Celebrating a Deparature and a Birthday

Our last day in Villa Hortencia II is one I will always remember.  It is one of those odd traits I have.  I always seem to remember departures.  The faces on the children that day were so full of emotion and they etched their way into my memory.  I found it hard to believe how much of an impact our being there had for them.  I realized that one person can make a difference.  In this case 10 team members had likely brightened the past week for close to 100 kids, if not more.  It touched me deeply to see how proudly they waved the small Canadian flags we gave them that day.  I have added some of the pictures of kids from the Village to this post and as you look at them please pray for them.  Pray that they continue to feel hope.  Pray that they find a continual strength to face the daily challenges.  Pray for their well being and health into the future.

As you read the last portion of this journal entry, note how casual I mention the eruption of Mount Pacaya.  At this point I have no idea how big of a deal this would become.

May 28, 2010

This morning we got up early and packed our suitcases.  After breakfast we went to a farewell ceremony that the elders of VH II organized for us.  I was very surprised to see how much of an effort they made.  Balloons, flowers, and music created a happy atmosphere around the Village's meager health clinic (where the ceremony was held.)  Many of the elders gave a speech, some young girls sang a touching song through nervous glances in our direction, and a young boy thanked us with a wonderful speech.  I have no doubt the young boy will someday be a leader for his people.  Upon the end of the celebration sadness fell.  Many of the women on the team cried openly and I have to admit, my heart was very heavy as we made the walk up to the house we had been staying in and loaded up the trucks.  Many of the children gathered as we tarped the trucks and you could see that they too were heavy hearted.

We drove out of the Village in the back of the Toyota truck and waved to everyone.  Before long we were admiring the scenery and focusing on what lay ahead for the next part of our journey.  We followed another road out of VH II toward Nebaj, this one led us through some different communities, including a coffee plantation.  It was, in my mind, a great example of greed gone wrong on a social and environmental level.  Poverty surrounded one large house, that which, I assume, is of the owner.  The community was gated at both entry points.  While the owner's house was immaculate and well built and manicured, the staff housing was rudimentary, granted it was still better than most communities, but less than adequate by North American standards.  To top this plantation off, it appeared as though there is a project underway to divert the river into a large canal with in line turbines in an attempt to create hydro power.  There were excavators and dams in the stream, heavily impacting water quality and flow.  This of course irked me to say the least.

Shortly before lunch, which in Guatemala is at 1:00 or 2:00, we stopped in Rio Azul for a sponsored child visit.  The visit was special to Bill as we visited his sponsored child Katerina.  Both Bill and Katerina were all smiles during the visit to this very clean and hospitable home.  Like many of the families we met, I felt this one had a strong family bond and worked well with each other.  It is great to see that even with little, they still have each other.

After checking inot the hotel in Nebaj we joined the FH Guatemala staff for a lunch at a nearby resort.  Music, gifts, and fun was the norm.  We were all presented with greatly crafted and woven shoulder bags.  It will be a great token of our time here.  After a great meal the FH staff challenged us to a game of court soccer.  Even in the rain, and even heavily out matched, we all had great fun.  It brought ACC and FH Guatemala that much closer. 

We spent the evening at Domingo and Kara's celebrating Sarah T's birthday, eating pizza, and discussing the future and various other topics.  A great last night before starting our journey back home.  Unfortunately there will be o hiking to Mount Pacaya as planned.  The volcano erupted on Thursday but despite being disappointed, I'm sure I can someday see a volcano.  Happy Birthday Sarah T.

Reminders of God's Wonderous Work

In the rain forest heading up a mountain, this was
and amazing experience

This past Monday the 2010 ACC Guatemala Mission team hosted an Encounter where we presented our feelings about our trip to Guatemala.  It was a wonderful evening filled with memories and emotions.  My emotions on May 27th were intense according to my journal.  Some of those emotions were very present at the encounter, not just mine but a number of the team wore their emotions proudly like a badge of honor.  Sara T gave a heartfelt version of how she felt and how the trip changed her and through listening to her story I realized maybe, one of the biggest changes that took place in me during the Mission.  It happened so early in the trip that I think I missed it.  It goes back to when to flight from Bangor to New York and the silage bales that read "Gods Wisdom".  From that point I was relaxed and I had decided that I was in God's hands, but it wasn't until I listened to Sara's story of our flight into Guatemala with the lightening and how I had told her "We were in God's hands" and that it would be ok.  This was not something that I would have normally been comfortable stating out loud, but I think seeing that mesage in the silage wraps actually gave me the comfort I needed to make that statement and apparently make Sara a bit more comfortable.  God's work is amazing and I witnessed, on this day of the trip some of his natural wonders.

