On our 2015 Guatemalan vacation, we strolled Antigua’s streets, bought textiles of a dozen textures and colors, hiked a volcano, and sipped espresso at cafe Fat Cat’s, a finca (coffee farm) and anywhere else they poured. Indigenos brightened the scenery as they sold wares, shared food, tended to babies, and worked the land. I looked for Juana and Wilmer everywhere we traveled, including Guate, Antigua, Panajachel, Santa Cruz, and Nahuala.

In November of 2015, my husband and I flew to Guatemala, the land my daughter loves and the land of my Compassion kids, Juana and Wilmer. Pumped up about a new culture, I’d read extensively, including news about recent landslides. Was Guatemala as beautiful as the pictures? Llegamos a la una de la tarde en la cuidad de Guatemala. (We arrived at 1:00 p.m. in Guatemala City, or Guate, as locals call it). Yep, I’d “Rosetta Stoned” to augment 60s and 70s high school and college Spanish and chatted with bilingual friends till my brain jumbled and I yelled, “Caramba!”  

In 2015, my husband and I learned of Compassion at a church event. Compassion aims to support children who need better nutrition, clean water, and/or adequate shelter and employs local “Christ-centered church(es)” to share the gospel in addressing these “immediate physical needs” (www.compassion.com).