Courtney Bailon-Perez

My last weekend in Guatemala has been my favorite in the last 7 months.  My good friend Deborah and I decided to treat our family to a peaceful weekend getaway.  Our family has been through a lot in the last month.  Between losing 3 family members to gang violence, having a son go missing in the states, financial trouble at work and gang extortion making its way into our neighborhood. . . . it's been 3 too many visits to the cemetery and far too many tears shed.  Living in our house, it's impossible to escape the nightly reminders of pain - with the gunshots and screams and staring at the empty bed where someone should be sleeping.  

Friday after work, we packed 10 of us up and headed out on an adventure that took us up into the mountains above a town called Antigua.  The drive up alone filled my heart with so much joy that our time could have ended then and I would have been happy.  Many of the family members had never even been out of Guatemala City, so our 4 hour journey was huge.  It was dark when we were headed up the mountain, an amazing lightening storm lit up the sky, and we could see the whole town below.  We stopped 3 times for everyone to take pictures, and as I taught them about making wishes on stars, Sara said, "This is a vacation we will never forget."  

We arrived to a delicious dinner waiting for us, and Angela said such a beautiful prayer, thanking God for bringing her 2 daughters to help heal her heart, that Deborah and I were full of tears. We had 3 cabins all to ourselves, with hammocks that looked over the side of the mountain. The only snafu of the whole weekend was when I accidentally walked up to the wrong cabin, and surprised a couple having sex.  I unfortunately made dead on eye contact with the guy and screamed, and then avoided him like the plague for the next 2 days (unfortunately he was the cabin next to ours, so there were MANY opportunities for us to see each other).

We spent all day Saturday playing corn hole, soccer and badminton.  We ran and laughed, and took naps in hammocks and enjoyed the beautiful volcanoes.  I taught the kids how to build a fire, and we used the sauna.  Half of our group were so terrified that they would get cooked in the sauna, that they just stood outside while we went in, ready to save us . . .  just in case.  It was so refreshing to have the kids away from the TV, out of the sadness of our routine life in the slum - and seeing them play their hearts out for 2 days straight.  The adults breathed deep sighs of peace for the first time in a month.  

On our last night, just before dinner, they had a surprise for me.  Everyone had made me cards, and while we sat around drinking mango cocktails, everyone made a speech about me. I love this family so much, that my heart hurts and my eyes get teary and I wonder how on earth I will ever leave them. They called me their daughter and sister, and little Steven who I love most of all, told me "Now you are Courtney Bailon-Perez."  Officially part of the family. 

We headed down to Antigua the next day for mass at the cathedral, and time hanging out in the park to see all the fun touristy things.  Silver robot statues that terrified 2 year old Layser, hair beading, hoards of white people, live music and a book fair.  Everyone had the best time, and it makes me so happy that we could give them those beautiful, smiley moments together with the gift of space from their sadness.