On the Way to Huehue
With an early morning departure we started the long and treacherous trek to Huehuetenango. With the added presence of Brother Martin Spellman, the van capacity is now at eight which makes the trip a little less than comfortable. The roads consisted of speed bumps, potholes, and winding curves that traced the outline of the huge Guatemalan mountainside. Despite the traveling conditions it was a truly inspiring day.
Tucked high in the mountains surrounding Lake Atitlan is the town of Santa Maria Visitacion. The Brothers have a small but thriving school of about 125 students with great opportunities for students to learn trades such as weaving, music, baking, and carpentry. Seeing the happy students and their reactions to our presence was only half the fun. The greatest moment was watching the music class play their marimbas, the national instrument of Guatemala. The beautiful sounds were made more impressive by the fact that the students do it all by memory. It was really a blessing to see the Lasallian ministry alive and working in a completely different part of the world. One picture of today is of the group with Br. Cristian Romero at this school. Great thanks to Br. Cristian and the community who treated us to lunch and a tour even though we showed up unannounced.
The other picture is of Br. Cristian, Br. Larry, and myself in a sauna that belongs to a family in a village home. The family gets together on the weekends to bathe in this unique fashion; it is a ritual as well as practical. We continue to be amazed by the hospitality of the people in this country. I can´t believe that they allowed us to see the sauna. Imagine someone coming to your door in the U.S. and asking to see your bathroom. I doubt the reaction would be the same.
Now we are in Huehue and look forward to a few days of learning about the life and death of Brother James Miller. Br. Martin was stationed in Huehue with Br. James when he was murdered and now that he is here with us we have the privilege of hearing the true story and seeing the places he worked and lived. Look forward to more information on this amazing man and martyr in future posts.
Also,, to all of you reading and commenting, thanks for all of your support.
God Bless,
Cullen
Estéban Juan, Culleno, y Adán,
¡Saludos de Winona! What a privilege and a blessing to be able to visit the site of the martyrdom of our Br. James Miller! While you guys are in Huehuetenango, I hope you’ll start preparing for your reflections for Br. James Miller Day in February. Sounds like you got off Mt Pacaya just in time.
H. Lorenzo y El Perro Juan
Greetings from Rome to Guatemala. Great stuff!
Santiago Miller and I studied together at St. Mary’s; he was in his last year and I was just beginning. All the best in the Land of the Eternal Springtime.
Michael