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Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala

Safety

Overall this area is relatively safe. As an added precaution we would recommend that you always travel with at least one other team member.

  • Problem with allergies- Due to the altitude and pollution from cars/buses, they may flare up. Be sure to bring allergy medicine with you.
  • Fire ants are abundant and are prominent in most grassy/sandy areas. They tend to pop-up even more with heavy rain.
  •  If you know that you are allergic and have an Epi-pen, make sure you have it at all times. 
  • Always be in groups. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in the market. The market is extremely populated.  If you look like a target you will become a target.
    • Do not leave anything hanging of value from you backpack (carabineer). Lock your backpacks up with travel locks when walking around. Do not carry your phone or your wallet around in your hand for people to see. 

Safety in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
What do other Racers need to know in order to be safe? Current safety protocols/precautions in place? Any relevant issues/concerns? Any precautionary suggestions?

People’s Opinions

  1. We stayed in Chicaman. The town is very safe and we never ran into any issues. the people are friendly. Just make sure you lock the door after you leave and if you are in a village, don’t leave things unattended.

Ministry Summary

Day Care Center:

  • Children ranging from babies to 8 years old
  • Helped the teachers teach, played with the kids and helped to clean up the cafeteria after lunch
  • Felt safe there
  • Really enjoyed the ministry there

Santa Elena Hospital:

  • Mostly manual labor but able to still spend time with the kids in pediatrics and do prayer walks
  • Friendly staff
  • Good place for ministry

Ministry Summary in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Breakthroughs? Suggestions? Concerns? On a scale of 1-4 (1 being not at all, 4 being absolutely) how strongly would you recommend another World Race team go to this ministry location & why?

People’s Opinions

  1. We worked with Welsy and Katie from TCCI. This was one of our best ministry experiences of the race. We traveled to different villages that ranged from 45 minutes to 2 hours away. Every day was something new and different. The ministry experiences ranged from building a house, street preaching, house visits, praying for people as we gave them water filters, and a bible study with local pastors. If you have the chance to go here, it will be a great experience to give a wide variety of what different kinds of ministry can look like.
  2. Our ministry was New Generation Centro America, and our ministry host’s name was Juan! Our set-up sheet said that our location was in Quiche, but we found out that our ministry was more specifically in Chichicastenango! There is more information in the Chichicastenango section on the log! Our ministry this month looked like A LOT of different things! Juan and his wife, Evelyn, were moving into the church, so we did a lot of painting! We helped them move, as well. We prepared a variety of messages, testimonies, english lessons, and worship songs for the youth programs on Friday and Saturday night, police ministry on Wednesdays at lunch, and church on Sundays. The school was on winter break for the first few weeks we were here, so during our last week here, we helped Juan out at the school from 1pm-6pm M-F. When we weren’t in school going from class to class (35 minute English lessons), we were writing lesson plans! Juan does this M-F 1pm-6pm, so we wanted to help him out with lesson plans over the next few months! Overall it’s a really flexible ministry! There are a lot of ATL opportunities! We had 2 teams here, and some people chose to feed the homeless with leftovers from our meals, make relationships with coffee shop workers, minister to market workers, etc. Chichi is 95% Mayan, so there are a lot of Mayan rituals, witchcraft, etc. here, so make sure you’re praying for the community and your teams!!

Lodging

Most squads/teams stay at the AIA compound. Check out the AIA page for more information.

Tents on the Grounds of Agape in Action:

  • Girls in one area, men in another area
  • Hot showers- 2 showers for women, 1 for men
  • Toilets
  • $35 USD (275 Q’s) per person per night- some teams pay 1,040 Q’s every Saturday to the owners.
  • Bring warm clothes to sleep in
  • Rain fly is a must, usually rains almost every day there

Inside the AIA compound:

  • Dorm rooms
  • Bunk beds, hot showers and toilets
  • Outdoor Kitchen
  • Good security- always someone there if you want to leave valuable things there
  • Nice accommodations 

Lodging in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Where did you stay? What were the accommodations (sleeping arrangements, toilets, showers, etc.)? Cost (per person per night in USD), Contact info.

