Guatemala Team Day 1 and Day 2 Update

Monday February 22nd

We arrived in Guatemala City Sunday night about 2 hours later than scheduled. The plane from Miami was delayed, teaching us early in this journey the #1 lesson of mission work -- to let go of our agendas and to “be flexible”! Many know it as ‘Guatemalan time’ or “Costa Rican time’. It is when we step away from the comforts of our home and family and we surrender to the realities of the mission journey.

Brady and Laura welcomed us at the airport. With introductions of new team members and hugs for those returning we loaded two vans and headed to Seteca Seminary – our home base for the week. Our accommodations are very nice with dormitory style/ shared room setting and a special apartment area for the single ladies including a kitchen for breakfast, and a living area for our devotional, and worship space. We settled into these accommodations around midnight.

Gathering for breakfast this morning Brady talked with us about the changes in our plan. Various Vida Joven (Young Life) staff will not be with us regularly during the week, because they are attended classes or need to be present with their family members who are ill and literally on their death bed. As a result the entire team is working on one home, a bit smaller in size than the homes we built last year. We also have a couple of small ‘sub’ teams that will meet with some of the young mothers to cook and share some of their baking skills; while another group helps a few boys with some composting .

We celebrate a special joy with dear Estella today as she became a grandmother early this morning; her daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, named Samantha! She is beaming with excitement. Daughter and grand-daughter are doing well.

We spent our first day in El Recuerdo welcomed by the community leadership with a display of firecrackers and greetings. Claudia, Jeanette, Connie invited us into the salon and introduced us to Leonsa, the owner of the home we are rebuilding. She has moved her belongings -- including bed, stove, refrigerator, etc. -- into a portion of the community room and will reside there until we complete her home.

In the salon is the cross last year’s team gave to the community after having it as their worship focus during its mission time. It is placed on a special shelf high upon the wall of the salon. Today the work consists of clearing out the pile of dirt dug for the footings of the home, mixing cement and beginning to set some of the 600+ cinder blocks that will make up the home.

Some of us visited Don Eduardo, whose home we built last year. He lives with his daughter who works all day and his granddaughter. He is not well at all—he is blind now, his legs hurt from his amputations and he otherwise is not well. His personal situation makes living in this impoverished community even more difficult that for most people. He was very grateful we took time to come visit him.

The women who make tortillas have improved their business by making a better stove vent pipe and a little larger cooking surface, so they don’t have to smell the fumes of the wood burning while they spend all day making tortillas… which sell for only 60 cents/dozen! They also added another gas stove inside and now use a small hand press machine to help form the tortillas. Some simple changes, yet these allow the women to work in healthier conditions and produce more. Little Kimberley was also there with her sweet smile and ever eager to play. Some of the other younger children with whom we played last year were eager for us to play with them.

The beautiful faces and smiles of these children are priceless. Their innocence shines through and yet they are not blind to the harsh realities of life in this community. The young men who ‘sniff’ paint thinner walk by these children every day; they are so ‘wasted’ and oblivious to the permanent damage to their brains. The 5 & under children [as well as the older children] watch these people and are seemingly unaffected by such behavior. I wonder how they stay immune to this activity all around them. Some of these children remember us from our previous visit eager to have their photo or video taken and then see the image back in their faces. It’s such a simple way to engage with them and yet very important in building our relationships.

The leadership women of the community offer us a meal of guacamole on fried tortillas sprinkled with cheese and sliced onion – a very tasty treat supplemented by the standard lunch menu of P,B & J sandwiches, cokes (or coke lights) and water. After a brief respite the team returns to the home site only a few doors away, eager to shovel and mix the cement for the foundation block. Others gather with some of the young mothers to cook and play with their babies.

After work we return to Seteca Seminary to shower and gather for our dinner at the food court at the local mall. Then we meet in the apt living room so Brady can share more about the Vida Joven program and our work for tomorrow.

It is good to be in this place with these people as we engage with them and with one another. So many sights, sounds, and smells to take in and to process this day. Our team is finding its way on this the first day of our journey. Stay tuned for another chapter of mission work in El Recuerdo.

Tuesday, February 23^rd

After breakfast & morning worship we hopped into the vans for a short ride to El Recuerdo to begin our second day building the home… approximately 12’x16’!! Instead of putting in a foundation of 4 rows of block upon which to set wood siding walls, this home will be all block.

It is a challenge to have 8-10 people working inside this space putting up block on all 4 sides of the home. Other team members are outside the home in the alley mixing sand and mortar that has been brought in with wheelbarrows from just outside the walls of this community. Once the mortar is prepared, it is brought into the home by the shovel load and placed on flat boards, then used to set each block upon the other.

Ethel (Sally Martin) and Lucy (Ann Benson) held two cooking classes today as follow up to yesterday’s class for the young mothers and their children. Leonsa’s oven/stove is used for the class since it is already in the salon, relocated while we reconstruct their home. The special cooking was grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies. Others on the team helped pass out the food to the mothers and their children. The afternoon class didn’t have as many participants so the team enjoyed a mid afternoon snack of cookies… a tasty treat!

The team accomplished lots of work today. Cinder block is 4+ feet high when we have to stop to allow the cement to set up overnight. We are enjoying this work, and especially having Leonsa and her husband, Rolando, present while we are working and helping us. Some of the younger children have also been very helpful today… loading block on a dolly and moving it down the alley with guidance. They want to help so much! Spending time with these children today has been a blessing. Their desire to be present with us is intentional. We ‘gringos’ are special and they so enjoy playing with us, being held by us...

We enjoy a special dinner at Brady and Cindy’s home tonight. Staff member, Fito, shares his witness for Christ. Fito is now attending law school; Sondra is attending college now and studying psychology. The team presented each with a small laptop computer for them to use for their school work. They are required to use computers for much of their school work and so have had to use internet cafes, which cost them a lot, so they are most grateful for their gifts. More to come as soon as Internet access deems possible.

Thank you, Hayes Barton, for your support and prayers.....

Stacy Grove