Standing at the first shelf leading up the mountain in front of the
Mission House, and looking down on Villa Hortencia II

May 27, 2010
Today will be the last full day in the Village and I have a feeling of anticipation and disappointment.  Since we have some cool activities lined up and we'll be heading for home I'm excited to leave, but I also think there is much more to do here.

The pankcakes this morning were great and provided me with the energy I needed to work throughout the morning pouring concrete at the sport court.  I feel great when I can work a solid pace like we have done while here, and to work in such a beautiful place to create such a worhtwhile project makes the work easy.  While Wendy, Sara, Denise, Chris, and I continued to work, the rest of the team went on home visits and visited some of the ladies who will be weaving.  When the team returned we all signed our names in a wet block of the cement.  Though the court isn't complete, it will be awesome for future teams to come and see this team's contribution to the Village.

After lunch the whole team went to VBS and sang songs, told a story of Christ healing the blind, and made crafts.  It was kid chaos as we tried to help them with their crafts.  Some were very pushy while others sat patiently as we handed out the needed materials for the craft.  The language barrier definitely made it harder to control the kids but everyone was having fun and that was the important thing.  After the crafts were complete we took the kids to the sports field (the sports field should not be confused for the sports court) for some soccer.  This was great fun as the kids would scream and laugh, and usually louder if a Mission team member had the ball or fell or something of the like.

Domingo and I had earlier decided we wanted to hike up one of the nearby mountains, so after my team won the soccer game 1-0, he and I, along with Denise, headed out in the rain to try and top the ridge directly in front of the Mission shelter.

When I was struggling simply to stand, this man
efficiently lugged four large timbers down
the muddy trail.  Amazing.

I seriously didn't think it would be a difficult hike but man was I wrong.  The height and distance were deceiving.  It is also tough to walk up the hill while sliding down hill in the muddy terrain.  On the way down though this proved to be really entertaining.  I was amazed as we nearly reached the first shelf of the slope to see a man pulling four large pieces of lumber behind him as sure footed as a mountain goat.  I had a light pack on and I was struggling after only 10minutes into the trek.  I was highly impressed with Denise and her determined effort to move ahead and stay close to Domingo.  As the oldest individual on the trek I felt it my duty to bring up the rear and be a safety net, well that and I couldn't keep up anyways.  We never made the top as clouds moved in and the sun was soon to set.  Disappointed but wisely we headed back down.  The trees silhoutted in the clouds made for an awesome backdrop to the lush green forested foreground.  Once under the canopy of the trees it became dark on the way down but before we got to far the sun broke and the Village appeared far below for a brief moment and the three of us shouted like school kids, claiming a victory to simply be alive in that instant.  We shouted like fools at anyone who might hear us from far below.  The rest of the trip down the mountain was joyous, sliding, fun.  When at the bottom shelf where we had seen the man with lumber, Denise and I had some fun mud skiing down the hill.  We also smeared mud on our faces and gave the rest of the team a little laugh.  Shortly after returning to the shelter and sharing stories and laughs I took a good, but cold shower.

Supper and the evening was a bit of a blur as my body was tired and I was pumping with adrenaline and raw emotion.  Anxious to go home and see my family, but not ready to leave.   

From near the top of the mountain, we
looked far below as the clouds broke to
see the Village and hollered like kids

Some of us faired better on the hike than
others, but from the smiles, you can tell
we all had lots of fun.

Uncontrollable Emotions, Willing Hearts

At this point in the Mission trip I am getting more and more comfortable with the natural surroundings and over the next couple of entries I think I am starting to get comfortable with the people as well.  This has been a difficult process thanks to the language barriers that exist.  The weather throughout this day was cloudy with heavy rain at times but despite this I seem to be in great spirits.  In my front notes for the day (which I don't write here), I noted that I felt blessed, fortunate, hopeful for their future, and proud for "lifting" my voice and for what our team is doing.  It was a great day, possibly one of the most enduring days of the trip for me.  Even reading it now I get emotional as I can instantly go back to some of the events of the day.  This is one day that no words will ever do justice and I will never be able to fully capture how it impacted my in words. 

