Festival in Antigua

On Sunday, July 25, we visited the historic city of Antigua to observe Dia de Santiago, Saint James Day. It is a celebration of the founding of Guatemala. Antigua is a former capital of Guatemala, and James is their patron saint. Lots of people were gathered in the town square. A marimba band was playing under the white canopy. Several dancing couples on stage were entertaining the crowd. In the background is a building called the Palace of the Captains General, which served as a military barracks in the 1700's.


The Cathedral of San Jose stands on one side of the square. It was originally built in 1545, destroyed by an earthquake in 1583, rebuilt in 1670 and destroyed by another earthquake in 1773. It has been partially restored.



The inside of the cathedral was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers.



I've included three very common sights in Antigua. The first one is vendors; they seem to be everywhere! And as "rich gringos" we are their favorite targets. I get very tired of having trinkets thrust in front of my face and tire of saying, "No gracias".


Military personnel are another common site. There are also many national police, traffic police, and tourist police providing security in Antigua.



Unfortunately, beggars are also a common sight in the city.



Tony and Maria were excited to be able to take a horse ride around the block. I thought it was funny that the guy tied them onto the saddle with ropes.



What fiesta would be complete without firecrackers?



This fellow was parading around with fireworks shooting from the framework he carried on his head.



The evening was capped off with an amazing fireworks display.

Indiantown Mennonite

Indiantown Mennonite youth group was here this past week as an ORI work team.


We took them to Antigua on Thursday for a day of sightseeing, where this photo was taken.



The team spent their work days at the Vida Ilimitada orphanage. They poured footers and laid block for a building that will eventually serve as a kitchen and laundry. They also dug ditches, moved dirt, and did some interior painting.


El Jefe - The Boss



The girls and I drove out to the orphanage on Friday to help prepare a special lunch for everyone, about 75 people with the team members, orphanage kids, and staff. We grilled hamburgers and also had chips, watermelon, and cookies. We did this as a special treat for the children at Vida, and they really seemed to enjoy it. This orphanage is on a very tight budget and the children rarely get anything other than rice and beans to eat.



After we ate, the group had a pinata for the little kids.



As always, Charlie's water rocket was a big hit with the boys!



Some kids had fun with the giant bubble wand.



The group also did some crafts with the children. I didn't include a picture of this, but the older guys played soccer while the younger ones participated in these activities. It was a fun afternoon for everyone.

Dedication at Fundaninos

On Saturday, July 10, the ORI staff was invited to Fundaninos for a celebration and dedication of the newly completed director's apartment.

We are all gathered in front of the building. The babies and toddlers live on the first floor, and the director's new apartment is on the second floor.


Manolo, one of the founders of Fundaninos, and Jim, director of ORI, unveiled a plaque giving credit to those who helped fund the building project.


We then gathered upstairs in the "living room" for a few comments and prayer.



The director's youngest son read a letter thanking ORI for all of their work.



Each of the ORI staff received a certificate and a hand-painted picture. Afterward we were served a meal of beef fajitas, black beans, nachos, and salsa.

Ingraham Family

We hosted a small work team June 21 - 28, the Ingraham family from Lancaster County. They spent their work week at the Nuevo Reto orphanage building closets. The children did lots of painting.



We visited the Luz de Maria orphanage, which has lots of children under the age of five. The big bubble blower was a hit.



This little girl wouldn't go to anyone but Maria.



Her birth-mother tried to throw this little girl from a bridge, but thankfully she was rescued by passers-by.