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Life at Lake Atitlan is behind me and now it is time for the next chapter. I am staying for nearly a week at the home of Dennis and Doris Rice in Quetzaltenango (known to everyone by it's Quiche Maya name Xelaju or simply Xela - pronounced Sha-lah). Dennis and Doris manage Vine International's warehouse operations in Xela, Guatemala (For more information on Vine International, see my past entry A Spiritual Recharge or visit www.vineinternational.org).

In the Home of Friends

Jeremy Curl
2006-08-28 16:06:58

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Life at Lake Atitlan is behind me and now it is time for the next chapter. I am staying for nearly a week at the home of Dennis and Doris Rice in Quetzaltenango (known to everyone by it's Quiche Maya name Xelaju or simply Xela - pronounced Sha-lah). Dennis and Doris manage Vine International's warehouse operations in Xela, Guatemala (For more information on Vine International, see my past entry A Spiritual Recharge or visit www.vineinternational.org). The Rices are one of the kindest and spiritually solid couples I have had the pleasure to meet. They have only recently met me and they have opened their home to me, given me a place to sleep, a HOT shower, washed my clothes, and prepared food for me at each meal. I was not expecting all of this treatment, but I must say it sure is nice to have. The Rices have lived in Guatemala for 10 years and have devoted their time and energy to doing God's work and spreading his word. They first started out in the Peten Region up North, but now they live in the Western Highlands where the temperature is much less humid.

I met up with Dennis and Doris in Los Encuentros after making my early morning accent up through the mountains surrounding the lake. Before heading to Xela, we had to meet up with some individuals just North of Guatemala City to scope out some possible warehouse locations and discuss future operation possibilities. A major U.S. ministry wanted to discuss the possibility of future warehouse consolidation between the missionary groups providing medical supplies to Guatemala. We visited two possible sites and toured the vacant warehouses. The facility that showed the most potential was a former Reebok and Gap manufacturing warehouse. There were some former "Employee of the Month" pictures still up on the walls and the oldest of the award recipients was 7 yrs. old (just pulling your leg). I did get to learn more about the inside operations of non-profit organizations and the process by which they ...