Every year as part of the Day of the Dead celebration, a town (Sumpango) about thirty minutes outside of Antigua hosts a large kite festival. It takes place on November 1. We have never been to the festival, but it is very popular and draws massive crowds.
A few weeks after the festival, several of the kites are put on display around Antigua's Central Park. We always enjoy walking around the park and seeing them. They are gigantic!
Here is a look at some of the kites we saw this year.
Several local businesses make smaller kites to display as a way of advertising.
We 💗 Hector's Bistro!
me and Ben at the kite expo
Here is a YouTube video I made from my photos and videos.
Marimba music is common all throughout Guatemala. They had a band playing that day. The sound is fun and festive.
There were several smaller kites that were sponsored by local businesses in town.
This one was sponsored by our new mall in town. It is crazy to think that we now have a shopping mall in Antigua!!
nuts anyone?
An ice cream stand made to look like a chicken bus. How cute is that??
This is a sight you will see at all events in town. Cotton candy vendors are on every block.
David and I had gone into town by ourselves to walk around and see the kites. It was fun to have an afternoon together without the boys.
We ended our outing at Sobremesa for dessert. We shared this pumpkin cheesecake. It was delicious!
The best part of the whole outing was the drink I ordered. I love creme brulee. It is my favorite dessert! The restaurant does not offer it as a dessert option but instead had a creme brulee iced coffee. Oh my! It was amazing. I'll be back for that again soon.
There is always something going on in our town. That is one of the reasons we love where we live.
Lastly, here is a YouTube video I made of our outing-
We began the month hosting a volunteer team from Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville, GA. They did VBS in the Chiquimula area.
We had sixteen on the team.
Mr. Gary and Mrs. Linda were the team leaders and did a wonderful job.
The boys with Mr. Gary. He was on the very first volunteer team we ever hosted. We were excited to host him again. He is loved dearly by our family.
The boys and I eating lunch at Subway in Antigua.
We walked through the Kite Festival one afternoon. It was set up in our Central Park.
The kites were huge and a pretty sight to see.
In this photo you can see Ben standing in front of one of them. It definitely gives you an idea of their size.
another view
Ben and his tennis partner Josue. They were having a play day one afternoon after their tennis lesson.
Ben, Josue, and Coach Kelly at tennis
I was honored to get to share with the ladies
from the Metro Baptist Association in Mississippi for their Baptist Women’s Day of Prayer event. In addition to sharing about our work in Guatemala, I gave a devotion and challenged them to find new and creative ways for ministry in this post-Covid world.
David attended the Guatemala Baptist Convention mid-month. It was good to hear reports of the work taking place around Guatemala within our Baptist churches. Pray for continued unity within the convention and for much growth for our churches in the new year.
The convention took place at the Guatemala Baptist Seminary in Guatemala City. It is just around the block from our Arkansas Mission House.
As usual, I did a lot of baking. This was a cream cheese pound cake I made for guests we had coming.
I try to keep sausage balls in the freezer. We love them!
Some pretty flowers that were blooming at a restaurant in town.
We celebrated Thanksgiving Day in Guatemala City with fellow missionaries.
Lastly, a beautiful volcano view on a recent Sunday evening drive to church.
We are excited to welcome the month of December. It is a fun and festive time of the year. We will be celebrating the holidays at home in Guatemala this year.
