Guatemala: Dia Siete

There were four girls (in addition to myself) in Guatemala who are also in Alpha Sigma Alpha with me. As a chapter we have adopted a little Guatemalan girl, Adriana.  We sponsored her financially which mainly goes to support her education, or really where ever the family needs the money to go.  

We were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to meet her on Friday.  She was adorable and somewhat shy. Some things she shared with us:

Her favorite animal is a chicken and their family has 12 of them.
She wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
She likes to read.
Her favorite color is sky blue.
She has a older brother and a younger brother, Dennis.
Adriana turned 8 years old on April 11th.

The part of this incredible visit that touched me the most was when Adriana's mother voiced how much our donation meant to them and helped their family.  She also mentioned that Adriana prays for us, her sponsors, every single day. This really hit me. The sponsorship only costs all the members of our chapter 2 dollars...that's it.  While I knew we sponsored her, I had no idea of the impact it was truly making. I am beyond grateful that I received this opportunity to meet her and begin to add Adriana and her family to my prayers. 

Another huge lesson I learned from this visit was when her mother handmade 6 woven baskets for each of us as a thank-you gift for our financial contribution.  This was a completely unnecessary gift, but was certainly a testament to the overwhelmingly generosity of the Guatemalan people.  Despite the little that they have, they are always ready to share or to gift with others. It was an important reminder for me to refrain from being stingy with what I have. The choice to be generous is one I neglect to make too often.  I am very grateful for this chance to see generosity in action and doing good in the world, making it a little more beautiful, essentially letting the flowers bloom through the dirt.

So here's to letting the world be painted with the beauty of generosity and recognizing those beautiful painters, like Adriana's mom.

cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Seis

On day six, we smashed bigger rocks with hammers to make smaller rocks in order to have materials for concrete (yes, indeed you should watch out because a rock smasher is on the loose). We continued twisting alambras around rebar and also filled buckets with dirt to be packed and become the floor. Today we were not working on the health clinic addition, but went a little further up a mountain and were assisting in construction of a house for a family of six.

It was a fun project in which new experiences were in fresh supply, that's for sure.  My little nugget of reflection for the day came when my rear was on a rock hammering another rock into tiny rock pieces.

I came to a unparalleled awareness as to where raw materials come from.  I have forever taken for granted where the things you need to get a job done originate, and in this moment I received a nice ole slice of humble pie. I developed a deeper appreciation for utilizing what you have and not making assumptions that you will have everything that you need, when you need it.  The people of Guatemala, especially those at the mission, are very resourceful.

I learned so much more than I can sum up in this quick summary, but I now feel I have more profound respect for those who work in construction, for those you make use of everything they can, and for those who work with raw materials. I hope to put this appreciation to use by trying be more conscious of where the things I have come far and how they made their way into my possession.  I am so grateful that God granted that I have this experience in humility and that it came in such an interesting fashion.

So here's to savoring the humble pie while it's hot and appreciated the everyday ways God surprises me.
cheers.

AL.

Guatemala: Dia Cinco

Woooo coming in hot with dia cinco! ...I am thoroughly aware that you are on the very edge of your seat because all of sudden the Guatemalan week is no longer going to take me all year to blog about. I am as well on the edge of the not-so-comfy futon (of course due to anticipation NOT due to the springs sticking in my rear...promise.) Three days in a row of blogging is a shocking and exhilarating fact for us all...all 5 readers (myself included.). hey hey shout-out Mom, Dad, Tor, and Allison :)

Wednesday was really fun. Our morning assignment was at the health clinic to continue work on the mission's project of extending the clinic facilities to include a place for families of patients to stay while their loved one is receiving care (similar to Ronald McDonald House).  This project equals construction work for the volunteers to help with!! Hold back the snickers, boys...all 15 females in our group took this on like champs.  Sawing rebar, cutting alambras or wire, and tying it all together with pliers in hand like we have done every day of our lives...well...almost.  It was hard work, very hands-on, and unlike anything I had ever done before.  The conversation and laughs had during our first attempts still are making me smile right now as I am typing this. One of my favorite things about this trip was having completely new experiences everyday. Always keeping it fresh in Guat, the usual...

Anyways, while twisting metal wires around the rebar (refer to pictures to actually understand what we were doing, because my description is significantly less than stellar) and slowly becoming decent (well somewhere between ehhhh and decent at least) there was an abundance of time for my brain to run away with thoughts (definitely one of its favorite pastimes).  But first some quick background, for some reason our group truly gleamed onto the Spanish word for these metal wires, alambras. I think this started because we were not totally sure that what we were working with was actually wire and did not know how to translate it to English...not to worry though we eventually made the connection.  Oh where were we....oh yes the actual thoughts (and substance of this post) I was having...


