beth, had gotten a recommendation for a place with authentic Guatemalan cuisine from one of the CoEd staff.
We were seated in a quaint interior courtyard. The menu was all in Spanish, but Mary Beth recognized a name of one of the menu items (pupusas) that someone at her school had said was delicious. We didn’t know exactly what it was, but in the spirit of adventure, we opted to order it. It turned out to be thick tortilla-like bread that was stuffed with either beans, cheese, or pork. The food was pretty yummy, especially with the various toppings the restaurant provided with the meal.
One of the things that I started to notice was the dogs that roamed the city. There weren’t a lot, but enough to be noticeable. The dogs were very domicile, not really interacting with people. I hadn’t heard a single dog barking. Anyway, we were in the restaurant waiting for our food, and a dog walks in the courtyard. No one seemed to be bothered by it. The waiters just walked around the dog, ignoring that he was even there. At one point the dog just sat down near our table.
We were seated in a quaint interior courtyard. The menu was all in Spanish, but Mary Beth recognized a name of one of the menu items (pupusas) that someone at her school had said was delicious. We didn’t know exactly what it was, but in the spirit of adventure, we opted to order it. It turned out to be thick tortilla-like bread that was stuffed with either beans, cheese, or pork. The food was pretty yummy, especially with the various toppings the restaurant provided with the meal.
One of the things that I started to notice was the dogs that roamed the city. There weren’t a lot, but enough to be noticeable. The dogs were very domicile, not really interacting with people. I hadn’t heard a single dog barking. Anyway, we were in the restaurant waiting for our food, and a dog walks in the courtyard. No one seemed to be bothered by it. The waiters just walked around the dog, ignoring that he was even there. At one point the dog just sat down near our table.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the main square. Mary Beth had heard that at noon there was going to be a large religious procession to the square, followed by an outdoor Mass. It was close to that time, so we decided to hang out in the area to see what local culture we could experience. After a bit, we started talking to a local and he said that the procession actually starts at 2:00, so we decided to head back to the hotel at that point.
Everyone had a chance to select one of three excursions for the afternoon. The goal was for the team to be tourists and experience a bit of the local culture. It was also a time to interact as a group to encourage team building.
The first excursion was a tour of a local coffee farm to highlight a major component of the Guatemalan economy. The tour would highlight how coffee is grown and then processed. The second excursion was a zipline tour in a local nature park. The last excursion was a walking tour of the city, highlighting the culture and history of the city. Although I would find the process of growing and processing coffee interesting, I am not a coffee drinker, so this excursion wasn’t a big hit for me. I have done ziplines before, so this would not be a new experience, nor would it expose me to local culture. As such, I opted for the walking tour of the city. This would expose me to culture and history, as well as allow me some opportunities to photograph the local architecture and people. Mary Beth opted for the city tour for pretty much the same reasons.
The first thing we did on the walking tour was to get into a shuttle van. The intent was to drive to an overlook higher up on the mountainside, as it gave an excellent view of the city. The founder of CoEd, Joe Berninger, loves history, so he volunteered to lead this excursion.
As we were driving to the overlook, Joe asked us how much energy we had, and after an enthusiastic response, gave us the option of either hiking to the overlook on a short 15-minute walk, or driving to the top. Everyone opted for the hike. About halfway up, though, several members started to question the wisdom of the decision to hike, as the trail was fairly steep.
The first excursion was a tour of a local coffee farm to highlight a major component of the Guatemalan economy. The tour would highlight how coffee is grown and then processed. The second excursion was a zipline tour in a local nature park. The last excursion was a walking tour of the city, highlighting the culture and history of the city. Although I would find the process of growing and processing coffee interesting, I am not a coffee drinker, so this excursion wasn’t a big hit for me. I have done ziplines before, so this would not be a new experience, nor would it expose me to local culture. As such, I opted for the walking tour of the city. This would expose me to culture and history, as well as allow me some opportunities to photograph the local architecture and people. Mary Beth opted for the city tour for pretty much the same reasons.
The first thing we did on the walking tour was to get into a shuttle van. The intent was to drive to an overlook higher up on the mountainside, as it gave an excellent view of the city. The founder of CoEd, Joe Berninger, loves history, so he volunteered to lead this excursion.
As we were driving to the overlook, Joe asked us how much energy we had, and after an enthusiastic response, gave us the option of either hiking to the overlook on a short 15-minute walk, or driving to the top. Everyone opted for the hike. About halfway up, though, several members started to question the wisdom of the decision to hike, as the trail was fairly steep.
