Antigua Guatemala

Boats cross the lake throughout the day, colorful markets fill the villages, coffee farms climb the hillsides, and almost everywhere you look, you have these incredible views across the water.

Then there's Antigua, with its cobblestone streets, brightly colored colonial buildings, old churches, and dramatic volcanoes towering above the city.

But Antigua isn't just beautiful.

It was once the Spanish colonial capital for much of Central America.

And you can still see that history everywhere you walk.

A routine private doctor's visit can roughly cost $20 to $40, while medications and dental care and basic procedures can cost dramatically less than in the United States.

For more serious medical care, you'll find the country's best private hospitals and specialists in Guatemala City.

With private clinics and hospitals also available in places like Gela and Antigua.

Gracias por las personas que me han amado y por aquellas que me han enseñado, sin quererlo, a crecer en paciencia y en humildad.

Gracias por mi familia, por mis hermanos religiosos de la orden, por las comunidades de Panamá, Elche, Antigua Guatemala y El Salvador, que me has confiado y por cada persona que ha rezado por mi ministerio.

Y sobre todo gracias porque cuando mis fuerzas han flaqueado, tu gracia siempre ha sido más grande.

Que la Virgen María, cuya natividad celebramos hoy, siga guiando mi camino sacerdotal y me ayude a repetir cada día con la sencillez de quien sabe todo lo que ha recibido: "Señor, aquí estoy".

And then Romney just left today.

In the white shirt, he left to Antigua, Guatemala.

And then their sister in the front, she leaves to Peru next month.

Pretty interesting to have all of this happening right now.

The gabbers in Antigua.

The Antiguan gabbers.

However, I was so carsick that whole trip.

I almost puked over everybody.

And so all these variables and factors plus just, again, it's Carlos and, you know, he's had a history with acute mountain sickness as well.

Yeah, all these things made me think about, hey, I got to act and I got to act now and I got to make a decision for himself and myself, right? to make it down to Antigua, the Antigua Guatemala, which is the city where we were coming from, or to any town where we could get him to a clinic, you know, and get him checked out.

So, you know, all these things were running through my mind.

And at one point when he was feeling a little better, I already had made up my mind at that point.

Because the thing that kept me going back to, I got to get us down, is that he couldn't stand up, right? Carolina and a few others were trying to, at one point when we thought he was, better right now I'm not going to say okay but just he was getting better we told him hey can you stand up right that's going to give us a clear indication of where you are or like how you're feeling and he couldn't right like he was trying to but he kept going back down to wherever he was sitting and so that was a clear indication to me that he although maybe he was getting better but he wasn't okay to proceed to base camp let alone right hike Fuego or the summit of Acatenango like there was no way and there was no way that I was going to allow him to even hike up to base camp even though maybe we were like a good 20 minute walk to base camp I wasn't going to let him do that and so I made up my mind at one point early on that I was going to go down with him to Antigua

that's intense and you were just 20 minutes from the Acatenango base camp

Yes.

So wait, so what happened next then? What were the decisions that happened with your friend Carlos?

Other than that, it's travel.

I'm originally from Louisiana, but for the past decade, over a decade, I've been living in Antigua, Guatemala.

And I love walking around, exploring the city.

Still to this day, after 10 plus years, I still enjoy exploring and again, just traveling around, traveling the world.

His first full week has been here in our home for training, and it's been amazing to be a part of.

Soon he will be in a touristy town called Antigua, Guatemala, working 12 hours a day out on the streets, learning a language, wearing a badge with the name of Jesus Christ next to his own.

And I will write him an email every week just hoping to hear from him.

Three kids gone at once.

He's been struggling and challenged by a lot of things and equally succeeding a great way.

And then I've, you know, I've made it known and, and Romney who is next, you know, Romney's got his mission called to Guatemala.

It's going to a place called Antigua.

Like I said, it's a very popular place in terms of the, uh, the volcanoes that you can take pictures with and other things.

No puede ser.

Tienes que conocer Antigua Guatemala, es uno de los países ahora-

Sí.

Es uno de los, eh, puntos turísticos que está en mayor crecimiento en el mundo.

Pero, eh, tenemos las subidas a los volcanes que todo mundo las llega a hacer, son maravillosas.

Puedes ver la erupción toda la madrugada.

Eh, eso lo haces en, en, en, es, es un, está muy cerca de la ciudad de Antigua Guatemala.

Antigua Guatemala no te lo puedes perder.

Wow.

And it's Guatemalan beans from Antigua.

That's different.

That's a city in Guatemala.

yeah

just every month i have the same fact i

have a really big problem because my normal beans are out of stock and so mine's doubled in price They're more expensive too, but I'm frantically trying to find Antigua Guatemalan beans with the same roasts that are similar to what I've been drinking.

Sounds like a business opportunity for the Oliver.