The alambras fascinated me.  Some features in particular caught my attention. First of all, it was very malleable (at least before it was rained upon and became rusty).  Secondly, they appears incredibly simple and not all that strong, but in fact these wires were crucial for the structure of this building we were constructing.  Thirdly, they were us.  I mean that in the way that as of right now in my life, I am so beyond blessed to be in such a malleable, unrusted state.  I am attending a university that is giving me knowledge that can be used to make the world a little bit better of a place.  I am young, brimming with energy and passion. I have freedoms now that I may never have again.  Also, the possibilities of where God can be leading me are pretty much endless, endless malleability.  In addition, although my contribution, now and in the future, may be simple, it can also be necessary as the wires were for the structure of the building.  Each one contributed to the bigger end goal. All of us have something incredible to offer the world, I just need to let God take control of the pliers and start twisting and turning me into something way better than I could ever be on my own.

Aldair, he taught us so very patiently

So here's to enjoying the alambras state of life, the malleability, and letting God twist it up.
cheers, friends.

AL.

All photo credits: Alex Meyers

Guatemala: Dia Cuatro

On day 4, we were assigned to work on the stove project (yay!!).  We traveled to a neighboring village and were going to being building two families new stoves.  In Guatemala, the women wake up very early every morning to make 140 tortillas for the day for their families.  Oftentimes they makes these tortillas on an open fire, and without the proper ventilation within their homes they end up inhaled this harsh smoke.  This can lead to numerous respiratory problems after extended exposure.  In addition, these makeshift stoves are a fire hazard and threaten to burn down houses with every use.  The mission started the stove project to help relieve some of these problems for the hard-working people of Guatemala.

To build these stoves, we first began but sifted through some dirt and rocks to make concrete (this will not be the last time I make concrete by hand either...more to come in day 6!).  We proceeded to mix the cement mix and water in the newly formed pile of sifted dirt.  The cement was going between the cinder blocks that would become the new stove.  This was definitely a new and interesting experience!

The room in which we were constructing the stove was really small, so all 9 members of our group plus the long-term volunteer from the mission plus the two construction workers could not all be working at the same time.  In between cementing the cinder blocks, many children from the town were gathering to play with us. The little girls totally get a kick out of braiding our hair and singing the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' in Spanish for us. It was a lovely break from the manual labor involved with building the stove.  Oh and the chicos were absolutely precious too :)

Photo Credit: Emily DeVore

On Tuesday I was struggling the most with understanding why I was in Guatemala and what the purpose of this trip was.  I knew that I was there to serve the people of Guatemala, but while I was struggling to mix the cement, I could not help but wonder that what I was doing was not really contributing anything at all.  I felt that the mission could employ their own workers to do a better, and more efficient job at building this stove than I could, an American from 2,500 miles away with no experience.  I felt a slight disconnect from my fellow volunteers and from the Guatemalans I was working with.  It left me with an uneasy feeling that I was not sure how to deal with.  I did not want to offend the people I was trying to serve, and that day I could not help but imagine that my presence there was just taking up space and getting in the way.  I was so grateful to have had a close to hash this all out with that day, and who was experiencing similar feelings.

This uneasiness quickly subsided after that day and I learned that I was in Guatemala on a service-immersion experience.  I was not simply there to be as productive as possible, to "fix" the most things, or to even help the most people.  I was meant to immerse myself in a different culture, learn to appreciate the variations, and embrace the people around me in a spirit of solidarity.  I found these feelings of doubt and uncertainty to lead me to an even more profound recognition of all that this trip offered me and for this reason I am glad that I experienced them. I gained a understanding that although there appear to be bumps along the road, it can truly lead to something even greater.

Today, a read a quote (actually from one of the girl I just talked about above!) that I think speaks volumes to the entire trip, but especially this day.

"I have no idea where this will lead us. But I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange."

So here's to the wonderful and strange places life leads us.
cheers.

AL.

P.S. I truly apologize for the rambly-ness of this post, too many thoughts to string together! Haha.

Guatemala: Dia Tres

On our third glorious day in Guatemala we had the opportunity to get a tour of the mission and all of its projects.  Katie, the mission's director, and a local tour guide showed us the mission's medical clinic, reforestation project, women's center, coffee bean plants, elementary school and Montessori school for the little ones.  While stopping at each site spread throughout the town, we were also able to meet the members of the community in charge of the projects. It was so cool to see the projects and people in action after watching the movie the night before on Fr. Greg's life and all the project he implemented in San Lucas.

Truvio
Photo credit: Alex Meyers

In the afternoon on Monday our project assignment was at the reforestation project with a man named Truvio. Truvio has been working on and now managing the reforestation project since he was a young man. We learned from Truvio that one of the main things that the reforestation project seeks to do is plant cypress trees. Cypress trees were chosen in particular because they have deep roots that grow quickly.  These trees are important in maintaining soil that can grow crops and they help protect from landslides bringing as much devastation to communities in Guatemala.

As cool as it was to learn the logistics about reforestation the part that really stood out to me about Truvio was his overwhelming joy and passion for his work.  I feel that I was fortunate enough to have seen him in action spreading his joy.  I have so much to learn from Truvio.  To always, each and every day, put forth all that I have into my vocation.  Maybe my vocation does not involve planting trees and developing the Earth through reforestation like Truvio's, and God has given me different gifts, but I can always use those gifts to make to the world a little more beautiful and a little more joyful.  Truvio, is a perfect example of this and he definitely is an example to aspire to imitate.

Our group and Truvio

So here's to Truvio and spreading a little joy in our work.
cheers.

AL.