Nearly at the Finca!

Tonight is the last night before I permanently move to the Finca for the next 2.5 years. It is so unbelievable that we are finally here, in La Ceiba, only 3 hours from the Finca. I can hardly contain my excitement, and I think the same could be said of all 8 of us. First, let's back track a bit to our 10 day journey across Guatemala and Honduras!

After a mass sponsored by Juan Sisay to send us off on our journey with many blessings, we had our graduation from Juan Sisay. It was so weird leaving and saying good-bye to our teachers and new friends we made there. But, I think we were all ready to get moving.

On Saturday, Carlos (our driver for the whole trip) picked us all up with our rather large collection of luggage and we were off! We first visited Lago de Atitlan - a beautiful lake surrounded by volcanoes (which WE DID NOT climb!) and just amazing scenery. I think a special spell has been cast on this area in which all people who visit fall into a trend of relaxing and doing nothing. At least, this is what we all did for the two days we were there. One day we ventured out to go kayaking and a little shopping in a mercado, but beyond this we sat in rocking chairs on our balcony, read, talked, played cards, ate great food, and just relaxed! It was so wonderful and a great start to our trip.

Then, we headed north to Coban - the favorite spot of us all. Coban itself is nothing to rave about, but about two and a half hours outside of Coban, in the mountains lies Semuc Champey. Semuc Champey in Mayan means "where water meets rock." That really translates to a natural land bridge that goes directly over a raging river. BUT on top of the land bridge lies a series of stair-stepped, jade-colored pools of crystal clear water. We got to swim in them and work our way down the series. Ultimately, we ended at the bottom in which we climbed down a rope ladder, down a waterfall (not a big one) and into a cave that goes under the bridge. Here we saw water gushing with extreme force out from under the bridge (from a "Guatemalan" safe distance, of course). It was by far the coolest and most incredible thing I have seen in a very long time. It was just breath taking.

Afterwords, we explored a bat cave. Knowing that the Mayans really respect nature, it came as no surprise that this is another respected, place of worship for them. The cave was quite beautiful but was rather full of bat guano! Let's just say we all came out of the cave not very clean. It was still a really fun experience.

Our next stop was Esquipulas, a town near the Guatemalan, Honduran boarder. Many of our Guatemalan friends told us that this was a place we must visit. It is the home of El Cristo Negro (The Black Christ). It is place of pilgramage for many people in Central America. We all went to mass there. It was an impressive church, but not my favorite stop.

We then headed for the boarder. It was an interesting experience. We had to pay to leave Guate and enter Honduras, however, there is not a required fee for either. It seems that the boarder control can just charge whatever they want to. And, considering we need to cross the boarder, we have to pay whatever they ask. However, we lucked out and really only had to pay about 4 dollars. We all passed successfully and without any hassle.

Next, we headed to Amigos de Jesus, another orphanage in Honduras. We had made friends with the volunteers there during language school. It was really exciting to see an orphanage and just get a quick glimpse into our future. Amigos is a little different because it only houses boys at this time. They hope to house girls within the next few years. The boys were just great and so full of energy. The facilities there are beautiful due to a sponsorship from Villanova. I think our excitement level was heightened by this visit.

Our final stop was Copan (not to be confused with Coban, Guate). Here we found some very well preserved Mayan Ruins. There were so many impressive things to see here. I felt like it was just a good way top off our Mayan history lessons of the past two months. They really knew what they were doing there with their architecture, art, and technology. It was a great way to end our trip.

Yesterday, we finally arrived in La Ceiba, where Andrea, our US coordinator lives with her family. I guess we have officially started our orientation today. We have been learning about Phase 3 of the Finca. Phase 3 is where the adolescents move to La Ceiba to go to schools here and find local jobs. It is really a way for them to learn how to live independently. We also spent some time learning about the history and mission statement of the Finca.

TOMORROW we arrive at the Finca! I feel like I have been preparing for this day for so long, it is surreal. However, I am so very excited to meet my new family and get started. Please pray for us as we continue to grow in community and learn more about this beautiful mission. In return, we are all praying for you all daily.