There are dozens of stories from today, but here's the brief summary:
We began again at 8:15, dividing up into several tasks. Three of us had our scheduled sponsorship visits -- meeting the children and their families that we support through Common Hope. Each child is a world of stories and eye-opening realities. Camille and Grace traveled together to San Rafael, where both their families live. Grace's sponsored girl, a 7 year old, was very excited about a gift of markers. Camille enjoyed meeting the family of Linda, who was shy but whose family was very appreciative. We were all informed ahead of time that our influence as sponsors can be attitudinal as well as monetary -- that we can reinforce the importance of staying in school, because many poorer children here drop out around age 12 or 13.
Meanwhile, the construction team again worked on panels that will be doorframes and walls for family homes. One team was able to deliver a dozen or so of the panels to the village of San Pedro, in preparation for a house to be built. Because land ownership is often contested or undocumented here, these homes are designed to be taken apart again and moved should a family be forced off their land.
Another team worked on the remodeling project going on with the facilities here, where eventually they'll have improved play facilities and offices here for kids. This is the most strenuous of the jobs here, involving lots of shoveling of dirt. (We have fantasized about buying them a Bobcat, but it seems to be the way of the Guatemalan people to do things by hand.)
Another team spent the morning in the warehouse, where in-kind donations are stored and sorted before they go to families here in Antigua or at their other site near Guatemala City. It was fun to imagine, as we went through boxes of notebooks or glue, how these supplies will go to help children and their families afford the basic necessities of education here.
After another luscious lunch we spent the afternoon with about forty kids from the programs here, ranging in age from 8 to 15. Some of the group taught friendship bracelet making, while another group set up the badminton and volleyball equipment that we brought along. We were impressed with their energy and willingness to try some things that were evidently new. The volleyball game occasionally used some soccer techniques -- they sometimes had better results with headers than with using their hands. There was great energy among all this afternoon. As Erich put it, the "power of play" was often enough to overcome language barriers.
Dinner was another luscious meal here on-site -- their cooks are amazing!
Fun note of coincidence -- as we were waiting for lunch, we spotted Anji Chadwick (a confirmation classmate of this group) in the courtyard. It turns out she, her father Bill and a group of their youth from Peace Presbyterian in Bloomington just finished a week of service in another town and are flying home tomorrow. It is easy to see why Guatemala is a popular destination for mission trips!
Pam's group: Sophie, Camille, Andrew and Grace
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