The overlook gives a beautiful view of the city. Surrounding the city are three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. Aqua and Acatenango are dormant, but Fuego is an active volcano, having had a small eruption just three days prior. Joe was able to give a great summary of the city’s history. The city is almost 500 years old and has had a rich past, much of that history still being visible throughout the city.
Afterwards, we drove into the city and started a walking tour. We started at the La Merced church. The church was built in the late 1700s and served as the home convent for the Mercedarian order, a religious organization dedicated to evangelization throughout Central America. The convent was heavily damaged in an earthquake in 1773, but the body of the church survived and is still used as an active Catholic church to this day.
La Merced Church
Joe was planning on taking us inside of the church, but it wasn’t yet opened to the public for the day. While Joe was giving some history of the church, we noticed that the religious procession had started and was passing right past the church.
The procession started in a nearby town and was headed for the main square in Antigua. The progression lasted for around an hour. Religious processions like this are common throughout Central America. Oftentimes, a statue of Mary or Jesus on the cross is carried at the end of the procession. In this case, there was a priest carrying a consecrated host in a display vessel called a monstrance.
The procession started in a nearby town and was headed for the main square in Antigua. The progression lasted for around an hour. Religious processions like this are common throughout Central America. Oftentimes, a statue of Mary or Jesus on the cross is carried at the end of the procession. In this case, there was a priest carrying a consecrated host in a display vessel called a monstrance.
Once the procession had passed, we walked some more into town. Joe mentioned that there were several shops in this part of town that are good for shopping, and at that point, almost everyone quickly lost interest in the city tour and opted to go shopping. Mary Beth, David, and myself expressed an interest in further exploring the city. We went back to La Merced church, but the interior was still closed. We were able to get into the ruins of the convent area. We spent some time exploring the old building.
Inside the ruins of the convent at the La Merced Church
Afterwards, Joe gave us directions on how to get to the cathedral next to the main square and encouraged us to explore the insides of the building. Joe then headed back to the hotel. Halfway to the cathedral, Mary Beth and David opted to go to the hotel as well, so I continued on alone to explore the cathedral. Once I got to the cathedral, however, I found that the outdoor Mass at the cathedral had started, blocking access to the cathedral doors. The main square was packed with people. I spent a bit of time exploring the area before heading back to the hotel.
For dinner, we walked back into town as a team and had dinner on a rooftop veranda. We were served a traditional Guatemalan dish, very similar to stew. It was delicious.
Back at the hotel, we had a short worship session on the rooftop veranda, then broke into our small groups for a short debrief discussion of the day, then we called it a night.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
The cultural experiences, the food, and the social interaction so far have been great. I am thinking back to my blog from Thursday night before the trip began. In that posting, I mentioned that my biggest fear was that the trip would be a great experience from a secular perspective, but that I wouldn't see God's presence in all of it and that the trip wouldn't change me in some way. If the trip ended today, I would have to admit that the fear would be a reality. I am not worried, however, because I also realize that the focus of the trip so far has been simply getting the group to know each other and seeing some of the sights – team building and tourism. The heart of the trip, the meat and potatoes, was about to begin the next day as we roll up our sleeves and get to work.
In the worship session this evening, we sang one of the Crossroads songs Take Me Deeper. The first verse resonated with me:
In my heart there is a song that is hard to sing
Because it scares me just to think of what it means
I want to know you Jesus in your suffering
Take me deeper.
This is my prayer for this trip this week. Jesus, take me deeper.
For dinner, we walked back into town as a team and had dinner on a rooftop veranda. We were served a traditional Guatemalan dish, very similar to stew. It was delicious.
Back at the hotel, we had a short worship session on the rooftop veranda, then broke into our small groups for a short debrief discussion of the day, then we called it a night.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
The cultural experiences, the food, and the social interaction so far have been great. I am thinking back to my blog from Thursday night before the trip began. In that posting, I mentioned that my biggest fear was that the trip would be a great experience from a secular perspective, but that I wouldn't see God's presence in all of it and that the trip wouldn't change me in some way. If the trip ended today, I would have to admit that the fear would be a reality. I am not worried, however, because I also realize that the focus of the trip so far has been simply getting the group to know each other and seeing some of the sights – team building and tourism. The heart of the trip, the meat and potatoes, was about to begin the next day as we roll up our sleeves and get to work.
In the worship session this evening, we sang one of the Crossroads songs Take Me Deeper. The first verse resonated with me:
In my heart there is a song that is hard to sing
Because it scares me just to think of what it means
I want to know you Jesus in your suffering
Take me deeper.
This is my prayer for this trip this week. Jesus, take me deeper.