My team Sweet Aroma (check them at my home page and follow them) and another team, named Team Aletheia, decide to stay up in the mountains for three days and four nights. It usually takes us an hour and half to get where we need to go and we lose so much time traveling everyday. Our hosts were three great people named Irvin, Sally, and Sarah who are all such a ball of fire! They live up in the mountains and Sally is the local nurse of the town. While we were there, we helped with painting so she could have more room for her clinic.
Sally and Sarah our host
Absolutely gifted!!
We also "adopted" a local dog that always liked to come around at meal time looking for food. She looked like a little doe because she was so small and skinny. There are so many stray dogs in Guatemala and they pretty much all suffer from malnutrition, but this one was special. We adopted her as our team mascot and called her Paco…poor Paco.
Paco
We hiked to a town called Patzibal ( translation is 'Mountains' I am assuming). It's a three-step process from the town we are staying in called Santa Cruz del Quiche to get to Patzibal. We walked ten minutes to a cube van that drives you twenty-five minutes to Patzibal. From there, we walked to meet Manu,our truck driver, up the mountains. However, he was not available this day, so we hitch hiked with someone else and then it started pouring rain! We were all crammed in the back of a small pickup truck in the rain with fourteen other bodies and all of our gear. Then, our driver magically pulls out a tarp so we can cover ourselves and at this point I know we won't get drentched. We covered ourselves with it and I am thinking to myself, "I am not sure what is worse at this point: Having the rain or using the tarp because with the tarp over us, it felt like we were going into parts unknown".
We arrived at the clinic which that had two brick rooms and a concrete porch. The men slept on the porch and the girls slept in the brick rooms. We brought our hammocks and sleeping mattresses, and it looked pretty cool like a home away from home.
the Girls hammocks and sleeping quaters
pretty much what you see here is the guys sleeping quarters
My first night was pretty interesting. After our campfire, it was so cold, dogs were barking left and right, and sounds were coming from the corn stalks, so I decided to sleep on some chairs near the fire to keep watch for my team.The next morning I woke up to the local people piling up for the clinic at 6am on the concrete porch. I felt a little awkward, but made the best of it. I guess they were talking to me while I was sleeping, but I didn't know it, and had my hood over me pretty much all night. I went to use the squatty potty, but could barely fit in that thing! I had a few clunks to the head and I swear in Guatemala, people make things for four foot people.
I would call this Abandonment.
The next day we set out to Monos de Jesus, (remember don't pronounce the J) where there are a lot ministries, housing, and a shoe factory. It's owned by a man named Ron, who was going to introduce us to a ministry project for the day. We climbed these hills to plant 100 Macadamian trees. I felt like my progress was a little slow at first because the hiker that I am decides to wear my sandals and not bring any other shoes. I threw them off and charged up the hill regardless of what I was stepping on or what was going on with my feet. I wanted to work hard and plant to all my heart's content. It was a great day to see all of us work hard, have some laughs, enjoy our new company, and meet some new friends. We had a chance to pray and declare God's love and freedom over Mono de Jesus before we left from way up high on the chapel.
Sweet Alethia getting Dirty
The next morning started off pretty interesting compared to the morning before. I was still in bed outside on my mattress which was on the concrete, so sleep was pretty rough that night. I woke up to all these feet surrounding my bed around 6am. There were about three or four locals who decided to use a microphone and speaker on our porch to call out over the entire mountainside that there will be a town meeting at the school. O.o Yeah I wasn't impressed, but I did have a laugh.
Later that day, we went out to the school to teach English for the local children. We also played some games and prayed God's love over the school and the children. It was pretty interesting and I think they taught me as much Spanish as I taught them English. Of course there were the class clowns, and I was one as well at one time, so I gave the kids much grace as needed. I had a great time playing basketball, spinning them around, and taking lots of photos of my new little amigos. My prayer is for the ones who like to clown around, to have processed the lessons because they might need this stuff down the road. I am sure if Spanish was offered to me when I was younger, I hope I would have taken it all in because here I am many years later in Guatemala doing my best to teach Spanish.
I was in my glory every day being with these kids. This is what gets my fire going — being an example of God's love for them and sharing that there is Jesus who loves them very much.
Our last few weeks were spent painting and teaching. I love the new friends that came into our lives like Sally, Irvin, Sarah, the childeren, Manu, and Jason. There are so many great people that love Jesus. Sweet Aroma came closer together as well as closer to Team Altheia. Team Aletheia is such a great team and are all indivdually awesome in so many ways. God has blessed us this month with such talented brothers and sisters who love to serve Jesus. All of them brought something individually to our team and to the ministry. We all became closer through many opportunities whether it be at the school, campfire, painting, or just going to get a snack. I had a great time with them, got closer to some of them, and it will be sad not having them around next month.
This is what I loved to do. I was in my glory getting wrecked. The dirt, the paint, the band-aids, sleeping on concrete, the cold nights, lack of sleep, and just being the church and being in unity, encouraging one another, praying, the worship. Jesus was the one who kept our attitudes in check through all of this. I couldn't do all of this on my own strength, no way!! And this is just the beginning! Not just for the race, but even after the World Race…all glory to the most high, Jesus!! This is my 9-5.
My 9-5
