Leaving Guatemala today - Briggsblog

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Hi Everybody,
We are leaving Guatemala today. Excited to get to Mexico City. Visited the cutest town yesterday, Antigua. Very picturesque touristy looking exactly how you would imagine a cute little town in the mountains to be. The only english group in Guatemala is there and it is not doing well. We went to Bethel. Great. The Bethel family is 52 strong. There are 356 or more congregations in Guatamela. Big emphasis on the mayan people. They speak 24 languages. The branch translates from spanish into the most popular 4 mayan languages. They told us that you could hear the language spoken on our website. Also they told us that we could print up the language from the website too. The sister spoke to us in her native language and told us that the mayan language always speaks of the heart so the salutation of how are you is really how is your heart. very sweet. There is a 93 year old brother here from the states who came over 60 years ago when there was only 1 congregation in the entire country. He was part of the 5th Gilead class. Very cute. He told the single sisters that he would not remember them if he saw them again because he only remembers ugly girls. funny guy.
The local brothers and sisters on the mountain wanted us to all come to dinner. Wow! we are 92! We had to pay extra for the additional bus gas but it was only $5 each. But the buses had to go up mountain roads to get the brothers house that was like a compound with barbed wire all around the top of the block wall. They were grouped on the porch when we entered the gate and they sang to us. It made us cry. It was 7,000 elevation so it was cold and foggy but the food was good, the dancing fun and most of all the brotherhood warmed us all. The sisters made tamales and they said that one sister suggested buying the masa but an elderly sister said no, that her family from the states needed the best. So, they started cooking at 1 in the morning! We didnt get back to our hotel until 11pm or so and the group that flew from Floriday had to fly out at 4 this morning! The groups that flew from JFK and LAX fly out at 2:30 today, at least we leave the hotel then. Back to the bus driving the narrow mountian roads in the dark.....at one point he had to manuver between a parked semi truck and a pruned tree that only had large cut branches sticking out, no tender branches to brush against. He made it with about an inch on each side to spare! Both buses broke out in spontaneous applause when we cleared!! Turning the buses in Antigua was rough at some points too. One turn was like a 7 point turn. When we left the friends last night they lined up to hug and kiss us and wish us a wonderful convention and thank us for coming. So precious! Only in Jehovahs family do we find such love. There was such tender feelings and instant acceptance.
Please leave a comment if you read this. then we do not have to sign into other accounts. thanks.
Love you,
Robin and Cyndy