As promised, a beatification update!  I had such an amazing weekend at Lago de Atitlán. The first night we got there, Friday, we took a boat taxi across the lake from Panajachel to our hostel near Santa Cruz.  I was already loving it because it is the prettiest lake I have ever seen.  Not only is the water a beautiful blue, but it is also surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, so what the heck.  And our hostel, instead of being a building, was a covered area looking out over the lake and tents up above also looking out over the lake.  How cool!  The water was also great for swimming so we all jumped in the first night as a thunderstorm rolled in.

But the next day was the big day.  After a slight misunderstanding of how the boats work, we took a boat back to Panajachel, which is on the opposite side of the lake from Santiago Atitlán, and then had to walk to another port and get on a different boat to finally get where we were trying to go.  It ended up being kind of nice that we were a little late thought because when we arrived to town as the beatification was happening, and it was all over the place.  The first thing we saw when we got off the boat was a sign with Father Ruther on it advertising this special day, so naturally I took a picture with it, but they actually were all over the place as we made our way to the church,  Iglesia Parroqial Santiago Apóstol.

As we walked through Santiago Atitlán, everywhere and I mean everywhere, had the beatification playing.  Restaurants, cafés, stores all had EWTN streaming on their TV's and what was really cool was that even people selling stuff on the street had it playing through their speakers, so literally anywhere you walked, you could hear the beatification mass going on.

So we showed up to the Church and find our seats, we were able to get about halfway up to the front, which was pretty good considering the size of their choir and band.  Also for a solid hour and a half, people just kept bringing in more chairs.  I thought it was almost full when we got there so I don't even understand how they possibly fit more people in there.  I don't even really have an estimate for how many people were there, but it was absolutely a fire hazard.  And that isn't counting the overflow outside.

Even though we were late, luckily we were there when Father Stanley Rother (Padre Apla's as the indigenous people called him) was officially declared blessed.  They announced it in the church in Tz'utujil, the Mayan language spoken there, and the church broke out in applause.  From then on until mass in the church there started, it was me leaning over to Cassie (my fellow missionary and Antigua roomie) saying things like, "See that guy? That's my dad!" or "That's my former pastor!" or "That's the priest that baptized me!" and "That's my spiritual director!"  It just went on and on and I was just so excited to be able to be part of this event through the people back in Oklahoma that I am close to and by being able to be where it all began.

I am especially proud of my parents for all the hard work they put into this event.  The countless ours my mom has spent working and planning to help this all come together, and my dad who chanted the gospel in English during mass.  Seriously so cool!

There is a photo that I see a lot of Blessed Stanley Rother of him standing in his rectory, and on a quest to find the bathroom, I stumbled upon that exact spot.  That was unreal.

After mass ended, they had a procession around the town, which was not like one I had seen before.  All the ones I had seen were very solemn, but this was most definitely a celebration.  There was music, jumping, dancing, yelling, horns, the whole nine yards.  I don't have words for how special it was to be there.

Beato Padre Apla's ¡Ruega por nosotros!

Our last day at Lago de Atitlán, we hiked up to a waterfall, which was so cool!  Never mind the fact that instead of a 45 minute hike up a paved path, we literally just hopped from rock to rock up the river and it took us over an hour.  And never mind the fact that we only did this because we didn't see said path on the way up.  It was more fun the way we did it anyway.  Overall a great weekend filled with lots of great memories.

I said goodbye to my Spanish teacher today, which was hard.  She has been so great for me.  She has such a kind heart and sting faith.  Knowing her has been an incredible blessing.

Now, I'm preparing to leave Antigua, my home for the last seven weeks.  I'm feeling all the feelings about it too.  I'm sad to leave this city that I have enjoyed so much.  It's excited to meet the children and my fellow missionaries.  I'm nervous that my Spanish is not good enough.  I'm thankful for the time I have had here in Antigua and for the people I have met.  But I also feel very at peace.  Something that is so important to me and that I try to live by is the example the Virgin Mary sets.

"And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her."
Luke 1:38

I don't know what is to come in the next few months, in the next year or so.  I don't know the kids yet.  I don't know how often I'll be able to call home.  I don't know who I'm going to share a room with.  There is so much that I don't know.  But I am simply a servant of the Lord.  So whatever his will is, that is what will happen.  And that is all I need to know right now.  Honduras, here we come!