Three weeks ago I was invited to attend the wedding of Felipe's oldest son Fredy. Felipe is one of our church leaders in the rural village of Patuy. We left early Sunday morning and walked 2 hours to Chirramos where we held a service. Pastor Ken Herfst was also invited to attend and he did the service in Chirramos. After the service and lunch at Chema's house we walked 1.5 hours to Patuy. The service did not start until late because it started to rain and the bride, groom, and family had not yet come down from the house. Once they arrived the service started. Pastor Ken Herfst preached and Pastor Xicara officiated the wedding ceremony. The wedding lasted around 2.5 hours after which we all ate tamales and drank hot, but weak mountain coffee. After everyone returned to their homes, we bedded down in the church. The night was short and sleep was hard to come by. At 3:00 am we left Patuy to walk 3.5 hours to the truck. We had been told that the road was going to be closed at 7:00 and would remain closed for 3 months in order to pave a certain section that is prone to washouts. We did not want to risk coming late and having the truck stuck there for 3 months and having to hike all the way home. After getting cleaned up in Cubulco we drove to Guatemala City since we had other commitments to attend to. We had a good trip and it was nice to be a part of this special event in Patuy and Chirramos.
