A trip to (almost) El Salvador and Honduras border

We had friends visiting from Kansas City, Leiser and Karina Rojas, so we had an adventure! We left Panajachel at 7:30 AM, and arrived in Guatemala City at 10AM to pick up the Rojas. We stayed for a half-hour or so at our meeting place, then went on to Esquipulas and arrived about 5PM. From there, a local family escorted us another 45 minutes to their home.

We have a friend, Guillermo Gonzales, from the congregation in Olathe that we attended with the Rojas. He is from a village around Esquipulas, Guatemala, even beyond the city and nearer the border with both El Salvador and Honduras.  He hasn't been able to get back to visit home in 16 years, since he was 18 years old, I believe.  So we went to send greetings and visit with them, and explain to them on his behalf why he chose to become one of Jehovah's witnesses a year or so ago.

The family was lovely - so welcoming and open-hearted.  The kids were precious, the mother and father both had gentle smiles.  They greeted us, then showed us into the kitchen where they had set a table for us with dinner.  She made a chicken broth with a potato chunk in it, and a baked chicken was on the table for us, along with tortillas.  It was delicious, and so generous.

We sat around and visited, and watched the youngest child (about 2 years old), run around crazy and silly as we all laughed.  The two girls (Kinberlin 9 and Monica 7) were shy and giggly, and a 13-year-old boy Marvin was smiling and a bit shy.

After visiting into the evening, at 9PM we all went to bed.  They offered us the best room - the mother/ grandmother's room. It had two double-beds, with dressers and a lot of saints in statues and paintings all over the wall.

The household bathroom had a toilet but it was not flush-able. There was a bucket outside the door, and you needed to "echar agua" to get the toilet to flush.

Waking up, we heard the roosters crowing in the morning and saw the light filtering in from above, between the tejas (spanish-style curved and pressed ceramic tiles).

The next morning we had a light breakfast with coffee that was picked by the father, and roasted and ground, along with some sweet breads.  Then we were on our way for a return to Panajachel, leaving at 8AM and arriving in Pana at 6PM.  Our backsides were happy for a rest, but happy to have had the adventure!

Following are some photos from our trip:

Breakfast