December 29, 2013 Courtney

Today we embarked on the final leg of our travels to reach our ultimate destination -- Eagle’s Nest Orphanage -- where we will be serving for the remainder of our time here in Guatemala. We left bustling Guatemala City in the morning, climbed aboard a big yellow school bus that brought us back to our elementary childhood, and journeyed about three hours through the windy, mountainous, and absolutely stunning countryside to Solola where the orphanage is located. The ride was an adventure. Upbeat Guatemalan music mixed with some oldies hits played in the background on the bus while the fresh air blew in through the open windows and everyone snapped pictures of the beauty we were passing. Mountains, volcanoes, lakes, valleys, hill-strewn villages and markets -- the scenery was awesome. Riding with the wind in my hair while taking everything in was really one of those “it’s good to be alive moments.”

Although the landscape was indeed breathtaking, it was also eye-opening to see the humble circumstances that most of the Guatemalans, as well as a large portion of the world, live in. There were children and women all along the streets through the mountains waving and hoping for something in return. There were buzzing open-air markets packed with Sunday shoppers that came by foot and packed truck beds. We stopped twice along the way -- the first time at a hacienda market and the second time at an overlook of a beautiful lake and one of Guatemala’s many volcanoes. Traveling on the bus to Solola was a very surreal experience and I tried to soak up every moment.

 

After traversing extended steep inclines, we finally arrived at Eagle’s Nest Orphanage, appropriately named so as it sits on the top of a mountain overlooking Lake Atitlán, several volcanoes, and the city of Panajachel. It has an amazing view that can really only be described through pictures.

 

 

We arrived to the warm greeting of the directors of the orphanage, Pedro and Feliz, along with two of the children, Jose Manuel and Polo. Jose Manuel volunteered to help us with our luggage down to our rooms and a very funny moment unfolded. Jose Manuel grabbed a very large rolling suitcase and started off, leaving Esther with a small black carry-on suitcase. On the way to the room, he joked (in Spanish) that the little person had the huge suitcase and the big person had the little suitcase. The two then traded and he picked up the little black suitcase over his head and bragged that it was too small for him. This was the first of many priceless cute kid moments that I know will be coming in the following days and very much look forward to.After unloading our luggage and settling into our three-level bunk beds (I know there will be lots of fun to come in these bunks!), we devoured a delicious Guatemalan lunch consisting of fresh tortillas, carne asada, guacamole, refried black beans, homemade salsa, and potato wedges.



We then went on a tour of the orphanage with Pedro and Feliz and got to hear the amazing back-story of Eagle’s Nest and the other wonderful community outreach projects they run from the orphanage, including a school and a feeding program. We then had our first full-group meeting including our Guatemalan young adult brethren that will be serving on this project as well and did final preparation to start our lessons tomorrow with a break for dinner. We ended the day with discussion for team building and journaling and blog writing. I am really loving working with and getting to know better or for the first time all of our team members. Every person has something unique to contribute to this project and I am really looking forward to wonderful things! I feel so blessed to be here in Guatemala at Eagle’s Nest orphanage with the opportunity to serve and spread God’s love, and I am looking forward to many wonderful life-changing memories to come while here!