Only 6 other countries produce more coffee than Guatemala.
Coffee beans drying out in the sun.
Coffee trees grow for about 15 years, then they are replanted. The soil here in Guatemala is rich from the volcanic activity. Coffee bushes thrive on the rich soil, mild temperatures and grow well under the planted shade trees.
If you read this, and would like for us to purchase some Guatemalan coffee for you (cheaper here than in the states), please let us know.
Over the past several days and weeks, there has been increased violence and killings on the public buses. Newspaper headlines last week noted that at one 4 stop intersection in zone 9 that there were 4 bus drivers killed on 4 different buses at the same time.
We have noted that these crimes have increased, some are random and some are deliberate. 800 bus drivers resigned from their jobs because of the increased killings. And for a country where the majority of the population relies on public transportation, this can really put people in panic. I have noticed more lines of Guatemalans waiting for their buses.
Saturday, Glenn and I visited David and Helen at the hospital in Zone 4. David had back surgery the day before. On Saturday, Helen was celebrating her 81st birthday.
Glenn asked Helen for her to recount a favorite birthday. Then David chimed in and said "You got engaged on your 20th birthday!" Helen then told us how they were both MKs and had met when they were 13 years old living in a boarding school in North Carolina. Helen was an MK from Bolivia and David from Guatemala. They went on to tell us that within a week of their wedding they rode the train from Chicago to Dallas for an interview with the Central America Mission Board and then began attending linguistics courses in Norman, OK.
Last week, a large group from Southaven, Mississippi just spent their Spring break in Guatemala. Glenn helped from time to time to transport the team members in our van to different locations. They did some "VBS" type ministry at a local Orphanage, painted lines on the cement basketball court and painted at a church. Thanks for your ministry.
Sunday afternoon we were honored to have Matt and Amanda visit us for the afternoon. They had come for Juan's wedding. We enjoyed Pollo Campero on our patio and then watched the March Madness basketball on TV. We've known Matt now for nearly 20 years. We go way back when he was a missionary kid in Bolivia and most recently we see them in Siloam Springs while visiting Gary at JBU. Amanda has a new store. Check out her blog at:
I am sooooo glad when Juana comes after a full packed weekend of missionaries staying with us or traveling through!
Believe me, every dish, plate and bowl was dirty.
Last weekend, we had Cokers for 1 night, the Scotts another night, and then Paula stayed with us for 8 nights. The Scotts stayed again another night on their return trip from the USA, plus we had Matt and Amanda for lunch too.
Clay asked us right after I took this picture, "Will I make your blog?" Those words are music to my ears. Yes!
Clay ventured down here to Guatemala last week-end to spend part of his spring break working at an orphanage about 2 hours from the capital, up on the mountain side on your way to Tecpán. Wow! Spending your spring break from Texas A & M with some friends, working side by side the kids, clearing a field and other manual labor. What an experience!
We met Clay on his return to the city just before his flight to Houston. We showed him the coffee shop that processes the coffee beans. Here the ladies are hand sorting the beans.
