Last Day (Friday, April 6)

Today our group worked extremely hard despite the heat in the morning and rain in the afternoon. We were able to level out most of an extremely large dirt pile in the lot where the new school is being built. All of the dirt moving was done without the use of heavy equipment, which means that our guys and ladies shoveled every piece of dirt into buckets and wheelbarrows that were moved to another location on the lot. Moving this dirt today may have been the most physically demanding thing that we have ever done on a trip, but our group persevered through the heat, minor sunburn, and soreness to finish the recreation area which will allow the children in Rayitos de Esperanza to play soccer and other games in a safe environment.




We also installed several stoves into people's houses. Many of these people did not have a way to cook until after we finished their new stove. The stoves installed today will change the lives of the up to 10 people loving in these small 'homes'. I put homes in parenthesis because they are not at all what we would call home back in Gainesville. The houses are built on top of what used to be a landfill that eventually was covered with a layer of dirt, then sold to these people that had no home. Each home is different, but they usually include four walls made of corrugated tin, a few wooden poles, and anything else found in the landfill that can be used as a roof. Very few homes are made of old rotten wood and cardboard anymore, which is a good sign that the conditions are improving. Also, the city has installed sewage pipes, so the raw sewage does not flow freely through the narrow dirt walkways between the rows of houses. It is encouraging to see all of the changes, but there is still a lot that needs to happen for the area to be cleaned up.




The last thing that we were able to do tonight is serve food to the people that live in the landfill. Many of them approached our group with broken bowls, cardboard, and anything else that they could get there hands on to receive what could be their only decent meal until they are served again by Pastor Saul and the people from his church next Friday. A chiropractor from Gainesville donated around 70 plastic bowls that we were able to give to those that were trying to get their food with nasty things that they found in the landfill. These people (which included Guatemalans from birth to older men and women) were so appreciative for their new bowls, something that we take for granted all the time back home.




Our final day ended with pizza for supper that Allie, our Girls Ministry Associate, picked up in the nick of time because everything shuts down in Guatemala early on the Friday before Easter. We enjoyed eating and laughing together and then were entertained by a man that is related to one of our drivers who plays the Peruvian flute. Our final share time followed, and was a great time of debriefing everything that we saw and experienced this past week. We can't wait to see you all to share our incredible stories from Guatemala!



Thank you for taking the time to read our blog from our Spring Break 2012 High School Missions Team.

NOTE: PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE WILL SHARE ABOUT OUR TRIP ON SUNDAY, APRIL 15 IN THE LODGE AT 5:00PM.


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Location:30 Calle,Guatemala City,Guatemala