May 26, 2010

This day will be incredibly hard to put into words.  the previous days I have been working hard on building the sport court and today was very different.  Today I interacted more with the Village and it's people and focused on my one word.

First thing though, I have been getting up before everyone and writing my journal and emailing family.  After that breakfast is usually on.  I find it cool how quickly I have gotten into a rythym here.  After breakfast today we worked on the court for a short period before Wendy, Sara, Bernadette, Denise, and I did some home visits.

The homes we visited were those of children whom members of our church sponsor.  We were able to visit 3 young girls all below the age of 13 years old.  I was unprepared how emotional of an experience this would be for me.  The first home was a large family with 8 children, grandparents, parents, daughter-in-law, and grandchild.  They were a tight knit family that by VH II standards were likely well off.  They had a weaving loom where they produced skirts and sashes for a company in Santa Cruz.  They also had a T.V, and a rock oven.  The T.V ran off a generator and the kids watched videos on it.  The little girl was the youngest in the family and her eyes lit up when we presented her with the bag of school supplies and clothing.

The second family we visited was a smaller and poorer family.  They currently live in the little girl's grandmother's house, but were in the process of building a new home when we arrived.  The father had spent 3years in the US trying to earn money but returned to see his family with little extra to show for his time away.  His two little girls were precious and his wife beamed with pride in her family.  When this little girl tried on her clothes she giggled and lit up a dreary sky.  This is where I cracked and uncontrollably, and without knowing, tears lightly fell from my eyes.  to see this family, who had very little, welcome us into their home, and to see their love for one another, and to provide their daughter with a gift of not tactile things, but hope and a simple smile is an emotional experience I will never forget.

The third family was the smallest with only the immediate family of four living there.  They had a cinder block home, more modern than the others, but we were told it was a government project home and that the family ws very poor.  Catarina was the little girl we were to visit and this 7 year old had a weary tired face that again touched me very deep down.  I was chosen to present her with her gift on behalf of the McConnells and was blessed in so doing.  She was at first a bit timid of me I think because I probably appeared very large to her, but when I knelt down and asked her to sit on a bench beside me she became more comfortable.  She said she was in grade one and that she likes to draw.  She really liked the stickers, paper, and supplies the McConnells donated and finally smiled when I helped her put on the new pink beret.  When I helped here try on the sweaters I thought of my daughter, Shaylee, and how in a couple of years it will be her in need of school supplies and clothes, and again I started to feel tears creep into my eyes and used humor to lighten the mood.  This will be an experience I will never forget.

As we headed back to the worksite I snapped pictures of flowers and the Catholic Church.  Coffee beans, oranges, corn, it is amazing the diversity here, but as you look at the weather it is no wonder.  We are supposedly here during the rainy season but throughout everyday we get clouds, sun, rain, or a combination of all the above.

I helped out a little at the worksite before heading to lunch.  After lunch we prepped materials for VBS before heading to lead the kids.  We estimated over 140 kids sang, cheered, and smiled with us as we told stories about Jesus ability to heal.  This was another joyful moment where God's love could be seen throughout the church, and I hoped he would heal all there if just for a day.

After VBS we met once again with the weaving group and provided some business and Co-op experience.  The president of the group seemed very intelligent and eager to make this project work.  I hope that with a good plan, accountability, and God's will this will provide a great stepping stone toward sustainability.

A young 17 year old girl in this group is helping her father raise her 4 younger siblings as her mother passed away three months after her youngest sibling was born.  She is so young to have so much responsibility, yet she seems very willing and accepting to take on that and more.  It is possible that she very well represents a good number of the Villagers in her willingness to serve family.

Many of the young women stuck around after the tutorial and drew pictures and shared names and words with us with much focus on Lauren and Denise.  The day quickly drew to night and supper was shortly served up.  We prayed and sang some worship songs before heading to our appropriate rooms.