People’s Opinions

  1. Wesly and Katie were able to get us a whole house on the edge of town in Chicaman. The house is pretty empty but has everything you need to live in. We had beds, a full kitchen, two full bathrooms, a place to watch clothes, and were able to have a bonfire on the roof. The house was very cheap to live in. We paid around $1 for rent of the month and gas for the stove. The rest of the expenses we used to buy toilet paper, clean water, and household supplies to keep the place nice.
  2. We just arrived at the AIA compound and found it very welcoming! There is a nice indoor meeting room, outdoor covered sitting/eating area. Tent city is in a small area that has a fence around it and yes a rain fly is a must (it rained the first night we got here). There are dishes for cooking and eating with and a sink to clean them. The showers are great….warm water and a private area. The elevation of Quiche is 7,000ft. so water is a must! They provide water jugs for refilling your water bottles so drink up! We played ultimate frisbee today in the field out front of the compound and some locals joined us! Fun for all! Granted I’m writing this on day 2 of being here but we were impressed with our facility thus far!

Food / Meals

  • Most teams use collaborative funds / squad budget for food. There is a grocery store, Dispensa, at the town square (there are also ATM’s here). There is also a local market nearby. Breakfast & dinners were cooked / prepared by team members at AIA / Hospital. Most teams make sandwiches to take for lunch to the ministry sites.

Meal suggestions:

  • Breakfast usually consists of oatmeal, eggs, and fruit. Lunches are sandwiches, chips, and fruit. Dinner can be different every night with some type of meat, vegetables, and some other side; pasta with meat sauce and bread; rice and beans.
  • Be sure to pay your ministry host family if they prepare any meals for the team.
  • Make sure to enjoy the frozen bananas (near the Dispensa). Pollo Campero is the closest to American food you will get with fried chicken and pizza (2x per week they have 2 for 1 pizza nights). 

Texaco gas station:

  • Few blocks from the market
  • Good American snacks

Café Blintz and Regis Café:

  • Best places for internet, coffee, and crepes
  • Regis is a little pricier

Hamburger stands outside of the hospital:

  • Cheap prices
  • Good quality food
  • Make sure that wherever you eat has a license
  • Be careful cooking fruits and vegetables. Soak them in bleach water for around 10 minutes

Food / Meals in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
What did you eat? Where did you get the food? Cost (per person per day in USD)? Contact info (if applicable).

People’s Opinions

  1. In Chicaman, we had to cook our own food. We went to local tiendas and the market to buy food. we had $6.5 per person per day but were able to stay under budget because we shared meals most of the month. It was a great change to be able to make what you want to eat.

Transportation

  • Most places are within walking distance.
  • There are buses that are easily accessible that travel various routes around town and to several of the surrounding villages. Tuk Tuks and Micro’s are available for around 5Q that can take you to specific locations for ministry. You can also walk to the park and catch a van/taxi toward Quinto (Casa de mi Padre)
  • Check with AIA staff for other options.

Transportation in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
What transportation did you use to enter the country? Where were you coming from? What transportation was used to move throughout the country? Be sure to include the cost per person in USD and contact info if applicable.

People’s Opinions

  1. For ministry, our host would provide the transportation. Most of the time, it was us piling in his pickup truck and heading to the villages. For longer transportation on adventure days or to get to and from our ministry, we were able to get a microbus. Our host helped us find a very cheap option that saved us a lot of money. Please reach out to him when looking for options of travel.
  2. If you take local transportation every day to your ministry site, get to know the driver of one of the pickup trucks or micro vans. My team did and he offered to pick us up and drop us off at the hospital every day, saving us the 20 minute walk each way.

Medical

  • If you’re staying at the AIA compound you will be across from the hospital. Most teams have had easy access to doctors when necessary. Medicine is easily accessible.
  • No major issues reported, only occasional sickness, stomach bugs, & flu symptoms. A few people have gotten sick from bug bites.

Medical in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Information on local hospitals / doctors / pharmacies. Where would someone go in a medical emergency? (addresses and contact info).

People’s Opinions

  1. I had to go buy the Guatemalan form of cipro for squad mates and found it for a cheap price at a pharmacy down the street from Agape in Action. It will be in a green building on your left labeled “farmacia”. I bought a 3 days dosage and about 14 suero packets (hydration packets) for 40Q.
  2. If staying with Sally and Erv at Agape in Action, Sally will be your greatest medical resource. She is a midwife and has tons of medications. Many of our group has gotten sick with altitude related issues or stomach problems and she always had some medications or advice to help them get better. The hospital is less than 5 mins from where you will be staying, but their care is third-world style. Sally does not trust them with much. Ask Sally first whenever something happens, or ask her at the beginning of the month who she thinks is a good place to be treated.

