Final Thoughts

We have made it safely home and now over the next several weeks will have the opportunity to reflect back on the experience time and time again as we share the funny, sad, and interesting stories with our families and friends.
We had a beautiful closing ceremony on Thursday night with Julio, our service team leader in Guatemala, Patrick Atkinson, founder of the GOD's CHILD Project, and some of the other team leaders. Patrick did a nice job of bringing our focus back to what we accomplished on this experience; primarily to learn more about ourselves, God, and the poor. One of the tools he uses during the final reflection is a candle - he asks everyone to focus only on the flame and to filter out all the extraneous sites/sounds. The purpose of this is to realize that we can choose what we focus on. Many times we asked each other how the people of Guatemala could be so happy when they seem to have so little. Patrick's response is that they choose to focus on that which makes them happy and they deal with the rest. That is certainly a very valuable lesson for us all as we return to our busy and hectic schedules and also embark on the busy holiday season.
Many people have asked how they can be of assistance. Others have commented on how guilty they feel for all that we have. Another one of Patrick's lessons is that we have to serve from our positions of strength. If a friend were to yell for help while falling into Niagara Falls, it would do no good to jump in after him. A more helpful strategy would be to use your position of strength and enlist others to help. And that is how it is for all of us who have so many gifts and talents. Be thankful, be humble, be empathetic, and use your position of strength to help others.
Thank you for sharing in this journey with all of us. God Bless.

Last Day

Nov 8, 2007

The 4 groups have completed their houses. All the blood, sweat, and tears were very well worth it when we saw the smiles, tears, and good wishes from the families. We all received hand made cards from the families. Some also received a home made meal which most likely cost them several weeks worth of salary. We are very proud of our accomplishments and happy that we have left a lasting gift for wonderful people.
Tonight we have our closing ceremony with the God´s Child people. They have been superb hosts and made us feel welcome and safe at all times. While we are anxious to see our loved ones, sleep in our own beds, eat our own food, and take warm showers, we also leave with heavy hearts the wonderful people and lasting memories.

Housebuilding day 3

Thankfully the backbreaking work of cement was completed yesterday. Today we could actually see significant progress in our work as the walls were put up and the beams for the tin roof. Tomorrow all we will have to do is complete the roof, window, and door. Our mom was around today. It was fun to see her face light up when she saw the walls up. She told us that now she would not have to be cold anymore. The kids sat around most of the day with big smiles on their faces watching our progress. You would all be proud of the students as most of us have not felt great for at least part of the trip but I have heard little to no complaints. Everyone has worked hard and have pulled together as a team.

Housebuilding Day 2

Nov 6, 2007
We completed our second day of building houses today. While we thought the first day was tough digging the trench and cementing in 3 layers of cinder block, today was an even bigger challenge as we had to mix a TON of cement to pour the floor and cement in the trough of the cinder block. Mixing cement entails loading several wheelbarrows of dirt and rock, pouring over the cement and water, and then mixing it with shovels. It is backbreaking work.
We continue to be motivated however when we witness the difficulties this family has with their current living conditions. It is hard to describe the conditions unless you see it first hand.
The homeless shelter was rather interesting last night. We assisted in the feeding of about 40 men, and a handful of women and children. A homeless shelter in a 3rd world country is a completely different story then on in the US.

Building Houses day 1

Nov 5, 2007
Well, we successfully completed our first day of housebuilding and it was a lot of work! First we dug a 2 1-2 foot trench all around the 12 x 16 foot area. We then layed 3 layers of cinder block. The hardest part is mixing the cement by hand. Tomorrow we will lay the cement floor. My group is building right in the same area that the family currently lives. There will be 7 people living in the house. They currently live in a corn stock shack with a dirt floor and tin roof. The 12 year old girl works all day taking care of the kids and cooking over a fire for the family while both the mom and dad work. The bathroom is a toilet over a hole (no drainage) with a current over the door. We certainly got to witness and live the type of poverty that they experience on a daily basis. Tonight, 2 of the groups will serve at a male homeless shelter. The other 2 groups will do so tomorrow.

Weekend fun

I can only speak for the 7 of us who went to Panahachel and chichicastenengo this weekend (April, Jenna S., Jen H., Cari, Krista, Megan, and Mary), but we had a blast. We started off on Saturday am and went to an orphange that is run by Franciscan nuns. The children were beautiful. We played "pato pato, gonzo" (duck duck goose) as well as with 2 pinatas. Everyone had a great time. We then completed the 2 hour trip to Lake Atitlan and Panajachel. The scenery was beautiful! We were treated to a great lunch and a beautiful hotel (hot showers, no cockroaches, and TV)! Of course with 7 women, we elected to shop vs taking a boat across the lake. Everyone had a great time bartering and certainly assisted the local economy. We ended the evening with a fantastic dinner at a restaurant with a view of the lake and a serenading Spanish band. This am, we drove to Chichicastenengo. On Thursday and Sundays, they set up the region's largest open air market. Take the day after Thanksgiving and multiply it by 1000 - we were extremely overwhelmed after 1 hour and decided to head back to Antigua for a little more "relaxing" shopping atmosphere.
We are awaiting the return of the rest of the group from their excursion to Tikal - we will then head out to dinner with our service team leader as it is his birthday.
We are definately ready to work tomorrow!

Malnutrition Center

!Hola! The group spent the morning at the Malnutrition Center in San Juan. Our primary purpose was to hold, cuddle, and play with children who otherwise recieve minimal attention besides their basic needs. The children were beautiful! It is sad to see 2 and 3 year old children sit quietly and contently for hours at a time. They craved the attention. It is always very difficult to leave them knowing you could only provide a few hours of fun and love. I will post several pictures on the ¨photo album¨link so you can see for yourself.
This afternoon, the group will visit a jade factory. I am lucky enough to be able to meet with both my and my daughter´s sponsored children.
More on Monday after our busy weekend of travels!