Just Another Day at HGCH

I'm sitting here at the coffee house, preparing to return home next week. Many of our regulars are leaving in the next day or two in order to be home for Thanksgiving. It feels peaceful here right now.

At the table next to me, Diana is working on her paperwork for her mission. She has been here a year and a half and comes in often for a medium latte and to chat and catch up on her work.

Next to her is Scott - he is checking his email and missing his grandchildren. He and his wife Linda have been here with their daughter Tracey and her boyfriend Matt for about a month now. They come in most mornings and order waffles, pancakes and an egg sandwich. Scott and Linda are coming back in 6-9 months to do missions work permanently and have been looking at the different possibilities available - of which there are many! This family has become very dear to us. A few weeks ago, Matt proposed to Tracey, and it has been so much fun to be a part of all the wedding plans and ideas!

Another table over Linda is teaching Sierra how to knit. This will be a great thing for Sierra as she needs something to do with her hands to keep herself out of trouble! I wish I had a camera because it would be so cute. Edilma is sitting at the table with them, watching carefully.

Over in the corner Elizabeth is reading "Blue Like Jazz" - you might remember that I wrote about that book a while back and have been raving about how awesome it is. She decided she would read it and I can hear giggles erupting from the corner occasionally, and then she scoots over to share with me a particularly funny part. We started out having a women's group to go over the book, but several of the ladies weren't able to follow through for one reason or another, so Elizabeth and I discuss it informally.

In the other room (the one I affectionately call the Garden Room...such that I would like it to BE a garden room...) Pablo is napping on the couch. Yes - Pablo is out of the hospital! He is walking around - rather slowly - with the help of some arm-brace canes. Luis was here with him for awhile, and had his shoe shine chair and kit in the corner while he sat with Pablo. However, the sun is shining and there might be some work at the park, so he left a few minutes ago.

The lady from the restaraunt across the street - Cherisimos - is coming through the door with our lunch. They have a lunch special every day for 20 Quetzales (20 Q), which is about $2.75. For this you get meat, rice, salad, tortillas and fresh juice. The special is different every day - today it is orange chicken and looks very good! We get lunch here several days a week, and now many of our customers do, too! They bring it over to us and I joke that this is their second restaraunt now.

Florecita is cooking in the back - she is one of my dear friends here. Edilma is her daughter. We laugh and talk and work together every day and I will miss her so much. Right now she is cooking lemon pound cake, and after that gets out I will need to put in a turkey to start getting ready for Thursday, when we will have about 50 people for Thanksgiving.

Last week a guy named Alex asked if he could hang some art on our walls and sell them on consignment. The art is very "Catholic" in nature, particularly what is called "mystical Catholic" and has caused some bit of controversy, but it does add some color! It waits to be seen what will come of it. Alex is an interesting guy in that he has loads of weapons that he offers to sell - mace, pepper spray, a tazer and one of those police batons. I don't know if he's just really paranoid or well prepared. Some of the ladies have been interested in these things after all of the violence that has been happening.

Crazy Dave is hanging around, looking to see where he can jump into a conversation and begin telling us how every version of the Bible is incorrect and has been translated wrong and that we are only (sick, tired, diseased, in pain, etc) because we believe it and if we simply didn't believe we had (illness, disease, etc), we wouldn't have it anymore. He always adds some life to the party.

So, it's just another day here at the coffee house. It's quiet for now, because most students are in class. I'm going to miss this place.