Communication

  • Pollo Campero- good Wi-Fi spot
  • Café Blintz and Regis’s both have free Wi-Fi
  • Right next to Café Blintz is a place called Hot Buns that has good food and great Wi-Fi
  • Claro is a good cell phone service to use

Communication in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Did you have cell reception / Internet service? Where? Carrier / Provider, where did you get phones / SIM cards, cost? Country code?

People’s Opinions

  1. There’s an internet cafe called “Internet” that is run by a man named William. He lived in the US for several years and loves speaking English. If you’re walking from AIA to the central market (down the main street), there’s a purple Victorian style building a few blocks down on the left. Turn left and the internet cafe is on the right. I built a sweet friendship with him and it would be awesome to continue it! Visit him!

Financial

Financial in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Location of banks or ATMs, notes about transaction fees, best places to exchange money, and other money related advice.

People’s Opinions

  1. We had a bank in town that we would pull out money from the ATM. Most of the things we paid for ourself in Chicaman, since we bought food and household items. The only thing we paid our host was for the house expenses and anything else he had bought for us.
  2. There is an ATM called 5B adjacent to the ice cream shops by the town park (town park is next to the Catholic Church)! members on my squad made successful transactions. It was recommended to be a promising ATM according to my tour guide, who is a good friend of our contact host at AIA.

Translators

Translators in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
List any local translators – name and contact information, languages spoken

People’s Opinions

  1. Our host was able to help with translating from English to Spanish that were more difficult during our ministry in Chicaman. There was times during ministry when we had someone else translate from Spanish to a local Mayan language to help make it easy for the people to understand. The people know some Spanish but mostly talk in their native language.
  2. Working with Pastor David, his son Rene and nephew Eric translated for us.

Off Days / Fun Activities

There are a lot of interesting things to do around town. 

  • Sports field on AIA grounds (soccer, ultimate frisbee, etc)
  • Walk around town and local markets, parks, cafes, & restaurants
  • Zacule Ruins (Mayan ruins), 15 min. microbus ride
  • Chichicastenago Market (1 hr. chicken bus ride)
  • Local hiking trails, ecological park, pool, ropes course, mini ziplines, tire swing
  • Basketball at indoor court along the main road in Chichi
  • Ron Morin’s compound
  • Local, modern coffee shop near the college, Blintz
  • Lake Atitlan

Off Days / Fun Activities in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
What activities did your team experience? Recommendations? List locations/contact info. Any locations to be avoided? Any extra safety tips for off days?

People’s Opinions

  1. There is not a lot to do in Chicaman. Our options were limited to a local pool, the river, a waterfall, camping, and a town called Coban for American fast food. If you want to do anything further away talk to the host and try to line up your last off days with leaving the ministry. We were able to travel to Lake Atitlan because we worked it out with them.
  2. Our first day off our whole squad went to Lake Atilan. We went hiking, cliff jumping, and shopping. It is a beautiful place in the center of Guatemala. There are also Mayan ruins only a half hour walk from Santa Cruz. They wanted to charge us 30Q to get in, but we told them we were missionaries and they let us in for 5Q. There is hiking and caves to explore. Be careful when you go. If you want to explore bring hiking shoes. There is also a local pool with water slide about 10 minutes out side the city by bus. It costs 6Q oneway

Other Important Contacts

  • Pastor David Lopez
  • Pastor Victoriano
  • Shane Sanderson / crshane2010@gmail.com
  • Jessica Edquist @ AIA (former World Racer)
  • Pastor Arnoldo- chruch in San Pedro 

Other Important Contacts in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Additional ministry opportunities, local pastors, etc. Relationship & follow up suggestions

People’s Opinions

  1. Comment

Tips

People’s Opinions

  1. Comment

Additional Info

  • Ask about other contacts or church plants for other ministry opportunities (Use Pastor David’s contacts!). Have them provide more ideas and plans for ministry work before arriving. 
  • One team suggested staying at Patzibal site – gather more information on this.

Additional Info in Quiche, Santa Cruz, Guatemala
Anything we’ve left out? Any additional suggestions to make travel easier for others?

People’s Opinions

  1. LAUNDRY MAT! One of our squad mates found this laundry mate and boy is it a treasure! You can drop your clothes off in the morning in your laundry bag and pick it up at the end of the day with it smelling great and being clean! I believe the cost is 30-40 quetzales. Here is the info: Lavanderia – El Lavado Rapido Tel. 5006-7174 or 5748-5397 Enjoy this service!!!