This past weekend we make a road trip to Quetzaltenango to visit with our mission family there. Quetzaltenango is the formal name but everyone calls it Xela. It is about a 3.5 hour drive from our house. We left on Friday afternoon when the boys finished their Awana class at Encounter Academy.
Off we go!
We were excited to take Terrie along with us and let her see another part of Guatemala.
A gorgeous sunset view along the way.
Along the way we encountered an accident in the road that set our arrival back a full hour. We ended up stopping at a Texaco gas station for supper. Thankfully, they served great sandwiches.
They had just remodeled the store/restaurant and it was really cute. In
the bathrooms they used old gas nozzles at the sink. It was really a
fun sight to see.
How about this toilet paper holder? Very cute and creative!
We arrived a little before 9:00 p.m. We were tired but still stayed up a while visiting. We all stayed at the Stone's house. Their daughter Lindsay was there as well as our journeyman Lauren. It was a full house but that made it extra fun.
The next morning after breakfast Gary took us all on a walking tour of Xela. We covered a lot of ground in a few hours time. Their house is within walking distance of many great restaurants, shopping, and entertainment options. Xela is the second largest city in Guatemala with Guatemala City being the largest. I was blown away by all that it offered!
Isn't this wall beautiful!
Everyone had told us to go to Xelapan. It is a chain bread store that is very popular. We loved looking at all the options available and left with a bag full of goodies to try.
The main reason for visiting was to try the xecas. Everyone raves about them! We bought several different varieties to try.
Here are the boys helping Lindsay snap beans for supper.
Lindsay and the boys.
She is the Stone's daughter who grew up in Guatemala.
The boys loved the Stone's two dogs- Coco and Bernie.
Mid-day we headed out to lunch at Cardinali. It is an Italian restaurant that the Stones have told us about for years. We were excited to finally get to try it. It was just as good as they had said. Afterwards we did some more exploring around the city.
our IMB mission family at the Xela Central Park
Terrie with the group.
Xela Central Park
David, Ben and Gary
We are very thankful for Gary's friendship, leadership, and investment in our lives over the years.
We returned home and enjoyed several rounds of cards before supper.
Later that evening we drove up to a lookout spot and enjoyed the views of Xela at night.
He is growing up so fast!
me, Cruz, and Terrie
Terrie is a volunteer here with us for the months of January and February. She is such a joy to have around.
On Sunday morning we attended a service at the Stone's church plant. Here is David sharing during the service.
Lauren teaching the kids a Bible lesson.
We had a group lunch at the church with everyone before returning to the Stone's house to load up our things. We drove home that afternoon.
We had a wonderful weekend visit. We look forward to doing it again soon.
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