Day One in Antigua

                                           The Ruins of Santa Rosa Cathedral

                                          Vulcan Agua as viewed from our balcony

We know that many of you were praying for us yesterday as we traveled to Guatemala. We arrived mid-afternoon with all of our 17 pieces of luggage. We cleared customs and airport security without a hitch. The Lord was kind and gracious with his traveling mercies.

Our first comical sight - 4 people and 17 bags in 782 square feet of microscopic apartment. It's a big change from the Brown Mansion in Marietta. I think this apartment would fit in their garage. Joking aside, I think it is going to be a great home for us. I just finished unpacking and everything seems to have a place.

Another big difference in this place and our previous abode is the lack of climate control in the apartment. The light shines around the door frame, most but not all of the windows have screens, and most are open through out the day. We have a few small friends living among us - mostly the six-legged varieties. Since it is the rainy season, we have cool but damp temperatures. It feels like we are camping in the rain. Last night, I could hear the dogs barking and see plenty of light coming through our open windows. Fortunately, we were so exhausted it did not prevent us from sleeping.

We woke up to the most amazing views of Antigua and Vulcan Agua from our balcony. The ruins of Santa Rosa church are just on the other side of our courtyard wall. Life is going to be different here, no doubt. We are blessed to be in such a lovely setting as we begin the transition.

Our first mission today - find the grocery store and get some food. Well - lucky me we found the La Bodegona. I call it Super Target for short. We had a varied list of food and non-food items. We had no clue where to find the non-food items - like a laundry basket, coffee pot, cereal bowls etc. The grocery store went on and on and twisted through the whole block. It was crazy!! The aisles were so tight, we couldn't get the small cart down many of them. The store had a really insane layout - twists, turns, ramps up and down, cement floor, tile floor, linoleum. Good news - we found several unexpected surprises. For instance - sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and a huge side of beef hanging in the middle of the store. I had to send Lee over to get the ground beef - it was a little too much for my senses. As we wound through the recesses of the store we found a container section where we bought a laundry basket, an appliance section where we purchased a coffee pot and a dinnerware section where we bought cereal bowls. We were able to purchase everything on the list in one place. Thank you Jesus for the Guatemala version of Super Target.

We debriefed the adventure at our favorite McDonald's with a spectacular view of the volcano. Our first day in Guatemala has been eye-opening, nose-offending, scenic, crazy, productive and satisfying. Wonder what tomorrow will bring....