We had an early wake up call today as we had to leave the convent at 5:45am to start our drive to Lake Atitlán. Today is just a fun day cap off a week of hard work.

Breakfast was very simple, just cereal, bread, coffee and orange juice. We loaded up the bus and started the drive. It took us about 2.5 hours to make it to Lake Atitlán. The views along the way were stunning. And once we arrived at the lake the views were even more breathtaking!

We chartered a boat for our whole group that took us around the whole lake. We cruised for about 1.5 hours taking in the sights before we arrived at Santiago.

Santiago is home to the Cathedral and where the heart of Blessed Stanley Rother is located.

For those unfamiliar with Blessed Stanley Rother – he was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1963. For the first five years of his priesthood he served as an associate pastor at a church in Oklahoma. He then sought permission to join the staff of the Oklahoma diocese’s mission in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. He served the native tribe of the Tz’utujil, who are decedents of the Mayans. Father Rother learned Spanish and the Tz’utujil language in Guatemala. He celebrated Mass in their language and helped translate the New Testament.

While he served in Guatemala, a civil war raged between the militarist government forces and the guerrillas. The Catholic Church was caught in the middle due to its insistence on catechizing and educating the people. During this conflict, thousands of Catholics were killed. Eventually, Father Rother’s name appeared on a death list. For his safety and that of his associate, Father Rother returned home to Oklahoma. He didn’t stay long, though, as he was determined to give his life completely to his people, stating that “the shepherd cannot run.” He returned to Santiago Atitlan to continue the work of the mission.

Within a few months, three men entered the rectory around 1 a.m. on July 28, 1981, fought with Father Rother and then executed him. His death shocked the Catholic world. No one was ever held responsible. The people of Santiago Atitlan mourned the loss of their leader and friend. They requested that Father Rother’s heart be kept in Guatemala where it remains enshrined today.

Upon arriving to Santiago we made our way up the hill to the Cathedral in order to visit and pray at the location where Bl. Stanley Rother’s heart is. When I was with the Missionary Benedictine Sisters one of the books we read at table was his biography (“The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run”) and since then he has been holy man that I look up to. It was incredible to be able to pray so close to the place he was martyred for his faith and ask for his intercession.

After some time in prayer we had about 2 hours to wander the streets of Santiago looking at the various shops, eating some local food and just relaxing before we had to get back on the boat.

We cruised for about 30 minutes before arriving to a beach where we dropped anchor and had a chance to swim for about an hour or so. The water felt great and it was very nice to just float in the water, enjoy a cerveza (beer) and relax after a week of very hard work.

We loaded back on the boat and headed back to dock which took about an hour. Once we were all on the bus we made our way back to the convent, arriving just in time for dinner. We walked in to the dinning room to it decked out for Fr. Leonard’s birthday! (Technically his birthday is on Friday, but since we will be traveling we celebrated tonight.) Our last dinner was served buffet style (up until now everything has been served family style at each table). Tonight we had cheese taquitos, three types of tostados (avocado/bean/tomato), chicken stuffed peppers and fried bananas and chocolate. After dinner we sang happy birthday to father and have him a cake and we all got ice cream to celebrate.

After dinner we had our final powwow. Lindsay gave a beautiful reflection about how God planned for each of us to be here this weekend, he predestinated it for all eternity for these people, at this time to be serving in this place together. It isn’t a mistake and we all have something to offer. We then had a few minutes to reflect on one of the following questions:

1. Where did you see God this week?
2. What impacted you this week?
3. What is a resolution you are going to do back home in order to continue what the Lord has started in you this week?

It was amazing to hear everyone share their answer to one of these questions. Each person had some thing unique to share and yet there were common themes across the board:

1. We saw God in the people we served, especially during the sick visits. In the interpreters and masons who gave of their time to not only help their country but us all week. In each other as we entered into service.
2. We were impacted seeing the joy of the Guatemalan people. By the hospitality show us by those we came to serve. By the sisters who generously gave of their time all week to feed us and clean our rooms each day.
3. Going back home we will strive to love more, share a smile with those we encounter daily, be joyful and live a more simplistic life.

Overall this has been such an incredible week that I know will continue to impact the way I live my life moving forward.

After powwow we got everything packed up and went to bed!

Mileage tracker:

• 9,924 steps
• 4.23 miles