If you are wondering why I'm bringing up the past so much it's because I want to write all these memories down while I still remember them... I should have done this years ago while the experience was fresh in my mind. In 1988, soon after we arrived in Coban, Guatemala, as church planters, we were invited to a wedding out in the countryside. Now you must understand that we lived 3 hours from the capital city, near the rain forest area, in a small town that seemed to appear out of nowhere. We already felt as if we were at the dropping off point of the world so we definitely felt even more adventurous as we set out with a pastor friend to the wedding an hour or so away. We had our 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter with us. The wedding was held in a small wooden church with very rough-cut benches. The wedding itself was held in the K'ekchi' language...the K'ekchi' were an indigenous group up in Alta Verapaz...the region in which we were working. There were abundant fresh green pine needles scattered all over the floor and many flowers as the people there grow beautiful plants with amazing ease. Our job was to give away the bride and groom which was an honor considering they had never met us. We walked into the church with them (our babies hanging on to us also) and stood with them as the ceremony began. Then we took our seats for the hour-long ceremony. After the couple was married we all loaded up in our Nissan Patrol to head to a nearby house for a reception. Now our Nissan normally held 5 people. But that day 11 people crammed into that car with a couple hanging off the sides. (We used to say that the rule in Guate was "it's not full til I'm in it.) The bride and groom, of course, rode with us also. Everyone else walked and we crowded into the house which was just one room with a bench along each side. We were served caldo, which is thin-brothed chicken soup with spices, and cacao. Cacao is the REAL cocoa drink...straight cocoa which was mixed by our hostess' hand with the water they had on hand. We were the guests of honor besides the bride and groom and we were served first. Delicious stuff! After a full afternoon of festivities and introduction to the beautiful K'ekchi' culture we returned home in quite an exhausted daze. Another amazing first experience for our missionary years.
If you are wondering why I'm bringing up the past so much it's because I want to write all these memories down while I still remember them... I should have done this years ago while the experience was fresh in my mind. In 1988, soon after we arrived in Coban, Guatemala, as church planters, we were invited to a wedding out in the countryside. Now you must understand that we lived 3 hours from the capital city, near the rain forest area, in a small town that seemed to appear out of nowhere. We already felt as if we were at the dropping off point of the world so we definitely felt even more adventurous as we set out with a pastor friend to the wedding an hour or so away. We had our 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter with us. The wedding was held in a small wooden church with very rough-cut benches. The wedding itself was held in the K'ekchi' language...the K'ekchi' were an indigenous group up in Alta Verapaz...the region in which we were working. There were abundant fresh green pine needles scattered all over the floor and many flowers as the people there grow beautiful plants with amazing ease. Our job was to give away the bride and groom which was an honor considering they had never met us. We walked into the church with them (our babies hanging on to us also) and stood with them as the ceremony began. Then we took our seats for the hour-long ceremony. After the couple was married we all loaded up in our Nissan Patrol to head to a nearby house for a reception. Now our Nissan normally held 5 people. But that day 11 people crammed into that car with a couple hanging off the sides. (We used to say that the rule in Guate was "it's not full til I'm in it.) The bride and groom, of course, rode with us also. Everyone else walked and we crowded into the house which was just one room with a bench along each side. We were served caldo, which is thin-brothed chicken soup with spices, and cacao. Cacao is the REAL cocoa drink...straight cocoa which was mixed by our hostess' hand with the water they had on hand. We were the guests of honor besides the bride and groom and we were served first. Delicious stuff! After a full afternoon of festivities and introduction to the beautiful K'ekchi' culture we returned home in quite an exhausted daze. Another amazing first experience for our missionary years. 
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