Picture the Little Things

The Mission team got together recently to complete one of the fundraisers we had committed to at our salmon dinner.  We had five cord of wood to cut, split and deliver and we picked a hot evening to complete the task.  Thankfully, Ray offered up his pool, and most of us took advantage of his generosity and cooled down with some fun.  The evening of work really made me realize how much I enjoyed this group and how close we have become due to this experience we now share.  As I stated in my last post, by re-visiting my journal to write this blog, I fondly remember many of the smaller experiences within the larger one.  Day six of the trip was one to remember and I wrote a great deal in my journal.  Guatemala though has a way of throwing a lot at you all at once.  The weather is hot and sunny one minute with pounding rain the next, the forests are so large and overwhelming, while the villages are so minimal.  It is an area of immensity and contrast, a place where you could spend a lifetime and never completely understand the natural wonders, the economic strife, or the complicated simplicity of the people (that sounds odd, I know, but I don't know how else to explain it.)  After walking through the forest near Villa Hortencia II, and having some time to ponder it now, I wish maybe I would have taken time to look at the smaller things more closely.  As you read this entry, you might want to close your eyes and put yourself in the forests of Guatemala and go beyond what I tell you and imagine the bugs, the individual orchids, the immense tree, all of these things God made, and after seeing them I now feel smaller yet stronger.

May 25, 2010

In the morning I was glad to be feeling great and thanked God for the return of my health.  We had a great breakfast of pancakes and bacon and I ate a good fill to prepare my body for the work of the day.

I wasted no time getting dirty at the work site and started mixing cement.  Chris, Jordan, Ray and I lugged 900lbs of cement the length of a soccer pitch using wheelbarrows, with Jordan breaking his wheelbarrow.  My competitive side came out as we raced up the field.  We then went to work mixing it into concrete.  This process is very physical here, like most things they do.  There is no mixer, you simply keep shovelling 8 wheel barrow loads of sand, 16 loads of gravel, and the 9 bags of cement, from one pile into another until the ingredients are mixed.  Then add water and mix a lot more until it reaches a good consistency.  Then shovel it from the ground into a wheelbarrow and dump it where needed.  It took our team all morning to mix and dump one full batch of concrete, but it was rewarding to see the sport court really taking shape.

At noon I shared my one word with the team and told them about why "LIFT" was important to me.  It led to some very cool discussion and I realize from this that I'm not the only one who struggles to lift his voice to God in front of his peers.  I felt proud of myself for being able to share my story out loud with the team.  Later in the day I even prayed over our lunch and again my pride in faith elevated.  Usually I prey on food, not pray over it.

After lunch some of us returned to the worksite while some went to lead VBS.  Some team members were feeling a bit to ill to go anywhere.  Poor Bill spent the whole day being sick and I could sympathize with him.

Again at the worksite, I went to work doing hard manual labor.  I helped a couple of Villagers hammer apart rocks.  The rocks are used to help keep the concrete slabs in place.  They are placed in the concrete forms and then the concrete is poured over them.  This also reduces the amount of concrete needed.  The issue in Villa Hortencia II is that most of the rock is huge, so in order to get smaller rocks, they beat the larger rocks with sledge hammers until they break.  It was great work for me and I challenged myself to break apart an entire boulder.  Luckily I chose a rock that was relatively soft and where ants had already created many cracks so it came apart with only a modest amount of effort.  I noticed that some of the other men were watching and I think they were either making fun of me or impressed with how quickly I broke the rock down.  I was simply glad I could help them and do something to make their jobs a bit easier.

Earlier we had worked our way through all the gravel so we ahd a short afternoon.  Domingo offered up a hike.  Ray, Jordan, Sara, Bernadette, and I all went along.  Domingo was heading out to find some orchids to take home to Nebaj for his Canadian born wife.  We were blessed to meet her and see their home earlier in our trip.  The hike led us down the road and out of the Village.  We hiked into a steep river valley where a large pool provided a chance to go for a swim.  I decided to accompany Domingo and two other locals up into the mountain side while the rest of the team members on the hike went for a swim.

The hike into the forest was incredible.  It was lush green, and fragrant.  Trees grew in all directions, including down the slope.  It didn't take long and Domingo found two species of orchid, not yet in bloom.  They climbed trees and pulled them out of the bark of the tree.  When I realized he wasn't going much further , I decided to head back to the river and go for a swim with the rest of the team that were there.

The river, like the forest, is unlike what we have at home (I should state here that home is eastern Canada.)  It tumbles from pool to pool at a very rapid pace.  The temperature is bone chilling, and colder than what I would have thought.  The color is a clear aqua green tone.  Along the banks, huge, massive trees grow, while vines and shrubs cover the lower canopy.  We rallied behind each other and bonded and gained energy from this shared experience.  Each of us happy that we made the tough hike down and no longer worried about the hike back up to the Village.  I was a bit sad that Dad, Luke, and Chris, couldn't make this hike.  Dad and Luke for obvious reasons, but Chris was starting to feel sick, so he decided to sit the hike out and recover.

