Guatemala Trip - Day Two

Tuesday, February 5th
(Sorry there are no pics - the internet is too slow here.)

The day started early - we had to be in the van by 7:10. We drove first to David and Mirsa's house, where we were plied with enormous quantities of delicous food - scrambled eggs, fried plantains with sugar and cream, home made refried black beans. After that we got back in the van nd went to the school. It was interesting to see Xela during the day.  It is incredibly hilly, and the turns and corners are amazing. Traffic seemed equally chaotic here as in Guatemala City. Whoever is biggest and/or bravest has the right of way.

The school is on top of a very big hill, and the view of the city below is breathtaking. We knew we had a long day of hard work ahead of us, but it was ok, since we had unbelieveable views to enjoy. It was especially fun to see the volcano. It was inactive, but the one behind it wasn't, and we saw several puffs of smoke throughout the day.

We started with a tour of the school. It was amazing to see. It's been there for 50 years, is a Christian school, serves pre-K through 12th grade, is completely taught by American teachers, and all the instruction is done in English. It was very, very modest by American standards, but very neat and tidy. It's strange to see buildings with open courtyards between them. I don't think that would work in Iowa. :)

 Their library has around 15,000 books, and have the largest collection of English books in Western Guatemala. The computer lab has all Macs. Since class size is limited to 15 kids, this lab can accommodate a whole class at a time. They also have a class set of laptops, and of Ipads. All the kids bring their own lunches, and can heat them up in the mircowave.

After our tour, we got to work. They already had the foundation dug for 2 small classrooms they were adding. (Well... most of it. Mark got the pleasure of digging the rest.) Everything was done by hand. Our tasks for the day included hauling material up and down the very steep hills, cutting and bending steel to make brackets to hold the rebar together, cutting the wire and wiring the brackets to the rebar, and hauling sand (by 5 gallon buckets) up a flight of stairs to a different pile. It was very warm - 71 degrees or so. The sun is very potent this near the equator, and we had to be very careful not to get sunburns. Also, since we are at 7,500 feet elevation, it was very easy to get overly exerted and breathless. We broke for a lunch of sandwiches and chips which some of the ministries brought in. It was hard, hot work much of the time, but so worth it! To see how much progress we made in just one day felt phenomenal, especially after we had some parents, teachers, and students express great gratitude for our work.

After working we headed back to the hotel for a quick (and cold, and low-pressure) shower. Really makes you grateful for the little things back home. (FYI - flushing toilet paper is not allowed either. That is taking some getting used to.)

Supper tonight was also phenomenal - a chicken, broccoli, and pasta dish with a side salad and dinner rolls. If we weren't working so hard during the day, I'd be afraid we'd all weight 500 pounds by the time we go home.

This evening, however, has been the highlight of the whole trip for me so far. We visited a church in a nearby village. Before we arrived, David told us a little history of this village. In the 70's it was very poor and had no agriculture or exports. There was a man there who tried to commit suicide - pulled the trigger 6 times, and every one misfired. After that, he gave his life to Jesus. When he went to tell his grandmother (who had been mute for 30 years) about it, she was healed and able to speak. Soon, the whole village was on fire for God, and he blessed them. It is said that their vegetables are still the best anywhere - with carrots as big as your arm! To say we were excited doesn't even begin to cover it.

Our visit started with a tour of the whole building. The basement is used as a parking garage and also has a water purification system. Unfortunately, when they built on to the building to make the new sanctuary,  the system (which had been installed by a missionary group from the U.S.) had been disconnected. When the church was using it before, they provided free, clean water to all the schools and widows in town. (Remember - you can't drink the water from the taps.) The group that put it in hasn't been able to come down to fix it again, so they're without the clean water they (and so many others) used to rely on.

Their 3rd floor is totally open for now - a flat roof. Someday it will be offices, but it was the perfect place to look out over the town. Next door were a couple of houses that were especially eye opening. One was completely open over 1/2 of the house. We could literally see into their living room. The other house was a row house, and only had curtains for doors.

Their sanctuary was beautiful, and newly-remodeled. The pastor had a vision and a word from God to tear down their old church and build this one. It took years, and much faith, but he credits the building as a miracle from a mighty, capable God. He was such a humble, kind, man.

The service was beautiful as well. By the time we got done with our tour, they were well into their hour-long worship. Humble, but moving. The pastor insisted that we all get up and introduce ourselves, and the congregation (approx 40, mostly young people) all clapped after each name. The message that our group member brought was a very personal but simple word about the power and importance of forgiveness. Afterward, she invited people who felt the Holy Spirit calling them to forgive a certain person or people to come forward. Almost everyone did. She prayed for them all, and there were many tears. It was, clearly, a powerful moment for all of us.

Afterward, everyone wanted to take pictures of and with us. I have never felt like such a celebrity in my whole life. David said that it is very, very rare - possibly once in a lifetime - that these people would have a group of American visitors at their church. They took it as such a distinct honor for us to be there, and committed to praying for our church, as we committed to pray for theirs.

It is humbling beyond words to have been so welcomed with such open arms  - literally. We were hugged by or shook hands with everyone. And, though language was a barrier, we were very aware of the love that we had for one another. One woman gave me a big hug, and said, "welcome, sister" in Spanish. How amazing is our God that he can take me halfway across the hemisphere and still I can find family.