Joy – Pure and Simple (part one)

If you’ve had a rough week, read on. Pure and simple joy still exists.

Last week, I had the honor and privilege of adventuring with eight young teenagers from the Utz Pan bakery project of Jesus es El Camino Church in Guatemala city. Accompanied by Pastors Emerson and Mardoqueo and driver/church member Kevin, we traveled five hours west to Xela for a week of learning, fellowship, reflection, EATING, hiking, and swimming. There were too many moments of pure and simple joy to count.

For many of these kids, this was the first time they had traveled far from their neighborhood, hiked a mountain top, breathed in the fresh air of nature, seen back-of-house operations of a bakery and restaurant, and had time to just relax and enjoy each other. There were non-stop smiles and giggles (and lots of napping on the bus).

These kids are simply amazing. It is rare to come upon a group of young teenagers who are so thoughtful, caring, kind, patient, curious, hopeful, faithful, hard-working and well-mannered. And when you begin to learn the immense obstacles and hardships they have already faced in their young lives, they are all the more impressive. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion during the week.

If you are not already familiar with the Utz Pan bakery project or how this “field trip” came about last year, please take a moment to read this article for a bit of background – then come back!

Our first stop was Iximche, a Pre-Colombian Mayan archaeological site, for a private tour with a guide. The kids decided to sacrifice Mardoqueo to the Gods (ha!).

Then we stopped for lunch where each person was given a budget. The boys decided to pool their money to maximize the amount of food they could get. After much research and calculation, they ordered. Let’s just say that ice cream came out first.

After a good night’s sleep at the retreat center, we headed to a nearby town to visit three very impressive entrepreneurial women. Each of them started their business years ago with the help of a revolving funds grant from the Association, and their enterprises are now booming. First stop was Justa’s bakery where the aspiring bakers were put to work making more than a dozen kinds of breads and cookies.

After a long morning of work, we walked a couple of blocks to Marina’s restaurant for a home cooked lunch of caldo de res (hearty beef stew). Before eating, we had a tour of the kitchen and Marina shared with us how she started with a modest tortilla stand on the street corner and now owns this establishment with three full-time employees. It was an inspiration for the kids to hear how dreams can come true with a vision and a lot of hard work. You just need a simple place to start.

After lunch we needed something sweet, so we headed two doors down to a second Justa who showed us how she has been making her chocolate for decades. She also has animals and a lovely greenhouse which the kids enjoyed!

It was a busy first couple of days…I’ll be back tomorrow with more photos of the second half. Thanks again for your support and interest!

– Carrie