Groups of People

Outside of our house, there are a lot of pedestrians, and they are always carrying things... usually big loads wrapped in brightly colored fabric on their backs.

This particular group of ladies caused Michael to come inside and announce, "You've got to come see the Mayan ladies with loads on their heads!"  We are amazed that they can balance heavy loads while walking on bumpy dirt roads.



One Saturday, the three older girls and I went to shop in thrift shops with another missionary, Jennifer, in the nearby bigger town of Quiché.  On the way, we were stopped for a while by a large gathering of people in the road.  They were there to listen to a campaign speech, and since it was a quiet group, we waited rather than turning around and going home. 

Eventually, somehow, the people parted so the vehicles could pass through.  Guatemala is having presidential elections Sept. 11, so there are banners everywhere, loud speakers blaring, and large billboards announcing the 20 or more different candidates one should vote for.


Another Saturday, there was a marching band exhibition in Chichi.  There was a parade, and then the bands went to a local soccer field to perform one at a time, school by school.  There aren't many organized sports teams here, but many schools have a marching band.  There is a high school near our house, so we hear them practicing and practicing and practicing... loudly!  (And in our opinion, they need some more practice... especially the tubas.)

The girls and I walked into town that day.  We had missed the parade, and we weren't sure what was going on at the soccer field, but we could hear band music.  So we paid the entrance fee of 65 cents each, and this is what we found: there must have been 20 or more marching bands!   (We were thinking of GrandMary!)   The stands to the left were filled with people, and there were concession stands with ice cream and cotton candy.  It was quite festive!

We watched a couple of bands play and then flagged down a tuk-tuk to take us home.  It was only a 10-minute walk, but the girls love to ride in tuk-tuks!

It was a fun outing and a fun ride home!


One more group of people we often see, and are grateful for, is our English-speaking Missionary Community Church.  The local missionaries meet on Sunday mornings for church, and there are often short-term groups visiting.

This particular Sunday there were several large teams visiting, so we met in a larger conference room at the hotel where we normally meet.