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Guatemala forces people to renew their visas every 90 days. We had the choice to go to Guatemala City and possibly waist two days on this process, or leave the block of Central American countries. We opted for Mexico; it is surprisingly North America, not Central. Luckily we were studying Spanish not too far from the Mexican border. So we made plans to finish our week of studying in Xela and go across the border for a week, as we had to spend 72 hours out of the country to make the renewal valid.

The day before we left, we met this aging-hippy-gringo in a chocolate store in Xela, and without sharing our plans with him, he told us that he was going to the same border town to renew some American guy’s passport, and then go on to the same town in Mexico as us. It was almost scary how exact his itinerary was to ours. But he was driving and offered us a ride, and we offered to pay some for the gas.

It should only be about a 3-4 hour drive to the border from Xela. We started our journey at 8 am and didn’t get to our destination until about 6pm, but we made it alive with all our money and passports… eventually. This man, named Ramjey, who looked exactly like my friend Scott in 40 years, was a Hindu priest from Missouri now living on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Along with him was is semi-ex-wife and daughter in law. Those two were African Americans from Chicago, reformed Muslim, Hindu, and now practicing Jews.

Well it was an interesting group, making for some of the most bizarre conversations about their life experiences and their insane conspiracies, like the pyramids being built by aliens, and the world coming to an end in 2012. Strewn between crazy stories were multiple stops along the journey. We delivered some donuts to a poor lady, bought Mexican Gas smuggled across the border, and Visited a hot spring in the middle of no-where. I even drove for half of the trip as Ramjey shared his tales about going to BYU, cheating his way out of Vietnam, and homeschooling eight children.

We got to the hectic Guatemalan border town, where Ramjey left his “family” with the car to wait for him while he went to buy cheap olive oil at Wal-Mart an hour across the border in Mexico for selling for profit in Guatemala. Ramjey used the other guys passport as his own. This way the American man got his Visa renewed like us, but just gave Ramjey money for the service, rather than going himself. Then we all got in the pleasantly clean and orderly Mexican Van and went to Comitan Mexico, where we half sadly said goodbye to Ramjey at Wal-Mart, and went on the discover the charming, clean, and orderly old city of Comitan.

Comitan Center: Ice cream man

 After Comitan we reluctantly moved on to San Cristobal de Las Casas, which is probably one of the most charming Mexican towns. We had breezed through it three years ago on our way to Guatemala, but this time we had plans to really take it in. We had two days and walked miles across the city from one church on a hill to another on the other side, and marveled as we looked back at the distance we had covered. We ate a few meals on the pedestrian street, and did some more Spanish studying each day. I could have spent more time there exploring the surrounding Mayan villages, but it was time to go back to the Opal House.

The main church in San Cristobal

We had grand plans to spend a few nights at the Lagos de Montabelo on the Border of Mexico and Guatemala. There are about a hundred lakes with different colors surrounded by dense forests and National Park. Well, when we got there it was raining, and we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere, so we walked for a while to catch a bus to a hotel we were looking for. After many taxi/bus rides we found the hotel that cost about 400% more than our guidebook said. We only had a enough money to spend one night, add to that the constant rain and cold, we got a quick start the next morning.

Our place at Lagos De Montebelo. Its colder than it looks.

The Opal House is still in its starting phase. It being partly a farm makes it easier to think about our work in analogies such as: our work here is walking the land, understanding it, tilling it for future years. And it also being a safe place for women and children, doesn’t just happen naturally over-night. That part takes rich and trusting relationships which take many seasons, tomato harvest, after avocado harvest. So though our work here might feel to me like I am building a box of wood by the road, eternally weeding, making a trail to the middle of nowhere, or slaughtering the Spanish Language, it is all part of a season, a cycle that is essential to the work of making this a hopeful, functioning place.

 With the help of Will and Glen - Glen a one time world class pot grower and smuggler/creator of Telluride Bluegrass, Jazz, & film festivals/celestial seasonings- we built a small store for the women that live here to sell food or crafts which they make. We opened up the store this past week. It is located on the property next to a view point on the main road called a mirador. Veronica, a single mother of two young children who came to Opal House with no place to live and very little hope, is working hard everyday at the store. Through micro-financing with her crafts she has paid off a $400 bank debt, and now is saving money she makes selling food to some day buy a house for her family. We are so blessed to pass hours talking with her and her children, and being a part of her story.

The store we built for Veronica

An art project we did with some local kids