Recap of the 25th

Day 11: July 25th, 2012

Today’s VBS went awesome. We did the story of Adam and Eve eating the fruit, and all of the kids gasped! One of the student pastors asked me to video and photograph VBS for him. I enjoyed doing that so much! Wilso called me his amigo again and asked me to take a picture with him and every student and adult.

When we were fixing the sidewalk with the leftover cement, we wrote “Jesus Te Ama ” in it. (which means Jesus loves you) At lunch I was able to give Nidia a meal we didn’t eat. It was so sad to watch as she ate it so quickly and ate every single crumb! For lunch we had chips and a hotdog. The hotdog was on a sub roll and it had mustard, mayo, and avocado. It was actually really good! We learned that the kids loved to throw rocks at us. Painful!

I hope we can get VBS planned quick tonight, because I’m really tired!

 

 

VBS, Screaming Kids, and Ice Cream

Day 10: July 24th, 2012

Today was Day 1 of VBS and it went amazing! We did the creation story and played Simon Says except we played God Created instead. The kids loved it! I’ve never seen so many kids screaming, laughing, and having so much fun.

The wall is coming along, and we’re almost done with the foundation! One little boy was helping in the assembly line and called me his amigo today. It was so sweet and exciting!

Tomorrow is Efrian’s last day with us. I’m really sad about that. He is a great leader and role model, I know we all will miss him! He brought us all ice cream tonight. It was really good and a nice treat to have instead of papaya! I can’t believe I leave in 5 days. I’m really going to miss this place!

Wilso, my new amigo!

Efrian and I

VBS!

Praying at the end of VBS

 

 

 

 

 

Day 9: Complete

Day 9: July 23rd, 2012

I can’t believe I have less than a week left in Guatemala! We went back to the 46 and our hotel today. I went to Nidia’s house and we played duck-duck-goose. I also played “hide and seek” with a little boy. Pretty much we just hid behind a pole and took turns tickling each other. These are the little things that make me smile.

When we returned to the hotel that evening we had a really good dinner. It was beef and gravy, rice, and gourd. The gourd was so good! We also planned day 1 of VBS and part of day 2. Tomorrow is day 1 and we are doing the creation story. We’re also going to play Simon Says but instead say Dios Creo (God Created). I’m looking forward to my last few days here and with this village!

Maria is in charge of the Village.

One of the Walls Surrounding the School

Continuing to work on the Wall’s Foundation

Drinking my Water Pouch. This is how a lot of drinks come in Guatemala.

 

 

Recap of Day 8

Day 8: July 22nd, 2012

Today we went to church, and it was awesome! They have amazing worship! Even though we couldn’t understand any of the songs, this is the best worship service I’ve ever been to! After church we had Pizza Hut for lunch. Pizza has never tasted so good! We got another day of rest, which felt really great! I definitely needed these couple days of rest. I got to Skype with my mom and dad today. That was really cool. I enjoyed getting to tell them a little about the first week. We’re going back to the hotel and 46 tomorrow! I’m excited to get back to work!

At Church

Church

Church

 

 

Lazy Day

Day 7: July 21st, 2012-Journal

Today I got to sleep in! It felt amazing not to have to get up at 6:15 AM. We went to Antigua today. I had a great time! I bought six bracelets, a purse, coffee, a bookbag, and a headband. We ate lunch at Pollo Campero. That’s a pretty popular stop for us. Once we walked to the indoor market we didn’t have but 40 minutes to shop. After shopping we headed to Monoloco. (the restaurant we ate dinner at) I tried calling my mom on someone’s phone who had an international plan, but his phone went dead. I was upset. I tried to Skype with my mom earlier today and it wouldn’t connect. I get to try again tomorrow, and hopefully it will work! We also sang the song King Henry the VIII to Henry. It was really funny. I’ve definitely enjoyed my lazy day!

Lunch at Pollo Campero

On Our Walk to the Indoor Market

Monoloco!

Waiting for our Dinner to Come

In front of the Awesome Building in Antigua

 

 

 

Day 6!

Day 6: July 20th, 2012-Journal

Today we did more layers of the foundation for the wall. At first I had a hard time catching the rocks because they were being thrown at me. I started to get the hang of it though. The cement from the buckets we were passing got all over me. I didn’t have gloves on because one of the kids took them. The cement really moisturizes your hands though!

We are on the bus headed back to the seminary for the weekend. We are going to Antigua tomorrow! We’ll be coming back to our hotel on Monday.

I really saw God’s creation for what it is…beautiful! We have such an awesome view. It’s unreal! I went to Nidia’s house today. Her mom is pregnant with her 10th child! We played duck-duck-goose with Nidia and her siblings. Their house is so poorly built. It is really sad!

Right now our bus driver is driving on the wrong side of the road. He always does this! This makes me so nervous!