Man, I was so eager to talk about the hike, I almost forgot, before lunch today we were introduced to the ladies weaving Co-op.  It is great to see this local craft skill being handed down from generation to generation.  If I had to guess, I would say we had four generations introduced to us.  We hope that the nurse's effort to provide the resources for a weave will lead to the ladies creating a small business and a much needed source of revenue for the Village.  The life in the eyes of these ladies seems to show determination and though they appeared shy, the examples of their work show they have much to offer.

Our day once again ended in games and laughter and though we are all adults I felt like I was at a Scout camp as we all laughed and joked from our beds before succumbing to our exhaustion. 

Lifting

Writing this blog has become a way for me to re-visit my journal and the lessons I learned while travelling through Guatemala.  By day six of the journey I was settling into a morning routine which I found very reflective and appealing.  I made a small commitment to myself that I would start waking up earlier at home so that I could more readily face my days there as well.  Now home for just over a month, I can honestly say that I have stuck to this routine somewhat and I truly enjoy my early morning time.

My journal for this day was deep in some places.  In one part I make some judgements, while I know where those statements were coming from at the time, they are definitely open for criticism.  In the closing portion of my entry I get pretty far into my personal faith and to be honest it makes me sweat a little putting it out in this format and I contemplated editing the journal entry a little.  However, as my one word states, I have to publicly lift God up and so I hope that after reading this you are more open to God and how he can be a positive influence on you.

One last thing before I put my journal entry in here.  THANKS A BUNCH LAUREN, for more than you know.

May 24, 2010

Worked hard most of the day today moving sod, dirt, and rock.  We also mixed cement for the first portion of the sport court.  Thanks to the rain no one suffered from heat exhaustion.  I was extremely happy to be working, and able to work and play hard.  In the afternoon some of us, including myself, continued to work on the sport court while others went to host vacation bible school (VBS) with about 115kids showing up.

As VBS ended all the kids made their way to the sports field and surrounded us as we worked.  They wanted to help and show us what they could do and though I was impressed with their eagerness and energy many of them often hindered our progress.  Their efforts we appreciated none the less. 

As more kids came the work slowed and I took an opportunity to go play soccer with some of the boys from the Village.  It shocked me to see how rough they played and how frequently two kids would square off in a fierce kicking or shoving match.  More often than not it would end as quickly as it began with each kid giving as good as he got.  I only stepped in once when one such battle was mismatched and I felt the bigger boy had made his point.  Such actions would not be allowed on our school yards, but I beleive here it is their way of keeping order.  A necessity for the kids to police themselves exist because so few adults are around to supervise.  With so many kids, the dominant individual rules and gets respect, but every now and then everyone tests their standing in the playground hierarchy and their order is determined during those battles such as what I witnessed on the soccer pitch.  From observing the adults in the Village I can assume that as these kids get older, much like us, their values change and thus mental acquity starts to gain more respect.

At lunch today Lauren surprised us all as she had organized a letter writing campaign for each Mission team member.  She had secretly asked our family and friends to write us a letter and/or send us pictures from home.  Of course this brought tears to most of our eyes and I too swelled up a bit.  I decided to leave my Mom's and Michelle's letters until later when I had some time alone.  The pictures and letters were great and reiterated what I've been saying all along "This team is much bigger that those who have simply come to Guatemala."  I was happy to hear the words of pride come from Michelle and it deepened my love for her further, and the fact Dad even wrote a letter speaks volumes.  My Mom, of course, wrote three pages and ended with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emmerson that will now always be close to my heart:

"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  

I feel that that quote so represents the way I often lead my life.  Thanks Mom.

A letter Gordon Dickinson sent me reminded me of my one word "LIFT" and that, my own word, inspired me.  So today I will strive further to openly lift others, to lift my voice, and lift my soul publicly to God.  It is amazing how God has provided me with reminders, clues, and visions of his powerful existence, and how often I feel him with me now that I'm more open to him.  I'm beginning to see that my journey to Guatemala didn't begin with fundraising, it began when I started opening my heart to God.