Since coming to Guatemala there has been so much to take in visually, spiritually and physically. Contrary to preconceived notions, food has been great! Physically we've had the chance to exercise and play games. We've gotten very good at riding in the back of trucks without suspension. No one has fallen out, thank God! We take a van to Chichi, then a truck up the mountain to Patzibal where the clinic and school are located.
Van rides are incredibly packed! This happens to be from the trip we carried all our gear since we were spending the night at the clinic for the week. There were about 20 people packed into this conversion van!
Riding in the back of the truck. Luckily we met a driver who speaks some English because he sent time in California. We also found out that his son's name is Jason; so he and Jason Brown made quick friends. He even let Jason drive us up the mountain one time.
Meet Jason and Jason!
Staying at the clinic has been a ton of fun! We have a gas stove top, a fire pit, an outhouse, rafters for our hammocks, a small store next door for food and snacks, a beautiful view and our own pet dog. We have been living here Monday to Thursday. Everyone has taken turns going to the market and cooking meals. We've had some amazing food! Tess and I were convinced our trip to the market was going to make for an epic fail dinner, but the soup turned out great! We also treated everyone to s'mores that night for dessert.
Our view!
Pete the puppy, who we haven't seen since moving up here. We think his mom, who we named Paco, (yes we gave her a male name, it rolls off the tongue easier) has been hanging around us all week. She is very thin and just waits for our scraps.
Sleeping in a hammock has been an experience in itself. The first night, even after I had Johnny tie special knots for me, was restless because I kept thinking I would slip right out and break something on the concrete floor 3 feet below me. I didn't fall so the last few nights have been better, plus I learned that I can lay diagonally. It has been much colder at night and in the morning than any of us anticipated when we packed at home. Very thankful we have the fire pit to keep us warm.
We decided this was a deluxe squatty potty because it at least has the shape and height of a normal toilet. It's still just a hole in the ground so you can imagine the smell. It's located just down the hill so you only smell it when you're in there thankfully. It's really a good deal considering other options.
The clinic gets busy quick! We awoke to 4 women who quickly multiplied to this crowd. This particular day is run by the locals. Sally York, our contact, runs a separate clinic on another day. Specifically she is a midwife, so she's able to help provide ultra sounds for these women.
It's so interesting how these women carry their children. The young girls will also carry siblings on their backs. Breast feeding in public for children as old as 4 is common. They are all very friendly, but the children are just precious! There are a few neighbor children that come around often. We have gotten to know them well and have had a blast playing with them.
This little guy, on the right, Timothy is so sweet. The boys love to show off in front of us.
This is Manuel, 3, Anna, 8, and Andrea, 6. They come visit us everyday! We love on them and have a great time. They even helped us paint yesterday.
They flock to us as soon as they know we are here.
On Wednesday we spent an hour planting macadamia trees on the mountain side for Manos de Jesus. We planted 100 trees in under an hour! Which was amazing considering we had to carry the trees up the steep side. Thank God for the men on this squad who carried the trees up for us to plant. At one point I abandoned my Crocks because they were muddy and slippery as I climbed. I fell in a small mud slide too. It was a dirty day!
Seeing the town of Chichi from this height was worth the climb.
This is an amazing ministry! Ron Morin is the founder. We heard his testimony and were just blown away by his heart. he is currently building a house for abused women, and has partnered with a physician to build a medical facility soon. Check him out! It's a wonderful ministry with beautiful grounds for everyone to enjoy.
Thank you for following my blogs. Sorry they aren't as frequent as I'd like, I promise to work on this in the next week. If there is something specific you want to read about please shoot me an email or make comment.