View from the 46

Everyone on the Bus

One of Nidia’s brothers

Day 5 Recap

Day 5: July 19th, 2012-Evening Journal

With lots of Advil, Pepto Bismol, and sleep on the bus I’m feeling much better now! Taking a shower felt amazing too, well that is until the water shut off and I was covered in soap. I’ve been snacking on gummy bears, beef jerky, and peanut butter today. I spent a lot of time reading Colossians and taking pictures of everyone working from the bus.

The rain was so heavy last night my roommate and I couldn’t hear each other. We’ve began planning Vacation Bible School in our group at night. We were told we are now the leaders of the church’s student ministry and we needed to step up to the plate. We prayed with someone we didn’t really know in group tonight. That was really cool!

We are going back to the seminary tomorrow for the weekend. We get to go shopping in Antigua, Saturday. I’m really excited and glad I’m feeling better.

 

I’m So Sick, But I Want To Work

Day 5: July 19th, 2012-Morning Journal

Right now I’m sitting on the bus sick. I have felt very nauseous all morning and my throat hurts as well. I have a small fever and I keep changing between hot and cold. I ate three bites of french toast this morning and then couldn’t eat anymore. I’m almost to the point of crying and I’m really annoyed. I hope I feel better later so I can work. I’ve never been more bored. Nidia came on the bus to take pictures with me and I didn’t know how to say I was sick in Spanish, so I just went along with it. I’m so thankful for a wonderful team though. One of the guys offered me some Advil and said he’d be praying for me. My roommate and I are both sick. It’s awful. So I guess I’ll just sit here in a hot bus full of bugs. Which surprisingly, bugs don’t bother me all that much anymore. All I want to do is work. This is killing me to just sit here. Ugh….

Nidia and I while I was sick

Day 4

Day 4: July 18th, 2012-Evening Journal

Most of the students on my team are at the pool right now. That’s right…our hotel in Guatemala has a pool! I just can’t bring myself to go swimming. I have put my feet in a couple of times, but swimming is different. It would just not feel like a mission trip to me if I went to the pool. I’d rather just journal and look at God’s beautiful creation. I can see the mountains that 46 sits on from my balcony!

Today might just be the easiest day of work so far. We finished an hour early, and they had nothing else for us to do. Nidia is coming home with me….well I wish! I love her! When she saw me today she ran up and gave me a hug! After lunch, we played a soccer game with all the kids. We went from just being workers to being friends! This is a great feeling. This opens up more chances to be able to share Christ’s love with this village. I wouldn’t trade these two weeks in my summer vacation for anything!

For breakfast I had a ham and cheese omelet and beans. Lunch was toast with peanut butter and jelly and fruit. For dinner we had spaghetti…and it was the best I’ve ever had! The hotel prepares really good meals for us! The staff here is really great too. they clean up the whole room. they organized all of our stuff as well. Why isn’t the hotel staff in America this great? In Guatemala you have to put the toilet paper in the trash can. I can never remember that! The poor staff has to fix all the toilets with toilet paper clogged in them.

Efrian, who booked our hotel and figured out where we were going to work, prayed for all of us in Spanish! It was really cool.  Efrian is such a great influence and great role model! He also called us Agents of Change. He said that he believes in our generation and that we will change the world.

Efrain and I

Nidia and I

 

 

Recap of the 17th

Day 3: July 17th, 2012-Evening Journal

We got back from the 46 about 30 minutes ago. We shot a couple of takes for a video at church.  It was super hot today, but we finished moving the small boulders and chiseling the remains of the old wall. We then had to move a HUGE pile of sand. We made an assembly line from the bottom of the hill to the top. This sand will be used for the cement we’ll make later. You can start to see the faces of the villagers light up when we’re there. They love to jump in the assembly line and help out. They are also becoming more comfortable around us. This week is about showing Christ through our actions and then we’ll be able to share him through our words next week.

I have fallen in love with a little girl named Nidia. She is nine years old. She has eight siblings and her mom is pregnant. She has very few outfits. Nidia doesn’t go to school because she has to care for her younger siblings and get water for her family everyday. She has taught me a little Spanish and I’ve taught her a little English. She likes to sit on the bus with us during lunch. We’ve started giving her our leftovers. She is pretty shy. She is beautiful. And she is a child of God.

The food here has been very delicious. For breakfast we had eggs with beans and plantains.  Lunch was sandwiches and chips. For dinner tonight we are supposed to have chicken. We work so hard that we’re always hungry. I’ve never had to work so hard. From the moment we step off the bus until we get back to the hotel we are working and sweating! I have blisters, cuts, bruises, scars, and I stink! But it’s all worth it!

I love my team and my leaders! We have such an awesome and fun group. They cheer you on throughout the day and compliment you as well. If you’re not able to do something, someone is always there to help. I’m learning so much about everyone and making lots of new friends! This is an amazing experience and I’m excited to share it with this team of people!

This is Nidia

My Work Team